2025 Fantasy Baseball: Risers & Fallers from Week 5

The Dodgers’ offense has come together over the last little while, thanks in part to hot stretches from outfielders Andy Pages & Teoscar Hernandez. And for those who owned either — or both — in fantasy, you’ve reaped the benefits. Here’s a look at risers and fallers during Week 5 of the 2025 fantasy baseball season.

Risers

It was a dominant week for hitters Jordan Beck and Jorge Polanco, who led the Majors in home runs (5) from April 23-30. However, two names who arguably had better weeks from a fantasy perspective were Dodgers outfielders Teoscar Hernandez and Andy Pages. Pages led the Majors in total hits (16), three of which were home runs, while Hernandez was second with 14.

Hernandez is a well-known power batter, so I won’t harp on him. However, keep in mind Hernandez, MLB’s co-leader in RBI (32), batted .250 with five home runs and 17 RBI as of April 20. Fast forward to May 1, and Hernandez now has nine home runs and a .310 average.

As for Pages, the Dodgers outfielder intrigued as a platoon bat last season thanks to his power and range but really came into his own late last season and into October. He’s carried it over into a regular role and thrived as the Dodgers’ everyday center fielder. That hot stretch pushed Pages to finish April with a .292 average, six home runs, and oddly enough, to become the team leader in bWAR (1.6).

Another outfielder who’s starting to get back on the radar after a sluggish start is Trevor Larnach. Larnach notched 10 hits, two of which were home runs, over his last eight games. It raised his average to .236.

Larnach was largely shielded from left-handers in 2024 but with personnel losses and injuries, the Twins have relied upon him on a daily basis in 2025. However, Larnach had trouble avoiding topping off on pitches, particularly on breaking balls, early on in the season.

Since then, he’s begun to straighten things out and drive the ball.

Lastly, Hunter Goodman makes the list after another good week. Goodman batted .345 with two home runs and six RBI from April 23-30. Given his versatility as a catcher/outfielder, not to mention his power, Goodman has mixed league value. The 25-year-old chases and whiffs a lot, though, which is concerning.

Fallers

It’s hard for Alexis Diaz to get lower right now. Diaz returned from the IL in mid-April and got shelled over his first weeks back in the Majors. The right-hander gave up five walks and four home runs over six innings, earning him a trip back to Louisville (AAA).

Diaz has truly shot himself in the foot with his inability to execute his slider. His slider looked flat and backed up on him a lot, leading to a lot of contact middle-middle and middle towards his arm side.

As for the other notable reliever having problems, Devin Williams was officially removed as the Yankees’ closer this past weekend. Since then, Williams tossed two scoreless innings.

It wouldn’t be advisable to drop Williams per se, as Williams — when he’s right — proved himself to be an elite closer in the past.

As for the hitters moving down, I’m not going to go over Ryan McMahon, who’s in the midst of a 2-58 slump and went 0 for his last 25. I did that last week. However, other names are trending down that are worth a quick look at.

Trevor Story’s hit a skid, as the Red Sox shortstop picked up two hits over his last 29 at-bats. A slump was bound to hit, as Story — a habitual chaser — wasn’t going to bat .337.

Staying in the AL East, Andres Gimenez has just one hit in his last 19 and has subsequently dropped in the Jays’ lineup. Gimenez was used exclusively in the cleanup spot for Toronto over the first month but over the last 10 days, dropped to the bottom half of the lineup. He’s been striking out more and whiffing more, particularly against fastballs.

Gimenez’s 22% Whiff% against fastballs as of May 1 is up from 2024 (17%).

Kameron Misner, another superstar early on in the 2025 season, has also come down. Misner picked up five hits over his last seven games but struck out more, with a 39.1% K% in that span. Strikeouts were a big problem for Misner in the Minors, a reason why it took him over five years to make it to the Majors after being the 35th overall pick in 2019.

And as always, a friendly mention that just because a player’s trending down does not mean drop said individual.

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