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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our ROS fantasy baseball rankings, freshly updated for June 2024, looking at rest-of-season values and the biggest rankings risers/fallers. Nick Mariano recently updated his fantasy baseball rankings and tiers for roto (5x5 mixed) leagues. While it has only been a week since his last update, there are some substantial changes. The focus of this column will be to take a closer look at the biggest risers and fallers compared to the previous set.
Nick’s rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings and tiers were last updated on June 13 and are available for your perusal below. As always, injuries have taken their toll on the fantasy landscape in just the last week. At the same time, some big names are closing in on their returns from the injured list. In addition to finding the biggest risers and fallers in the top 300, this column will also take a special look at some notable injured players.
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ROS Fantasy Baseball Rankings (June Updates)
Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Biggest Risers
Eighteen players got promoted into the top 300 this time around. Most of these players filled out the bottom tiers of the rankings but one newcomer happened to be this update’s biggest gainer. First baseman Andrew Vaughn went from being unranked to No. 192 on the list. He is followed by outfielder Heliot Ramos and infielder Nick Gonzales, who improved by 94 and 87 places, respectively. Let’s take a closer look at what went right in the last few weeks to propel their rises up the rankings.
Andrew Vaughn, 1B, Chicago White Sox
Previous rank: NA
Updated ROS rank: 192
Andrew Vaughn was a hard sell in fantasy two weeks ago. While value can follow volume, even on bad teams, Vaughn’s everyday role as first baseman for the White Sox wasn’t paying off as managers would hope. The 26-year-old ended May with four home runs, a .199 batting average, and a sprained finger that sidelined him for a series.
In 10 games since returning to action on June 4, Vaughn has hit .366 with a 1.102 OPS, added four more home runs, scored 10 runs, and collected six RBI. The recent hot streak is part of a larger upward trend for Vaughn, who has a .267 batting average and .876 OPS over his last 30 games.
Andrew Vaughn’s last 15 games: 15-for-41 with 4 HR, 6 RBI, 10 R, 1.103 OPS…trade bait?pic.twitter.com/6loGtTgQjI
— Discuss Baseball (@discussbaseball) June 14, 2024
Heliot Ramos, OF, San Francisco Giants
Previous rank: 292
Updated ROS rank: 198
The Giants promoted Heliot Ramos from Triple-A Sacramento on May 8 and immediately installed him in their lineup. Ramos has played in every game since his promotion and in 32 games has compiled six home runs, 24 RBI, and a .305 batting average. The Giants have little reason to remove their 24-year-old outfielder from his everyday role as he has been the most consistent hitter in their tepid offense. Even in an uninspiring lineup, Ramos is showing he can put up numbers and can be of use to roto managers in search of outfield help.
Nick Gonzales, 2B/SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
Previous rank: 283
Updated ROS rank: 196
Similar to Ramos, Nick Gonzales was a May call-up and immediately jumped into an everyday role. Also, similar to Ramos, any fantasy managers who took a flyer on the player when he was promoted have seen a nice boost to their team batting average and RBI columns. Since joining the Pirates, Gonzales is hitting .306 with 23 RBI through 29 games. The second baseman is facing little competition for playing time and can continue contributing to counting categories even if his batting average regresses.
Other Big Risers
Brandon Lowe, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays (Previous rank: 259; Updated ROS rank: 176)
TJ Friedl, OF, Cincinnati Reds (Previous rank: 261; Updated ROS rank: 181)
Jeimer Candelario, 1B/3B, Cincinnati Reds (Previous rank: 214; Updated ROS rank: 139)
David Hamilton, SS, Boston Red Sox (Previous rank: NA; Updated ROS rank: 231)
Josh Smith, 3B/SS/OF, Texas Rangers (Previous rank: 291; Updated ROS rank: 229)
Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Biggest Fallers
As was the case back in April when I last did a breakdown of risers and fallers, some of the biggest drops were due to injury. For this section, I’ll keep the focus on the players who fell due to poor performance and not their health concerns. This update’s biggest drops features a trio who has fallen out of the top 300 entirely. First baseman Nathaniel Lowe is this set’s biggest loser, falling 117 places. Lowe is followed by utility man Willi Castro, who fell 97 places himself, and Eugenio Suarez, who tumbled off the list from his previous rank of 209.
