Brandon Woodruff made his first start in nearly two years Sunday, and to my surprise, he was excellent. 

Woodruff who hadn't pitched in the majors since September of 2023 after undergoing a lengthy rehab process following capsule tear repair surgery in his throwing shoulder, took the mound Sunday against the Marlins and limited them to just one run over six highly efficient innings. He allowed just two hits and didn't walk a single batter, with the lone run coming on a solo home run that wasn't even particularly well-struck – the 100.2 mph homer off the bat of Heribetro Hernandez was just the 12th hardest-hit ball of the game. 

It was also one of just five hard-hit balls Woodruff surrendered to the Marlins in the start. They managed just two batted balls with an expected batting average higher than .450 off Woodruff, and, perhaps most impressively, he struck out eight in six innings of work – a very promising sign after he managed just a 20.6% strikeout rate in his minor-league rehab assignment. And he got there with 10 swinging strikes on 70 pitches, a very promising 14.3% rate.

So, is Woodruff back? Is he a must-roster player in all Fantasy formats? Well, I think those questions have very different answers right now. To the latter, I'll say a resounding, "Yes." Woodruff is no stranger to Fantasy players, of course, which is why he was nearly 90% rostered in CBS Fantasy leagues even before this start, and after achieving this level of success in his first start back, I do think there's basically no reason not to roster him in any league. 

But that doesn't necessarily mean I'm convinced Woodruff is "back." Any reader of the Fantasy Baseball Today Newsletter will know that I was deeply skeptical of Woodruff's chances of being an impact Fantasy player again, and while this start makes that prediction look pretty bad, there are still reasons to be skeptical about his chances moving forward. Primarily, it comes down to the fastball velocity, which was down significantly during Woodruff's rehab assignment and remained so here. He averaged 93.1 mph with his four-seamer Sunday, which was up a tad from his rehab assignment, but still 2.7 mph down from where Woodruff was in 2023.

That's a big deal, because Woodruff has long been more reliant on having an elite fastball than just about any great pitcher in baseball. In 2023, 71% of Woodruff's strikeouts came as a result of either his four-seamer or sinker, which is a rate few elite pitchers match; Zack Wheeler throws his two fastballs 58.6% of the time, but only 51.5% of his strikeouts have come from those two pitches this season, for comparison. 

Woodruff's fastballs were, of course, still excellent Sunday. He generated four swinging strikes on his four-seamer on 12 swings, while his sinker generated a whopping 11 called strikes. Between the two pitches, Woodruff had a combined 50% CWS rate with his two fastballs, which is a pretty bonkers number. If that is at all sustainable, he's going to be dominant.

But I still have my doubts. Pitchers often get a little boost in velocity in their first start back in the majors, so I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Woodruff sitting even lower than this moving forward. And, while the four-seamer still has excellent shape, it seems unreasonable to expect it to remain anywhere near as effective as it used to be with a three mph drop in velocity. Woodruff did generate four more whiffs on his changeup, and had both a new sweeper and a new, harder slider, which could give him a path to remaining effective if (or when) the fastballs stop getting the job done. But that's totally theoretical right now, as he generated just one whiff combined across eight swings against the slider and sweeper. 

It would be hard for Woodruff's first start to have gone any better than this, and if you were already stashing him, that looks like a pretty good call; if nobody in your league was stashing Woodruff, I do think it makes to target him when waivers run Sunday evening, though I wouldn't necessarily make him a high-dollar priority in FAB, due to my lingering skepticism. 

But he already proved me wrong in this start. Who's to say he won't just keep doing that? Here's who else we're looking to add ahead of Week 16 of the Fantasy Baseball season. 

