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6 days ago
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Yu Darvish is back, Colt Keith is figuring it out
Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season. The premise is pretty straightforward. I'll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I'll list the category where I think he'll be helpful or the quick reason he's listed. I hope it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs. For a player to qualify for this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, 'These players aren't available in my league,' and I can't help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they're available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types. Matthew Pouliot, Waiver Wire Hitters Josh Smith - 1B/3B/SS/OF, TEX: 38% rostered (PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, RUNS UPSIDE) With Josh Jung in the minors, Josh Smith is now the everyday third baseman in Texas. Over his last 25 games, Smith is slashing .303/.400/.475 with three home runs, 22 runs scored, and seven RBIs. He hit leadoff for the Rangers, so his primary value to you will be in Runs, but that's a category that often gets overlooked, so Smith could be a useful target on waiver wires if you need help there or with batting average. Another multi-position eligible hitter who has stayed on the fantasy radar is Abraham Toro - 1B/2B/3B, BOS (8% rostered). The veteran has endured a bit of a cold spell since the end of June, so this is really only a deep league target because he is still playing about 75-80% of games for the Red Sox and has eligibility in so many positions. He also hits in the middle of the order when he starts, so that has some value on an offense that's as hot as Boston is right now. Chandler Simpson - OF, TB: 35% rostered (RETURN FROM MINORS, SPEED WINNER) Simpson is back up because, I guess, he became a much better defender in three weeks in the minors. Since being recalled, Simpson is hitting .362 with six runs scored and seven steals in 17 games. People will tell you that fantasy managers misunderstand Simpson's actual value, and it's not really that high, but his speed is a legit issue. He's going to hit for a strong batting average and post elite stolen base totals. If Tampa Bay keeps running hot like this, he'll chip in some runs even from the bottom of the order. Tyler O'Neill - OF, BAL: 33% rostered (RETURN FROM IL, POWER UPSIDE) Tyler O'neill is back. The 30-year-old has played just 30 games this season and is hitting .176/.271/.314, but we know the power upside that he has when he's healthy and in the lineup. The Orioles have hit him seventh most of the time since he's come back, which will hurt his counting stats a bit, but he could easily move up in the order if he starts hitting. His return has also not impacted the playing time of Ramon Laureano - OF, BAL (11% rostered). It seems that the Orioles will have both players in the lineup regularly at RF/DH, and Laureano has actually played far more than O'Neill. The veteran hit .312 in June with four home runs, 19 runs scored, and 16 RBI in 21 games. He has cooled a bit in June, but he's still hitting fourth or fifth in the order, and that gives him that counting stat upside that O'Neill won't have right now. Jac Caglianone - 1B/OF, KC: 29% rostered (PROSPECT GROWTH, POWER UPSIDE) We've seen a bunch of prospects this year start slow and then begin to figure it out. Cam Smith and Nick Kurtz are just two of the most recent examples. Caglianone's two mammoth home runs this week could signal that he's the next one. I recorded a video on him this week explaining my thoughts, but I would add him if he's been cut in your leagues. Colt Keith - 1B/2B, DET: 25% rostered (FULL-TIME JOB PROSPECT GROWTH) A couple of weeks ago, I covered Colt Keith as a potential breakout thanks to his impressive Process+ score, which ranks 6th in all of baseball since June 1st. Process+ is a Pitcher List stat that shows 'The combined value of a hitter's Decision Value, Contact Ability, and Power.' At that point, he was rostered in 7% of leagues, and the stats hadn't shown up yet, but his process has been rewarded. Over his last 15 games, Keith is hitting .358/.417/.585 with two home runs, 11 runs scored, and six RBI, and his roster rate has shot up. We know prospect growth isn't linear, so it's time to jump back on board with Keith. Carlos Narvaez - C, BOS: 22% rostered (BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, PLAYING TIME UPSIDE) Narvaez remains a fringe option in one-catcher formats because