Stock Watch: 6 players trending up, down in fantasy

by George Halim Jul 23, 7:27 AM

Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Sports

We'll identify three players each week whose fantasy stocks are rising, and three others whose stocks are falling.

Trending Up

Kyle Schwarber: There's not much to say about this kid except he can flat-out hit. Since his initial, and latest, promotion to the big leagues, Kyle Schwarber has yet to be overmatched at the plate. Sure, it's only been 13 games, but in that span, he's batting a scorching .409/.447/.705 with three homers, 11 RBIs, and 10 runs scored. Considering Miguel Montero will be on the DL for some time, Schwarber is a safe bet to remain in the bigs all season, as he should stay up when Montero returns to the Chicago Cubs as rosters expand in September.
Mike Bolsinger: When the Los Angeles Dodgers' depleted rotation comes to mind, you think of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke leading the charge. But despite numerous injuries, Mike Bolsinger has stood out as the dark horse. Although he's only gotten four decisions in his last 10 starts, the righty notched a bounce-back effort Wednesday, holding the Atlanta Braves to one unearned run over seven innings. He now owns a 2.79 ERA and 1.18 WHIP this season, making him a worthwhile pickup in deeper leagues.
Chris Iannetta: At a sparse position, Chris Iannetta's proven a hot commodity over the last 30 days. For a second, forget the Los Angeles Angels catcher is batting .205. Instead, the focal point of his season has been unfolding in the past month: he's batting .271 with four homers. It's also worth mentioning that Iannetta has hits in four of his last five games to complement the rest of his statline in that stretch. There's a good chance Iannetta isn't owned in most leagues, so he should make a good rental as long as he stays hot.

Trending Down

Justin Upton: The San Diego Padres are in tough when it comes to Justin Upton. Acquired from the Atlanta Braves in the spring, the club has made it clear that it wants to shop him around. Given his current circumstances, however, a buyer might not be easy to find. Upton isn't helping his tradability, batting an abysmal .171 with two homers, five runs, and six RBIs in the last month leading up to the deadline. He's also missed the last three games with an oblique injury, and the club hasn't ruled out a DL stint.
Cole Hamels: With all the attention focused on him, Cole Hamels isn't doing himself any favors on the mound. He'll still draw interest from numerous teams despite his last two starts for the Philadelphia Phillies, but he's done nothing if not raise the question of whether he's worth acquiring. In those starts, Hamels gave up 14 runs over 6 1/3 innings, surrendering 20 hits while striking out only four batters and forcing fantasy owners to leave him on the bench as of late.
Kris Bryant: What's the deal with Kris Bryant? Despite putting up decent numbers - .258/.367/.449 - the Chicago Cubs third baseman hasn't hit a home run since the Home Run Derby. Seriously, he's gone homer-less since going yard twice July 4, which is also the last time he recorded a multi-hit game. His two RBIs Wednesday were a good start, but his previous multi-RBI game was, you guessed it, July 4. For a player of his caliber, Bryant hasn't done much lately to prove that he's an elite fantasy three-bagger.