This week, Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani made his second start, and while it was again just one frame, he did record his first two Ks of the season; Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh has become an unstoppable home run beast; and New York Yankees outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. lost both his cleats rounding third base. Other Fantasy baseball stories we’re tracking include…

Francisco Lindor Shakes Off Slump

And just like that, the scuffling New York Mets have lost their grip on the NL East, dropping two of three this weekend to Philadelphia in a series consisting of nothing but one-sided wins.

At 2-8 over the last 10, the Mets are suddenly the coldest team in the entire NL.

The only good news is that it seems clear that Francisco Lindor’s slump is over. He entered Saturday mired in a five-game hitless skid (0-for-18), but came through with a solo shot and a crazy two-run double (see video below). On Sunday, Lindor went yard again while adding a single.

Amazingly, Sunday marked the first time the Mets had lost a game in which he went deep after 28 straight wins. Since 1900, only one player had a longer streak of only homering in wins, and that was Carl Furillo, whose team won 29 straight when he hit a bomb between 1951-1953.

As for Lindor, he’s really cooled off after a big April, and is still batting just .230 in June despite the thaw this weekend. As mentioned, he got off to a great start this year, looking like he was going to build off his tremendous 2024 when he had so many heroic moments, but his BA is down a smidge and his overall slash line has regressed.

Pitchers are attacking Lindor with more velocity this year as he’s never faced harder fastballs, cutters, sinkers, curveballs or changeups, but only the latter two have given him issues this season. The switch-hitter remains a solid source of speed, and while it took him a couple of seasons to find his power stroke, he’s managed at least 20 homers in every full campaign since 2017.

The Decline of J.T. Realmuto

While the Phillies have ridden a red-hot patch to take over first place in the NL East, it hasn’t been all roses and wine. J.T. Realmuto – despite taking an 0-fer on Sunday – has been picking up the pace lately, but heading into the season, what were the odds that he wasn’t going to be a must-own Fantasy asset?

Still, that’s exactly how things have played out as he’s regressed offensively for the third straight season. Last year, you may recall, knee surgery cost him nearly six weeks, so he failed to appear in 100 games for the first time in a non-Covid-shortened season.

This year, Realmuto is in danger of falling short of double-digit dingers for the first time in his career, and that – combined with his waning speed and declining percentages – makes him a far less attractive Fantasy commodity. He’s been much better in June (770 OPS, hits in nine of 10 before Sunday), but he’s got some heavy lifting to do to get back to where he was in 2023, never mind 2022.

The big issue for Realmuto this season has been his work against southpaws. Strangely, the right-handed hitter has always done better against righties in his career (.276 BA), but it’s not as if he’s struggled vs. lefties (.255). This season, however, Realmuto has been one of if not the worst RHB vs. LHP in the bigs with a .195/.181/.375 slash line.

The other problem is he’s had a tough time with curveballs after a solid showing against the pitch in 2024. Really, Realmuto is only handling fastballs, splitters and sliders well this season; he’s scuffled against all other pitches.

Waiver Wire Pick of the Week

Allan Winans, SP, New York Yankees (ESPN: 4.2 per cent; CBS: 5 per cent): Winans has never been on the Fantasy radar thanks to the fact that he’s already 29 and struggled to a 7.20 ERA over eight starts through two seasons with the Braves. But what he’s done at Triple-A this season cannot be ignored. Over 50 frames, Winans has whiffed 59 while posting a 0.90 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. And now he’s been recalled with Ryan Yarbrough (oblique strain) hitting the IL. Winans will take the bump Monday, so at the very least he makes for an intriguing DFS option, but who knows? He could also get another start this weekend if things go well. In the minors this year, Winans was generating more swings at pitches outside the strike zone and the contact rate against him was way down.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

Musical duo Jon and Vangelis consisted of Yes lead singer Jon Anderson and Greek synthesiser player Vangelis. Active from 1979 to 1991, their second album, The Friends of Mr Cairo, was released in 1981 and included the single “State of Independence.” The song failed to chart, but was covered by Donna Summer a year later and became a top 20 hit.