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In this space, Scott White will highlight some of the more notable changes to his rest-of-season rankings. You'll find said rankings here and are urged to bookmark them if you haven't already. There's no better resource for gauging player value throughout the long season.

Royce Lewis hadn't played since opening day because of badly strained quadriceps. So what did he do when he returned to the lineup Tuesday? The same thing he always does, of course:

How do you rank a guy who's been hurt far more than he's been healthy the past four years but has also homered 17 times in his past 34 big-league games, playoffs included? In a year like this one, where offense and especially power has been so hard to come by, you rank him really, really high.

Third base

  • I never moved Royce Lewis out of my top 12 at third base even when he was facing a lengthy absence. I may have wanted to, but not enough third basemen were performing well enough to justify it. That's also why it's so easy to move him into the top six now that he's healthy again. Alex Bregman and Manny Machado have shown signs of coming around lately, but even so, I'll take Lewis over them. Putting injury risk aside, my confidence in how he'll perform is close to unshakeable, and I can't say that about many hitters right now. The one underperforming stud who I can't bring myself to move behind Lewis is Austin Riley, who has the capacity for first-round production the rest of the way.
  • I may have regrets about moving Elly De La Cruz ahead of Jose Ramirez in Rotisserie leagues, but less because De La Cruz has been MIA since his four-steal game on May 16 and more because Jose Ramirez has enjoyed a power binge during that time. So whatever, I've switched them back. I've also moved Gunnar Henderson ahead of De La Cruz in Head-to-Head points leagues, where De La Cruz's outlier steals total is still plenty valuable but not as impactful, if you get the distinction. I've still been enthralled with De La Cruz overall. No, he doesn't have the capacity to hit much better than .230 as presently constructed, but if he sustains a 25-homer, 85-steal pace, it won't much matter, will it? Shoot, even a 20-homer, 60-steal pace would justify his ranking.
  • If you're wondering to what extent I'm buying into Mark Vientos, who I've suggested on the Fantasy Baseball Today podcast could be this year's Jake Burger (i.e., a slugging third baseman who brings his strikeout rate down enough to make good on his premium exit velocities), well, he ranks only 32nd for now. It doesn't mean that you can't try him out over replaceables like Michael Busch and Ke'Bryan Hayes in shallower leagues, but I have to consider the deep leagues, too, and what happens in them if Vientos is just a flash in the pan. Hey, ranking players is complicated.

Shortstop

  • Trea Turner is still weeks away, having recently suffered a setback with his hamstring injury, but I've dropped CJ Abrams behind him just because ... blech, I'm not liking what I'm seeing. The batting average is plummeting, the striking rate is spiking, and the stolen bases haven't been nearly as plentiful as we hoped for. Abrams is one of three supposed studs at the position (with Oneil Cruz and Bo Bichette being the others) who I'm reluctant to drop behind surprise standouts like Willy Adames and Jeremy Pena, but every week, it gets harder to keep the faith.
  • Jackson Merrill has shown some promising signs as a rookie and likely has a bright future, but he's sitting more often these days and is getting crushed in the counting stats batting in the lower third of the Padres lineup. It was pretty easy to move him behind recent risers like Ezequiel Tovar and Masyn Winn.

Second base

  • Nolan Gorman is the big riser this week, climbing to 15th in Rotisserie (i.e., categories) leagues. You say it's not enough, given his recent power binge? Well, would you have me move him ahead of Luis Arraez? Luis Rengifo? Ryan McMahon? All have been standouts in their own right, and we should know by now not to overreact to any stretch Gorman is having, whether hot or cold. He's a couple of spots lower in Head-to-Head points leagues, by the way, given that his 2.60 points per game are less than Jake Cronenworth (2.79) and Nico Hoerner (2.79). Those strikeouts will get you.
  • I'm ready to take the plunge on Joseph Ortiz and Davis Schneider, two patient hitters with some underlying power indicators who recently moved into everyday duty for their respective clubs. They're both in my top 20, ahead of early-season disappointments Zack Gelof, Jonathan India and Brandon Lowe.

First base

  • I've finally seen fit to drop Vladimir Guerrero behind Josh Naylor. It may seem like odd timing given that Guerrero has hit .387 (36 for 93) over his past 24 games, but he has only two home runs during that time. And frankly, I'm not seeing any inclination on his part to lift or pull the ball more, which is probably what he needs to do to deliver on his power potential. The power certainly hasn't been lacking for Naylor, and while he's batting only .229, he's one of the clearest bad-luck cases in that category, according to Statcast.
  • Jeimer Candelario got his strikeout rate under control in May and is beginning to produce again in June, which is enough to move him back into the top 25 both at this position and third base. Granted, it doesn't take much to overtake Michael Busch and Jake Burger at this point.

