Jackson Merrill and Oneil Cruz Among Thursday's Fantasy Baseball Drop Candidates

It's time for another fantasy baseball drop candidate story. I have some bigger names to throw at you today.

We won't cover anyone who appeared in Tuesday's drop story. Also, be sure to check out the waiver wire and streaming articles from Thursday.

More droppable player data can be located on the waiver wire trends most dropped tab, which can be found on any fantasy baseball page here at FantasySP. 

Explore the best in-season tool to manage lineup/start decisions including waiver pickups, projections, trade suggestions, trade value charts, rest of season rankings, power rankings, and tons more with Fantasy Assistant.

Should You Drop Jackson Merrill?

Merrill has started to be dropped in a few leagues. He's at 97% rostered.

He's hitless over his past four games, and has just three hits (all singles) since July started. Over Merrill's past 10 games and 44 plate appearances, he has a .077 average and .159 on-base percentage. He has three RBIs, two runs scored, three walks and 14 punchouts in that span.

Merrill has played in 60 games this season, with a couple injuries forcing him to sit out already. He has a .263 average and .320 OBP over 256 plate appearances. Merrill has 61 total hits, including 12 doubles, five homers and two triples, along with 29 RBIs and runs scored, a stolen base, 19 walks and 57 strikeouts.

It's been a disappointing season for Merrill, and he's been a draft bust so far. The Padres aren't going to give up on him though.

He's still starting daily, and has batted fifth or second of late. His last two starts came from the No. 5 slot in the order, which means less at-bats, but maybe more RBI chances over time.

I'm not too overly concerned about Merrill turning things around, but he's definitely droppable in a few leagues. I'd do my best to avoid dropping him outright, and would try my best to keep him rostered.

I'd look to trade Merrill before dropping him, but you aren't going to get super great value back, so I'd be more inclined to just bench him or get creative with my roster in order to make up for Merrill's shortcomings.

Should You Drop Oneil Cruz?

Cruz sits at 96% rostered right now.

He has a hit in back-to-back games, with one being a homer and the other being a double. Cruz is a drop candidate because of his season-long numbers.

He has played in 82 games, getting 351 plate appearances so far. Cruz has a .204 average and .313 OBP, along with 37 RBIs, 48 runs scored, 28 stolen bases, 46 walks and a whopping 115 strikeouts.

That low average and big strikeout total really stick out, but he makes up for things with good power and run production. The stolen bases mask some of his shortcomings as well.

At a loaded outfield position, I think there's a bunch of better fantasy options in standard leagues. He's the No. 50 fantasy outfielder in points leagues so far, meaning he shouldn't be owned in as many leagues.

I still believe Cruz does enough to start in a good amount of standard leagues, but 96% is far too high. Something in the 80s makes more sense to me.

Cruz is a big name though, so I get why fantasy owners don't want to drop him. He's been a draft bust so far though, and I'd be looking to move on.

That big name of his might allow you to trade him for a decent return still. You probably will win the trade, with Cruz's big name adding value to your end of things. 

You can mix and match outfielders in standard leagues and get better production for Cruz, so maybe look to trade him for a position of need, then drop someone else on your roster and grab another outfielder.

There's bounceback potential with Cruz, which is another reason why he's being held onto, but halfway through the season, my patience is running thin, and I'd be looking to move Cruz in one way or another.

Should You Drop Bryan Reynolds?

Reynolds is down to 73% after starting the season at 100%.

He has two hits over his past three games. Those are his only hits in July though, as he sports a .067 average and .097 OBP.

His season-long numbers aren't great either, as he sits with a .227 average and .290 OBP over 88 games and 379 plate appearances. Reynolds has 16 doubles, 10 homers and two triples among his 78 total hits, along with having 46 RBIs, 33 runs scored, three stolen bases, 30 walks and 101 strikeouts.

Reynolds is a career .271 hitter with a .345 OBP, even factoring in this year's terrible numbers, so his dropoff has really been drastic this season. He's not shown many signs of getting going, but his own percentage is probably far too high.

He doesn't have the trade value that Merrill or Cruz does, especially in standard leagues. Reynolds is definitely replaceable in standard leagues though, and I'd definitely be dropping him by now.

He really isn't even a lock for deep-league fantasy rosters in my eyes. Reynolds simply isn't doing enough at the plate, and after half a season, he's just wasting a roster spot essentially.

Reynolds could get going after the All-Star break, so I'd at least keep him on a watch list. It'd take a strong week or two at the plate for me to trust him in standard leagues again.

Should You Drop Ernie Clement?

Clement sits at 49% rostered - he was at 58% on July 3.

Clement didn't start on Wednesday, and went hitless in the game before that. He had four hits over the three games before that though.

He had a .310 average and .342 OBP on June 25, but has fallen to a .292 average and .333 OBP today. Clement has played in 91 games and logged 328 plate appearances.

Clement has 17 doubles and four homers among his 88 total hits on the season. He has 24 RBIs, 42 runs scored, three stolen bases, 19 walks and 32 strikeouts as well.

Something working in his favor is defensive versatility, as he's played all over the field this season. See where he's eligible to play in your league.

Clement didn't start against a lefty on Wednesday, but hit leadoff for the last start against a lefty, so I think Wednesday was just an off day, not a sign of things to come. He usually bats eighth against righties.

I still think Clement is underrated in fantasy baseball leagues. He should be owned in all deeper leagues, while getting some short-term consideration in standard leagues.

So I'm not a fan of dropping Clement after a hitless game and off day. It'd take a week or so of struggles for me to get to a point where I'd be looking to drop him.

Should You Drop Jung Hoo Lee?

Lee is way down to 69% owned. He was one of the top-end fantasy hitters at the start of the season.

Lee has actually heated back up across seven July games. Across 29 plate appearances, Lee has eight hits, including a double and triple. He has three RBIs and runs scored, a walk and five strikeouts.

He is up to a .245 average and .311 OBP for the season as a result. Lee has played in 89 games and gotten 373 plate appearances. He has 18 doubles, seven triples and six homers among his 82 hits, along with 37 RBIs, 49 runs scored, six stolen bases, 30 walks and 42 strikeouts.

He has been a big drop candidate of late, but I think that should slow now. Lee's bat is starting to heat up, and he's a decent standard league option as a result. I'd at least roster him until his bat cools off again.

Lee should remain a solid deep-league fantasy option all season, so I'd definitely be against dropping him in those leagues. Look to trade him in those leagues before ever considering outright dropping him.

I think there's a chance he gets rolling again and gets back into more standard leagues, so keep an eye on Lee.