With the best help at infield still playing in the minors, the fantasy market must wait another week for impact players to arrive in the free agent pool.

After missing 24 days, the Red Sox activated Wong off the injured list on May 2nd. He has a four-game hitting streak (4-for-15 with three runs, no walks, and five strikeouts). Boston gave him 447 at-bats in 2024 (.280/54/13/52/8), leading to valuable C2 in 12-team formats. Wong has yet to hit a home run or drive in a run over his first 38 at-bats, putting him in the free-agent pool in most shallow leagues.

Naylor is only hitting .202 over his first 89 at-bats this year, which screams the same path as 2024 (.201 with 39 runs, 13 home runs, 39 RBIs, and six steals over 354 at-bats). Behind his surface stats, he has a developing approach (walk rate – 11.7 and strikeout rate – 21.4), which is much better than 2024 (walk rate – 7.4 and strikeout rate – 31.4), signaling an exciting outcome this year. Naylor has a 25/10 profile at catcher once he finds his rhythm at the plate. I’m bullish about his outcome for the remainder of the season, and he should be in the free agent pool in 50% of 12-team leagues.

The shallow fantasy market soured on Burleson after a slow start over 28 games (.256/7/0/6/2 over 86 at-bats). Over his last eight games, he went 7-for-25 with three runs, two home runs, and five RBIs, giving him his best output of the season. In 2024, Burleson played well (.269/71/21/78/9 over 547 at-bats), painting him as an OF3 or corner infield option in 12-team formats. He continues to be challenging to strike out (15.7 – 12.8 last season). The high-stakes market dumped him in 40% of leagues, so he should be in the waiver pool in a higher percentage of shallow roster formats.

Vaughn is another first base option who played his way into the free-agent pool over the past week. He hit only .162 over his first 117 at-bats with seven runs, three home runs, and 12 RBIs with a higher-than-expected strikeout rate (23.2 – 21.3 in 2024). Heading into Saturday night, Vaughn has eight hits over 27 at-bats with a run, one home run, and eight RBIs. He’s on pace for a 32/15/60 type season that suggests a correction in counting stats is coming.

Despite offering a trending bat, the 12-team fantasy market hasn’t gravitated to Urias in many leagues. After success from April 20th to May 2nd (10-for-38 with six runs, three home runs, and five RBIs), he tacked on another string of power at-bats (6-for-23 with two runs, two home runs, and three RBIs). Urias is trailing in counting stats, but his approach grades well (10 walks and 12 strikeouts over 78 at-bats).

Keith is another curb-kicked bat who has turned the corner over the past two weeks (10-for-29 with 10 runs, four home runs, and nine RBIs). The Tigers moved him up in their batting order, and his approach is trending toward elite status (walk rate – 16.1 and strikeout rate – 20.3). Detroit ranks fourth in runs scored (210) after 35 games, giving Keith an exciting opportunity going forward. His bat has 30-home run upside.

After placing Jesse Winker on the injured list, the Mets called up Baty. His season opened with struggles in New York (11-for-54 with four runs, one home run, four RBIs, and one stolen base) due to many strikeouts (19). A trip back to AAA (3-for-10 with two runs and three RBIs) hinted at more success in the majors. He has two hits over eight at-bats since returning to the Mets with a solo home run. New York has had him in their starting lineup for three consecutive days. For now, Baty is only a bridge player at third base until his bat becomes more consistent.

The shortstop position in shallow leagues continues to have weakness in the free agent pool. Crawford has a 16-game hitting streak (23-for-66), with 10 runs, three home runs, 13 RBIs, and one steal. Seattle rewarded him with a move to the top of their lineup over the past week, creating more potential in runs.

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