Atomic RoadRunners | Andrew Flynn’s High-Energy Fantasy Baseball

For the second straight day, Mets SS Jose Reyes led off Sunday’s game against the Rockies with a triple, and he gave the Mets a 1-0 lead when he scored on David Wright’s infield single. Reyes extended his hitting streak to six games while netting his eighth triple. He is 9-for-23 (.391) with two RBI and two stolen bases in that span. Reyes had to leave Wednesday’s game against the Angels because of a stiff hamstring. He returned to the lineup Thursday and has since legged out three triples. Yeah, it doesn’t appear as though Reyes is having any lingering problems with his hamstring. (CBS Sports)

Jose Reyes started Wednesday and went 3-for-5 with a steal and three runs scored to help the Mets beat the Angels 5-4 in 10 innings on Wednesday. David Wright singled in Reyes in the ninth to tie the game off Francisco Rodriguez, and Damion Easley homered in the top of the 10th to give the Mets the lead. Billy Wagner then closed it out. Reyes tweaked his hamstring on Tuesday, but he said all along that he planned on playing tonight. The steal was his 26th of the season.

Explaining what happened when Jose Reyes put up a fight when asked to leave Tuesday’s game with a hamstring injury, manager Jerry Manuel joked: “I told him next time he does that I’m going to get my blade out and cut him. I’m a gangster. You go gangster on me, I’m going to have to get you. You do that again, I’m going to cut you right on the field.” Manuel has been on the job for less than a week, but that has to be the leader in the clubhouse for managerial Quote of the Year. He was known as a relatively laid back manager while with the White Sox, but has apparently been sharpening his blades and taking gangster lessons since then. Reyes returned to the lineup Wednesday and went 3-for-5 with a steal, three runs and zero incidents of going gangster. (Rotoworld)

Jose Reyes said after Tuesday’s game that he expects to play Wednesday against the Angels. Reyes was upset to be taken out of the game what was called left hamstring stiffness. He may have strained a hamstring after rounding first on his first-inning single. “I wanted to play, but (interim manager Jerry Manual) was just watching out for me,” Reyes said. “I understand what I did wrong and I apologized. My leg is good, and I’ll play (Wednesday).” Consider him day-to-day with what’s being called stiffness in his left hamstring. It’s the same hammy that kept Reyes out of two games back in April. Damion Easley will play shortstop if Reyes can’t on Wednesday. Reyes came into the game hitting .289, with eight homers and 29 RBI. First, the Mets fire manager Willie Randolph on Tuesday. Then, they watch one of their star players hobble off the field. It’s been a rough day for New York. Reyes can’t afford to have leg issues since he does a lot of damage stealing bases. Reyes has been red hot at the plate since mid-May and remains a must-start Fantasy option when healthy. (Rotoworld, CBS Sports)

Mets SS Jose Reyes had two singles and scored twice in four at-bats Friday against the Rangers. He also had his 24th stolen base. Reyes is 8-for-24 (.333) with three stolen bases during a five-game hitting streak. He has failed to hit in just two games since May 15. Reyes has been something else at the plate since mid-May. He was struggling for consistency through the first month and a half of the season, but he has since found his groove at the plate. Continue to start the Rotisserie threat in all Fantasy formats. (CBS Sports)

Jose Reyes went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two steals against the Reds on Sunday. Strangely, Reyes is batting .259 despite having 10 multi-hit games so far this season. The problem is that he also has 13 games where he’s gone hitless. Reyes has 12 steals despite the poor start and he’ll get hot soon enough, but the Mets would surely prefer greater consistency out of their leadoff hitter. Reyes was in bit of a hitting funk before Sunday’s three-hit outing. His average dropped all the way from .275 to .246, but it is back up at .259. Also, a very encouraging note from Sunday’s game is that it was the first time all season Reyes had more than one stolen base in a game. Perhaps he will start reeling off plenty of SBs in the weeks to come. Reyes remains a must-start Fantasy option despite his recent slump. (Rotoworld, CBS Sports)

Jose Reyes drove in two runs with a single and a sac fly as the Mets beat the Diamondbacks 5-2 on Sunday. Conor Jackson has won some games for the Diamondbacks with his bat this year, but he lost this one with his glove, or, more specifically, his arm, as he threw a potential double-play ball from Carlos Delgado over the shortstop’s head, leading to a three-run ninth inning for the Mets. The Diamondbacks dropped two out of three, losing a series for the first time since their first of the year. To go along with his two RBI, Reyes stole his ninth base. He has five steals in seven games after collecting a total of four through his first 20. (Rotoworld)

