What the heck is happening in South Florida?

Across the past 23 days, the Miami Marlins, projected to have a 0.4% chance of making the playoffs at the start of the season, are 14-7, their .667 winning percentage trailing only that of the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers (each 15-6, .714). The Marlins have averaged 5.24 runs per game, fifth best in baseball, led by a bunch of no-names, all but one of whom is rostered in less than 20% of ESPN leagues.

That better-than-20% player, catcher Agustin Ramirez (rostered in just 39.7%), has quietly become a reliable, universal option in his two-plus months since reaching the majors. He headlines this week’s recommended pickups. Ramirez, after all, is a catcher, one of the toughest positions to fill in fantasy. This season, only six catcher-eligibles place among the top-100 hitters in fantasy points.

Although he didn’t debut with the Marlins until April 21, Ramirez finds himself as the No. 7 fantasy catcher for the year, according to both the Player Rater (rotisserie) and in points-based scoring. Narrowing the scope to only his active days on the roster, Ramirez is the No. 3 catcher in fantasy points (148), trailing only Cal Raleigh (228) and Willson Contreras (157 and who is also 1B-eligible).

Three facets of Ramirez’s game explain this and make him a reliable catcher going forward: First is his strong set of contact metrics, as among catcher-eligibles, he’s eighth in Statcast’s hard-hit (48.6%) and ninth in Barrel rate (11.9%). Second, Ramirez has maintained the solid contact metrics he displayed in the minors with a strikeout rate of only 19.2% — his career minor-league rate was 18.9%.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Marlins regard Ramirez’s bat as critical enough to their offensive blueprint that they treat him as an everyday player. In their last 50 team games, he has played in 48 of them and started 46, with 27 of those 46 appearances coming as a DH. In fact, since his April 21 debut, he ranks third among catcher-eligibles in plate appearances, again behind only Raleigh and Contreras.

Again, since this Marlins roster isn’t loaded with proven talent, Ramirez should continue to see regular time batting in the heart of their lineup. That’s something few catchers can claim. Though he’s not a high batting average type, he’ll pack enough home run punch with respectable enough run/RBI production to be a top-10 positional option going forward.

Rotisserie-style player to add

Chandler Simpson, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (available in 86.4%): His raw speed alone gathers much attention, as he’s easily the MLB leader in Statcast’s 90-feet running time (3.67). Already this season he has stolen 40 bases (in 47 tries) combined between the majors and minors. The question surrounding him during this stint in the majors is whether his defense is up to par. The Rays — a contending team, by the way — certainly seem willing to find out, granting him six straight starts since his recall, during which he’s gone 7-for-22 (.318) with two stolen bases. Simpson is a must-have in any rotisserie format.

Returning player to consider

Jurickson Profar, OF, Atlanta Braves (available in 75.7% of leagues): When last we checked in on him, Profar was serving an 80-game suspension for a PED violation. That makes him eligible for activation on Wednesday and, considering the Braves’ issues in left field, where their .236 collective wOBA is worst in baseball, he should slide directly back into a regular role for them.

Profar might no longer figure into the leadoff mix for the team — Ronald Acuna Jr. has been a sensation batting out of that slot since his return from ACL surgery — but the No. 2 role has been a revolving door, with five different players starting a game there this month alone. The chance that Profar, typically an 80th-plus-percentile hitter in terms of plate discipline and contact ability, could regularly slot between Acuna, Matt Olson and Austin Riley makes him quite a sneaky pickup in points leagues.

Two-start pitchers to add

First, a heads up that Chase Burns of the Cincinnati Reds, still available in 51.7% of ESPN leagues, is aligned for his first career two-start week. While his Forecaster projections are modest, bear in mind that most of that comes from the tough matchups (@BOS, @PHI) and him likely being held to 85-90 pitch counts. Burns’ upside, however, is impossible to ignore and he should be much more rostered than he is.

Jacob Lopez, SP, Athletics (available in 82.4%): Who could have guessed that Lopez would be the current leader in Wins Above Replacement (0.7) among the players involved in December’s Jeffrey Springs trade? While he is an extreme fly-baller — not a great thing to be at Sutter Health Park — with a mediocre fastball, he has succeeded thanks to strong command of both his slider and changeup, pitches that both have over 30% whiff rates. Lopez is riding a streak of three consecutive quality starts, and he’ll now make starts at Tampa Bay — a “revenge game” against his former team, if you believe in such things (I do only to a minimal degree) — and then back home against the San Francisco Giants.

Deeper-league pickups

Eric Lauer, SP/RP, Toronto Blue Jays (available in 91.3%): Another left-hander who has done quite the serviceable job as an unexpected rotation plug-in, Lauer has a 3.76 ERA and a 24.3% strikeout rate across his six 2025 starts. Whether he’ll stick in that role remains in question, with Bowden Francis beginning to work his way back from a shoulder injury, but Lauer stuck around recently despite Max Scherzer’s recent return, and it’s pretty clear he’s the No. 6 option in a rotation that probably hasn’t seen its last pitcher depart to the IL.

Caleb Durbin, 2B/3B, Milwaukee Brewers (available in 95.0%): After two months of almost nonexistent offensive production, Durbin finally seems to be figuring things out with the bat. Across his last 15 games, he’s batting .375/.410/.500 with two home runs, solidifying his role as the Brewers’ everyday third baseman. He has been one of this year’s best contact hitters — his 9.2% strikeout rate is fifth-best among hitters with at least as many as his 238 trips to the plate — and he has both the elite raw speed and a stolen base track record to contribute quite a bit in “only” leagues.

Justin Wrobleski, SP/RP, Los Angeles Dodgers (available in 98.0%): A “starter” who doesn’t feel like one, due to his last four outings all coming in bulk relief, Wrobleski has been a godsend for the injury-riddled Dodgers’ rotation this month. He has a 2.73 ERA and and 65 fantasy points across the five appearances since his June 6 recall, the latter a total exceeded by only 25 other pitchers. Wrobleski’s sinker-heavy repertoire elevates his fantasy floor and, while his swingman role makes him tough to manage in daily formats, he might not be far from taking on a larger, more regular role for the team. Certainly he’s worth a speculative pickup.