

Detroit Tigers outfielder Kerry Carpenter had a huge day at the plate in a 13-1 win over the Angels, going 4-for-6 with a home run, a double, one run, and five RBI. This was his fourth game with three hits or more, and he is now slashing .295/.316/.554 with eight home runs, 19 RBI, and 17 runs through 32 games. The slugger has even earned himself some playing time against lefties this season, batting .250 against them in 25 plate appearances. He is in a great spot at the top of Detroit's lineup and should be universally rostered by this point in fantasy.


St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn (ankle) left the second game of Sunday's doubleheader with a left-ankle sprain. He suffered the injury in the third inning when he tripped rounding third base, and was later pulled from the game before the top of the fifth. The specifics of the severity of the injury are not yet known, but hopefully the shortstop won't need another trip to the injured list after already spending time there this season with back spasms. He was finally starting to come around in the recent weeks, batting .333 with two home runs and two steals since April 22.


Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. hit a two-run home run in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Reds, his third of the season. The 24-year-old got off to a slow start to the season but has started to turn things around recently, collecting two home runs and three multi-hit games in his last nine games played. His slash line still looks disappointing at .234/.282/.360, but he has delivered a useful power and speed combination with three home runs and six stolen bases.


Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson went 2-for-5 with two runs, one RBI, and one stolen base in Sunday's 7-5 win over the Yankees. The rookie has been as advertised through his first 14 games in the big leagues, batting .296 with six stolen bases. He has just one extra-base hit, a double, but power has never been a part of his game. Simpson should be rostered in all roto leagues, serving as a stolen base and batting average specialist who should score a lot of runs batting leadoff for the Rays.


Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Smith went 4-for-5 with three singles and a triple in his team's 8-1 victory over the Mariners on Sunday. He added two runs scored and an RBI. Smith tormented the Mariners all game long, as the only time they could keep him off the bases was when he flied out to shortstop during the bottom of the sixth inning. He's been excellent thus far for the Rangers, batting a strong .311 (28-for-90) with an .864 OPS to go along with 16 runs scored, three home runs, four steals, and eight RBI. Not much has changed for the Louisiana State product regarding his batted ball metrics, but he's pulling the ball 10% less of the time compared to the prior two seasons and has dropped his average launch angle (7.1 degrees). A .269 xBA suggests his average could come down slightly, but his BABIP figure (.339) looks closer to what it did when he raked in the minors.
