Chris Welsh advised passing on James Outman, calling him the same strike-out machine we saw in 2023. Outman fanned three times in his very first start back, mirroring last year’s 35 % K-rate and 31 % mark the year before. Welsh expects the Dodgers to hit him near the bottom of the order and worries the stint lasts only until Teoscar Hernandez returns, making him a poor use of FAAB compared with more stable options like Evan Carter or Jordan Beck.

Joe Pisapia said James Outman is a perfectly serviceable plug-and-play replacement for managers who just lost Teoscar Hernandez. Outman posted an .830 OPS with 8 homers in only 32 AAA games before the call-up and is rostered in barely 2–3 % of leagues, so the acquisition cost is next to nothing. Joe acknowledged the 35 % strike-out rate that doomed him last season, but noted that fantasy GMs can squeeze a week or two of cheap power while Teoscar sits and then simply toss Outman back on waivers when Hernandez is activated. The takeaway: spend zero or $1 FAAB for a short-term power lottery ticket and worry about the whiffs later.