Jose Reyes took New York Mets manager Willie Randolph’s pregame instructions to heart. “He told me every time you go up to the plate tonight try to hit a fastball,” Reyes said. Reyes had four hits and was thrown out at the plate in the eighth inning while trying to complete the cycle with an inside-the-park homer, leading the Mets over the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-2 on Friday night. “We all feed off each other,” Randolph said. “Everybody feeds off Jose.” Reyes hit the game’s first pitch to the right-center field wall for a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Church. Reyes had two triples — the fourth time in his career he has accomplished the feat — and scored three times. He motored around the bases after hitting a long drive off the center-field wall in the eighth but was easily cut down at home. “When I hit the ball I didn’t think about home plate but when I saw the ball I put my head down and ran,” Reyes said. “They made a perfect throw to home plate.” Reyes doubled with two outs in the second and scored on Church’s looping single to right. Reyes is still a Fantasy stud. (CBS Sports)

Jose Reyes reached base in all six of his plate appearances in a win against the Pirates Tuesday night. A slump-buster, perhaps? Reyes went 3-for-3 with three walks, and flashed his speed with a triple and a stolen base. He entered tonight’s game with a .272 on-base percentage and just five walks in 22 games this season. Drawing walks is key to Reyes’ success. He is a must-start in all Rotisserie leagues through thick and thin and should be able to reel off some hot streaks to make up for his pedestrian start. If you sat him this week, you really don’t know what you’re doing. Start your studs and let them break out of their slump in your lineup and not on the bench. Reyes is one of your studs. (Rotoworld, CBS Sports)

Jose Reyes is in a 1-for-22 slump after going hitless again on Thursday. Reyes is in the midst of a second straight awful month, and he hasn’t had a .350 OBP in any month since last June. If the Mets had other options, we’d suggest moving him out of the leadoff spot to give him a wakeup call. He certainly hasn’t seemed especially motivated this year. (Rotoworld)

A good portion of the Mets’ early offensive struggles can be laid at the feet of Reyes’ poor start. Through 19 games last year, Reyes had a .329 batting average and .421 on-base percentage with 21 runs scored, 13 walks, and 12 steals in 14 attempts while the Mets’ record at the time was 13-6. This year, he is hitting just .280 with a .313 on-base percentage, which is worse than all but three other NL leadoff hitters, with only four walks while scoring 12 runs and stealing just three bases in five tries as the Mets were 10-9. Normally, this would not be that big of a concern, but since Reyes is coming off a poor second half and September collapse, some red flags have to be raised, especially by those who expended a high pick or big auction dollars in their drafts. (Rotowire)

Mets SS Jose Reyes, who began the season cold but has started to come around lately, had another huge game Saturday at Philadelphia. He went 2-for-4 with a double and a two-run homer — his second in four games. He also stole a base for the third time this season. He finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Analysis: Reyes hit his head on Chase Utley’s knee Friday and has dealt with a hamstring injury early this season, but neither injury appeared to affect him Saturday. He’s hitting .435 (10-for-23) with two home runs and two stolen bases over his last five games and is performing like a Fantasy first-rounder again. He might not steal the 78 bases he did last year, but he’s still a must-start in all leagues. (CBS Sports)

Jose Reyes was able to stay in Friday’s game after sliding headfirst into Chase Utley’s knee at second base in the third inning. Reyes wasn’t knocked out, but he was obviously dazed and may have suffered a mild concussion. The Mets let him continue on anyway, but it’d be no surprise if he ends up coming out. (Rotoworld)

At the urging of Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado, Reyes has tossed for good the serious act that he decided to adopt after last season’s collapse and criticism for his outging style. The smiles, the laughs, the handshakes, the dancing, it’s all coming back to Shea, the NY Newsday reports. Beltran approached Reyes early Tuesday afternoon and said he pleaded with him to go back to his old self - the enthusiastic, energetic, always happy Reyes. Reyes said the talk immediately energized him, and it has showed in his play. He went 4-for-5 on Tuesday night and came only a home run short of the cycle. Wednesday, he went 2-for-4 with a homer and it is probably no coincidence the Mets won both contests. For those concerned with Reyes’ slow start, this change back to the old may have been just the tonic to kick start his game. (Rotowire)

The New York Times has the detailed story.

Jose Reyes finished 4-for-5 with a run scored in his return against the Nationals on Tuesday night. Reyes was a home run away from hitting the cycle, and appears to be just fine after missing two games with a strained hamstring. The most encouraging news could be that he attempted a stolen base in his first game back, even if he was caught. His early start to the season has been disappointing, which is disconcerting after the way he ended last season, so maybe this game will be the catalyst to get him back on track. (Rotoworld, Rotowire)

Jose Reyes (hamstring) will be re-evaluated on Monday, but is unsure if he’ll be able to play on Tuesday. Reyes has missed two games since injuring his hamstring while running out a ball on Friday, and said Sunday that his hamstring felt “a little better.” Despite the uncertainty, he should probably remain in weekly lineups. (Rotoworld)