We get it. The summer instinct to press the cruise control button might be getting increasingly tempting.
The season's mathematical midpoint, not to mention the July 4 holiday, are in the rearview mirror, and the All-Star break arrives next week to provide us a three-day respite from lineup setting. NFL training camps open in 2-3 weeks and that means another sport to distract fantasy managers from our own six-month championship quest. It's also vacation season for many of us.
Nevertheless, stay patient, stay focused and recognize that in this period of distractions, there are countless opportunities to fine-tune your fantasy baseball rosters in advance of the stretch run. It's as critical a time as ever to capitalize upon them.
For this week, it's the pitching side of the equation that's richest with pickup opportunities:
Griffin Jax, RP/SP, Tampa Bay Rays (47.7% rostered in ESPN leagues): I can't say I saw Jax emerging as a fantasy baseball force in a starting capacity, especially given his $16 LABR (League of Alternative Baseball Reality) draft-day price, seventh-highest among then-relievers. However, while he became a square peg in the Rays' round closer hole, he has transformed into a pretty good starting pitcher.
Jax's sweeper has maintained its elite whiff rate (38%, after 40%-plus as a reliever in 2024 and 2025) and his four-seam fastball has retained almost all of its velocity (96.1 mph, after a 97.0 average in relief since the beginning of 2024). He even built up his pitch count to 88 two outings ago (June 24) and his 72 fantasy points over his last five starts place among the position's top 25. With even a little more leash from the Rays, Jax could consistently deliver fantasy production along those lines.
Two-start advantage: Jax faces the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners at home during the July 6-12 week.
Landen Roupp, SP, San Francisco Giants (26.9% rostered): You might remember his name as one of the players I nominated as being amongst the game's most underrated two weeks ago. Unfortunately, since then, Roupp had one of the worst starts of his entire career (minus-13 fantasy points on June 30). That outing should be more the exception than the norm, however, and his improved sinker, coupled with one of the most advantageous home pitching environments in baseball (Oracle Park) give him good odds of a strong second half.
Two-start advantage: Roupp faces the Toronto Blue Jays and Colorado Rockies at home this week.
Logan Henderson, SP, Milwaukee Brewers (16.6% rostered): The Brewers have had a lot of trouble keeping their starters healthy this season -- Quinn Priester, Brandon Woodruff and Henderson himself have all missed extended time -- but Henderson's anticipated return comes at an ideal time after Woodruff returned to the IL over the holiday weekend. Henderson's raw stuff is outstanding, as his 2.23 ERA and 33.3% strikeout rate since his April 20, 2025, MLB debut both rank third among pitchers with at least as many starts as he has made in that time.
The problem, however, is that we talking about only 10 starts, as the right-hander has had a difficult time staying healthy. Henderson's performance in his two rehabilitation starts for Triple-A Nashville, whiffing 32.1% of the 25 hitters he faced while averaging a close-to-his-norm 92.9 mph with his four-seam fastball, offers hope that he can quickly recapture his form.
Henderson is a single-start pitcher for the upcoming week, likely pitching Thursday at St. Louis' Busch Stadium, and on a likely pitch count of 75-or-so pitches. Nevertheless, he's a worthy stash in most any league due to his potential second-half promise.
Deeper-league pickups
Deep (12-team mixed): Tyler Wells, RP, Baltimore Orioles (2.2% rostered): I'm typically loath to toss FAB resources at recent, out-of-nowhere save getters, but the Orioles' closer role is now entirely wide open following Ryan Helsley's second IL placement due to an elbow issue. The team is competitive enough to provide a good number of save opportunities, and Wells is a pitcher for whom I've had good regard in the past. Wells is more of a soft-tosser than your prototypical finisher, but he has received good marks with his cutter, changeup and slider this season (all sporting 32%-or-better whiff rates), and he notched back-to-back saves over the weekend. He's a "hey, why not?" saves stash.
Deeper (15-team mixed): Charlie Condon, 1B, Rockies (1.8% rostered): It's an odd time of year for teams to promote top prospects, as we're deep enough in that Rookie of the Year hardware is pretty much out of the question, but we've also not advanced to the point where the player can retain rookie eligibility for prospective draft-pick incentives into 2027. Condon's recent performance for Triple-A Albuquerque, however, warrants promotion consideration.
This is a .350/.460/.835 hitter with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs in 27 games between June and July and, for those who will quickly retort, "but he plays in such an advantageous home hitting environment," keep in mind that he's a .318/.416/.758 hitter with eight of the homers on the road over that time. Condon warrants a stash in any league this deep (and arguably 12-teamers, too).
Deepest (AL- and NL-only leagues): Josh Kuroda-Grauer, SS, Athletics (1.0% rostered): The Athletics have had a heck of a time keeping the left side of their infield healthy this season, with Zack Gelof, Max Muncy and Jacob Wilson all spending time on the IL. In stepped Kuroda-Grauer, who has made six consecutive starts -- three at third base, two at second base and one at shortstop. He's gone 9-for-22 (.409 BA) with only two strikeouts over this stretch. That tracks with both his scouting reports and minor-league returns, as the 23-year-old is a contact-hitting, line-drive type in the Wilson mold. It's the ideal kind of skill set for a prospective pickup in leagues of this depth.