The calendar has flipped to July, and the first half of the baseball season is officially in the books. While some players have been heating up with the temperatures, others have been sitting on ice. In this weekly write-up, we’ll highlight some of the week’s hot and cold payers from a fantasy perspective to help you navigate tricky lineup and waiver wire decisions. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s take a look at some Week 14 risers and fallers for fantasy baseball.
Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers
Stats from 6/24 – 6/30
Risers
Jonathan India (2B — CIN)
Jonathan India took over the leadoff spot last week with TJ Friedl hitting the IL, and boy oh boy, did he hit the ground running. India racked up 14 hits in 26 at-bats — including a league-leading 10 doubles — and finished with a weighty .538/.613/.923 slash line. He also swiped two bags, walked at a 12.9% clip, and smacked the ball to the tune of a 62.5% hard-hit rate. I could rattle off more stats, but you get the point.
India was on fire in June. He posted a 1.041 OPS with two home runs and three steals across 108 plate appearances. A .471 BABIP fueled the month, but even with regression, India’s .278/.381/.410 slash line and .352 wOBA on the year are nearly identical to his expected stats. India brings a little pop and speed to the fantasy table and should be a solid run producer from the top of the order. He’s rostered in most leagues but is still available in 20% of Yahoo and CBS leagues. Go fix that.
Mark Vientos (1B/3B — NYM)
Mark Vientos continues to produce. He went 6-for-18 (.333) with three home runs last week while flexing a .556 ISO. He also smoked the ball, posting a whopping 30.8% barrel rate with a 53.8% hard-hit rate.
Vientos started seeing regular playing time at the end of May and hasn’t looked back. In his last 110 plate appearances, he’s sporting a .280/.336/.520 slash line with seven home runs, 17 runs scored and 19 RBI. He’s also barreling up the ball at a 14.7% clip and has a shiny .240 ISO in that span. Vientos doesn’t run but should contribute everywhere else while batting in the middle of the order. He’s a strong add in 12-team leagues if you need a boost in power.
Matt Chapman (3B — SFG)
Matt Chapman finished June on a power streak. He cranked three home runs and contributed across all categories, scoring seven runs and nine RBI, to go with a stolen base. He also registered a healthy .423 ISO and showcased strong plate skills with a 12.9% walk rate and 19.4% strikeout rate.
Overall, Chapman had a solid June. In addition to three home runs, he was 2-for-3 on the basepaths and finished with a .778 OPS for the month. He also significantly improved his plate discipline, upping his walk rate from 5.7% in April to 14.3% in June. The uptick in walks resulted in a season-high .357 OBP. Chapman can be streaky but is a useful power source in 12-teamers when he’s swinging a hot stick. Plus, he can add to your speed totals as he’s quietly swiped a career-best seven bags on the year.
Stuart Fairchild (OF — CIN)
If you’re in the market for speed, look no further than Stuart Fairchild. He was one of the week’s leaders in steals, successfully swiping four bags on four attempts across seven games. Fairchild recently started seeing regular playing time, starting in 10 of the Reds’ last 12 games. He stole five bases in that span while slashing .263/.282/.342.
Fairchild has four home runs and 11 steals on the year across 174 plate appearances. But it’s his 93rd-percentile speed that should come in handy as long as he continues getting regular playing time. You take production where you can find it, and Fairchild is an asset on the basepaths right now.
Fallers
Marcus Semien (2B — TEX)
Marcus Semien had a week to forget, logging only two hits in 31 at-bats and finishing with a -49 wRC+. Semien has had a down year, with June being his worst month of the season. He totaled two home runs and two steals for the month (caught stealing twice), and his OPS cratered to .595 in June. Semien has been unlucky (.211 BABIP), but the lack of production is still concerning.
On the year, Semien has 11 homers and three steals across 83 games. A repeat of his 29HR/14SB season in 2023 unlikely, minus a miracle. Semien’s plate discipline and quality of contact metrics are consistent with career norms. But he’s chasing pitches outside the zone at an uncharacteristic 25.9% clip (career 22%), contributing to a below-league average .235/.299/.384 slash line. Semien is still a durable bat sitting atop a productive lineup, but temper expectations moving forward if you haven’t already.
Nolan Gorman (2B — STL)
Nolan Gorman went 2-for-20 (.100) with a 43.5% strikeout rate last week. He also dropped from the cleanup spot to seventh in the order in four of his last five starts. Gorman had an underwhelming .141/.209/.323 slash line in June with six homers and four steals across 110 plate appearances. The blend of power and speed is nice, but it also came with an elevated 38.2% strikeout rate — a rate that’s increased each month this season. Gorman is a batting average drain who is tough to roster in 12-team leagues. Additionally, he may have fallen into a platoon role, as he’s sat in the last two games against lefties. Keep tabs.
Andres Gimenez (2B — CLE)
Andres Gimenez’s underwhelming June ended on a sour note as he went 4-for-26 (.154) with one run scored and an RBI. He also dropped in the batting order from second to sixth in his last four starts.
Gimenez had an icy June, slashing .172/.226/.230 with one home run and five steals. While he was still an asset on the basepaths during his slump, Gimenez’s steals could be in jeopardy if he remains lower in the lineup. Combine that with five home runs and a career-worst 51.4% groundball rate on the year, and Gimenez’s fantasy profile takes a hit.
Anthony Volpe (SS — NY)
Anthony Volpe’s struggles continued last week. He had four hits in 29 at-bats while posting a 41.4% strikeout rate. He also failed to draw a walk and finished with a -26 wRC+.
After a strong start to the season, Volpe floundered in June. He put up a goose egg in home runs and put up a paltry .547 OPS across 126 plate appearances — not what you want out of your leadoff hitter. He did manage four steals on five attempts, but that’s cold comfort for fantasy managers. Most concerning is the deterioration of Volpe’s plate skills throughout the year. His walk rate evaporated from 10.3% at the start of the season to 2.4% in June, while his strikeout rate increased seven points to 26.2%. If Volpe can’t turn things around, he could quickly lose his leadoff role — putting a significant dent in his fantasy value.