Welcome to another edition of Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers. This series highlights some of the week’s risers and fallers from a fantasy perspective. The goal is to assist with lineup and waiver wire decisions by examining recent player performances, both good and bad.
In this week’s write-up, we look at a recent call-up, as well as a couple of backstops that could be helpful to our fantasy squads. On the flip side, it might be time to part ways with a veteran at the keystone position. With that, let’s go ahead and take a look at some Week 9 fantasy baseball risers and fallers.
Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers
Week 9 stats from 5/19-5/25
Risers
Chase Meidroth (2B/3B/SS — CWS)
Chase Meidroth was one of the league leaders in steals last week, racking up three swipes across six games. He’s also been a hitting machine, going 19-for-48 (.396) amid a 12-game hitting streak.
Meidroth has been fantastic in May. For the month, he has a .316/.386/.405 slash line across 88 plate appearances with one home run, 12 runs scored, and seven stolen bases. Meidroth doesn’t bring power to the table, but he has elite plate skills, gets on base, and is a batting average asset. Plus, he hits atop the White Sox lineup, providing a decent amount of run production. Meidroth is a terrific option in OBP leagues and 12+ teamers if you need a boost in runs scored or steals.
Gavin Sheets (1B/OF — SDP)
Gavin Sheets continues to be a spark for the Padres. Last week, he swatted four dingers across six games and went 7-for-24 at the plate with eight RBI. He also hit the ball with authority, with a 15.8% barrel rate.
Sheets has been cruising in May. He has a .288/.305/.588 slash line and 149 wRC+ across 82 plate appearances this month. He’s also been a solid power source, hitting seven home runs and 19 RBI in that span with a .300 ISO. Sheets gained regular playing time this month and hits in the heart of the Padres’ order. As long as he continues to rake, he should be a productive bat in a solid offense. Sheets should be scooped up in 12+ team leagues while he’s swinging a hot stick.
Carlos Narvaez (C — BOS)
Carlos Narvaez is making some noise. He hit safely in all six games last week and collected 10 hits, including four doubles and a home run. Narvaez also stole a base and displayed a nice plate approach by walking and striking out at a 12% clip.
Overall, Narvaez has been a sneaky-good backstop this season. He’s hitting .299/.365/.485 five dingers and a stolen base across 148 plate appearances. He’s also smoking the ball with a 13.1% barrel rate and 91.7 mph average exit velocity. Narvaez has solid plate skills and carried double-digit walk rates throughout the minors. He should be good for 10-13 home runs, a few steals, and a plus batting average. Narvaez has also moved into the cleanup spot in his last two games, so some solid run production numbers are in play, at least for now. He should be in fantasy lineups in 12+ team leagues.
Will Warren (SP — NYY)
Will Warren has been on a tear. He combined for two earned runs across two starts last week and piled up 17 punchouts to three walks in that 9.2-inning stretch.
Warren has been firing on all cylinders in May. In his five starts for the month, he’s sporting a 2.70 ERA (2.35 SIERA) and 1.13 WHIP across 26.2 innings. Additionally, Warren has been a monster on the strikeout front this month. His 41 Ks and 36.3% strikeout rate are second only to Tarik Skubal in that span. Warren’s 47.6% hard-hit rate in May isn’t ideal, and that could bite him this week against the Dodgers. But Warren brings the strikeouts and plays for a potent Yankees offense, making him a valuable asset in 12+ team leagues.
Fallers
Marcus Semien (2B — TEX)
We may be at the end of the fantasy line with Marcus Semien in shallow leagues. The veteran was 4-for-23 last week with one RBI and a stolen base. He also dropped from the middle of the order to batting ninth in his last three games.
Semien is a workhorse who volumes his way into fantasy production. However, that will be a tall order in 2025 if he continues at his current pace. Across 214 plate appearances, Semien has three home runs and three steals with 13 runs scored and 18 RBI. He also has a paltry .496 OPS in that span. One thing that stands out this year is Semien’s 22% strikeout rate — a seven-point jump from 2024. That, plus declining contact rates, have helped fuel a batting average below the Mendoza Line. While some positive regression should be coming, it’s likely not enough to warrant holding Semien in shallower leagues.
Tyler Stephenson (C — CIN)
Tyler Stephenson went 2-for-16 at the plate last week and struck out at a 40% clip. Elevated strikeouts have been a running theme for Stephenson this season. His 41.7% strikeout rate across 72 plate appearances is a far cry from his career 24.2% mark. And while Stephenson’s 13.9% walk rate takes some of the sting out, his swing-and-miss ways contribute to an ugly .177/.292/.306 slash line on the year.
However, Stephenson is still crushing the ball despite the underwhelming surface stats. He’s sporting career-best quality contact metrics, including a 15.6% barrel rate and 56.3% hard-hit rate. Stephenson is a solid power source at the position and offers a plus batting average (career .264) while hitting in Great American Ball Park. He’s worth holding in 15-team leagues.
Michael Toglia (1B — COL)
Michael Toglia collected two hits across 14 at-bats and registered a brutal 56.3% strikeout rate last week. He’s also losing playing time, starting in only five of the Rockies’ last nine games.
Much of Toglia’s fantasy appeal is his power/speed combo. He popped 25 home runs and swiped 10 bases in 458 plate appearances in 2024. Toglia has been somewhat productive this season (.648 OPS, 14 R, 20 RBI, 2 SB in 192 PA). But he’s a batting average drain (.199), and his power and quality contact metrics are down across the board. Toglia’s 40% hard-hit rate is a 10-point drop from last season, and his 10% barrel rate is down from 17.2%. Combine that with a career-worst — and league-worst — 38.5% strikeout rate, and Toglia looks more like a risk than an asset to fantasy lineups. If the Rockies continue to scale back Toglia’s playing time, he’ll be hard to roster in 15-team leagues. Stay tuned.
