Go add Noah Schultz. The White Sox's top pitching prospect is getting the call to make his MLB debut Tuesday after putting up a 1.29 ERA in his first 14 innings of the season, and Scott White tabbed him as a priority pickup when news of his promotion came down over the weekend. Schultz isn't a can't-miss prospect – is any young pitcher? – but he has very good stuff and could be the kind of pitcher who catches fire and helps carry your Fantasy rotation for a while.
Of course, it's easy to say "go pick this guy up!" You should! But roster spots aren't infinite, and there is opportunity cost to every move you want to make. Looking at my bench in one league, my most droppable players are either Cole Young or Kyle Manzardo, a couple of very interesting young breakout picks I don't want to give up on quite yet. But if I want to add Schultz or anyone else this week, I'm going to have to make some decisions I don't necessarily want to make.
Well, that's Fantasy Baseball for you! If every decision was easy, it wouldn't be a decision, would it? So, before we get to this week's targets to add, here are 10 players I'm good with dropping this week:
He just needed a wake-up call. Get it? Jensen earned himself a little benching after he missed his alarm clock, and then went on to homer three times in his next seven games. He started six of the next eight games and figures to remain a fixture in the club's lineup moving forward, either as DH or catcher. He'll need to cut his 38% strikeout rate down, of course, but the power and plate discipline are real and could give him top-12 upside. There's no reason Kirk should be more widely rostered than Jensen.
Deep league option: Victor Caratini, Twins (6%) – Caratini isn't a great hitter, but he's decent enough to matter as a No. 2 catcher, especially when he has started 13 of the first 15 games for the Twins. That playing time edge matters at a position where most guys sit 2-3 times a week.
There's always a stretch where Bell is a super useful Fantasy option. It usually doesn't last the entire season, but for a month or two (sometimes even three!) every year, you're happy to have Bell around, and this season, he's starting early. And what's even more impressive is he's doing it during an unusually lefty-heavy stretch of the schedule, which usually trips Bell up. He's hitting the ball to the pull side in the air more than usual which is helping make up for an elevated strikeout rate. Again, it won't last, but I'm happy to ride the hot streak as long as I can.
Deep league option: Rhys Hoskins, Guardians (9%) – Hoskins hasn't really gotten hot yet, but he's playing plenty for the Guardians and still has some pop in that bat. There's still 25-homer potential here.
Muncy is super locked in right now. He's spraying hard hit balls all over the field, sporting a 95.8 mph average exit velocity. He's not the new Aaron Judge, but it's a good sign for a guy with a pretty intriguing power/speed skill set. The .300 average is a mirage given the strikeout issues, but Muncy is showing enough to at least be worth adding to see if he can keep something like this going, especially given his terrific home park.
Deep league option: Sam Antonacci, White Sox (16%) – There are some reports indicating that Antonacci is on the verge of making his MLB debut, perhaps as soon as Tuesday of this week. Antonacci isn't a can't-miss prospect, but he has strong contact skills, plenty of speed, and could establish himself as a top-of-the-lineup option for the White Sox before long. There might be average-ish raw power here too, with some signs since late last season that he is tapping into it a bit more. We're probably not talking about 20-homer upside, but double digits with a bunch of steals could be possible.
Like Carpenter, Keith is getting more playing time than usual thanks to the righty-heavy stretch the Tigers have found themselves in to open the season, but unlike Carpenter, he's actually taking advantage of it. Keith has been one of the biggest gainers in average bat speed this season and it's led to big production in the early going, including a .354 average and seven doubles in 14 games. The playing time could be iffier moving forward when they face more lefties, but the skill changes here are interesting enough to merit a second look.
With Jorge Polanco limited to DH duties while dealing with an Achilles injury, Vientos suddenly finds himself with an everyday role. He's gone a bit cold over the past five games or so, but let's not forget this is a guy who hit 27 homers two years ago, and he's making a lot more contact in the early going. I'm skeptical it's going to amount to much in the long run, but the opportunity is there.
Deep league option: Curtis Mead, Nationals (2%) – You're going to see a bunch of Nats on this list throughout the season, because well … They're a bad team. Which means they're probably going to cycle through a bunch of options all over the field hoping one or two of them becomes a long-term contributor. In Mead's case, he's only 25 and a career .298/.372/.506 hitter throughout his minor-league career, so it's a more interesting bet than most. Right now, Mead is primarily the short-side platoon option at first base, but it's not at all inconceivable that he could carve out a bigger role.
Life finds a way. When Fernandez came up and hit two homers in his MLB debut, the obvious question was, "Yeah, but where is he going to play?" With Carlos Santana on the IL with an adductor strain, first base (and a little DH) is the answer. Fernandez hasn't homered again in 10 games since, but he does have three multi-hit games in his past five while showing off high-end bat speed and solid contact skills. He's coming off a .272/.321/.454 line with 17 homers and 12 steals as a 21-year-old at Double-A last season and has the chance to take a job and run with it.
Deep league option: Nasim Nunez, Nationals (17%) – There's no bat to speak of here, but Nunez will draw a few walks, slap a few singles, and steal a bunch of bases – seven and counting in 13 games. He doesn't have Jose Caballero's positional flexibility, but he might be an even better bet for speed.
The production hasn't been there yet, which is why Lile's roster rate is starting to dip. I'm not worried. The plus contact skills and athleticism are still there, and while he isn't crushing the ball, he's hitting it hard enough to still think there will be plenty of extra-base hits here in the future. Lile still profiles as a .280-plus hitter with double-digit power and speed. I'm not giving up.
It's been a bit feast-or-famine for Caissie lately, with a three-hit, two-double game Thursday sandwiched between a bunch of hitless efforts. There's a bit too much swing-and-miss here at present, too. But the plus power has been on display with the 91.6 mph average exit velocity and 25% barrel rate, and the underlying plate discipline metrics aren't quite as scary as the 37% strikeout rate would make you believe. Caissie is going to be fine. He's going to be a big-time power hitter.
The case for Soler is a lot like the case for Bell: We know he's going to go on a crazy tear at some point, and you want to be along for the ride when it happens. He homered in three straight games this week, so if you're looking for an outfielder, why not hop aboard and see if he can keep it going?
Martinez opened last season hot, hitting .333 with a .778 OPS in April before ultimately collapsing. It's a high-contact skill set, and while Martinez's foot speed is pretty average, he's been an active baserunner so far, swiping four bags. With eligibility at second base and in the outfield, he could be a useful speed and average combo.
The Rockies are doing a bunch of mixing and matching but Johnston has been a pretty consistent part of the lineup. Is his .283/.327/.478 line real? Probably not, but there are solid contact skills that will be elevated by the effects of Coors Field, and I do think he'll at least be pretty good at home.
The first couple of starts from Abel were pretty rough, as he walked as many as he struck out (seven) over his first 7.1 innings of work and probably had you wondering what all the fuss was about. But he got on track Thursday against the Tigers, striking out six over six shutout innings. The fastball still looks like a really good swing-and-miss pitch when he locates it well, and I still think it makes sense to bet on him figuring it out over other more stream-ier types out there.