The buzz began to build early Tuesday evening when Mitch Haniger and J.D. Davis were both removed from the Giants' game at St. Louis because of injury. Then came word that their potential replacements had been removed from their game at Triple-A Sacramento. Lineup activity in the minor leagues is often a red herring, but once this video began circulating, it was pretty obvious what was happening:
Luis Matos has been pulled mid-game. He’s heading to St. Louis to join the team #sfgiants pic.twitter.com/rbHZdjUkfp
— NothingLikeIt (@NothingLikeItSF) June 14, 2023
The mid-game scamper across the field. The barely broken-in Giants duffle. That's the look of a kid who was just informed he's on his way to the big leagues. It's the most theatrical possible depiction of it, in fact.
And indeed, manager Gabe Kapler confirmed a short while later that Luis Matos would be joining the team in St. Louis on Wednesday. Whether he'll be activated for the game has yet to be confirmed, but it's a safe assumption at this point. Haniger has a fractured forearm, after all.
So what does it mean for Fantasy Baseball? Matos' rise from intriguing prospect to franchise savior (if you'll excuse the hyperbole) was so sudden that he was only 10 percent rostered in CBS Sports leagues at the time of his promotion, available everywhere but the deepest of dynasty and NL-only leagues. Even so, he was a consensus top-100 prospect entering last year, and the numbers he was putting up as a 21-year-old in the upper levels are genuinely a sight to behold.
A poor 2022 showing dropped Matos off everybody's radar, but fair to say he's back with a vengeance.
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You can understand why Matos dropped out of the top prospect discussion last year. Hitting for average was supposed to be his best attribute, and well, he hit only .215. You can also understand why his return to form this year went overlooked. As of a week ago, he had only four home runs. But over the past week, he homered six times, bringing his season total to 10 and his overall stat line to something so ridiculous it would be malpractice not to call him up. In addition to the .350 batting average (.398 at Triple-A), he has struck out at just an 8 percent rate, a mark matched by just two big-league qualifiers: Luis Arraez and Keibert Ruiz. They're both slap hitters. Matos is not, having raised his 90th percentile EV by 4 mph from a year ago. He's a must-add in five-outfielder leagues, and his potential is something to entertain in three-outfielder leagues as well.
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Yes, I know it took a lot for us to drop Jose Abreu the first time around, and no, I'm not even close to convinced he's back to being the player we drafted him to be. But first base recently suffered a couple of high-profile injuries to Pete Alonso and Vinnie Pasquantino. It hasn't been the easiest position to fill in the first place, and Abreu is indeed showing his first signs of life this season, collecting multiple hits in four of his past five games. He has one double during that stretch, hit 106 mph, and two home runs, hit 107 and 109 mph, respectively. He simply wasn't hitting balls that hard before. His only other home run, which came on May 28, was hit 97.4 mph, which is about as weak as a home run can get. It seems plausible he's figured something out, and it's not the worst gamble if you're hurting at first base.
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Gallegos and Ryan Helsley have split saves almost evenly this year, but it wasn't a secret that Helsley was the top dog in the Cardinals bullpen. It's just that manager Oliver Marmol didn't abide by traditional bullpen roles and didn't always have the patience to reserve Helsley for the ninth. Now, he doesn't have the choice. Helsley is out of commission with a forearm injury that doesn't sound like it'll require a lengthy IL stint. But these things aren't always predictable, and it's telling that the Cardinals are sending him for another round of testing. Gallegos isn't having his best season, but there's no one else in the Cardinals bullpen equipped to handle such a role. If Helsley's presence was holding you back before, it shouldn't now.
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In a season of ups and downs, Suwinski appears to be on the upswing again, going 7 for 14 with four homers in his past four games. His latest two home runs Tuesday give him 15 for the year, and if you look at his season-long stat line, it's far better than you'd expect for a player rostered in just 50 percent of CBS Sports leagues. He's on a 35-homer, 15-steal pace, for crying out loud. Of course, it's not that simple. This recent four-game surge was preceded by a 31-game stretch in which he hit .186, and from a player of no stature coming into the year, that's frightening. But what this surge should confirm is that Suwinski's early-season success wasn't just a blip, and if you can ride out the ups and downs, you may be richly rewarded.
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Just when you thought you were out, Sanchez pulls you back in. His home run Tuesday was his sixth since joining the Padres (following a brief stint with the Mets), and he appears to have settled in at what's been a problem position for the expected contender. Sure, he has what at this point is a lengthy history of disappointment, but he never stopped hitting for power. And his expected stats (.258 xBA and .499 xSLG) are the best they've been since 2019, his last great season for the Yankees. It's obviously a tiny sample, and his 31.6 percent strikeout rate hangs over him like a sword of Damocles. Unless you have a stud at catcher, though, it pays to ride the hot hand, and Sanchez is certainly that.
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For as widespread as pitching needs are, it's a wonder Skubal has continued to slip through the cracks. His return from elbow flexor surgery seemed so distant at the start of year, but here he is on a rehab assignment -- and dominating. Through two starts, he has five scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking none. Better yet, his fastball has peaked at 98 mph and has sat in the mid-90s, which is frankly a little better than before he had the procedure. He was looking like a breakout pitcher last year, boasting a 2.33 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 9.6 K/9 after 11 starts, and it's fair to wonder if the injury might have impacted his final numbers. In any case, he's building up to return and deserves your attention again.
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