Samuel Basallo, Orioles (31%) – The universe is, at this point, seemingly doing everything it can to force the Orioles to call Basallo up. With Gary Sanchez placed on the IL this weekend with a knee sprain, the Orioles now have four different catchers on the IL, with former Rockies castoff Jacob Stallings and Alex Jackson (career .132/.224/.232 hitter) on the MLB roster for the time being. Basallo, meanwhile, is hitting  .282/.402/.577 since June 1 at Triple-A. I understand not wanting to rush the 20-year-old top prospect, especially if there is risk of him not having an everyday spot while he is working to finish the development of his defensive game – and with the Orioles all but out of the playoff race at this point, maybe rushing him isn't the best idea. On the other hand, Basallo's bat looks more than ready and there's an obvious need here, so if you're talking about stashing minor-leaguers, I think he's the best hitter left down there at this point. 

Deep-league target: Victor Caraini, Astros (9%) – With Yordan Alvarez still dealing with a hand injury, Caratini is getting extra opportunities lately and is taking advantage of them. He has started 11 of the past 16 games for the Astros and has five homers and 17 RBI in that stretch. Caratini's track record and underlying skill set don't necessarily give much reason to believe he'll remain a difference maker, but in a deep league, maybe you can squeeze a little value out of before he gets cold again.

Nate Lowe, Nationals (50%) – Lowe hasn't been very good this season, but he is still on pace for close to 100 RBI. That's a bit surprising, but he's always been a good source of RBI and he's hot right now, with 18 over his past 25 games with a .266/.333/.511 line in that stretch. 

Deep-league target: Masataka Yoshida*, Red Sox (10%) – Note the asterisk: Yoshida is actually just DH eligible right now, and seems more likely to play in the outfield than at first base when he's cleared from the IL. But I don't have a "DH-only" spot here, so we'll throw Yoshida here now that he's on the verge of coming back from offseason shoulder surgery. He is expected to be activated at some point during the team's homestand beginning Monday, and while there are some concerns about how much he'll play, there are signs that the Red Sox are open to trying him at first base, so he could end up fitting here. Yoshida isn't a difference maker, but he makes a lot of contact, has a bit of pop, and should be productive when in the lineup – he's a career .285/.343/.433 hitter in the majors.

Tyler Freeman, Rockies (32%) – It's looking like the Rockies won that Nolan Jones trade fairly handily. Freeman's elite contact skills have been a perfect fit for Coors Field, but even without Coors' BABIP-inflating properties, Freeman would be enjoying a breakout season, as indicated by his .319 expected batting average. Freeman doesn't have Jacob Wilson's pedigree, but he's doing a passable impersonation of him this season, only with the potential for 30-plus steals and a lot of positional flexibility. I'm not saying Freeman is quite that good, but I do think he needs to be basically universally rostered right now. 

Deep-league target: Zack Gelof, Athletics (37%) – Gelof was a major disappointment last season as he failed to build on his promising rookie season and saw the holes in his swing fully magnified by major-league pitchers. And I don't really expect too much to be different this time around. But let's not forget that he had 17 homers and 25 steals last season, so it's not like he was a total waste for Fantasy. And now he's playing in a much better home park for power, making a 20-20 pace look fairly realistic. You'll have to stomach a bad batting average, but Gelof should be a pretty useful Fantasy option if you can.

Royce Lewis, Twins (65%) – Maybe after all the injuries, Lewis just isn't the same guy anymore. Maybe he can't be. Even at 26 years old, it would be understandable. Except, here's the thing: I don't think the evidence points that way. At all. Lewis is hitting just .212/.285/.305 after a miserable second half in 2024, so you might be surprised to hear that. But even amid his struggles this season, Lewis has just a 14% strikeout rate and a .340 expected wOBA for the season, the second-best of his career. Lewis has been not just a must-start player but a legitimate difference maker in Fantasy in the past, and I still think he can be. I'll add him anywhere he's available, just in case that bet is right. 

