With the Home Run Derby and the All-Star game in the rear view, fantasy managers can look forward to the second half of the season. Hopefully, that is true for everyone that is reading this article. Of course, there are many that want to solidify their playoff positioning or improving their chances at postseason play. Sadly, quite a few have players that are dragging down their rosters. Those players need to be jettisoned quickly before the team is completely underwater. That is where this fantasy baseball immediate droppables edition comes in. Replacing those mentioned below will help keep the ship afloat. Of course, after letting players go, replacements are needed. Check this article here to do just that. For reference’s sake, all ownership percentages are provided by ESPN. As there has already been a lot of talk of water, let’s go ahead and dive right in!

Immediate Droppable Position Players

Franmil Reyes, DH/OF Cleveland Guardians, 59.4% Owned

No question about it, Franmil Reyes has been locked in the fantasy outhouse since the season began. Despite that, here it is late July, and he is still owned in over 50 percent of leagues. I’m sure there is a rational explanation that can be offered, but for the life of me, I can’t think of one. Reyer recently went through a stretch where he had hits in six of eight games. Many managers rushed to the wire to get Reyes back on the roster.

Alas, he immediately returned to the outhouse leading up to the All-Star Game, going just two for 15 at the plate, with no RBIs and a single run scored. It has been that kind of lost season for Reyes. He is currently hitting, if you can call it that, .216/8/26. Any stat one can look at paints a bleak picture. He has struck out 97 times against just 13 walks in 243 plate appearances. All of his numbers are at the lowest points he has posted in his career. No matter the size of the league, there are players, particularly outfielders, that can provide more bang for the buck than Reyes. It is time to cut him loose and move on.

NOTE: A 2-5 Sunday with a home run is nice and all, but is doesn’t take away from the fact that Reyes went 1-15 before that game. Reyes is way too inconsistent to count on in fantasy coming down the stretch.

Kolton Wong, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers, 60.8% Owned

Coming into the break, the Milwaukee Brewers were not playing like the team that has been in first place for much of the season. One of the reasons for that Kolten Wong has virtually disappeared over the past few weeks. Several would look at his two-hit game on Friday and disagree. However, a wider view is needed to get the big picture on Wong’s recent offensive struggles. Other than that game, Wong enters the second half in a one for 22 funk. In fact, the only aspect of Wong’s game that merits approval is his 10 stolen bases.

Other than that, however, his production has been a wasteland. The beginning of the second half shows Wong hitting .227-6-22, with an anemic .382 slugging percentage. Since the third of July, a missing person’s report can be filed for Wong, as he has just one RBI and two runs scored. As with Reyes above, almost all of Wong’s counting stats are at the lowest point since he became a full-time player in 2014. Further, Wong only qualifies at 2B, which doesn’t help his case. Setting him free surely makes sense on this fantasy baseball immediate droppables list.

NOTE: Wong had six hits over the weekend against Colorado. That’s wonderful for Wong, but please recall that this came against the Rockies and their terrible pitching staff. He will have to show more of the same against better pitchers before he can be trusted on a fantasy roster.

Patrick Wisdom, 1B/3B/OF, Chicago Cubs, 49.1% Owned

Certainly, few players limped into the All-Star break quite like Patrick Wisdom. With just two hits in his last 26 at bats, Wisdom needed time away from the game like few others. During that bleak stretch, he had just three runs scored and a single RBI. Wisdom currently has 17 homers but hasn’t hit one since July third. In fact, Wisdom has scored a grand total of three fantasy points since July sixth. Even worse, in 359 plate appearances, Wisdom has struck out a league leading 124 times, while walking just 39.

Surprisingly, he OBP is a little better than last season but that is pretty much the end of the good news. His SLG, OPS, HR% and ISO are all significantly down. It should absolutely be an advantage for a manager to have Wisdom on the roster as he qualifies at so many positions. That only works if one gets on base, however, and Wisdom hasn’t been able to do that. Until he shows a consistent ability to do something other than just walk back to the dugout after an at-bat, it would be wise to send Wisdom to the showers.

Note: The Cubs surprisingly went into Philadelphia and swept the Phillies. However, they did it without much of a contribution from Wisdom. He drove in a single run during the series and has just two RBIs in his last 14 games. He should ride the wire until his bat comes out of its slumber.

Joey Gallo, OF, New York Yankees, 47.7% Owned

Without hesitation, it can be stated that this commentator is sick to death in hearing or talking about Joey Gallo. What is most surprising about the Yankees is that they put together the best record in baseball with Gallo completely dragging their lineup to the bottom of the sea. This is not a new phenomenon, either, as it was pointed out the other day that since getting traded to New York, Gallo has the lowest BA of ANY player in the majors with 400 or more at bats. July has been especially brutal, as Gallo has only five hits the entire month and been out of the lineup as much as in it.