Nathaniel Lowe, 1B, Texas Rangers
Previous rank: 123
Updated ROS rank: 240
Nathaniel Lowe’s free fall through the rankings is somewhat rare in that he didn’t suffer a recent injury nor was he mired in a cold streak. He simply has done nothing to maintain his standing in the rankings. Lowe last hit a home run on May 14 (his second of the year) and has 19 RBI despite hitting directly behind Marcus Semien and Corey Seager in the Rangers lineup. His xSLG and barrel rate are both in the bottom 2% of the league, offering little hope that Lowe will eventually provide the power numbers usually expected from a corner infielder in fantasy.
Willi Castro, 2B/3B/OF, Minnesota Twins
Previous rank: 188
Updated ROS rank: 285
Willi Castro was thrust into fantasy relevance after Royce Lewis went down on Opening Day. Castro started off slow, but by mid-April, he hit his stride. From April 13 to May 12, fantasy managers who trusted the 27-year-old utility player to make the most of his newfound everyday role were rewarded with three home runs, five stolen bases, and a .318 batting average with a .914 OPS. Since then, though, Castro has cooled off, hitting just .229 over the last month. With a downturn at the plate and Lewis back from his injury, Castro’s grip on an everyday job in Minnesota is less secure.
Eugenio Suarez, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Previous rank: 209
Updated ROS rank: NA
Now that we are more than two months into the season, it is time to face facts with certain players. Eugenio Suarez is a one-man team batting average sink and his counting stats this season are not enough to offset the damage.
Suarez has a .195 batting average and his 30 RBI are only one more than fellow third baseman Matt Vierling, who has three more home runs and a .267 average and is available in over half of fantasy leagues. Suarez’s expected stats leave little hope for an offensive turnaround like Andrew Vaughn’s and it looks like Arizona will work other players into the mix at third in the near future.
Torey Lovullo said that Blaze Alexander will start some games over Eugenio Suárez at third base moving forward.
"Offensively, [Blaze has] been playing at a very high level. The defense has been improving rapidly. I just felt like it was time to give him a few opportunities." pic.twitter.com/4yabG48Zc8
— Jesse Friedman (@JesseNFriedman) June 12, 2024
Other Big Fallers
Michael Kopech, RP, Chicago White Sox (Previous rank: 233; Updated ROS rank: NA)
Jesus Luzardo, SP, Miami Marlins (Previous rank: 89; Updated ROS rank: 154)
Orlando Arcia, SS, Atlanta Braves (Previous rank: 245; Updated ROS rank: NA)
Zack Gelof, 2B, Oakland A’s (Previous rank: 205; Updated ROS rank: 258)
Walker Buehler, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous rank: 154; Updated ROS rank: 205)
Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Notable Injuries
The injuries keep stacking up this season, robbing fans of experiencing their favorite players and throwing a wrench in fantasy managers’ best-laid plans. One of the biggest drops in this week’s updated rankings was Christian Encarnacion-Strand. He fell from 179 to 276, losing 97 places on the news that season-ending wrist surgery is on the table for the injured Cincinnati first baseman.
Amid a dreadful slump, Colt Keith missed a few games recently due to a sore knee, which pushed him out of the top 300 from a previous rank of 239. J.T. Realmuto dropped 57 spots to 169 and will likely continue to slide following the news that he will miss one month while recovering from knee surgery.
JT Realmuto is having meniscectomy knee surgery tomorrow. Generally players who have this surgery miss a month or 2. JT Realmuto has been playing hurt for the last month with his knee being sore or having pain. The story from @CSeidmanNBCS https://t.co/mw5u1t9rCY
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) June 11, 2024
There are some injured players who have managed to rise in the rankings as they close in on their return dates. Gerrit Cole hopped up to 75 in the current rankings, an improvement of 57 places over the previous set. The Yankees ace struck out 10 in his fourth rehab start on June 13 and could be returning to New York soon.
Max Scherzer has been on a rehab tour of his own and is inching back to the Rangers rotation. He re-entered the rankings this time around at 281. While Noelvi Marte is not injured, his suspension is nearing its end and he has made another gain in the rankings, getting a slight bump up to 224.
Gerrit Cole pitched as well as you'd expect him to against minor league hitters today.
4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 21 Whiffs
57% Whiff, 43% CSW#RepBXpic.twitter.com/sucnlButZg— Eric Cross (@EricCross04) June 15, 2024
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