When minor-league journeyman Yangervis Solarte hit .458 (11 for 24) over his first seven games with the Yankees, it was a nice story and all, but it didn't send me rushing to the waiver wire in Fantasy. His minor-league track record suggested it wouldn't last, and besides, he was only filling in because of injury.
But now, everyone on the Yankees infield is healthy, and yet Solarte has still started 10 of the team's last 11 games.
He's kept it up at the plate as well, batting .450 (9 for 20) with a double and a home run in his last six games. It's caused me take a second look at his numbers, which are awfully impressive for the season as a whole. His 15 walks to only 15 strikeouts have me thinking his .315 batting average isn't too far-fetched, and with all the doubles he's piled up, he has a more-than-respectable .463 slugging percentage.
We've seen this before, you know -- a versatile defender whose high contact rate makes him a perennial .300 hitter with enough extra-base pop to factor in all formats. Yes, Solarte might just be the second coming of Martin Prado, right down to the unspectacular minor-league track record.
If nothing else, as long as he's playing every day, he's worth owning just for the quadruple eligibility.