A Tampa Bay Rays rookie's name might be in the news, but it's Wander Franco's teammate who leads the list of recommended Monday pickups. Oh, sure, Franco is an integral add in all formats, but don't overlook the following name, either.
Shane McClanahan, SP, Rays: Sunday's start resulted in the best Game Score of his 10-start big league career to date (69), as well as the first time that he has thrown greater than 80 pitches in back-to-back starts. Dismiss the effort for how easy the matchup against the Seattle Mariners, but McClanahan has quickly and quietly put himself in contention for the honor of most-skilled Rays starter, in the wake of Tyler Glasnow's injury. That's an important distinction now, as the Rays piece together a starting five, and McClanahan's rise in pitch counts outing-to-outing is a promising sign that he could provide a volume more in line with that of a typical starter going forward. His skills hint an ability to provide a good ERA with plenty of strikeouts, as he hit 100 mph on the radar gun an additional three times on Sunday, bringing his season total to 14 such pitches (second-most in the league, ahead of Gerrit Cole, Shohei Ohtani and Glasnow), and he got another five strikeouts with his slider to bring his season total with the pitch to 36 (out of 54 total).
Daulton Varsho, OF/C, Arizona Diamondbacks: It'd be understandable if you were hesitant to add him, considering that the last time Carson Kelly landed on the injured list, Varsho received only four starts during Kelly's nine-game absence. There are key differences this time around: Varsho was on an absolute tear while with Triple-A Reno, hitting seven home runs in his past seven games and batting .355/.403/.871 with eight homers and 23 RBIs in 14 June contests; Stephen Vogt has cratered at the plate, batting just .203/.282/.344 with one home run in his past 71 plate appearances; and the Diamondbacks have collapsed as a team, losing 31 of their past 33 games overall and clearly needing to turn the page to 2022. Varsho is an important part of that future, and since there are suspicions that he's more outfielder than catcher, at least long-term, it'd make sense for the team to get a read on what he can contribute regularly as a backstop for now. Kelly's absence this time, after all, is expected to be lengthy.
Beyond those two, many of Monday's most attractive pickup candidates in fantasy baseball remains the same ones I wrote about last week. There are two other players, however, you should attempt to acquire via trade right now:
Juan Soto, OF, Washington Nationals: I know what you're thinking, how on earth could I envision anyone trading the No. 6 overall selection on average in ESPN drafts from the preseason? Frustration has begun creeping into his fantasy managers' thoughts, however, after Soto has gone nearly halfway through the season, carrying only a .276 batting average and 19-homer, 68-RBI, five-steal and 85-run paces. The point here isn't that you should expect to get him at 80 cents on the dollar; it's that this is probably your only chance in 2021 to get a first-round talent -- yes, one I expect to perform at that level going forward -- in any type of trade at all.
Soto's slump isn't uncommon from star players annually, with the causes ranging anywhere from bad luck to hidden injury to some sort of mechanical issue, and just as in many past instances, the source of his isn't easy to decipher, nor is it clear that he will straighten things out soon. But a few things stand out: He's second in the majors in chase rate (swing rate on non-strikes), with 13.7%; he's 11th in Statcast's hard-hit rate (53.4%); and in addition to that hard-hit rate, his 92.5 mph average exit velocity represents a career high. Soto's primary problems seem to be a high ground ball rate (55.2%), something that has historically been an issue, and his performance against breaking and soft stuff, batting an uncharacteristically low .218/.340/.310. The former hasn't appeared to hold him back through four big-league seasons, while the latter appears something that could be helped by an adjustment at the plate.
Just to be clear, I wouldn't part with Soto for anything shy of a top-10 talent, but since his manager might've begun to get frustrated, it's at least worth checking in to see if it might take only a Manny Machado type to land him.
Matt Chapman, 3B, Oakland Athletics: Until June, he rated as one of the year's biggest disappointments, his continued sacrifice of batting average in the quest for big-time power dragging him down the Player Rater ranks. Chapman's contact quality, however, has picked up in a big way in the past week-plus, as he has batted .371/.436/.800 with three home runs in his past nine games, including a triple on Sunday that came within inches of becoming another homer. In June alone, he has boosted his hard-hit rate to 44.2%, including eight batted balls of 100-plus mph since June 11. When Chapman's swing is right, as it now appears to be, he's plenty capable of 35 homers, even if it comes with a .250-or-so batting average.