Royce Lewis (MIN): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The Rockies had no answer for Royce Lewis on Sunday, as Lewis dialed up his lackluster season by crushing two solo home runs, delivering a final line of 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 2 RBI. It was the first career multi-homer game for the oft-injured Twins power hitter. Lewis now has four homers in only 146 at-bats in 2025, a disappointing season to say the least for Lewis and his fantasy managers.
Lewis always seems to be on the verge of a breakout season when injuries strike. In the 2024 season, he missed two months with a quad injury before doing his best Shohei Ohtani impression, hitting nine homers in 15 games, followed by another trip to the IL due to an adductor strain. 2025 has already been marred by two hamstring injuries, a power outage, and connectivity issues. With the second half underway, which Royce Lewis will answer the call? Is it time to buy or sell our Lewis shares?
While the double-dinger day is nice, there’s no indication that the former 2017 first-overall pick is out of the start-and-stop injury cycle yet, or that he is anywhere near the home run-hitting form we saw glimpses of in years past. He had an 0-for-12 streak going into Sunday, including being benched on Saturday, and was hitting just .211/.276/.296, mostly out of the seven or eight-hole, before his two-homer game in Denver. Still, his .271 xBA and .447 xSLG do give us hope that a turnaround isn’t out of the question. The 26-year-old needs to put together a stretch of solid performances in a row, outside of Coors Field, to convince this author that he’s finally over his hamstring issues. Stash and hold if he’s on waivers, but chasing his June 2024 stretch is fool’s gold.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Sunday:
Eugenio Suárez (ARI): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
The man whom everyone is speculating to be dealt at the deadline can’t stop hitting dingers, and he especially loves hitting them in pairs. Suarez has now hit double-dingers in two straight games, and in three of his last five. His HardHit rate is the highest of his career (50.8%), and his K rate is his lowest in eight years (26.3%). He’s up to 35 home runs on the season and does not look to be slowing down anytime soon.
Wilyer Abreu (BOS): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB.
Abreu has had a quiet on-and-off season in 2025, but was crushing homers on Sunday, helping the Red Sox beat the Cubs 6-1. Abreu’s 94th percentile HardHit rate in 2024 has dropped to the 66th percentile this season, and his playing time has always been in flux as a platoon player. However, he’s up to 20 homers and could push 30+ by season’s end, but playing time is often directly proportional to fantasy value. As long as Abreu is a platoon player, his fantasy value is capped.
Miguel Vargas (CHW): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Miguel Vargas hit his first homer in over a month to help power the White Sox to a series sweep of the Pirates. The Chicago clean-up hitter has been ice cold lately, and his ownership in Yahoo! leagues has dropped 12% to 19%. That roster rate is probably still too high for someone hitting .222 with a .699 OPS on one of the worst teams in the league. Drop and move on if he’s still on your roster.
Xander Bogaerts (SDP): 2-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB.
Bogaerts hit a grand slam for San Diego before former Padres pitcher MacKenzie Gore could manage to get anyone out, as the Padres rolled to an easy 8-1 win over the Nationals. Bogaerts is hitting 17-for-53 in July, and is showing why he’s one of the league’s more solid high-floor MI every fantasy team should roster in order to take more risks at other positions.
Angel Martínez (CLE): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
After a forgettable first few months of the season, Angel Martínez is heating up for the Guardians and has taken over the leadoff spot for Cleveland for the past three days. On Sunday, he hit his ninth homer of the season, his fourth in July. Just be aware that he does not hit the ball hard and does not walk. His SLG might be .409, but his xSLG is .334. Add it up, and that’s not a successful, sustainable fantasy profile, but you might as well ride the hot streak if you’re in need of a stream this coming week.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR): 2-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
It’s been a long wait since Vladdie’s last homer, June 29, to be exact, and this was only the second time in 14 games that he’s scored an RBI. But the Blue Jays have been rolling even without Guerrero Jr.’s power and run production. His Statcast page is still as dark red as ever, eclipsing the 80th percentile in all but two batting stats. Imagine what the AL East-leading Jays could do with a dialed-in Vlad Jr.
Taylor Ward (LAA): 2-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI, BB.
Taylor Ward continued crushing the Phillies with four more RBI on Sunday, finishing the weekend series with eight, including two home runs. His July has been scorching hot, hitting .302/.384/.540 after a lackluster June. Ward is two doubles and two homers away from his career highs of 26 and 25 set last season, respectively. Expect close to 40 in each category by season’s end.
Matt Chapman (SFG): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The former Blue Jay hit his first post-IL home run after missing most of June and the beginning of July due to a sprained right hand. He’s up to 13 on the year, but still needs to shake off a little rust since returning from the IL. He’s slashing only .186/.239/.279 since his return on July 5. Before the injury, Chapman was hitting a solid .243/.360/.452.
Alex Bregman (BOS): 1-1, HR, R, 3 RBI.
All Alex Bregman needed on Sunday was one big pinch-hit at-bat at a critical moment in the game to help put the Cubs away. Bregman is still not 100% back from his quad injury, and the Red Sox are bringing him along slowly, but come August, the 31-year-old should be back to his good ol’ homer-hitting self.
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