Baseball is a funny game. Average players can go on elite runs and “set it and forget it” guys can find themselves ice cold. That is especially apparent in this week’s “three up, three down,” which highlights who’s hot and who’s not around the league.
Here are this week’s fantasy baseball risers and fallers.
Three Up:
Arizona Diamondbacks 1B Christian Walker — Since April 28, Walker has been on an absolute heater, with seven multi-hit games and six home runs. His OPS has jumped more than 200 points in his last nine games and now sits at a healthy .886 on the year. In that span, he has scored 11 times and racked up 13 RBIs. It’s not often you see a player accumulate a full win above replacement in such a small sample size, but Walker has done it. His teammate, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., is also worth keeping an eye on, as he’s already reached base safely 14 times this month with four long balls.
Baltimore Orioles OF Anthony Santander — One of the Orioles’ biggest disappointments in April has turned it on so far in May, reaching base safely at least twice in all seven of his games this month, including six consecutive multi-hit efforts. He has doubled and homered three times apiece since the calendar turned, scoring seven times and driving in nine. Santander is still striking out a bit too much and is never going to be a guy who walks a ton, but he showed last season that he can be one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball when he’s locked in, and he appears to be in the midst of another one of those stretches.
Texas Rangers RHP Nathan Eovaldi — The first-place Rangers needed someone in their rotation to step up after Jacob deGrom went down with an elbow injury, and Eovaldi has responded by giving up zero runs in two starts since. The first was a complete game, three-hit shutout against the Yankees and the second was a scoreless eight-inning effort in Anaheim. That’s now four straight quality starts for Eovaldi, who rarely struggles with walks and provides at least average strikeout numbers. The righty is settling in nicely to the “ace” role while the Rangers await the return of their real one.
Three Down:
Tampa Bay Rays 2B Brandon Lowe — After a scorching first couple of weeks, Lowe has struggled mightily in his last 13 games, He has reached base safely just seven times in his last 54 plate appearances, good for a .096/.130/.231 slash line during that span, and that includes a three-hit effort in which he finished a double shy of the cycle. Overall, he’s hitless in 10 of his last 13 games and has failed to reach base safely in nine of them, with a 37 percent strikeout rate contributing to his struggles. If you’re relying on Lowe to be your starting second baseman, you may want to consider benching him and finding a replacement until he returns to form.
St. Louis Cardinals 3B Nolan Arenado — One would not expect Arenado, who has been a top-10 MVP finisher in six of his last seven full seasons, to be performing this poorly. Yet, his start to the 2023 campaign has been uncharacteristically bad. He has been striking out more often and hitting the ball hard less often than ever before, and his OPS on the year is barely above the .600 mark. He is 10 for his last 72 (.139) with just four walks and two extra-base hits since April 17. Arenado has looked uncomfortable at the plate, and his poor performance is a big reason why the Cardinals currently find themselves in last place.
Chicago White Sox RHP Dylan Cease — The ace of the South Side has not pitched like one lately, giving up 18 runs (17 earned) in just 14 innings in his last three starts. His season ERA has more than doubled during that span, ballooning from 2.73 to 5.58 in just 12 days. After surrendering just four extra-base hits in his first four starts, he has given up 11 in his last four, including a home run in each recent outing. The reigning AL Cy Young runner-up is supposed to be a bright spot on what has been a disappointing White Sox team, but recently has just been another contributor to the disappointment.
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