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Tyler Mahle, SP, Braves

Mahle has been one of the best stories on the wire since Atlanta acquired him, and he's still only rostered in about a quarter of leagues. After a forgettable stint with the Giants, he's been outstanding in his new home, following up back-to-back nine-strikeout starts against the Yankees and Mets with another strong outing, racking up 15 whiffs on 40 swings while limiting Miami to one earned run over six innings. This month alone he ranks second in all of baseball in strikeout rate at an eye-popping 36.4%, trailing only teammate Chris Sale, and he's backing it up with excellent control — a sub-5% walk rate leads to a sparkling 0.75 WHIP and a 2.00 FIP over that stretch.

The uptick appears real, not lucky: his velocity has ticked up to a season-high 92.7 mph, and he's leaning more heavily on his splitter, which is generating a 30%+ whiff rate. A change of scenery and a leaner workload after his injury-plagued spring seem to have unlocked his old strikeout stuff. He's got a two-start week coming up, and while the raw ERA line for the season (4.64) still reflects his early struggles, the results over the last month tell a very different story.

Alejandro Kirk, C, Blue Jays

Kirk's been a frustrating hold all year after a fractured thumb wiped out the first two-plus months of his season, but the bat is finally starting to look like the one that hit .282 with 15 homers and 76 RBI back in 2025. Over the last week he erupted for a .438/.571/.688 line with a home run, three RBI, and five walks against just one strikeout — exactly the contact-oriented, disciplined approach that made him a two-time All-Star.

He remains firmly entrenched as Toronto's primary backstop over Brandon Valenzuela, so the playing time is secure, and his underlying skills (a career 50%+ hard-hit rate in his best years, an elite ability to avoid strikeouts) suggest this hot stretch could be the start of a real second-half surge rather than a blip. Catcher remains one of the shallowest positions in fantasy, and Kirk offers a safe batting-average floor with everyday at-bats in a good Toronto lineup.

Rafael Flores Jr., C/1B, Pirates

Flores is one of the deepest of deep-league speculative adds, but he flashed real thump this past week. In Pittsburgh's 13-1 blowout of the Marlins, the rookie catcher went 2-for-5 with two three-run home runs — a huge day that came out of nowhere after he'd managed just one hit in his previous 15 at-bats. He's up with the big club while Endy Rodriguez (hip) sits on the injured list, playing primarily as the backup to Henry Davis.

The power is legitimate — Flores hit .279 with 21 homers across High-A and Double-A back in his best minor league season, and Baseball America has praised his plus raw power, even if he's still working on tightening up the strikeout issues that come with it. The problem for fantasy purposes is playing time: he's the No. 21 prospect in Pittsburgh's system and a backup catcher/first baseman right now, not an everyday player, so a two-homer game isn't likely to dramatically boost his role. Still, in deep AL/NL-only or dynasty formats, or as a speculative catcher-eligible stash with pop, he's worth a look — especially if Rodriguez's injury lingers.

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