One of the positives of having a Sorare MLB lineup is that it keeps your interest in the MLB season from flagging. I don't know what MLB team you happen to root for. Personally, I'm a Tigers fan, so I have a lot to be engaged with day-to-day, plus all the fantasy-and-game-related elements of being a modern sports fan. Maybe you root for the Rangers or the Cardinals, though. Figuring out how to optimize your Sorare lineup may be much more engaging than the rest of the regular season for your rooting interests. To help you make the most of the rest of the season, I have another round of recommendations. Here are my Sorare MLB upgrades, holds and downgrades.
Upgrades
Blake Snell, LAD ($7.05): There's no reason for concern now about Snell, at least for me, after his return from a lengthy injury absence. He's made three starts and posted an 1.69 ERA with an 11.8 K/9 rate for good measure. In each of his last two starts, he hasn't allowed a single earned run. In every one of those starts he's had at least 22.5 Sorare points. Of course, you might worry about another injury, but Snell actually hasn't been that injury prone, or at least not that prone to serious injury. I have the same blanket concern about an arm injury I have with any MLB pitcher, but that's it.
Kyle Teel, CWS ($1.30): When the White Sox agreed to facilitate Garrett Crochet's move to Boston where he could don sox of a different color, the splashiest name heading the other way was Teel. There were also questions, because the White Sox also had Edgar Quero, another strong catching prospect. If you hit, though, they find a spot for you, especially on a rebuilding team like Chicago. Across 50 games in Triple-A, Teel managed an .886 OPS, which got him called up. As a rookie catcher, Teel has held his own at the plate and then some, which is very encouraging. How many veteran catchers would struggle to slash .270/.363/.405 over 48 games? Sure, there have been growing pains, but over the last month he has four games with double-digit Sorare points.
Bryson Stott, PHI ($0.86): In his sophomore season (2023), Stott hit .280 with 15 homers, 32 doubles and 31 stolen bases. He seemed primed to be an All-Star at some point at that rate, given that he's a second baseman. Last season was a step down, and this season followed suit early on. However, over the last three weeks he has a .911 OPS. Stott is now up to 17 doubles and 21 stolen bases. He had two games with over 20.0 Sorare points in his most-recent series, against the Mariners, and is perhaps tapped into some of that 2023 form.
Holds
Daulton Varsho, TOR ($3.30): Owing to his defensive skills, Varsho will long have a regular role manning a spot in the outfield. This year, in only 40 games played, the lefty has 13 home runs and has slugged .571. He also has hit .229 and has a .288 OBP, putting him on pace for his third season in a row with a sub-.300 OBP. That makes Varsho a really all-or-nothing option. On August 16, he had 34.0 Sorare points. In four games since then, he's yielded negative points.
Evan Carter, TEX ($1.25): Carter hasn't lived up to the splash he made in 2023 when he had an 1.058 OPS in 23 regular-season games and was a postseason star. On the other hand, he's still only 22 years old. In only 62 games this year, Carter has five homers, two triples and 13 stolen bases. And yet, conversely he has just a .366 OPS versus lefties in 2025, though that's an improvement on his even worse OPS against southpaws in his two prior seasons. Carter is exactly the kind of player who makes sense as a hold. He's shown potential, he has clear flaws, but he's young enough there's room to grow. For now, my prediction is he ends up a Kerry Carpenter-esque player, but Carpenter has delivered plenty of Sorare points…at least against righties.
MacKenzie Gore, WAS ($1.22): For a while, Gore wasn't just clearly headed to his best season, but a proper breakthrough season. That hit a snag. In two of his last six starts he's allowed eight runs and posted negative Sorare points. However, in his last two starts he's only allowed two runs over 12.0 innings and struck out 17. Maybe that means he's back on track, and Gore still has his best K/9 rate and BB/9 rate of his career. He's given us cause for pause, though.
Downgrades
Spencer Strider, ATL ($3.90): Atlanta had to deal with a lot of pitcher injuries this year, but it has also had to deal with the reality that Bryce Elder and Strider may be done as viable MLB pitchers. Well, the writing was on the wall starting with last season with Elder, but with Strider, he only pitched twice in 2024 before he had to be shut down to preserve his elbow, which already got the Tommy John treatment in 2019. His 10.28 K/9 rate is really good, but prior to his injury Strider was a 13.5 K/9 guy. His ERA is 5.24, and both lefties and righties have hit over .265 against him. There's been no hope of a turnaround, either. Strider has a 10.38 ERA over his last five starts, and posted negative Sorare points against the White Sox.
Dansby Swanson, CHC ($3.31): Recently Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong have had some tough stretches, and you may see Swanson with a .674 OPS over the last three weeks and think the same. The thing is, that's not that far from his overall number this season. Swanson has struck out 139 times and walked only 33 times. He seems primed to finish with a sub-.300 OBP for the first time in his career. Swanson can still show power against lefties, and for a shortstop that may be enough. A shortstop for an MLB team, at least. You may want more than that for your Sorare lineup.
Adley Rutschman, BAL ($2.69): Once upon a time, catcher Matt Wieters was one of baseball's most-vaunted prospects. He didn't reach the heights he was expected to for the Orioles. Fellow catcher Rutschman was also one of baseball's most-vaunted prospects, and it seemed like this time things would pan out. Now, things look different. His 2023 season was impressive, but he took a step back last year, and this year he's cratered. Rutschman has struggled to stay healthy, and when he's played he's hit .227 and slugged .373. Baltimore's best prospect, and one of the best prospects in baseball, is Samuel Basallo. The 21-year-old catcher was recently called up for his MLB debut. By 2027, Rutschman's time as a starting catcher in MLB may be over.
