We have seen several injury replacements get the call to the big leagues this week along with a surprise trade that may have landed Chris Nelson back in temporary fantasy relevance. We have also seen a few older guys continue to struggle, possibly giving us a glimpse of what we can expect the rest of the way. Let’s take a look at whose stock is rising and whose stock is plummeting faster than Matt Barkley at a draft.
Buy:
Matt Reynolds: Strong Buy. With the rest of the Arizona bullpen falling apart, Matt Reynolds could well be the next in line to save games if JJ Putz is replaced. Reynolds has been phenomenal this season, pitching 14 scoreless innings while scattering six hits and a walk and striking out 11. He already has two saves on the season as well.
Matt Joyce: Solid Buy. Joyce is a very serviceable outfielder who has hit 36 home runs in 860 at-bats over the last two seasons. He is off to a great start this year, putting up six homers (though only nine RBI), 15 runs, and a steal. Power is more and more difficult to come by so .252 career average aside, this is a guy capable of hitting 20.
Dan Straily: Strong Buy. Brett Anderson has inevitably returned to the disabled list which sets off our automatic Dan Straily alert at the SJN offices. Straily had a great start against the Astros (who hasn’t? (Andy Pettitte)) giving up just two runs over 6.2 IP while striking out 11 but struggled in his start Monday against the Angels as he gave up six runs on two homers and struck out six, lasting just 4.2 IP. That one start aside, Straily looked promising last season as he put up a 3.89 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and 7.3 K/9 over 39 IP. He’s been excellent in the minors, putting up a 2.78 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 11.2 K/9 last season and should be an excellent four-category pitcher as long as he’s in the rotation.
Chris Nelson: Speculative Buy. The Yankees traded for Nelson to replace Kevin Youkilis who is down with a back injury. Nelson hasn’t shown a whole lot of ability to hit for power but he can hit doubles and that increases his average, RBI, and run production – especially if the Yankee lineup keeps hitting. If Nelson is starting, he could be worth a shot, at least in deeper leagues.
Marcell Ozuna: Speculative Buy. Once again, power is increasingly rare in fantasy so you can do what the Marlins did – throw it at the wall and see if it sticks. Ozuna is the 75th top prospect entering the 2013 season and has hit more than 20 home runs in three consecutive minor league seasons. He is a very raw hitter who struggles with strikeouts and seldom walks but he may be able to produce some pop and (hopefully) RBIs. He has shown ability to steal as well, swiping 17 bases in 2011, but don’t expect him to steal at that rate in the Majors.
Sell:
Mark Buehrle: Buerhle leads the league with 25 runs allowed in 35 innings pitched and with obviously limited strikeouts I can’t see Mark Buerhle putting up the solid numbers we’re used to seeing from him in 2013. The whole Toronto Blue Jays fully imported team fiasco is seeing the wheels come off quickly and I don’t see Buerhle, or Josh Johnson for that matter, having much fantasy worth this year.
Victor Martinez: With 99 at-bats in the books, Martinez’ big return season has produced a whopping .212 BA, .542 OPS, nine RBI, five runs, and zero home runs. Returning from a season-long injury can be difficult for anyone, much less a catcher who already saw his HR% plummet from 3.7 in 2010 to 2.0 in 2011.
Edwin Jackson: I was optimistic about Edwin’s chances in 2013 but he is off to as bad a start as you can have. Jackson is 0-4 with a 6.27 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, and a 4.6 BB/9. He does has 34 K over 33 IP but that’s hardly relevant when you are letting everyone else on. In his last start, he gave up eight runs to a 22nd ranked Padres offense. Just cut your losses on this one.
