Fantasy Baseball Frauds? Buy/Sell On Standout Performers Including Ryan O'Hearn, Daniel Palencia, Adrian Houser, Addison Barger, more

June 3, 2025

Joey's fantasy baseball buys and sells for MLB players currently on hot streaks. He looks at potential fantasy baseball frauds for Week 10 of the 2025 season.

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly fantasy baseball frauds and buys/sells article. Each Monday of the fantasy baseball season, we will dive into multiple players coming off a strong week. It could be a hitter who had a nice offensive week or a pitcher starting to emerge as a consistent fantasy option. 

We will then determine if these red-hot players should be bought or sold in most fantasy leagues. This article will feature five of the most added players heading into Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season (June 2 to June 8). All five players featured on this week's list are rostered in under 60% of Yahoo! leagues. 

So, should fantasy managers be buying or selling these players coming off a strong week? Let's dive in and out. 

Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/OF, Baltimore Orioles

Rostered 55% of Yahoo! leagues 

Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn has easily been the team's best hitter this season. Therefore, it is a bit surprising to see his rostership at just 55% in Yahoo! leagues and 46% in ESPN leagues. O'Hearn is hitting .329 with nine home runs, 22 RBI, and three stolen bases across 49 games. 

More importantly, O'Hearn has been on fire at the plate in recent weeks. He has a hit in 10 of his past 11 games and batted an absurd .365 during the month of May. Given this elite offensive stretch over the past month, the Orioles' designated hitter is an easy buy heading into Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season. 

The Bad News Red Sox giving Ryan O'Hearn a Little League home run

📽️: MASN pic.twitter.com/qvbRg9dTmm

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) May 25, 2025

He has been a consistent fantasy option for most of the year, and there are reasons to believe he can keep this up. His expected batting average (.333), expected slugging (.539), hard-hit rate (52.2%), and launch angle sweet-spot rate (41.3%) all currently rank in the top 11% of the league. That makes him a strong buy as he is on pace to enjoy a career year. 

Daniel Palencia, RP, Chicago Cubs

Rostered 38% of Yahoo! leagues 

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Daniel Palencia started the season down in Triple-A after struggling out of the bullpen in 2024. He gave up 11 runs (10 earned runs) across just 14 2/3 innings pitched last year. However, the hard-throwing right-hander has been a much more effective pitcher out of Chicago's bullpen in 2025. 

Palencia owns a 1.74 ERA and 22 strikeouts in his first 19 relief appearances this season. He has also emerged as the Cubs' closer following the injury to Porter Hodge (oblique). The 25-year-old has converted five of his six save opportunities over the past two weeks and appears to be getting more comfortable in that role. 

Back in 2021, the Cubs struck a deal with the A’s for Andrew Chafin that included Greg Deichmann as the return to Chicago. Daniel Palencia was a flyer in the trade, a scuffling pitcher with a 6.91 ERA in Low-A ball. He sure looks like a big league closer. pic.twitter.com/8IQEa5S9Nq

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) May 31, 2025

As a result, he is a buy in most fantasy leagues entering Week 10. He has an above-average strikeout rate (28.2%), and there's a strong chance this closer job will be his for the rest of the year. Palencia's four-seam fastball plays well in this role, considering his fastball tops out at 102 mph. That makes him worthy of a roster spot on your team.

He is currently the closer on one of the best teams in the league. So, he should see plenty of save opportunities moving forward. Palencia closed out three games alone last week. 

Lance McCullers Jr., SP, Houston Astros

Rostered 17% of Yahoo! leagues 

It's nice to see Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. pitching again. He underwent a flexor tendon surgery in 2023 and wound up missing that whole season. Unfortunately, he also missed the 2024 campaign after suffering a setback in July. That means when McCullers made his season debut in 2025, it was his first major league start since Game 3 of the 2022 World Series. 

So, it's not a surprise that the right-hander has experienced some hiccups in his return. He allowed seven runs while recording just one out in a start against the Cincinnati Reds on May 10 and gave up two runs with three walks across 4 1/3 innings against the Seattle Mariners on May 22. 

However, McCullers could be turning a corner following a dominant outing against the Athletics his last time out. The 31-year-old tossed six innings of three-run ball with 12 strikeouts to earn his first quality start since Game 3 of the American League Division Series in 2022. The right-hander is now firmly on the radar of fantasy managers.

While it's hard to really predict which version of McCullers will show up moving forward, he is worth an add in most 12+ team leagues. He has a two-start week upcoming in Week 10 and has a fantastic matchup against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. Therefore, fantasy managers should buy him in some leagues.

His current 28.6% strikeout rate is also a great sign for his long-term fantasy outlook. 

Adrian Houser, SP, Chicago White Sox

Rostered 16% of Yahoo! leagues 

It has surely been an eventful few weeks for new Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Adrian Houser. The right-hander signed with the White Sox back on May 20 and has delivered three straight quality starts since being picked up. In those three outings, Houser has allowed just three runs across 18 1/3 innings pitched. 

Although the veteran allowed three runs against the Baltimore Orioles in his most recent start on Sunday, it was still a solid outing from him. He gave up three runs with one walk and six strikeouts across 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander will now enter Week 10 of the fantasy season with a 1.47 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts across three starts. 

Despite the strong numbers, Houser is a sell in most formats. He isn't striking out many batters, and his high hard-hit rate (48.4%) could mean some regression is coming his way. Given that wins will also be hard to come by, the 32-year-old shouldn't be added right now. 

Addison Barger, 3B/OF, Toronto Blue Jays 

Rostered 10% of Yahoo! leagues 

Toronto Blue Jays utility specialist Addison Barger got off to a rough start this season. He was hitting just .213 with one home run and eight RBI through his first 21 games. However, a lot has changed for the 25-year-old since then. Barger has been on an offensive tear over the past three weeks.

He is hitting an impressive .322 with four home runs, nine RBI, one stolen base, and seven walks across his last 17 games dating back to May 15. Barger is also coming off the best week of his career, hitting a home run in three straight games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday against the Athletics. 

Addison Barger's home runs in the A's series:

109.8 MPH, 406 FT
109.4 MPH, 428 FT
112.3 MPH, 412 FT

Destroying baseballs.pic.twitter.com/3IGENeisaW

— BlueJays Muse (@TORBlueJaysMuse) June 1, 2025

There's no doubt that Barger has been a solid fantasy option in recent weeks, and his rostership continues to grow. Therefore, he is worth an add in some 12-team leagues and all 15-team leagues heading into Week 10 of the fantasy baseball season. The metrics also suggest that he might be a solid fantasy contributor for a while. 

His expected batting average (.302), expected slugging (.546), average exit velocity (95.2 mph), and hard-hit rate (56.7%) all rank in the 91st percentile or better in the early going. That makes him a buy in some leagues. Fantasy managers should at least ride the hot hand for the time being. 

Other Standout Performers

• Sal Frelick (sell)
• Jose Caballero (sell)
• Tyler Stephenson (buy)
• Max Muncy (sell)

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