This article is part of our Sorare MLB series.
It's a new month. June is here. Summer, or at least summer-style weather, is here. Heat often helps the ball carry further. Speaking of the heat, let's look at who has been hot heading into the month of June. We're still a bit of a ways away from the halfway point of the season, but teams have crossed the 60-game threshold, so we have a real sample size to work with. Here's a little help for your Sorare MLB lineup. You may have room for some upgrades. Some guys are holds, whether they're in your lineup or somebody you've been considering. Then, there are the downgrades, who are raising concerns right now. Let's get to it!
The number in parentheses represents the player's last limited card sale price as of 6/4.
Upgrades
Carlos Rodon, NYY ($6.07): Credit where it is due. Rodon was bad his first season with the Yankees, and last year his 3.96 ERA was paired with a 4.38 FIP. When he had a 5.48 ERA through four starts in 2025, I had all but written him off. Well, since then he has a 1.27 ERA over his last nine starts. Only once in that time has he allowed more than two runs. Rodon gave up four to the Athletics on May 10, but had 10 strikeouts and still managed to rack up 26.0 Sorare points. Now that he's back to being an elite strikeout pitcher, Rodon is ready to be a Sorare point machine.
Hunter Goodman, COL ($3.43): The Rockies have had few, if any, silver linings this season. The linings have been a dull, industrial gray at best. Maybe Goodman has been less "hot" and more "enjoying facing the Marlins." He had double-digit Sorare points in all three games of their just-concluded series. What is, in its way, oddly encouraging is that Goodman has been bad at home thus far. The catcher has a .682 OPS at home, but a .908 OPS on the road. Do recall his home park is Coors Field, and in his career he's slugged .470 there. That home OPS is sure to rise. Granted, Goodman will also probably hit a bit worse on the road, but it could all balance out in the end.
Ryan O'Hearn, BAL ($3.42): Across the last 21 days, O'Hearn has a .973 OPS. He barely plays against his fellow lefties. This year, though, in those limited interactions he has an .812 OPS. Now, the Orioles have been scuffling, and O'Hearn's name is the one you hear the most in trade talk. The return for finding O'Hearn a new home would be more than most of the guys Baltimore might part with. This actually is another reason to consider O'Hearn an upgrade, though. Since joining the Orioles, he has a .736 OPS at home, but an .886 OPS on the road.
Taylor Ward, LAA ($2.64): The top home-run hitters this season have been guys you would expect. Shohei Ohtani. Aaron Judge. Kyle Schwarber. Making a run, though, is Ward. He's not quite up with Ohtani, but Ward is now up to 17 home runs. Ward has gotten there by hitting eight homers over the last three weeks, a timeframe in which his OPS has been over 1.000. His last four games with double-digit Sorare points have featured a homer, but it's also encouraging that the two before that did not require a home run for Ward to deliver a strong return.
Holds
Jackson Chourio, MIL ($13.75): This is a case where the tide seems like it's starting to turn, and I think that will continue. Chourio was stellar as a rookie, putting up a 20/20 campaign. Over the course of his sophomore season, he's slashed .260/.286/.446, giving him a modest .732 OPS. However, over the last three weeks his OPS is .852. On Wednesday he picked up three hits and tallied his 10th homer and 12th stolen base. That outing yielded 31.0 Sorare points. It feels like any use of the word "slump" after "sophomore" is in the past for Chourio, a rising MLB star.
Sonny Gray, STL ($3.43): Gray has been in the Cy Young race in the past, but this season has been uneven. His recent run of play is indicative of that in a major way. Over Gray's last five starts, one saw him notch 17.5 Sorare points, and one was goose egg. In the other three, he's had over 40.0 Sorare points. Two of those starts saw him notch 10 strikeouts, and one saw him pitch seven scoreless innings. Yes, there have been some lows, but also clearly some highs. Gray is primed to have a K/BB rate over 5.00 again, so I feel mostly encouraged. Mostly.
Downgrades
Randy Arozarena, SEA ($2.98) In each of his last four seasons, Arozarena had 20/20 campaigns. That included last year when he split time between the Rays and Mariners. With seven home runs and nine stolen bases this season, you might think he's primed to do that again. Maybe not, though. Arozarena has a .539 OPS over the last three weeks. His batting average on the season is now down to .217, and his slugging percentage is down to .377. A lot of games with negative Sorare points have been in the mix recently, including a rare -5.0 on May 29.
Freddy Peralta, MIL ($2.89): Peralta has a 2.92 ERA on the season, and he has a reputation as an elite strikeout pitcher. What's not to like? First, he has a 4.21 ERA over his last five starts. In four of those he's allowed a homer, and in four of them he's given up three walks. Peralta's usual walk issues have been there, as he has a 3.68 BB/9 rate, which would be his worst since his reliever days. On top of that, while his 9.51 K/9 rate is above-average for an MLB pitcher, it would be a career low for him. Peralta hasn't had any bad starts this season, but the highs haven't been there as well. He only has two games with over 30.0 Sorare points, and only one of those has come since the start of May.