Catcher

  • It sounds like Francisco Alvarez could return from his thumb surgery next week, which would be two weeks earlier than expected. He played only 16 games prior to the injury, so we can ignore his year-to-date numbers and instead fixate on the massive power potential he offers at a weak position. It's enough for me to him up to eighth, ahead of Yainer Diaz and Sean Murphy.
  • Luis Campusano captured our imagination in the first week but has contributed next to nothing since then and is such a liability defensively that he's splitting at-bats nearly evenly with Kyle Higashioka at this point. The low strikeout rate is reason for optimism, maybe, but I had a pretty easy time dropping him behind Shea Langeliers, David Fry, and Danny Jansen.

Outfield

  • There's a new No. 1 in the outfield. Our greatest hopes for Juan Soto's move to Yankee Stadium have been realized. He's back to being a batting average standout, is pacing for a career-high in home runs, and is delivering such massive run and RBI totals that the lack of stolen bases is hardly an issue. The top four at the position is tight -- with each of Soto, Kyle Tucker, Aaron Judge, and Mookie Betts bringing something slightly different to the table -- but ultimately, it's Soto's batting average that wins out for me.
  • Luis Robert joined Royce Lewis in returning from a two-month IL stint (and homering in his first game back). He was actually drafted ahead of Lewis and, likewise, belongs back in the stud range at a weak position. I have him 12th in categories leagues, in between Christian Yelich and Kyle Schwarber, and 15th in points leagues, in between Steven Kwan and Spencer Steer.
  • TJ Friedl and Lane Thomas also recently returned from the IL, and the impact they could have as base-stealers is reason enough to move them into the top 35 at a position where we're aching for sustainable production of any kind. That void has Friedl and Thomas just as high in my points-league rankings even though you might think their steals aren't as valuable in that format.
  • Jo Adell's strikeout rate has climbed back into the scary range, and Colton Cowser has seen his numbers crater since about mid-April. They've lost what benefit of the doubt they were getting and have dropped behind Brenton Doyle, Jacob Young, Jesse Winker, and Davis Schneider, who are actually producing.
  • In the spirit of elevating hitters who are actually producing, Jurickson Profar is now 31st for me in categories leagues and 25th in points leagues. I remain highly skeptical of the stud turn he's taken in his 11th big-league season, but the simple truth is that I'm not supremely confident in Nolan Jones, Wyatt Langford, or Joshua Lowe either, not in such a punishing environment for hitters. While it may seem like smooth-brained reasoning, there comes a point where we need production however we can get it.
  • It's probably past time for me to have James Wood in the rankings, if only so you can gauge how stashable the Nationals prospect is. He debuts just outside the top 60.

Starting pitcher

  • The deeper we get into the season, the more concerned we should be about workload management for Garrett Crochet. The same goes for Luis Gil. But both have been so utterly dominant -- in a way that seems mostly sustainable, by the way -- that it seems disingenuous to continue ranking them behind Justin Steele and Grayson Rodriguez. So they're now 21st and 27th for me, respectively. I'm beginning to think (wishfully?) that whatever sort of curtailment they're subjected to won't be as bad as we're imagining. The Padres are reportedly looking to acquire Crochet, after all, and the Yankees would surely want Gil stretched out for a possible playoff run.
  • Gerrit Cole gets a bump now that he's officially on a rehab assignment. He's up to 32nd, with of course plenty of room to climb from there. Other recovery-related risers include Jeffrey Springs (up to 72nd) and Clayton Kershaw (up to 85th). Have to keep things consistent with my IL stash rankings, after all.
  • I have renewed confidence in Cristopher Sanchez now that he's back to his strike-throwing ways (even as his velocity continues to climb). He's up about 15 spots, putting him back in the top 60 and ahead of MacKenzie Gore, Walker Buehler, and Nestor Cortes, among others.
  • Ryan Weathers and Matt Waldron are two of the pitchers who've gained the most traction on the waiver wire over the past week, and I have a favorable opinion of both. Unfortunately, that's only enough to get them in the top 80 in a loaded pitcher pool -- which, remarkably, still puts them ahead of statistical successes like Brady Singer, Marcus Stroman, and Erick Fedde (all of whom have limited upside, methinks).

Relief pitcher

  • Camilo Doval will probably be fine in the long run, looking at the skill indicators, but it's hard to have much confidence in him or the opportunities the Giants are providing him right now. I've moved him behind Paul Sewald, Jhoan Duran and, perhaps most notably, Craig Kimbrel.
  • Though it's not as straightforward as having a solitary closer, the Phillies' closing tandem of Jose Alvarado and Jeff Hoffman is pretty well established by now. Fittingly, they're now back-to-back in my rankings, putting them just outside the top 30 in Rotisserie leagues.
  • It's hard to say where Yimi Garcia should rank since we don't yet have a timetable for Jordan Romano, who's on the IL for a second time with elbow inflammation, but Garcia has been so good that I'm not sure how eager the Blue Jays will be to return Romano to ninth-inning duties even when he's back. For now, I rank Garcia just ahead of the Phillies' tandem and just behind another temporary closer, Trevor Megill.