Friday's Fantasy Baseball Drop Candidates: Cam Smith, Casey Mize and More

It's time for a second fantasy baseball drop candidate story of the week. We won't cover anyone who appeared in Monday's story.

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 Taj Bradley?

Bradley is down to 52% and that number should keep decreasing after he was optioned to Triple-A earlier in the week.

He was good in his first three starts of July, but after a 1 2/3-inning outing against the White Sox on Wednesday, the team optioned him to the minor leagues.

Bradley made 21 starts before his demotion. He went 6-6 with a 4.61 earned run average over 111 1/3 innings. Bradley allowed 65 runs (57 earned) on 99 hits and 44 walks, while striking out 95 batters.

There were simply too many poor starts, so the Rays decided to send him to Triple-A to work on a few things. It came as a shock to many, as he's made 67 big league starts over 69 total appearances since debuting in 2023. 

He had a 5.59 ERA over 21 starts and 23 appearances in 2023, then improved to a 4.11 ERA over 25 starts in 2024. I, along with many others, expected more improvement this year, but he regressed a bit in several areas, so the team sent him down.

As long as he stays healthy, I'd expect Bradley to be called back up later this season, but for as long as he's in the minor leagues, there's no use rostering him in redraft leagues, especially standard setups.

Some deep-league owners could stash him and hope he returns in short order, but if you need that roster spot, don't be afraid to drop Bradley.

Should You Drop Felix Bautista?

Bautista is down to 89%, and that figures to keep going down after he was placed on the 15-day injured list on Thursday.

Bautista is dealing with right shoulder discomfort, and with the Orioles falling out of contention more and more by the day, he might be out much longer than 15 days.

Bautista should be held onto in leagues where IR spots are available. If you don't have an IR spot though, Bautista should probably be dropped. Again, I'd hold out some hope in deeper leagues, but think he should be dropped in standard setups.

Over 35 appearances this season, Bautista was 1-1 with 19 saves and just one blown save. He allowed 10 runs on 16 hits and 23 walks over 34 2/3 innings for a 2.60 ERA, and he also struck out 50 batters along the way.

His absence is a blow to fantasy owners, but there's enough fantasy relievers out there to mix and match while he's out to at least keep your team competitive.

Hopefully Bautista is able to return later this season, at which point he'll be added back in most leagues, so be sure to keep an eye on his status.

Should You Drop Cam Smith?

Smith is owned in 55% of leagues now after sitting at 74% on July 11.

He's hitless over his past three appearances, although one of those was a one at-bat game off the bench. Smith has just three hits over his past 10 games though, so dropping him is warranted.

He had been hot at the plate, and was sitting with a .286 average and .348 on-base percentage before the last 10 games. Smith is now sitting with a .263 average and .331 OBP.

Over 89 games and 353 plate appearances, he has 84 total hits, including 17 doubles, seven homers and two triples. Smith has 43 RBIs, 39 runs scored, five stolen bases, 29 walks and 99 strikeouts.

The right fielder dropped from first to fifth in the lineup for his last start. It's still a good fantasy spot for him to be in, and in time, I expect Smith's bat to heat back up.

He shouldn't be rostered in standard leagues for now though, especially because there's so many fantasy outfielders to go around. I'd do my best to hold on to him in deeper leagues, because when he's going well at the plate, he can be a great fantasy asset.

Smith is still most valuable in dynasty/keeper leagues, and shouldn't be dropped or traded away in those leagues. Now would be a time to buy low on Smith in deeper leagues and maybe in dynasty/keeper leagues.

Should You Drop Casey Mize?

Mize is down to 87% owned after a 1.9% decrease so far today.

He's struggled in his last two starts. Mize allowed six runs over three innings against the Mariners on July 12. After the All-Star break, his next start was July 22 against the Pirates, when he allowed five runs (four earned) over four innings.

Mize is 9-4 with a 3.40 ERA on the season, but he's definitely trending down of late. His ERA was 2.63 before these two starts, but he was due for some regression over time. 

Mize worked 150 1/3 innings back in 2021, but pitched just 10 innings in 2022 before missing all of 2023. He worked 102 1/3 innings in 2024. I bring that up because of his recent struggles.

He was a sell-high candidate up until the All-Star break, and now he's lost valuable trade value and is being dropped instead. I still think Mize is going to deliver good fantasy results from time to time this season, so buying him low in standard leagues is a solid move, in my opinion. 

He's a bigger trade asset in deeper leagues right now. I'd again be inclined to buy low on him and then hope he turns things around soon. 

Mize has a tough matchup on paper against the Diamondbacks next, but things got a bit easier after the trade that sent Josh Naylor to Seattle. A tougher start against the Phillies could be after that.

So I see why some are bailing on Mize, and if he continues to struggle, more and more fantasy owners will drop him. I'm not quite ready to bail on Mize completely though, but he should be tracked closely over these next couple starts.

Should You Drop Zach McKinstry?

McKinstry is rostered in 81% of leagues - he was as high as 85%.

He has just two hits over his past seven games, which equates to a .091 batting average. His batting average has dropped from .288 to .274 over that span.

McKinstry didn't start against a left-handed pitcher on Thursday, but made a couple starts against lefties since the All-Star break, so I think Thursday's benching was just a day to clear his mind.

Along with his .274 average on the season, he has a .353 OBP over 352 plate appearances and 94 total games. He has 84 hits, including 14 doubles and eight triples and home runs. McKinstry has 32 RBIs, 49 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 36 walks and 72 strikeouts.

He gets a fantasy boost because he plays all over the field, and could be eligible at several spots. McKinstry is in the lineup regularly as a result, and usually hits fifth or sixth, giving him plenty of opportunities to deliver well-rounded fantasy numbers.

While his bat is cold, he's not worth rostering in as many leagues, so some standard league owners should be dropping him. As his own percentage suggests though, he should be held onto in a good amount of standard leagues still. Deep-league owners shouldn't consider dropping him.

Now is a time to possibly buy low on McKinstry, especially in deeper leagues. I think he'll bounce back in time and be a good fantasy asset in all leagues again. If you are looking for more consistent help, I get moving on from him, as adding and dropping him as he goes into and out of hot/cold streaks might continue all season.