Every day, we will be taking a quick look at the best and worst fantasy baseball performers from yesterday's games. Friday taught us that no matchup is safe for Sonny Gray at the moment, and Hector Santiago needs to be more polite when questioning the strike zone.

Here's a quick rundown of those who impressed on Friday, and those who want to pretend the day never happened.

Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily. Prefer using your phone? Our free waiver wire app is available for download in the Apple Store.

 

Studs from 5/20/16

Freddie Freeman (1B, ATL): Freeman hit two homers and drove in four in a 7-1 trouncing of the Phillies. He now carries a .272/.364/.483 slash line after notching just a .775 OPS in April.

Nolan Arenado (3B, COL): Arenado made his presence felt in a 2-1 ballgame, going 3-for-3 with a homer. Arenado is hitting .314 with a 1.026 OPS in 41 games.

Chris Herrmann (C, ARI): Herrmann homered and drove in three runs as part of a two-hit night against the Cardinals. The backup catcher has put on a power display when given the opportunity, notching a slugging percentage north of .600 in 23 games.

Jason Kipnis (2B, CLE): Kipnis went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI in a 4-2 victory over the Red Sox. Kipnis' bat has come alive of late, as he has hit three of his six homers in the last eight games.

Miguel Cabrera (1B, DET): Cabrera becomes our second member of the two-homer club Friday. He has tallied 11 hits (including four homers) in his last six games.

Jose Bautista (OF, TOR): Bautista homered, drove in three and scored two runs as the Blue Jays teed off against the young arm of Tyler Duffey. Bautista has left the yard twice in his last four games.

Josh Donaldson (3B, TOR): Donaldson homered and doubled as part of the 9-3 onslaught. The blast was just Donaldson's second long ball this month.

Michael Saunders (OF, TOR): Our triumvirate of Toronto offense ends with Saunders, who went 3-for-5 with a homer and two runs scored. Saunders has hit two homers and a double in his last three games.

Robbie Grossman (OF, MIN): Grossman acquitted himself well in his first game since being called up Wednesday, notching three hits (including a double and a homer) and driving in three runs in four at-bats.

Colby Lewis (SP, TEX): Lewis pitched seven shutout innings with six strikeouts against a dangerous Houston squad. He continues to defy the advanced metrics, as he has now allowed three runs or fewer in all but one of his nine starts this season.

Carlos Beltran (OF, NYY): Beltran doubled three times and drove in three runs Friday. The 39-year-old is  slugging .517 in 149 at-bats.

CC Sabathia (SP, NYY): Sabathia allowed just one run over six strong innings in his return from the disabled list. The eight strikeouts he tallied in the contest were a season high.

Manny Machado (3B, BAL): The Orioles played home run derby with the Angels, with Machado scoring three runs and notching two hits. He now has three homers in his last 10 games.

Kris Bryant (3B, CHC): Bryant homered and drove in half of the eight runs the Cubs put up Friday. He has notched three homers and eight RBI in his last seven games.

Jake Arrieta (SP, CHC): Seven innings of one-run ball and eight strikeouts isn't even that great by Arrieta's standards, but it ranks as one of the top pitching performances of the day. Arrieta has not allowed more than three runs in any outing in 2016.

Duds from 5/20/16

Kelly Johnson (2B, ATL): Johnson wore an 0-for-5 despite a seven-run outburst by Atlanta. The veteran is not showing any power in 2016, slugging just .321 over 84 at-bats.

Mike Napoli (1B, CLE): Napoli bested Johnson's 0-for-5 showing by adding two strikeouts to his ledger. Napoli has been quite good in May. He is slashing .266/.347/.484 with three homers in 64 at-bats.

Matt Andriese (SP, TB): Andriese came back to earth after two dominant starts to open his season. He was able to pick up a win despite allowing four runs in just 5.1 innings.

Anibal Sanchez (SP, DET): Sanchez was slightly worse than his counterpart, allowing five runs over five innings. He is sporting a 6.23 ERA this season.

Justin Nicolino (SP, MIA): Niccolino is simply allowing too much contact to be effective right now. The four runs he allowed in 5.1 innings raised his ERA to 4.30 this season.

Giancarlo Stanton (OF, MIA): Stanton is a very good player who can look awful when he struggles. He has now struck out a whopping 12 times in his last four games following an 0-for-4 performance Friday.

Tyler Duffey (SP, MIN): Duffey had been cruising since his call up before the Blue Jays rolled out the welcome wagon. His ERA stands at 3.30 after allowing six runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings.

Edwin Encarnacion (1B, TOR): Encarnacion was one of the few Blue Jays who didn't feast on Minnesota pitching Friday. He had been riding a five-game hitting streak prior to the 0-for-5 performance.

Carlos Martinez (SP, STL): Martinez endured his second consecutive outing of four runs in five innings Friday. His ERA has risen from 2.61 to 3.56 over that span.

Sonny Gray (SP, OAK): If Gray can't have a nice outing against the Yankees at home, it's hard to imagine when he might have one. He will carry a 6.19 ERA into his next start after allowing five runs (four earned) over just 3.1 innings.

Mark Teixeira (1B, NYY): Teixeira is mired in an 0-for-14 slump after going hitless in five at-bats. He has struck out eight times over his last three games.

Starlin Castro (2B, NYY): With two 0-for-5 performances in the Yankee lineup, it's a wonder Gray struggled so badly. Castro has not had a hit in his last nine at-bats.

Hector Santiago (SP, LAA): Santiago was torched for three home runs in just 2.2 innings before some choice words for home plate umpire John Tumpane resulted in his ejection.

Jake Peavy (SP, SF): Peavy's outing against the Cubs went about how you would've expected. His ERA sits at 8.21 after allowing five runs in 1.2 innings.

Scott Kazmir (SP, LAD): Kazmir's problems with walks and homers continued Friday, as he allowed seven free passes and two long balls in 5.2 innings.

 

 

Live Expert Q&A Chats - Every Weekday @ 1 PM and 6 PM EST (DFS)

Fantasy Baseball Chat Room