It was a big week for part-time players, many of whom made the most of their increased playing time for one reason or another. Limited at-bats did not translate to limited numbers, as these part-timers showed with big-time numbers:
Gold
Jayson Werth (Philadelphia Phillies): It can be frustrating trying to decide whether to put Werth in your fantasy lineup, since his playing time can be sporadic, but an injury to Geoff Jenkins opened the door for Werth to play more often. He certainly made the most of his opportunity, hitting .500 with four HR and nine RBI, to go along with eight R and a stolen base. Werth has 21 HR on the seaso, and he has driven in and scored over 50 runs in only 323 at-bats, making him one of the best part-time players in baseball.
Silver
Elijah Dukes (Washington Nationals): Dukes came back from the disabled list mid-week, but he came back with a bang. Having had a mediocre season up to that point, Dukes seemed almost rejuvenated, and he put up excellent all-around numbers for the week, hitting .316 with a pair of homers, six RBI, seven R, and two SB. If Dukes can keep up any semblance of these numbers for the rest of the year, he suddenly puts himself into the discussion for "keeper" picks going into next season.
Bronze
Shin-Soo Choo (Cleveland Indians): One thing that dashed the hopes of the Indians very early in the season was the lack of production from the corner outfielders. Once the Indians considered themselves out of contention, they decided to see what Choo could bring them, and the results have been very positive. Choo is slugging .509 for the season, to go along with a solid .374 OBP, and this week was perhaps the cherry on top. Choo hit .450 with three HR, six RBI, and he scored five runs in only 20 at-bats, helping Cleveland become one of the hottest teams in the majors.
Other Top Performances:
C
| 1B
| 2B
| 3B
| SS
| LF
| CF
| RF
| RP
| SP