Fantasy baseball players suffered a tough blow with the news that Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff will be sidelined due to a high ankle sprain. Woodruff wasn’t pitching to his normal standard this season, but he was still averaging 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings and was starting to look like his old self. As always, the grind never stops and we will have to look for replacements on the waiver wire.

Three Up:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers Outfielder Mookie Betts — It was another impressive week for Betts, as he finished with five home runs and a .467 batting average (May 23-30). After batting .230 with three home runs in April, Betts has been red hot in May. The outfielder is batting .355 with 12 home runs, 27 RBIs and 31 runs scored during the month. Betts is a stud and has performed that way for fantasy players in May. He is a strong contender for player of the month.

2. New York Mets Shortstop Francisco Lindor — The Mets are going to be playing in October, and Lindor is a huge reason why. Lindor needed a big week, as it has been an inconsistent month for the 28-year-old. This past week, Lindor hit .393 with two home runs, 16 RBIs, 10 runs scored and two stolen bases. For the season, Lindor is batting .262 with eight home runs, 40 RBIs, 37 runs scored and seven stolen bases.

3. Milwaukee Brewers Starting Pitcher Corbin Burnes — The Brewers are dealing with injuries to their starting rotation so it’s a must that Burnes delivers every time he is on the mound. That’s exactly what happened this past week, as Burnes allowed only one earned run while striking out 16 in his two starts. The 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner is somehow pitching better than last year, as he has a 1.95 ERA and 0.82 WHIP. Burnes is pitching like the guy many fantasy owners expected when they invested heavily back in March.

Three Down:

1. Texas Rangers Shortstop Corey Seager — The Rangers spent a combined $500 million for Seager and teammate Marcus Semien. Semien has been a disaster, as he’s batting below .200 and is making it tough for fantasy owners when it comes to keeping him on their roster. It hasn’t been much better for Seager, as he’s batting .232 with 10 home runs and only 23 RBIs. Seager has never hit under .267 in his career so we’re due for him to get going soon, but it needs to happen quickly.

2. Philadelphia Phillies First Baseman Rhys Hoskins — The Phillies are a mess and one of the biggest disappointments this season. There’s no doubt manager Joe Girardi could be fired before the end of the year. When an organization spends as much money as the Phillies did and they are seven games under .500 after Memorial Day, decisions have to be made. Hoskins had an awful week as he collected only five hits while striking out nine times. Hoskins is only hitting .215 this season with eight home runs and 24 RBIs.

3. Toronto Blue Jays Starting Pitcher Jose Berrios — I have always felt there was more in the tank for Berrios, but he has failed to reach that level consistently. It was a rough start on May 29 for Berrios, as he allowed six earned runs in 2.1 innings pitched. This was the second time this season Berrios failed to complete three innings and is now sporting a 5.62 ERA. Berrios is a guy I would have never drafted, but if he’s on your team, you can move on. If he does somehow turn it around, you won’t lose any sleep as there’s another bad start in the near future.

Phil Backert

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