Closing Time: Preston Tucker gets the call

When the minor league home run leader gets called up to the majors, it's an actionable fantasy event — perhaps not in all formats, but in many.

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Houston Astros prospect Preston Tucker will join the big league club on Thursday for the start of a four-game series against the Angels, serving as a placeholder for concussed outfielder George Springer. Tucker's visit to the bigs may end up being little more than a cameo appearance, obviously, but it could be fun (and profitable) for however long it lasts.

If you're not familiar with Tucker's work, here's a glimpse of his all-fields power...

The 24-year-old has hit 10 homers in 100 at-bats so far this season for Triple-A Fresno, driving in 32 runs and slashing .320/.378/.650. He's a left-handed hitter who's had no trouble whatsoever with southpaws to this point in his career; his OPS against lefties is 1.038 this season, and it was .858 at Triple-A in 2014. Tucker hit 24 home runs in the high minors last year and 25 the season before, so the power is legit. He's available now in the Yahoo player pool, a perfectly reasonable short-term pickup for those who've just lost Springer to the DL.

• Death, taxes, and Victor Martinez simply mauling Chris Sale. It's weird to see a great pitcher so thoroughly owned by any batter, but wow does V-Mart ever crush Sale. Martinez is off to a lousy start for Detroit (.217/.320/.265), but he went 2-for-4 with a third-inning bomb in a loss to the Sox on Wednesday. For his career, he's now 16-for-34 with three doubles and four homers off Sale, an otherwise dominant starter with a career WHIP of 1.09. So that's somethin' to file away for DFS purposes, when the Tigers next face Chicago.

• Andrelton Simmons' ridiculously productive run continued on Wednesday, as he went 3-for-4 with a homer and three runs scored against the Phils. He's hit safely in every game so far this month, going 10-for-21 with five extra-base hits and 10 runs. These are lean times for shortstop production, with several high-end fantasy assets injured, and Simmons is available in 73 percent of Yahoo leagues.

• So the second start of Carlos Perez's major league career was perhaps not as memorable as the first. He went 0-for-3 with a pair of Ks against the Mariners, batting eighth for the Angels. Chris Iannetta has been a mess at the plate this year, so Perez clearly has a realistic chance to stick as a starter. He was slashing .361/.418/.556 in the PCL (where everyone hits for average) before his promotion. It's worth noting that in Perez's minor league career, he's hit a less impressive .280/.361/.399. Not much power here.

• One day after an abbreviated start, Stephen Strasburg was playing catch. So that seems promising. Apparently his shoulder/back issue, whatever it is, won't necessarily be a long-range concern. If you've been on either side of a Strasburg trade in recent days, please share the details in comments. He's been a vexing player for pretty much everyone who owns him.

• Aaron Hill had himself a decent day, going 6-for-9 with a homer, four RBIs and a stolen base in a Coors Field double-header. The performance raised his season average from a ghastly .196 to a totally respectable .262. Hill actually began a mini-surge at the end of April, and he's clearly locked in right now. If you need MI help, give him a look. He's available in over 90 percent of Yahoo leagues.