Pages Powers Up – May 8, 2026
Andy Pages, OF, LAD
Pages had a career game against the Astros on Wednesday, crushing 3 HR’s and driving in 6 in the blowout victory. Pages started the season on a power surge, homering 5 times in his first 16 contests, but he had gone 20 straight games without a dinger before Wednesday’s outburst. Pages has upped his HardHit% to an elite 52.9% compared to 37.2% last season, and this has helped lead him to a robust .336/.376/.569 slash line through 149 PA’s. The BA will regress (.384 BABIP), but his .293 xBA suggests that he will still be a plus in that category, and he’s got a shot at cracking 100 RBI as part of the powerful Dodgers’ lineup. Pages has quickly elevated himself into being a strong fantasy outfielder.
Shane McClanahan, SP, TB
McClanahan pitched another 5.2 scoreless innings against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, extending his scoreless innings streak to 16.2 IP covering his last three starts. He has recorded a 16:3 K:BB across that span, while allowing just 10 hits in the process. So far, 2026 has been a successful comeback season for McClanahan who is seeing his first big-league action since the 2023 campaign, as he currently owns a 2.60 ERA and 1.07 WHIP across 34.2 IP. There has been some luck for McClanahan here in the early going as evidenced by his minuscule 2.9% HR/FB, but his 3.79 xFIP suggests that he has been solid, if not spectacular. It’s fair to be skeptical if he’ll remain healthy the entire season, but those who took a chance on him in the late rounds of fantasy drafts should feel confident that they made the right decision.
Jose Altuve, 2B, HOU
Altuve was held out of the Astros lineup against the Dodgers on Wednesday, as he sits in the midst of an extended slump. Over his last 23 games, the veteran is slashing just .188/.228/.271 with 1 HR and 0 SB’s. His season BA has dropped to .241, which would be his lowest mark in a non-Covid season, and continues a trend from last season when his .265 BA was his lowest career full-season mark. His EV remains mediocre at 85.3, while he has elevated his GB% to 52.0%, and his K% has climbed to a career-high 19.9% as well. Altuve has made a living by beating his expected stats nearly every year, but that hasn’t been the case so far in 2026. It’s hard to bet against a superstar like Altuve, but everyone has to age at some point and Altuve just turned 36 on Wednesday. It’s not unreasonable to bench Altuve if you have another capable second baseman on your roster.
Rafael Devers, 1B, SF
Devers homered for the lone Giants run against the Padres on Wednesday, marking the first time he has gone deep since April 8, breaking a stretch of 23 games without a HR. It’s been a dreadful season for the slugger, who is still hitting just .221 with 3 HR’s and a .594 OPS for the season. His K% has shot up to 29.8% (career 22.2%) and while his 44.2% HardHit% is still solid, it’s a drop from the past 5 seasons in which that number cleared 50% each year. He’s also walking way less than last year (6.0% this season, 15.4% in 2025) and his O-Swing% has jumped by 8%, indicating that something is really off here. Devers is just 29 years old though so we have to assume he’ll get it going at some point. He is on a 7-game hitting streak at the moment so perhaps he’s starting to turn things around, but there’s no doubt he’s been a frustrating player for the Giants and fantasy owners.
Sonny Gray, SP, BOS
Gray returned from the IL on Wednesday and pitched 5 scoreless innings against the Tigers, striking out 2, while allowing 4 hits and 2 BB’s in the contest. It was encouraging that Gray didn’t give up any runs in the outing, but it was also his 4th straight start in which he struck out 2 batters or less, although one of those starts was cut short by injury. This has been the story of Gray’s campaign thus far; he has had mostly decent results despite a concerning lack of punchouts. His ERA sits at a solid 3.54, but that comes with a 4.40 xFIP and a lowly 4.82 K/9. His SwStr% has plummeted to 7.7%; he was at 12.2% from 2023-25. He’s a sell-high candidate if you can find an owner who would take him based on his ERA and strong track record.
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