Steven Kwan, OF, CLE
Kwan went 2 for 3 with a solo homer on Tuesday night. The round-tripper was his 10th of the season which is already a career-high and is one shy of the 11 he hit during his first two big league seasons combined. Kwan's league-leading 8.3% K% and 7.0% Whiff% have translated to a robust .347 AVG and .401 OBP. These numbers are fantastic but not too surprising given Kwan's skill set. It's the .507 SLG and .160 ISO that raises the eyebrows. His 22.1% HardHit% ranks in the 1st percentile while his 1.8% Barrel% ranks in the 2nd. The 26-year-old may not be powerful but he squares the ball up more than anyone else (39.5%) and his 40.2 LA sweet-spot% is stellar. With just six stolen bases, Kwan has let fantasy owners down in that department but that has more than been remedied with his production across the board.
Tanner Scott, RP, MIA
Scott fanned two and hit a batter en route to securing his 17th save of the season. The southpaw has pitched 3.1 scoreless innings and picked up three saves since appearing in his first career All-Star game last week. Despite a hefty 5.15 BB/9, Scott has been fantastic this season. His 82.5 average Exit Velo leads the majors while his 28.9% Hard-Hit% and .186 xBA rank in the 98th percentile. In his current role, Scott is a valuable asset in most fantasy formats; however, he will almost certainly be moved before the trade deadline is up. Scott won't likely have the closer role with whatever contender he ends up on, which will sap his fantasy value.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, TOR
Guererro went 1 for 3 with a solo homer and a walk on Tuesday night. He is now riding a five-game hitting streak in which he is 9-20 with four homers and two doubles. After a slow start to the campaign, Vlad's hard-hitting ways are starting to show up in the box score. His 94.1 average Exit Velo and 55.9% HardHit% each rank in the 98th percentile but it was a struggle for Guerrero to find his groove in 2024. He now owns a .293/.363/.479 triple-slash line with 17 homers and 60 RBI this season. Solid numbers to be sure, but considering his hefty expected numbers (.387 xwOBA .304 xBA, .538 xSLG), it's fair to want more from the powerful 25-year-old.
Nolan Arenado, 3B, STL
Arenado went 1 for 3 with a solo shot off of Paul Skenes on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. The veteran third baseman has struggled mightily this season but has shown some signs of life recently. He's hitting .279 with three homers and has a 1.2 BB/K since the start of July. However, Arenado still isn't hitting the ball with authority. His 2.9% Barrel% and 27.5% HardHit% are the worst of his career by a wide margin. The 33-year-old appears to have lost some confidence at the dish as he is swinging at fewer pitches (45.8% Swing%) and strikes (61.3 Z-Swing%) than ever before in his 12-year big league career. Despite the recent uptick, there isn't anything that gives me optimism that Arenado is going to truly turn things around. He is coming off of his worst (probably) season in 2023 and 2024 has been much of the same.
Juan Yepez, 1B, WSH
Yepez extended his hitting streak to 14 games, going 2 for 4 with a double on Tuesday night. The 26-year-old was called up from Triple-A at the beginning of the month and has recorded a hit in every game he has played in thus far. In his previous big league experience, Yepez displayed some pop, but his plate discipline left a lot to be desired. He has shown improvement in that department this season, however. Yepez owns a 10.2 BB% and 16.9% K% through 59 plate appearances. His Chase% and Whiff% are still below average but he has been hitting the ball well (10.3% Barrel% and 43.6% HardHit%) and getting results. Yepez is slashing .377/.441/.585 with a homer and six RBI. This isn't likely to last but it will keep him in the Nats lineup for the time being.
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