he plays regularly on a good offense, but he is a must-roster in two-catcher leagues. He cooled a bit in the middle of June, but over his last 15 games, he's hitting .281/.317/.439 with two home runs, eight runs scored, and eight RBI. He's been solid for Boston all year long and could be a solid option while they're running hot. If you're looking for an option in a two-catcher format, you can go with Victor Caratini - C/1B, HOU (8% rostered), who has continued to play regularly in Houston with Yordan Alvarez suffering a setback in his rehab from a hand fracture. In his last 15 games, Caratini has five home runs and 15 RBI to go along with a .246/.246/.544 slash line. I'm not sure how long the power will remain this helpful, but he's making a lot of contact, and the home park can help. Evan Carter - OF, TEX: 18% rostered (POST HYPE PROSPECT, HOT STRETCH) Kennedi Landry had a good piece on Evan Carter a few weeks ago, highlighting some of the changes that have led to his strong performance since coming off the He admitted to putting a lot of pressure on himself after his injury, and cited playing looser and feeling like he had a better mental approach at the plate. In June, Carter hit .333/.421/.530 in 21 games with three homers, eight RBI, 12 runs scored, and five steals. The batting average hasn't carried over into July, but he does have four steals and six RBI in nine games. Those stolen bases are great to see with the injuries he's had in the past, and Carter has a real five-category skillset. He's unlikely to play against many lefties, but he can be a really solid option in all fantasy leagues. If you're looking primarily for speed in the outfield, you could turn to Jake Mangum - OF, TB (8% rostered), who is playing most days and hitting third for Tampa Bay. I'll admit that I've never been a huge Mangum believer, and I'm still not, but he is hitting .312/.347/.409 over his last 25 games with 11 RBI, 11 runs scored, and three steals. That's not doing a ton to help you outside of batting average, so I think he's more of a deep-league play, but he's making a lot of contact and has 13 steals on the year, so there is a case to be made for adding him. Tyler Freeman - SS/OF, COL: 18% rostered (REGULAR STARTING ROLE, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) The stretch of games in Coors is done (for now), but that doesn't mean you need to get rid of Freeman. He's hitting .360/.452/.427 over his last 25 games with 11 runs scored and seven steals. The stolen base value is a bit surprising given his previous results, but he has 12 steals this season while hitting leadoff for the Rockies. Freeman had a solid enough season last year for Cleveland, and moving to Colorado should help him. Freeman makes a lot of contact, but the hard contact is limited, and his BABIP has been low in years past. Coors Field tends to boost BABIP, so Freeman could emerge as a .270 hitter with some decent speed and multi-position eligibility. Freeman is also 15th in Process+ since June 1st, so the stats are backed up by a strong approach. Caleb Durbin - 2B/3B/SS, MIL: 15% rostered (BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, HOT STRETCH) Durbin has turned it on of late, hitting .366/.436/.463 over his last 15 games with two home runs, 10 RBI, 18 runs scored, and three steals. As I mentioned with Caglianone, it takes rookies some time to adjust to the big leagues, and we're now seeing Durbin start to get a bit more comfortable in the box. I would like to see more steals than the eight he has on the season right now, since that's been Durbin's calling card in the minors, but it's nice to see the rookie adjusting to MLB pitching and starting to get on base more often. I think the steals will come. If you wanted a more boring option for deeper leagues, Lenyn Sosa - 1B/2B/3B, CWS (2% rostered) has jumped on the Process+ leaderboard with a score of 107 since June 15th, which is above the league average of 100. Over that same stretch, he's hitting .268/.302/.524 with five home runs, 12 runs scored, 14 RBI, and one steal in 23 games. That's not bad production across the board in deeper formats. Zack Gelof - 2B, ATH: 8% rostered (RETURN FROM IL, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE) This is all about upside. Gelof fractured his hamate bone in the spring and then had a rib injury during his rehab assignment, which delayed his return even more. He struggled a bit last year and is just 2-for-25 to start the season this year, but we should expect rust given how long he's been out this year. He was really good as a rookie in 