Just when fantasy baseball managers thought the young, exciting Cincinnati Reds could not get any younger or more exciting, here comes slugging corner infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand, summoned for Monday's home game against the San Francisco Giants. The Reds, swept at home by the divisional-rival Milwaukee Brewers this weekend and scoring runs in only one of those three games, have already debuted SS/3B Elly De La Cruz and SS/2B Matt McLain this season (3B/1B/OF Spencer Steer played some in 2022) and now here comes Encarnacion-Strand.
The right-handed hitting Encarnacion-Strand, with a .331 batting average, 20 home runs and 62 RBIs over 67 games at Triple-A Louisville, figures to be a featured option as long as he keeps on hitting. He is already among the most-added players in ESPN standard leagues, as word of his minor league power provoked interest. He came to the Reds (along with Steer) in the Tyler Mahle trade with the Minnesota Twins last season. While Mahle has started only five times this season, this Oklahoma State product could handle third base versus right-handers, and platoon with Joey Votto at first base against lefties.
Unlike De La Cruz and McLain, there is some statistical risk with Encarnacion-Strand, mainly in batting average. He is a free swinger in the Javier Baez mold with a bloated minor league chase rate, though he also drew walks at a 10% clip this season and lowered his strikeout rate. Do not expect him to hit .300 for a sustained period in the majors. Encarnacion-Strand is a power hitter first. Some think manager David Bell will play him over Will Benson and Jake Fraley, perhaps in a corner outfield role, but those outfielders lead the entire Reds offense in fantasy points per game over the past 30 days.
Reds 2B Jonathan India, the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year who struggled last season, is sputtering again with a .161 batting average over the past three weeks. India had a single and five strikeouts in 11 at-bats in the Brewers series. Perhaps he will be trade bait for some much-needed pitching help? Who knows? Votto is the lone Reds regular older than 30, still showing power and plate discipline, but even he is not safe for playing time.
It's a fascinating situation with this offense to see who plays and what the lineup looks like going forward.
More weekend thoughts
The Pittsburgh Pirates are promoting C Endy Rodriguez on Monday, though his is a far different offensive profile. Rodriguez, 23, is hitting .268 with six home runs at Triple-A Indianapolis, showing a 11% walk rate. Rodriguez makes contact. The Pirates are not getting catcher production, and Rodriguez is a clear upgrade to a struggling lineup. C Henry Davis, the top pick in the 2021 amateur draft, has hit .280 with a strong contact rate through one month in the majors, but he has done so as the team's regular right fielder. Take Davis over Rodriguez in fantasy and, for now, it is tough to call Rodriguez a top-20 catching option.
How about some news about veteran players? The Cleveland Guardians have shut down RHP Shane Bieber for at least the next two weeks because of elbow inflammation, which likely removes his name from any potential trade deadline speculation. Bieber has struggled lately, pitching through discomfort, permitting four-plus earned runs in four of his past five outings, spiking his ERA to 3.77. He surely leaves the top-20 SP rankings, but ESPN fantasy managers should try to keep him stashed in an IL spot rather than dumping him.
Meanwhile, rookie RHP Gavin Williams hardly looked overwhelmed at Texas this weekend, though he walked four. He sure looks like a fantasy keeper for the final two-plus months. Those holding on to prized prospect Daniel Espino should move on. He's out for at least another year after shoulder surgery. Young pitching is always a risk.
Former AL MVP Josh Donaldson (which happened way back 2015 with Toronto, though he did get some NL MVP votes with the 2019 Braves) is back on the IL because of a calf strain. While he is barely rostered in ESPN standard leagues, I have watched him because I cannot get over one statistic. He has an .076 BABIP! OK, I have never seen a number that dreadful (unlucky?) before after more than 100 plate appearances of a season.
Donaldson wasn't going to win a batting title anyway and is not fast, but his expected batting average is .217, which is at least palatable if it comes with power in deep leagues. Donaldson has 10 home runs, but only 15 RBIs and 13 runs scored. So odd! I am not investing here for August, but I can see the possibilities.
Speaking of low batting averages, we deal with Philadelphia Phillies "OF" Kyle Schwarber (the team must move him to DH immediately) because he hits for big power and draws walks -- and he did that this weekend against the San Diego Padres. Perhaps only I am intrigued by this, but Schwarber had a stretch earlier this season in which he didn't hit a single for nearly three weeks. Even now, he has 25 home runs and 28 singles. Last season he hit 46 home runs to go with 56 singles. Yes, I monitor this stuff.
Bryce Harper is literally learning how to play first base -- and should debut there on Tuesday! -- because Schwarber is such a massive liability in the field, rewriting records for defensive struggles. This is good news for Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, though, and eventually fantasy managers can move Harper out of the DH spot in their leagues.
My lone roster with Brewers OF Christian Yelich comes in a keeper league in which I couldn't find another manager willing to trade anything close to value for him, but I am glad he's still on my team after he homered twice this weekend and now has 13 blasts to go along with 21 stolen bases. Yelich should sail past 100 runs scored as well. I don't want to say I had completely given up on Yelich entering the season, but these numbers are surprising.
I have a dynasty league team in desperate need of starting pitching, riding with four starters in nine active spots due to injuries and unusable performance, and there is never anything on free agency (Luke Weaver? Austin Gomber? Jordan Lyles? Oh my!). I can trade a top prospect or two for Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw. He's great, obviously, but on the shelf because of shoulder inflammation and nobody knows if he will return this week or in four weeks, which makes it tough to trade for him.
He is 35. Now, it always says in this space to "go for the championship" and "worry about the future later." Kershaw's current status is a perfect example of risk versus reward, his 2.55 ERA and 10 wins taunting me. Yeah, it sounds like I have already made up my mind.