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What does Delino DeShields need to do, people?
He started to get plenty of hype before the season thanks to a big talk from Rangers manager Jeff Bannister about his potential out of the leadoff spot, and all he's done so far is live up to that. An injury sidelined him for three weeks after just two games, but DeShields has been a must-start player since returning, ranking as a top-15 outfielder in both points and Rotisserie formats since April 22.
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He walked four times and stole a base while scoring twice in Wednesday's win over the Tigers, and is now hitting .313/.395/.448, with 15 runs, two homers, and seven steals in 17 games since returning from the DL. He won't keep that up — the .413 BABIP is unsustainable — but he's going to steal bases and score runs, and shouldn't be much of a drain on batting average at all, after hitting .269 last season. Let's hope this is the last time we have to talk about DeShields here. Don't let me down.
Nick Pivetta is good. I know he was a disaster last season, and the 4.15 ERA doesn't quite show it, but I promise: Pivetta is good. He bounced back from an awful start against the Nationals in his last start with a great showing against the Giants on Wednesday, limiting them to just four hits over five innings, and it was nice to see him overcome a 30-pitch first inning. Pivetta has a 25.6 percent strikeout rate and 6.1 percent walk rate, good for the 18th-best K-BB rate in baseball. He is relying on his secondary pitches more than last year, and has even added some velocity to his fastball. Inconsistency has been an issue this season, but the results are still mostly positive. Buy in before someone else in your league does.
It's been an up-and-down season for Zack Wheeler, which is nothing new in what has been an up-and-down career for the 27-year-old hurler. He was tagged for eight runs in his start against the Rockies on May 8, and then followed that up with his best outing of the season Wednesday. He limited the Reds to just one run on four hits, while walking three and striking out seven. Sure, it was just the Reds, but it was still a promising outing from a pitcher who still shows plenty of potential. We're going to keep chasing that potential as long as he shows it, and Wheeler is still worth sticking on your roster in the hopes that he can figure it out.
He's not quite the same caliber of prospect as Gleyber Torres or Ronald Acuña, but there are reasons for Fantasy players to get excited about Dustin Fowler, who entered the season as Baseball America's No. 88 prospect. In 100 games at Triple-A Nashville, Fowler has hit .298 with 16 homers and 21 steals, and that alone should make your ears perk up. Last season, only nine players had at least 16 homers and 21 steals in the majors, and only five hit better than .265. Fowler certainly has the potential to be a useful contributor, assuming they let him play everyday against lefties. He's worth a flier to see.
