Outlook Max Muncy
Max Muncy is swinging a scalding-hot bat for the division-leading Dodgers, making him an easy start despite recent health scares.
After a brief scare with shortness of breath earlier in the month, Muncy has returned with a vengeance as the everyday third baseman for the first-place Dodgers. Over his last seven days, he has torched opposing pitching with a .471 batting average and a 1.114 OPS. His surge has helped stabilize a Los Angeles lineup currently navigating key injuries to Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez.
Muncy's recent batting average spike is a departure from his career norm, as he is a lifetime low-.200s hitter who typically relies on walks and power. While his current .270 average will likely regress closer to our projected .228 mark, his underlying slugging ability is elite. With 14 homers already in the books, he is well on his way to easily outpacing our rest-of-season projection of 15 home runs.
The Dodgers finish up in Pittsburgh today before heading to Chicago for three games against the White Sox. Muncy faces highly beatable matchups, including Mitch Keller and Erick Fedde, both of whom carry ERAs above 4.50. With four remaining games against vulnerable pitching, he is a locked-in fantasy option. Verdict: Start.
Updated 2 days ago
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Outlook Braden Montgomery
Rookie sensation Braden Montgomery makes historic splash to boost first-place White Sox
Braden Montgomery made a dream MLB debut this week, becoming only the fifth player in major league history to hit a walk-off home run in his first game. Over his first two contests, the highly touted outfielder is batting .444 with a home run and three RBI. He has been thrust into an everyday outfield role for the first-place White Sox (36-31), especially with fellow outfielders Austin Hays and Everson Pereira sidelined on the injured list.
While his initial 1.444 OPS is obviously a small-sample anomaly, our models project a highly productive rest of the season, including 13 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and a respectable .265 batting average. Expect some rookie adjustment periods and swing-and-miss regression as league pitchers adjust, but his raw power and speed tools suggest he can maintain mixed-league viability.
For the remainder of the week, Montgomery faces a challenging pitching slate, starting with Atlanta's Martin Perez (3.02 ERA) today, followed by a weekend series against the Dodgers featuring Roki Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.68 ERA). Despite these tough matchups, his current momentum makes him a must-start option while he is locked in. Verdict: Start.
Updated 2 days ago