2023 and came into the year with 31 home runs and 29 steals in 209 career MLB games, so there is enough power and speed here to excite us a bit. The batting average will likely not be good, but remember that he plays in a minor league ballpark now that is heating up in the summer, and the ball is flying. In deeper formats, I'd still stash on my bench for another week or two. Ha-Seong Kim - SS, TB: 8% rostered (RETURN FROM IL, SPEED UPSIDE) Kim returned from the IL last Friday and has emerged as the starting shortstop of Tampa Bay. I think his value will be primarily in stolen bases, but I recorded a video on Kim this week, so you can check it out for my detailed thoughts. Brice Matthews - 3B/SS, HOU: 6% rostered (PROSPECT CALL UP, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE) The Astros called up Matthews, who is their number one prospect. He has been heating up since a cold start to the season and is slashing .283/.400/.476 in Triple-A with 10 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 25 steals. All of that points to major fantasy upside for a player who will primarily play second base and could gain even more position eligibility. The issue here is that he has very real swing-and-miss issues. He had a 30% strikeout rate and 14% swinging strike rate in Triple-A, and those very rarely improve right away at the MLB level. He has also gotten beat by fastballs at Triple-A, which is not good because the fastballs he is going to see in the big leagues are clearly superior. He has the power and speed to make you not care about a .220 batting average, but I'm not sure if that power is going to carry over right away, so I would be very cautious on my bids and not expect to use him for a few weeks as he adjusts. Masataka Yoshida - OF, BOS (7% rostered) (RECENT IL RETURN, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Yoshida came back from the IL this week and went 4-for-11 with two doubles, an RBI, a run scored, and one steal in his first three games of the season. He's a career .285/.343/.433 hitter in Major League Baseball with just a 13.3% strikeout rate in 248 games. He's going to provide a great batting average and the potential for solid counting stats while hitting near the middle of Boston's lineup. Well, we think. When the Red Sox bring back Yoshida, they will have only four lineup spots for Yoshida, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu. They have managed it so far by rotating days off, but I think a trade has to be coming. Maybe it's Yoshida being moved into a full-time role elsewhere? Andrew Vaughn - 1B, MIL: 5% rostered (POTENTIAL STARTING JOB, APPROACH CHANGE?) With Rhys Hoskins landing on the IL for the next six to eight weeks, it's possible that Andrew Vaughn is emerging as a starting option in Milwaukee, and I'm intrigued by an approach change he made in the minors since being traded. I recorded a video this week explaining why I think Vaughn might be a decent gamble in deeper formats. You could also take a chance on Josh Bell - 1B, WAS (5% rostered), who has a Process+ score of 116 since June 15th, which is far better than the league average score of 100. Over that stretch, Bell is hitting .329/.402/.487 with two home runs, eight runs scored, and 11 RBI in 23 games. The power numbers aren't great there, but we have seen Bell be a consistent 20 home run hitter before, so maybe the ball starts to fly a bit in the summer, or he gets traded into a better lineup. Brady House - 3B, WAS: 4% rostered (HOT STREAK, PROSPECT GROWTH) Another prospect starting to figure it out a little bit is Brady House. The rookie has a modest six-game hitting streak and hits in eight of nine games in July. Since being promoted, he's hitting .270/.303/.374 in 22 games with two home runs, seven runs, 12 RBI, and two steals. While his first two MLB home runs just came on Saturday, he had 13 in Triple-A this season with a 46% hard hit rate, so there is some power in that bat. I have liked his approach of late, and the results are solid for deeper formats. If we're just using Process+, we should note that Hose's teammate, Daylen Lile - OF, WAS (0% rostered), has a Process+ score of 112 since June 15th, which is pretty solid work from a young rookie. Over that span, he's hitting .247/.293/.351 with two home runs, 10 runs scored, and two steals, but he also has just 10 strikeouts to five walks in 21 games. The process is there, and the contact has been there, so maybe the results will also start to tick up in the coming months. Tommy Pham - OF, PIT: 2% rostered (STARTING JOB, HOT STREAK) We all talked a lot