Anywhere one looks, the picture is bleak. Gallo is supposed to be a power hitter but has only three since June 10. Just about every stat one can look at is way down this season. Even with all of that being true, it is completely baffling how he can still be owned in nearly 50 percent of leagues. The Yankees are paying Gallo a ton of money, which means they have to keep him around. There is no such excuse for fantasy managers, especially in redraft leagues. There isn’t a player to be found that will come with a higher recommendation to be sent to the wire on this fantasy baseball immediate droppables list.

Note: Gallo hit a homer Friday and then his bat went right back to sleep. It is way past time to continue to hold him on a roster.

Spencer Torkelson, 1B, Detroit Tigers, 46.1% Owned

In case fantasy managers aren’t aware, it is my duty to report that Spencer Torkelson was dispatched to AAA Sunday. There are usually many reasons one can list in recommending dropping a player to the waiver wire. However, getting sent to the minors is at the very top. There was much talk coming into the season that Torkelson was going to be one of the top rookies in baseball.

Simply stated, that prediction hasn’t come true. With Detroit hopelessly out of the postseason chase, there is little motivation for them to bring him back before September. Of course, that coincides with when the fantasy playoffs begin. Unless something dramatically changes, dropping Torkelson to the wire for the remainder of the season is the clearest course of action.

Immediate Droppable Pitchers

Patrick Corbin, SP, Washington Nationals, 36.9% Owned

Undoubtedly, one of the worst fantasy seasons turned in by a starting pitcher this season has to belong to Patrick Corbin. The Nationals named him as their Opening Day starter, which caused many managers to take a flyer on him during drafts. Unfortunately, Corbin lost his first two starts of 2022, giving up eight earned runs in just 6.2 innings. His season hasn’t gotten any better as he has allowed five or more runs in six appearances. Corbin has a couple of promising starts and then goes right back out and gives up nine runs in his next two.

Corbin’s numbers are truly dreadful, as one might expect. He is currently tied for the most losses in baseball with 12. No other starter that has the innings to qualify has a worse ERA (5.87), WHIP (1.70), hits given up (134) or average allowed (.313) than Corbin. Washington would assuredly love to deal him before the deadline, so they will keep sending him out and hoping for better results. Even if dealt, there is no guarantee he will see some rainbows any time soon. There is no reason to help him in his search. There has to be a better option out there. Find it so there are sunny skies on your roster.

Note: Corbin allowed five earned runs on Friday against Arizona. That makes 14 earned runs Corbin has given up in his last 16 innings. It is truly a lost season for Corbin. Don’t let him do the same to your fantasy postseason chances.

Hunter Greene, SP, Cincinatti Reds, 29.5% Owned

For a pitcher that started off the season with such promise, it hasn’t been all gum drops and unicorns lately for Hunter Greene. His stats in 2022 are nearly as bad as Corbin’s are. However, the news will get even worse for those managers that hang onto him as the season goes along. Cincinatti will undoubtedly want to limit his innings and will most likely shut him down at some point this year. Don’t be the manager that has a dead spot on the roster with limited options for a replacement.

Greene’s stats paint a truly horrible portrait. He has a 3-11 record with a sky high 5.78 ERA. He is only averaging five innings a start. If not for that, his numbers would be catastrophic. Greene leads the league in home runs allowed (23) and has an unsightly 1.35 WHIP and walks on average four batters per nine. The only redeeming feature that Greene has is his 113 strikeouts and 11.3 SO9. The strikeout rate isn’t nearly enough to keep him on a roster, however. There is little doubt Greene can be a special pitcher, but that won’t happen this season. Kick him for now and worry about him against in 2023.

Mark Melancon, RP, Arizona Diamondbacks, 29.6% Owned

Lastly, the discussion turns to relief pitching, specifically closers. Obviously, saves are huge in fantasy baseball. Unfortunately, when a pitcher blows the save chance, the resulting negative points can really harm a roster. Mark Melancon has been devastating fantasy teams the entire season. Perhaps Arizona has to keep him on the big league club. A fantasy manager has no such obligation.

The 2022 season has been very unkind to Melancon and the nearly 30 percent of owners that still have him. In 37 games, he has a record of 3-8, with a higher than the moon ERA of 5.12. Simply stated, those two numbers alone should be enough to send managers running to the waiver wire to jettison him. For those needing further proof, how does 40 hits allowed in 31.2 innings pitched sound? Pretty bad, right? How about a 1.547 WHIP or a miniscule 6.3 SO9? Further, Melancon only has two saves since June third and has six losses in July alone. Surely, no other convincing is needed. Ship Melancon out today before he goes completely Titanic on your roster.

Note: Melancon pitched a scoreless inning against Washington Sunday. Good for him. There has to be much more of that coming from him before he should set foot on anyone’s roster going forward.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball immediate droppables edition! As always, I welcome any and all suggestions, comments and input from my readers. Have players to add to the list? Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Check out the latest Belly Up Fantasy Live Baseball Show available here. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports & Picks for the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and all the latest sports news!