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| Friday, September 22, 2023 |
| For all the big prospect call-ups here in September, none is bigger than Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, who will reportedly join the club Friday. Too bad it's too late to be of any use to Fantasy Baseballers. |
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| Caminero call up |
| The consensus top-five overall prospect (probably No. 3 for me next year) has broken out with a .324 batting average, 31 homers and .976 OPS in the minors this year. Most of that production has come at Double-A even though Caminero was still just 19 when the Rays moved him up there in late May. The home run total is impressive for any prospect at any level, but for one so young at that particular level, it's near unprecedented. And it's not the work of some all-or-nothing masher like Joey Gallo. Caminero earns equally high marks for his hit tool and profiles to be a middle-of-the-lineup force for years to come. |
| The problem for this year is that there's only one week left. The Rays are scheduled for just five games in it, and there's no guarantee Caminero starts all of them given that they're already set at third base with Isaac Paredes. Maybe Caminero will play mostly DH, or maybe Yandy Diaz will shift to DH, sliding Paredes over to first base and freeing up third base for Caminero. But for the Rays in particular, no arrangement is an everyday arrangement. There's also the small matter of Caminero being a 20-year-old making the leap directly from Double-A. For all his talent, there's no telling how he'll respond in his first week as a major-leaguer. |
| It'll be fun to track his progress both that final week and into the postseason. No doubt, Caminero has a chance to turn himself into a prime draft target for 2024. But for 2023, this promotion is too little, too late. |
| Let's see who would be a better choice to pick up and add to your lineup. |
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| Week 27 preview |
| Sleeper Pitchers |
| Michael King, RP, Yankees |
| The stuff that made King an ace reliever has held up completely in a starting role, and it just so happens he lines up for two starts immediately after his breakthrough seven-inning, 13-strikeout performance. He seems more likely than most two-start pitchers to actually keep that second start, too. |
| Reese Olson, SP, Tigers |
| The rookie is hitting his stride right as the season is drawing to a close, going six innings or more while allowing two earned runs or fewer in each of his past four starts. He's a good bet to stick the landing with the Royals and Guardians on the schedule this week. |
| Ryan Pepiot, SP, Dodgers |
| Pepiot has been so automatic with his newfound control that it's hard to imagine him doing wrong even at Coors Field. That's important because his second start at San Francisco is highly uncertain to happen. |
| Kenta Maeda, SP, Twins |
| Maeda seems to have righted himself in his past three outings after a bumpy four-start stretch, making him well worth considering in a two-start week. Better yet, the first of those matchups (vs. the Athletics) is the more favorable one. You almost won't mind if he misses out on that second start at Coors Field. |
| Sleeper hitters |
| Jorge Polanco, 2B, Twins |
| The Twins have the most favorable hitter matchups of any team this week, drawing the Athletics pitching staff for three games before traveling to Coors Field for another three. Many of their hitters are handcuffed by a platoon role, but not Polanco, who could put up huge numbers as an everyday bat. |
| Zack Gelof, 3B, Athletics |
| I'm including Gelof here not because his matchups are so great but because he's the best hitter still available enough to qualify for this list. Even if he's not available in your league, having him here serves to demonstrate the level of need required to start any of the players ranked below him. |
| Jake Burger, 3B, Marlins |
| Burger didn't think the quad injury that removed him from Wednesday's game would sideline him into the weekend, and provided he's right about that, you'll want to keep his sizzling hot power bat in the lineup for matchups like Joey Lucchesi, David Peterson, Andre Jackson and Bailey Falter. |
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| News and Notes |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has missed two straight with right knee discomfort. An MRI showed no structural damage.Sandy Alcantara made a rehab start at Triple-A Thursday. He threw four shutout innings with four strikeouts. If his arm responds well, Alcantara could make it back for one final regular-season start.Willson Contreras was placed on the IL with tendinitis in his left wrist.Christian Yelich has now missed 12 of the past 13 games with that lingering back injury. Brandon Lowe was removed Thursday with a knee injury.Alek Manoah has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the season after receiving multiple injections in his right arm in recent weeks.Reds pitching prospect Connor Phillips will remain in the rotation and start Saturday against the Pirates.Brandon Crawford was placed on the IL and, as a result, the Giants recalled shortstop prospect Marco Luciano.Javier Baez has missed three straight with lower-back tightness. The Reds released Hunter Renfroe after he was DFA's by the tam on Monday. |
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| | | | | College Football on CBS | | NFL on CBS | Saturday, the SEC on CBS features #15 Ole Miss facing #13 Alabama at 3:30 PM ET. Then in primetime, it's a Big Ten matchup in Happy Valley between #24 Iowa and #7 Penn State. It all begins at 2:30 PM ET with the Drive to Atlanta followed by College Football Today.
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| | Sunday, it's week three and the NFL on CBS features the next chapter in the AFC East rivalry between the Patriots and the Jets along with the Broncos taking on the Dolphins. Get set for kickoff at 12 PM ET with The NFL Today. Watch it all on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
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