Riley Greene
Greene went 1-4 with a solo homer and 2 K on Tuesday. He is slashing .241/.313/.517 since coming back from the IL. Greene has been fairly consistent all season long, posting at least an .830 OPS in four of five months. He does everything you want to see in a quality hitter, from hitting the ball hard (75th Percentile) to producing optimal launch angles (87th Percentile) and limiting one of chase or whiff (only 21.7% Chase). Greene has been a bit disappointing in the R/RBI department given his talent level, but that is a product of playing in a fringy lineup. That lineup now features a healthy Kerry Carpenter, so there should be more optimism for Greene rest of season.
Trevor Larnach
Larnach went 3-6 with a R, 3 RBI, and K on two hard-hit balls. The former first rounder has been excellent lately, posting a .880 OPS in August, and is 10-22 in his last five games. He is batting second in the Twins lineup with scorching hot Matt Wallner hitting behind him. Larnach has excellent quality of contact, as he's posted above a .410 xwOBACON all four years of his career, and has a career high .499 xSLG in 2024. He has a beautiful ability to both launch balls at optimal angles (38.5%, 91st Percentile) and hit the ball hard (45.1%, 73rd Percentile). He has struck out over 31% in each of his first three seasons, but he has cut that to just 21.9%. I'm beginning to love Larnach, and you should too.
Kerry Carpenter
Carpenter went 2-4 with a two-run homer for 3 RBIs total. He has been on a tear since coming back from injury, slashing .295/.340/.659, basically picking up right where he left off before injury. Carpenter showed oodles of promise in 2023, making him a prime sleeper candidate in 2024. Last year, he was 65th Percentile of better in xSLG, EV, Barrel%, and LA Sweet Spot. He is currently riding a .369 xwOBA and .483 xwOBACON with a career high hard hit rate. Play him!
Jackson Merrill
Merrill went 2-4 with a R on three hard hit balls. The rookie phenom has been red hot in August, slashing .318/.348/.659 with 6 homers. The most impressive part about Merrill's profile is that he is only striking out at 17.9%. However, he is walking at just 4.5%, which might lead some to believe that he has an above average swing rate, but Merrill actually swings at an above average clip, which is why he has a high chase right (35.8%). This means we could easily see Merrill walk more with the same impact if he swung just a bit less. This is extremely bullish as it means Merrill's ability to control the at-bat when the pitch is in the zone is very strong. I love Merrill rest of career in all formats.
Jacob Wilson
Jacob Wilson went 1-4 with a R and K in his return from injury. He batted ninth for Oakland, which could be good for the Runs department but should be fairly abysmal for RBIs, as the four hitters in front of him in the lineup all entered the game with OPS's below .700. Wilson was taken with the sixth overall pick in the draft last year, and utterly dominated the upper minors in an admittedly small sample. Wilson walked more than he struck out in 26 games in AAA, and his contact skills have been well documented going back to college. I see him as a fill-in in points leagues where K/BB ratios matter.
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