Dom Smith Hits Walkoff Grand Slam – Fantasy Hitting Recap 3/28/26

Dom-inating the Spotlight

Dominic Smith (ATL): 1-4, HR, R, 4 RBI.

For eight innings, Atlanta was absolutely flummoxed by the Royals’ pitching staff.

Through eight, starter Michael Wacha, and relievers Matt Strahm and Lucas Erceg held Atlanta to zero runs on five hits with two walks. They also combined for eight strikeouts, with Wacha getting seven of those in his six innings of work.

Unfortunately, for the Royals, things fell apart in the ninth with Carlos Estévez on the mound to close out the game.

Even though he saved 42 games last year, the Royals’ closer was a source of worry this spring. His four-seamer averaged 89 MPH this spring in five innings of work, and his 81.9 MPH average velocity on the slider and 82.4 average velocity on the changeup were also down from a year ago. Estévez has been known for being a slow starter in spring training velocity-wise, but this was alarming even for Estévez’s standards.

As expected, Atlanta’s offense woke up against the beleaguered Kansas City closer. Drake Baldwin drew a walk, and Matt Olson hit a single. Somehow, Estévez was able to get Austin Riley to pop out for the only out of his outing. However, Mike Yastrzemski then singled (scoring Baldwin), Ozzie Albies walked, and Michael Harris II collected an infield single to tie the game.

That set the stage for Dominic Smith, who came to the plate with the bases loaded.

Smith worked Estévez to a full count and on the sixth pitch of the at-bat, launched a 92 MPH four-seamer  386 feet with an exit velocity of 102.4 MPH. His first hit with Atlanta was not just a grand slam, but a walk-off one. He ended up going 1-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored in the 6-2 win.

The 30-year-old first baseman is coming off a surprisingly decent season with the San Francisco Giants. In 225 plate appearances, Smith hit .284 with a .750 OPS. He also had five home runs, 33 RBI, and 26 runs scored. It wasn’t enough to merit a long-term deal this offseason, but he was able to find a roster spot with an Atlanta team looking for offense at the bottom of the lineup in 2026.

It seems like they may have found it with Smith, who definitely stole the spotlight at Truist Park with his game-winning grand slam that helped Atlanta clinch the series against Kansas City.

Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday

Shea Langeliers (ATH): 2-4, HR, R, 4 RBI, BB.

A draft darling at the catcher position, Langeliers has rewarded managers who invested picks in the Athletics catcher. On Saturday, he had two hits and hit his third home run of the year. For the season, he is hitting .625 with three runs scored and six RBI. Additionally, the 28-year-old former Baylor product has a 66.7% barrel-and-hard-hit rate. Not only has Langeliers been hitting the ball hard in this series, but he’s also been absolutely mashing it.

Jorge Soler (LAA): 1-2, HR, R, 2 RBI, 3 BB.

Soler is a darling in leagues that utilize OBP or OPS instead of batting average. He’s only hitting .182 for the year. However, his OBP is .400, and his OPS is .855. In addition to hitting his first home run of the year on Saturday against Houston, he also drew three walks. Due to injury last year, he only had 12 home runs and 215 plate appearances in 2025. That said, he still had a 12.8% barrel rate and 42% hard-hit rate. 25+ home runs could be on the horizon for Soler if he stays healthy.

Royce Lewis (MIN): 1-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB.

After hitting 16 home runs in 325 plate appearances in 2024, Lewis only hit 13 in 403 plate appearances last season. In addition to the decline in the longball, he also saw his OPS go from .747 in 2024 to .671 in 2025. It was not a great season for a player who was once the Twins’ top prospect. He’s only hitting .220 right now in seven plate appearances. That said, he has a home run and a stolen base, both acquired in today’s 4-1 over Baltimore.

Miguel Amaya (CHC): 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI.

After the Cubs’ brutal Opening Day loss to the Washington Nationals, the Cubs bounced back on Saturday with a 10-2 victory. Amaya stood out in the victory, as he had two hits, two RBI, two runs scored, and a home run. The 27-year-old catcher did well in a limited sample with the Cubs in 2025. He had four home runs and hit .281 with an .814 OPS in 103 plate appearances. Could Amaya challenge for more at-bats in Chicago? It won’t be easy with a starting catcher like Carson Kelly (17 home runs last year), but Amaya made his case on Saturday.

Luis Robert Jr. (NYM): 1-4, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB.

Maybe John Carpenter’s next Snake Plissken movie should be “Escape from Southside Chicago.” Last year, Andrew Vaughn with the Brewers thrived after leaving the White Sox.  This year, it could be Robert, who is hitting .375 with a 1.250 OPS in 10 plate appearances. While 28-year-old Cuban only had one hit on Saturday, it was a big one, as his three-run bomb walked it off for the Mets in Queens. Health will always be a concern with Robert, but he looks motivated and rejuvenated with this Mets team.

Sal Stewart (CIN): 2-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB.

After hitting .255 with a .838 OPS and five home runs in 58 plate appearances in his MLB debut last year, Stewart is off to a hot start in 2026. He is hitting .625 with a 1.917 OPS, and on Saturday against the Red Sox, he hit his first homer of the year. Chasing is a bit of an issue for Stewart, as he had a 32.7% chase rate, 25.9% strikeout rate, and only a 5.2% walk rate. However, with his power and raw tools, Reds fans and fantasy managers who roster him can live with the chase as long as the hit tool and power are there. So far through two games, it has been.

Wilyer Abreu (BOS): 2-5, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Fresh off a WBC championship with Venezuela, Abreu has gotten off to a nice start with the Red Sox. He is hitting .333 with a 1.111 OPS in 9 plate appearances. That includes two RBI, a double, and a homer, the latter coming today against the Reds. It wasn’t enough for a Boston victory, but it showed that Abreu is continuing to mature as a hitter at the major league level. After hitting 22 home runs last year, a career-high, Abreu may be poised for 25+, maybe 30+ home runs if things break right.

Liam Hicks (MIA): 1-2, HR, R, 3 RBI.

Marlins 2-0? Yes, the Marlins are 2-0. Granted, they are playing the Rockies, so they SHOULD be 2-0. That said, this franchise is rejuvenating itself under GM Peter Bendix and manager Clayton McCullough, who took over last year. A key player in their victory over the Rockies was Hicks, a 26-year-old catcher who hit .247 with a .692 OPS and six home runs in 390 plate appearances last year. So far this year, Hicks is hitting .500 with a 2.500 OPS in four plate appearances, and he hit his first homer of the year on Saturday. With Agustín Ramírez in Miami, Hicks is more of an option in deep-league or NL-only formats.

Jake Burger (TEX): 2-5, HR, R, 2 RBI.

Burger saw some big dips in 2025 from his breakout 2024 in Miami. After hitting 29 home runs and posting a .761 OPS in 579 plate appearances with the Marlins, he only hit 16 home runs and posted a .688 OPS in 376 plate appearances last year with the Rangers. Year two in Texas is off to a better start. He has two home runs in nine plate appearances, his latest coming on Saturday against Philadelphia. He’s hitting .556 with a 1.778 OPS, and he’s sporting a 33.3% barrel rate and 66.7% hard-hit rate. Is that sustainable? Of course not. However, it shows that Burger’s power tool is back, which is good for fantasy managers who took a flier on him in the later rounds (294 ADP in Yahoo Leagues, according to Fantasy Pros).