Deep-league target: Nolan Gorman, Cardinals (14%) – The one thing we've always known about Gorman is that he has plus power. The problem has always been about making contact. Last season, he struck out nearly 40% of the time, which is untenable for anyone. This season? He's down to below a 30% strikeout rate and we're seeing a return to Fantasy relevance as a result. Gorman has seven homers since the start of June after going deep Saturday, and he's even hitting .250 in that span – not good, but playable! He's a fine target if you need some cheap pop. 

Otto Lopez, Marlins (60%) – Lopez has been pretty good for a while now. He hit .301/.365/.447 in the month of June, and his underlying quality of contact just keeps getting better – over his past 100 plate appearances Lopez has a .380 xwOBA, a pretty remarkable number. He should at least continue to be a good source of batting average, with a little bit of pop and some speed, and if the underlying numbers remain this strong, even that might be selling him short. And, given his good plate discipline and multi-eligibility, Lopez might be a viable option in H2H points leagues, too. 

Deep-league target: Colson Montgomery, White Sox (18%) - Based on the totality of his minor-league track record since being a first-round pick in 2021, there isn't a ton to get excited about with Montgomery. He is a career .246 hitter with just 19 homers and six steals per-150 games. And his track record is even uglier in Triple-A. But he did get hot right before the White Sox promoted him, going 11 for 25 with four homers in his final six games, and then he opened his MLB career going 5 for 10 with a pair of walks and strikeouts in his first three games. Minor-league production doesn't always translate to the majors, and maybe Montgomery can be an example of a player exceeding what he managed in the minors.

Addison Barger, Blue Jays (67%) – If there's any reason to be skeptical about Barger, it just comes down to playing time. Even as he has been one of their best hitters, Barger has started just three of the past eight games against lefties, and with the Blue Jays in first place and peaking as one of the hottest teams in baseball, it's hard to argue with the process. But Barger just continues to do everything he can to force his way into the lineup, lately going 8 for 18 with a couple of homers in his first five July games. With the underlying data to back it up, Barger looks like a legitimately very good hitter, and I'm just going to ride it until he flames out, if it ever happens. 

Tyler O'Neill, Orioles (43%) – O'Neill is back from his shoulder injury and already went deep on Saturday, a good sign, given the injury. He hasn't done much of note yet this season, but O'Neill has always been a streaky hitter, so judging him by a gold stretch doesn't really make much sense. Remember, he hit 31 homers in just 113 games last season, so if he does anything like that in the second half, you're going to be glad he's around and on your team. 

Chandler Simpson, Rays (57%) – I can't say I've watched closely enough to know how Simpson's defense has looked, but the Rays are throwing him out there everyday in center field, so they have to be pretty happy with it. That's a good sign, because at this point, the defense is really the only question I have about Simpson, who is hitting .359 with six runs and five steals in 11 games since returning from the minors. If the Rays trust Simpson's defense, then I think he's probably pretty much a must-roster player in Fantasy at this point. 

Isaac Collins, Brewers (12%) – The Brewers just love finding guys like this. Collins is a smaller dude who doesn't have much pop, but he hits the ball in the air to the pull side, has a decent approach at the plate, and is an aggressive baserunner despite only middling athleticism. He's hitting .307/.418/.533 since the start of June while starting around two-thirds of the team's games. In deeper categories leagues, that's certainly enough to matter. 

Colby Thomas, Athletics (10%) – Thomas should be left for truly deep leagues right now, because it just isn't clear where he's going to play for the Athletics right now. But they probably need to find some room for the 24-year-old somewhere, because he's done about all he can to prove himself in the minors, hitting .285/.355/.550 at Triple-A with similar numbers throughout his career. It's an interesting skill set, but he's relegated to a corner spot, and the A's already have too many corner/DH types. He'll need to get hot and see someone else earn a demotion, but if that happens, Thomas could be a legitimately useful major-league hitter. 

