There isn’t much time left in the fantasy baseball season, which means you need to find every advantage you can.
If you have the opportunity to add a player (or multiple players) that can improve in multiple offensive categories, you should add them immediately.
That player could be Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler, who entered Friday's game with a 15-game hitting streak snapped.
During this streak, he batted .393 with eight home runs, 14 RBIs, 17 runs scored, three stolen bases and a 1.307 OPS.
In 55 games since July 14, he had 66 hits in 205 at-bats (.322 batting average), 19 home runs, 46 RBI, 46 runs scored, 9 stolen bases, and a 1.053 OPS, improving his batting average from .179 to .265.
Butler entered Friday ninth in the major leagues in batting average, third in RBIs and runs scored, and second in home runs since July 2.
He ranked in the top 35 in stolen bases, fifth in slugging percentage, sixth in OPS and a 17.6% strikeout rate, seven percentage points lower than his career best.
Butler, who has been Oakland's most productive batting player at the top of the lineup, is the highest addition in ESPN leagues this week, but is still more than 50 percent available.
The fact that this could be another good season for a career .251 hitter is nothing to be worried about given the way things have gone this season.
If you can add a player who is in top form this late in the season, who is getting regular playing time and proving to be a difference-maker in multiple categories, do so.
But don't worry if you can't get Butler, because there are other full-time players available in over 50% of leagues who could add a lot to your team without hurting the rest of the team.
Other items to target include:
Home Run
Eugenio Suarez is batting .292 with 14 homers, 39 RBIs, 35 runs scored and a .952 OPS in his first 44 games after the All-Star break and is batting .354 with 6 homers, 18 RBIs, 14 runs scored and a 1.192 OPS in his last 13 games.
As of Friday, he was tied for the league lead in RBIs in the second half of games.
He also finished third in home runs, seventh in runs scored, 10th in slugging percentage and 17th in OPS. The fact that he was rostered in less than 35% of ESPN leagues is astonishing.
execution
Colton Cowser (24.9% participation rate) scored 35 points through the first 45 games of the second half, good for 10th in the major leagues.
The fact that he batted .283 with eight home runs and 28 RBIs during that time worked in his favor.
Pete “Crowe” Armstrong (16.6%) batted .311 with five home runs, 17 RBIs, a .949 OPS and 19 runs scored in 21 games since August 10.
He's also a threat on the basepaths (26 stolen bases).
RBI
J.J. Bleday (24.6 percent) has 55 RBIs, including 17 in the 22 games played through Friday.
During that time, he batted .289 with seven home runs, 18 runs scored and a .975 OPS.
Texas' Wyatt Langford (40.9%) has eight RBI in his first five games this month and 18 in 19 games since Aug. 14 (.304 batting average, four home runs, .894 OPS).
average
Gavin Lux (17 percent) was batting .255 on the season as of Friday, but over his past 35 games he is batting .327 with five home runs, 16 RBIs, 20 runs scored and a .970 OPS.
His .338 batting average in the second half through Friday was fifth-best in the league.
Jake McCarthy (31.8%) batted .278 with 21 RBI and 13 stolen bases in the first half of the season, but in the first 40 games of the second half he batted .316 with 30 RBI, 8 stolen bases and an OPS of .850.
Stolen bases
Xavier Edwards (39.7%) had at least one hit in 41 of his 49 games through Friday, batting .339 with an .833 OPS.
More importantly, he has the second-most stolen bases (19) in major league baseball since the All-Star break, with 13 of those coming since Aug. 2.
James Wood has struck out in 29.8% of his at-bats, but nine of his 11 stolen bases (26.5%) since his promotion have come since Aug. 2.
He's batting .295 with an .870 OPS in his last 31 games.
If Oneil Cruz (52.8%) is available in your league, get him.
In his first 42 games since the All-Star break, he is batting .311 with four home runs, 24 RBIs, 21 runs scored and an OPS of .881, while also stealing 14 bases (seventh in the league).
Twelve of the thefts occurred since August 2nd.
Big hit
David Peterson SP, Mets
In his last seven starts, he is 4-0 with a 1.81 ERA, 38 strikeouts, an 11 percent strikeout rate and a .221 batting average allowed. His last loss came on July 28.
Dansby Swanson, SS, Cubs
In his last 39 games he is batting .321 with five home runs, 27 RBIs, 27 runs scored, 10 stolen bases and an OPS of .874, and in his last 10 games he is batting .385 with an OPS of 1.249.
Aaron Civale SP, Brewers
He has won three of his last five starts and is 26-9 with a 2.54 ERA and a .202 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Jackson Corio, outfielder, Brewers
He was on a nine-game hitting streak entering Friday, hitting 13-for-37 (.351) with four home runs, 12 RBI, eight runs scored and two stolen bases for a 1.265 OPS during that span. In his first 41 games since the break, he batted .339 with a 1.007 OPS.
A big miss
Michael Toglia, 1B, Rockies
He struck out at least once in 37 of his first 44 games since the hiatus and is batting .154 with one home run, 16 strikeouts and a .523 OPS in his last 11 games.
Taj Bradley SP, Rays
In his last seven starts, he has allowed 35 runs while going 0-6 with an 8.92 ERA, .324 batting average and .966 OPS. He has allowed 10 home runs and walked 12 in those appearances.
Jake Berger, 3B, Marlins
The pitcher, who is tied for second in home runs in the major leagues since the suspension, has not hit a home run since Aug. 21 and is batting .234 with 10 strikeouts in 12 games since then.
Jake Irvin SP, Nationals
He has allowed 46 earned runs, 16 home runs and a .308 ERA in 11 starts since July 9. He is 2-6 with a 6.90 ERA during that span.
Everything you need to know about MLB betting
Check your swing
— Reid Detmers was winless in his first start since June 1, but he threw 100 pitches, striking out 10 and whiffing 15. The lefty, who is available in more than 60 percent of ESPN leagues, has a 13.5% strikeout rate and a 26.7% strikeout percentage in 13 starts this season.
Willy Adames has recorded at least one hit in 12 of his last 13 games and enters the weekend batting 16-for-53 (.302) with seven home runs, 15 RBI, 13 runs scored and three stolen bases for a 1.090 OPS.
Spencer Arrighetti has 10.87 strikeouts per nine innings and a 12.4 percent strikeout rate in 25 starts this year, but he allowed nine earned runs on six hits and did not record a strikeout against the 11 Reds he faced on Wednesday.
— Prior to Saturday's appearance, Zach Eflin was 5-0 with a 1.95 ERA, a 34-3 strikeout-walk ratio and a .226 batting average with a 13 percent strikeout rate in his first five starts with Baltimore.
This week's team name
Respect your elders
