In yesterday's weekend recap, I said I wanted to do a deep dive on Jared Jones' numbers to try and figure out why he's been so mediocre over the past month or so, and that's exactly what I did Monday.
My takeaway? He's still figuring things out, and that's no surprise. Jones, for all his early success, is still a young, inexperienced pitcher who wasn't viewed as a finished product before he started blowing people away in April, and it turns out he wasn't. He's struggled with lefties especially lately, and he's clearly searching for answers for that, with his changeup usage spiking over the past couple of starts.
You can head here to read more of my breakdown of Jones, but on the whole, I remain pretty optimistic. Partially, that's just because I believe in Jones and have faith he'll figure out a way to right the ship. Whether that's leaning more on his changeup or identifying some other weapon to get lefties out, I think he'll get there.
You should also head here to get Scott White's breakdown of the biggest performances of the weekend, in his weekly stockwatch piece. The arrow continues to point up for Heliot Ramos and Matt Waldron, but Scott is starting to lose faith in Bailey Ober and Reese Olson amid their recent struggles – and I am too! You got my thoughts on all of those guys yesterday, but you can get Scott's perspective here, too.
And now, let's turn our attention to what you need to know from Monday, starting with the top waiver-wire targets:
Tuesday's top waiver targets
Just a heads up: Monday was not a great day for potential waiver-wire targets. There just weren't many big performances by lower-rostered players worth talking about, so while I've got a few names from Monday to talk about, I'm also focusing on a few guys who may have fallen between the cracks as they work their way back from injuries. Neither has a clear timetable to return to the majors, but both could be difference makers if and when they get the call, so we'll start there:
Kris Bubic, SP, Royals (2%) – Remember him? Bubic made three starts last season, but he looked like a different guy, riding a velocity jump and a new slider to 13 strikeouts in his first 11 innings; by the end of his third start, his season was over, as he underwent Tommy John surgery that he is only now getting close to returning from. Bubic's velocity isn't all the way back yet, and it's not clear when the Royals might have a rotation spot for him, so I'm not sure how much you can expect from him. But he does have 25 strikeouts and a 3.43 ERA on his minor-league rehab assignment, and I do wonder if the surprisingly competitive Royals might not view him as a potential option in the back end of their bullpen, given James McArthur's struggles this season. They'd probably like to keep him stretched out to start, but with their rotation playing well, Bubic may be able to make an impact elsewhere. Either way, I think there's a chance he'll matter for Fantasy at some point this season.
Jordan Lawlar, SS, Diamondbacks (29%) – Lawlar isn't coming back from quite as serious an injury as Bubic, but he has been limited to just seven games at the Arizona Complex League while recovering from a torn ligament in his thumb suffered during spring training. He was activated from the IL and sent to Triple-A this week, and the guess here is he's going to get some time at that level to get his feet under him before the Diamondbacks even consider calling him up. But he needs to be on Fantasy radars, as the 21-year-old hit .278/.378/.496 with 20 homers and 36 steals across the top two levels of the minors last season – he flopped in the majors in a 14-game stint, but he had also just turned 21 at the time, so we won't hold it against him too much. Lawlar is a top-20 prospect who is one step away from the majors, on a team that is struggling offensively and getting just a .256/.305/.361 line from their shortstops, it may not be long before we see him.
Chris Paddack, Twins vs. COL (63%) – The thing that has been so interesting about Paddack this season are these starts where he has one of the breaking balls working. Monday was the curveball's chance, as he generated five whiffs with the pitch en route to a very strong 36% CSW rate. The curveball hasn't been much of a weapon for Paddack before this one, sporting just an 11.5% whiff rate, so we could just chalk it up to the matchup against the Rockies. But with his fastball looking better than it has in years, it's easy to dream of Paddack taking a leap if either of the breaking balls finds consistency.
Ryan O'Hearn, 1B, Orioles (55%) – O'Hearn is picking things back, hitting .400 in nine June games after his 3-for-4 showing Monday. He has two homers and two steals in those nine games and remains a consistent presence in one of the best lineups in baseball. He's a strong option in daily leagues, but he's a viable mixed-league option in all formats when the Orioles have a run of right-handed opponents, too.
Spencer Horwitz, 2B, Blue Jays (5%) – We'll toss one out there for you deep-leaguers. Horwitz was recalled from Triple-A over the weekend and has started each of his first three games, going 2 for 4 with a double Monday. Horwitz probably doesn't have a ton of upside, but he's been a strong hitter throughout his minor-league career, including sporting a .316/.433/.471 line at Triple-A. It'd be nice if there was more over-the-fence power or base-stealing skills here, but if he can get on base and hit for a solid average, he could still be a useful option if the Blue Jays keep giving him playing time.