Emmett Sheehan, Dodgers (57%) – Sheehan returned from the minors Sunday and looked excellent against the Astros, allowing one run over five innings. He only struck out four, but generated 14 swinging strikes on 54 swings, so the stuff still looked dynamic. That Sheehan only threw 80 pitches is kind of disappointing, since he was sent to Triple-A explicitly to be stretched out. It seems like the Dodgers might continue to limit his workload, which is frustrating, but isn't a deal breaker. Sheehan has looked overwhelming most of the time since coming back from Tommy John surgery, and now that he's back in the bigs, he needs to be universally rostered. 

Edward Cabrera , Marlins (66%) – The longer this goes on, the more seriously we have to take it. I went deep on Cabrera's improved performance earlier last week, and it's mostly tied to significantly improved control, which we saw on display yet again Sunday against the Brewers, as Cabrera walked none over seven two-run innings. Cabrera hasn't walked more than three in a start all season (he did it six times in 20 starts last season), and has walked just 2.9 per nine innings since the start of May with a 2.11 ERA in that span. At this point, Cabrera might just need to be universally rostered, too. 

Joe Boyle, Rays (32%) – The Rays used an opener with Boyle Sunday in his return to the majors, and he looked phenomenal. Entering in the third after an abbreviated (by design) start from Drew Rasmussen , Boyle allowed just one unearned run over five innings of work, while striking out seven, walking one, and allowing just two hits to the Twins. He generated 15 swinging strikes on his 90 pitches and did a good job throwing strikes, which is the main thing we always have to worry about with Boyle. He's had good enough control all season at Triple-A, and if he can keep the walk rate to around average, I think the stuff will play. Hopefully the Rays are calling Boyle up for good, though it's not clear what his role will be – MLB.com indicated after Sunday's game he could continue to piggyback with Rasmussen as a way to manage his workload, which raises some questions about how valuable Rasmussen will be in the second half of the season. For now, I'm fine adding Boyle in most leagues for the upside alone. 

Trevor Rogers, Orioles (41%) – Despite another excellent start Sunday against the Braves , I can't quite get there with Rogers. He's down to a 1.57 ERA in five starts after he shut the Braves out over 6.2 innings of work, and I can't quite make sense of how he's making it work. His fastball has been effective, but it's not nearly the pitch it used to be back in 2021, so that doesn't seem sustainable – especially as his velocity was down another tick Sunday to 92.4 mph. He's getting it done right now, but I think in the long run, he'll wind up as just a streamer. The good news is, his last start before the All-Star break is an exploitable matchup against the Marlins, so I certainly don't mind streaming him for that. 

Cam Schlittler, Yankees (22%) – With Clarke Schmidt looking like he's going to have Tommy John surgery , the Yankees suddenly find themselves with a hole in their rotation. The Yankees are going to promote a starting pitcher this week, and Schlittler looks like the best option at this point. The team's No. 10 prospect per MLB.com Pipeline is enjoying a breakout season, pitching his way to Triple-A with a 2.82 ERA and 11.6 K/9 across the top two levels of the minors. Fangraphs.com recently did a nice scouting report on Schlittler amid his breakout season, and his fastball looks like it could be a real weapon even against major-league hitters. That's a good starting point, and Schlittler could be worth stashing even before he is promoted, at least in deeper leagues. 

Daniel Palencia, Cubs (65%) – Here's how good Palencia has been: He has a 1.74 ERA since the start of June despite being bedeviled by a .360 BABIP. His strikeout rate is up to 29.5% in that span and his command has been excellent, and at this point, I just don't think there's much risk of him losing this job. He should be universally rostered. 

Ronny Henriquez, Marlins (30%) – All of a sudden, "Who is the Marlins closer?" actually looks like a question Fantasy baseball players need to care about. And it looks, for now, like the answer is, indeed, Henriquez. The Marlins have been inconsistent with their closer role this season, but Henriquez does have three of the past four saves for the team, and Calvin Faucher , his primary competition for the role, doesn't have one since June 24. The next one very well could go Faucher's way, but it looks like they're leaning in Henriquez's direction. For now.