Chris Davis has slashed and bashed his way through three levels of the minors in little more than one year!

NL Only Options

Jerry Hairston – Infielder/Outfielder – Cincinnati Reds – Hairston is probably not available in many leagues, although he has just returned from the DL, fully recovered from his broken thumb. He was batting .336 when he went on the DL June 10^th, and he’s picked up where he left off, batting .286 with hits in five of seven games, including three multihit efforts. He’s also homered and stolen his 13^th base. Hairston should be able to hit right around .290 or so, hit the occasional tater, and steal another dozen or so bags if he continues to start regularly. He plays just about everywhere on the diamond, and Dusty Baker loves veteran bats like Hairston in his lineup to provide some on-field leadership, so he should see a steady diet of playing time. Hairston is a great MI option to grab off the wire, if he was left for dead when he went on the DL.

Jeff Baker – 1^st Base and 2^nd Base – Colorado Rockies – Strictly speaking, Baker is just a utility guy, and not a great one at that. Yet. He is 27 years old, and was never a big-time prospect, but he is getting a chance to play every day, and could end up being a regular if the Rockies go ahead with a much-anticipated fire sale. Garrett Atkins, Matt Holliday, and Todd Helton have all been mentioned as potential trade bait for various reasons, including looming free agency. A trade involving Atkins would almost guarantee playing time for Baker, who has a little pop, and the ability to hit around .300. Baker is a speculation pick that could pay decent dividends and help your team in the second-half; the multi-positional eligibility makes him doubly useful.

Fred Lewis – Outfielder – San Francisco Giants – Lewis brings a little bit of pop and a little bit of speed, but not a lot of either to his fantasy owners. Over his last 30 games, Lewis has batted .298, with 2 home runs, 12 RBI, 23 runs scored, and 6 stolen bases. He provides a steady source of runs as the leadoff hitter for the Giants, and his OBP of .363 makes him attractive in leagues that favor the stat. As an outfielder, his lack of pop makes him less useful for mixed leagues, but he is a great 4^th or 5^th outfielder in NL only leagues because of the runs and stolen bases. He’ll be a starter the rest of the way, but could lose his leadoff spot when Dave Roberts returns; however, he will likely bat second then, which could increase his RBI chances.

AL Only Options

Chris Davis – First Baseman – Texas Rangers – It took almost a half season of Ben Broussard at first base for the Rangers to figure out what they’ve known in Cleveland for a long time; Ben Broussard sucks. For a while, the Rangers were staying within shooting distance of the Angels in the Al West, and there was even talk of acquiring a front line pitcher and making a run at the playoffs. But the shine is off that particular apple at this point, and the team is now going to give their younger players a shot for the rest of the season. Chris Davis, a 22-year-old Texas-born basher, was brought up to the show after slashing his way through three levels of the minor leagues in a little over a year. In 77 games between Double A and Triple A this season, Davis batted .333 with 23 home runs, 73 RBI, and 68 runs scored. In short, he is a hitting machine, and he’s already off to a hot start in the bigs, with three home runs in his first seven games. He might not keep this up after he’s been through the league once, but he could provide some nice power for at least the first few weeks he is here, making him a worthy pick up in AL only leagues for teams in need of homers.

Kevin Slowey – Starting Pitcher – Minnesota Twins – Back on June 8^th, Kevin Slowey had the worst outing of his short career, getting spanked by the then white-hot White Sox for 8 runs on 10 hits in just three innings of work. Since that game, Slowey has been lights out over four consecutive outings, giving up just 3 runs over his last 29 innings, and none over his last 15. His ERA over the last four games is 0.93, with a corresponding WHIP of 0.72, and 24 strikeouts with just two walks in that time. Granted, those numbers were compiled against some of the poorer teams in the National League, but other than the previously mentioned debacle, Slowey has been very good. In the seven starts prior to that bad outing in Chicago, Slowey had an overall ERA of 3.76. In all, Slowey is a great addition to any fantasy team, who will provide plenty of strikeouts and quality innings without killing your ratios.

Clay Buccholz – Starting Pitcher – Boston Red Sox – I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the other Buchholz out there who is about to return to the majors after a stint in Pawtucket to find his “stuff.” And find it he did; over his last four outings for the Triple A PawSox, Buchholz has given up just one earned run over 23 innings, with 24 strikeouts and only 5 walks. He appears to have gotten his pitch command under control, greatly reducing the walks, which were becoming a real problem earlier this season when he walked 10 batters over his last 15 innings in the bigs. If all goes well with his outing this weekend, Buchholz should reclaim his spot in the starting rotation. The only caveat that I should mention is that his return to the majors could be to showcase him for a possible trade heading towards the deadline. However, his name is most often mentioned in deals with the Indians for C.C. Sabathia, so he will likely remain in the AL, but anything is possible. If he is available in your league, he is a worthwhile pitcher to add, just don’t give up anyone valuable for him until the deadline passes.