This article is part of our Sorare MLB series.
Shohei Ohtani is trying to do something that has never been done before. The Chicago White Sox are trying to avoid doing something that has never been done before. There's a lot to go over between those two extremes, though. September is in full swing, and it truly feels like we're in the home stretch of the MLB season. With that in mind, it's time to once more go over the Upgrades, Holds and Downgrades for your Sorare lineups. Due to playoff-related permutations — and also teams way out of the playoff race changing things up — there is more fodder here than you might think.
Upgrades
Jackson Chourio, MIL ($42.18): It's tough to be the second (or even third) most exciting rookie named Jackson, but Chourio has had a fine season, even if he won't challenge Jackson Merrill in the NL Rookie of the Year race. He's going to have a 20/20 season, and over the last three weeks he has an 1.092 OPS. Unsurprisingly, there have been several games in the mix where Chourio had over 20.0 Sorare points, but in the last week he's topped 30 twice!
Joc Pederson, ARI ($4.98): Pederson doesn't get the most attention when it comes to a Diamondbacks offense that has surged to first in runs scored, but he's been a key part of that success. The 32-year-old is a designated hitter deployed only against righties and not much more than that at this point, but he's top notch when it comes to that particular role. This season he has a .946 OPS against righties, and over the last three weeks he has a .914 OPS overall. Recently he's been back in the single-digit range in Sorare points, but he's not far removed from four double-digit days in five outings.
Edmundo Sosa, PHI ($1.95): Sosa is an interesting consideration for the stretch run. The Phillies will likely be able to ease into the playoffs as NL East champs. Sosa is the backup at second base, third base and shortstop, but Alec Bohm is a bit banged up, Bryson Stott struggles against lefties, and the team may not want to risk Trea Turner's health given his importance to the lineup. As such, Sosa has been drawing into the lineup regularly for the last week or so, and that should continue to be the case. His 26.0 Sorare points in the final game of August is not predictive of future results, but Sosa does have an .893 OPS versus lefties this season.
Alex Cobb, CLE ($0.97): Cobb had labrum surgery in the offseason and never returned to pitching for the Giants. Instead, after working his way back through rehab starts in the minors, he was moved to the Guardians at the trade deadline. His first start back was poor, but in his second start he allowed one run over 5.2 innings against the Cubs…and broke a fingernail. After a brief IL stint, Cobb returned to take a perfect game into the seventh innings against the Pirates, earning 34.0 Sorare points. He has a rotation spot, possibly even in the postseason, and will get a couple more turns before the campaign ends.
Holds
Salvador Perez, KC ($9.00): Perez is one of the best-hitting catchers in MLB. This year he's hit .273 with 25 homers, 27 doubles, and 94 RBI. Now, he will get a chance to combine his hitting skills without the onerous task of actually catching for the most part. Unfortunately, Vinnie Pasquantino is out for the season. That left first base open for the Royals, and Perez has played there for a respite from time to time. It appears the plan is for Perez to play first base (where his hitting skills remain sufficient) and for Freddy Fermin to catch. He's been a bit cold since a 44.0-point game against Cleveland, but Perez should be fine, especially with less of a defensive onus on him.
Ranger Suarez, PHI ($5.77): Suarez has a 3.02 ERA on the season, and while his numbers have slipped recently, he's still been able to rack up double-digit Sorare points most of the time. This is about circumstances, though, and the perks of a favorable schedule. His next two starts come against the Marlins and Rays, and he'll face the Brewers, Mets, and Nationals after that it would appear. I'm willing to hold on through that, even if Suarez has dropped off from his All-Star form.
Downgrades
Cole Ragans, KC ($9.22): Ragans has a 3.46 ERA, in line with his 3.47 ERA from his breakthrough campaign last year. Of course, then you recall he had a 5.92 ERA in the Rangers' bullpen, got dealt to the Royals, and then posted a 2.64 ERA as a starter. In that context, Ragans has slipped in 2024, and he's been slipping more and more recently. Over his last 11 starts, he has a 4.12 ERA. Now, thanks to a robust strikeout rate, Ragans still has delivered reasonable Sorare points, but he has four starts with under 20.0 Sorare points. For him, that's a step down. Speaking of steps down for him specifically, Ragans has allowed 1.1 homers per nine in that time, and he built his name as an elite pitcher when it comes to keeping the ball in the park.
CJ Abrams, WAS ($7.76): Abrams has improved some since last season as a hitter, but not as much as we may have hoped. Also, more power and more walks only bring so much enthusiasm against the stark drop in base running. Last year he had 47 steals and was caught four times, while this year he has 28 stolen bases and has been caught 12 times. Abrams' baserunning has helped him a bit recently, but he's slugged a woeful .222 over the last three weeks, and he has one game with double-digit Sorare points in his last 11 outings.
Tyler O'Neill, BOS ($2.69): O'Neill has hit 25 homers in only 94 games. That's remarkable, but the "only 94 games" does matter with O'Neill. If he makes it to 100 games, it will be only the second time he's reached that threshold in his career, a career that began in 2018. The righty has a .626 OPS over the last three weeks, and since returning from his latest injury he has twice as many games with negative Sorare points as games with double-digit Sorare points. Additionally, he has a .744 OPS versus his fellow righties, with his real damage coming against southpaws.
