Week 21 adds three intriguing stash candidates for fantasy baseball: Bubba Chandler, Sal Stewart, and Brandon Sproat. Chandler remains a high-upside arm in the Pirates system, despite a recent AAA skid that has cooled near-term expectations. Stewart has been scorching at Triple-A Louisville with a blend of power and contact that could push him into Cincinnati’s lineup soon. Sproat, blocked for a major-league path by the call of Nolan McLean, still shows flashy stuff that makes him a keeper in deeper leagues for late-season rotations or long-term upside. The piece weighs whether to stash these players on the bench or chase immediate help on the waiver wire, emphasizing the importance of monitoring AAA trends, line-drive power, and pitcher control as promotions loom.

The analysis leans toward patience in shallow formats while advising opportunistic holds in 12+ team leagues where the upside justifies the wait. It also highlights how teams like the Reds and Pirates could lean on their emerging talent to fuel late-season pushes, and how fantasy managers should leverage lineup tools and injury reports to time adds and cuts efficiently. The question remains: are these players a breakout away, or is the wait longer than Week 21? The answer hinges on piecing together minor-league performance, the majors’ call-up timelines, and the exact bench space managers can dedicate in the coming weeks.

Reds at Angels on August 20, 2025 features Nick Martinez against Yusei Kikuchi in a game Cincinnati hopes to close out the series with a sweep in Anaheim. Martinez has been solid at times but carries a 4.73 ERA this season; Kikuchi sits at 3.52 with a recent rough stretch. Hunter Greene provided a striking performance in the Reds’ 6-4 win, fanning 12 while Jo Adell stayed dangerous with two late homers for the Angels. Cincinnati sits 1.0 game back of the Mets for the NL Wild Card and will lean on a favorable road tilt as they chase late-season momentum.

Betting trends add intrigue: Reds are 7-3 over their last 10, 4-0 on the road, and have covered in 8 straight against Los Angeles while taking 3 straight at Angels. Angels have cooled to 1-4 in their last five. NBC Sports’ model projects Reds on the moneyline, Angels at +1.5 against the spread, and the total nudging over 8.0. The matchup is ripe for fantasy dust-ups from Cincinnati’s Greene and Martinez, and from Los Angeles’ Kikuchi and Adell in a game with high strikeout and power upside.

Watch for daily fantasy angles: Martinez’s durability can be a factor, while Kikuchi’s control and Angels’ lineup balance could tilt toward a more patient approach. The Reds’ bullpen depth could push Martinez to chase efficiency, whereas the Angels may lean on Adell and a power surge that can swing DFS contests.

The Angels found a rare bright spot this August: Jo Adell unleashed two solo homers in a 6-4 loss to the Reds, boosting his season total to 28 and keeping Angels fans dreaming about a power surge in the post-Ohtani era. He followed a 452-foot center-field shot in the seventh with a game-tying blow in the eighth, his exit velocity peaking at 115.3 mph and underscoring the elite pop he’s brought to Anaheim in 2025.

Meanwhile, Taylor Ward continued to carry the load, pushing his HR total toward a personal best while the Angels’ two-season rebuild inches forward on the back of homegrown talent. Even in defeat, these moments matter for fantasy managers — Adell’s raw power and Ward’s steady output give the Angels a (rare) silver lining in a year defined by transition.

Names like Trout and Ohtani loom in the backdrop, but the real story for 2025 is how Adell and Ward are emerging as the team’s next core. The milestone chase—two Angels with 30+ HRs—highlights a franchise reimagining its offense around homegrown power rather than marquee stars. For fantasy owners, Adell and Ward are the best anchors of that future, offering both power and staring lineup potential as the season winds down.

Elly De La Cruz is pushing through a quad issue, and his speed is re-emerging in a big way for the Reds. In Anaheim, he delivered two ground-scorers from first on balls that barely left the infield, a reminder he’s still the Reds’ most dangerous baserunner when healthy. Manager Terry Francona praised the progress, noting De La Cruz is on the right trajectory even if not fully recovered. Cincinnati rode those sprints to a 6-4 win, extending its lead to seven games over .500 and keeping pace in the NL playoff chase.

Offensively, De La Cruz remains the focal point: 19 homers, 31 steals this season, and a nine-game run home (.263/.333) with hits and on-base chances. He’s played every game, and though his power hasn’t fully returned since June, his wheels are still a legitimate fantasy catalyst. With the Reds briefly knocking on the Mets’ wildcard door, his continued health and sprint-game impact will define lineup optimization down the stretch.

The Cincinnati Reds rallied in the ninth to thwart the Los Angeles Angels 6-4, keeping pace with the Mets in the NL wild-card chase. A late sequence featured TJ Friedl’s sacrifice fly and Gavin Lux’s go-ahead double off Kenley Jansen, then a Rugged finish as the Reds seized control with three runs in the final frame. Earlier, Hunter Greene dazzled in his first Angels start, punching out 12 over 6 1/3 innings while Elly De La Cruz flashed wheels on a pair of 270-foot baserunner scores that helped stretch a 4-1 cushion.

Greene’s return from a groin strain looked sharp, and he controlled the damage while racking strikeouts at a historic pace for the franchise. De La Cruz’s aggressive baserunning and timely hits helped Cincinnati build and maintain momentum, even as the Angels flirted with another late rally. The win pushed Cincinnati to 67-60, one game behind the Mets for the final wild-card spot with 35 games left, underscoring the Reds’ resilience and playoff implications down the stretch.