We'll identify three players each week whose fantasy stocks are rising, and three others whose are falling.
Trending Up
Jason Kipnis: The Cleveland Indians second baseman appears to have put a slow opening month behind him as Kipnis is hitting .489 in May to go with six doubles, one triple, two home runs and seven RBIs. The 28-year-old has three home runs in his last five games - half the amount he hit in 2014 in 129 games. Edwin Encarnacion: As he predicted, it was only a matter of time before Encarnacion began to heat up. The notoriously slow starter has caught fire over the past week, hitting .350 with three home runs and seven RBIs and is expected to continue the trend as June and July are historically the most productive months for the Toronto Blue Jays' slugger. Brandon Phillips: The Cincinnati Reds second baseman appears fully recovered from last season's thumb surgery. While Phillips doesn't possess the 20-plus home run power of his earlier days, he owns a .311 average on the season and should continue to add to his 15 RBIs on the season while hitting in the middle of the order.
Trending Down
Ian Desmond: The nightmare season for the Washington Nationals shortstop has yet to let up as Desmond is hitting a career-low .225 and remains without a stolen base through 35 games. The three-time Silver Slugger has just two home runs and four extra-base hits over the past 18 games while striking out 22 times. Devon Travis: The Blue Jays rookie second baseman has finally come back down to earth a bit after a blistering April that saw him take home American League Rookie of the Month honors. Travis is 7-for-41 (.171) over his last 11 games with three extra-base hits and eight strikeouts. Stephen Strasburg: The 26-year-old has logged just 6 1/3 innings over his last two starts and is in the worst slump of his six-year career. While Strasburg attested that his shoulder is fine, he couldn't have looked more uncomfortable allowing eight runs (seven earned) off eight hits in 3 1/3 innings Tuesday. The Nationals right-hander is 2-4 with a 6.06 ERA through seven starts and is averaging less than a strikeout an inning.