about Max Muncy's glasses, but perhaps we need to pay attention to Tommy Pham's contacts. There is a great video from Logan Arblaster that shows Pham discussing a difficult situation with his contact lenses based on a rare eye condition that he has. The video was taken on June 23rd, and Pham mentions in the video that he has made contact lens changes throughout the year, but has 'felt better the last week.' If we take Pham's stats from June 16th, we see that he's hitting .412/.448/.667 in 17 games with three home runs, eight runs scored, and 16 RBIs. That will play in any league type. A name to keep an eye on in deeper leagues is Nathan Lukes - OF, TOR (1% rostered). Lukes has recently moved into the leadoff spot against right-handed pitching and is hitting .379/.471/.621 in nine games in July with one home run, seven runs scored, and six RBI. I'm not saying this is a breakout for the 31-year-old, but his approach is great for a leadoff hitter, and the Blue Jays have been playing really good baseball lately, so perhaps this is a solid multi-week add. Dominic Canzone - OF, SEA: 1% rostered (PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE) Canzone has been putting up tremendous production since being called up and ranks 14th in Process+ among all hitters with at least 200 pitches faced since June 15th. Over that stretch, he's hitting .352/.361/.620 with five home runs, nine runs scored, and six RBI. Canzone is not going to play against lefties, and he doesn't have quite the track record of success, but Canzone has always made impressive quality of contact throughout his MLB career, so there is some upside here in deeper formats. Another option would be Isaac Collins - OF, MIL (3% rostered), who has been on a bit of a heater since June 1st, hitting .297/.404/.484 in 31 games with four home runs, 19 runs scored, 15 RBI, and three steals. He's been striking out a bit more this past week, but he has good plate discipline overall. He's pulling the ball near 50% of the time, mostly on the ground and on a line, which is good for his batting average but might cap the overall power upside. His average exit velocity is also only 88.5 mph over that span, so this is not a hitter you're adding for power, but he has a solid approach that should lead to plenty of doubles and decent counting stats, hitting fifth or sixth in Milwaukee. Heriberto Hernandez - OF, MIA: 0% rostered (POWER UPSIDE, FORMER PROSPECT) It may have taken a while, but Heriberto Hernandez didn't come out of nowhere. He put up good numbers as an 18-year-old in the Rangers' organization and was traded in 2020 to the Rays as part of the Nathaniel Lowe deal. He was ranked as Tampa Bay's 15th and 16th best prospect in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and while his numbers were fine, they were never quite good enough, so he was allowed to become a minor league free agent before this season. In 29 games with the Marlins, he's hitting .325/.376/.506 with three home runs, 11 runs scored, and 12 RBI. He has always struck out too much, so I believe his 18% swinging strike rate is going to catch up to him, but he has also always had power, so if the Marlins are going to keep playing him, he could have value there. Waiver Wire Pitchers THIS IS AN INTERESTING WEEK FOR PITCHING ADDS BECAUSE OF THE ALL-STAR BREAK. MOST TEAMS WILL RESET THEIR ROTATION DURING THE BREAK TO HAVE THEIR BEST PITCHERS START OVER THE WEEKEND, WHICH MEANS THAT MANY OF THE STREAMING ARMS WE TEND TO LIKE OR TARGET WON'T PITCH AT ALL THIS WEEK. THAT GIVES YOU THE CHOICE TO EITHER LOOK AHEAD AND TRY TO GET STARTING PITCHERS FOR CHEAPER BY FOCUSING ON THEIR JULY 21ST WEEK SCHEDULE OR YOU CAN ADD RELIEVERS FOR $1 IN MOST LEAGUES THIS WEEK TO GET AN EXTRA INNING OR TWO OVER THE WEEKEND. Yu Darvish - SP, SD: 52% rostered Darvish doesn't meet the criteria to be on this list, but I wanted to cover him since he just returned from the IL and his performance was better than many expected. I recorded a video after his first start in Arizona discussing my thoughts. Jason Adam - RP, SD: 38% rostered Adam is one of the best targets if you want a reliever for this week. He has been great this season and could easily slide into a closer role and be stellar for the Padres and fantasy managers if Suarez has another rough stretch. Emmett Sheehan - SP, LAD: 27% rostered Sheehan piggybacked Shohei Ohtani on Saturday, and that could be his role again in the coming weeks, but we kind of have no idea how the Dodgers are going to handle this now that Tyler Glasnow is back and Blake Snell is closing in on a return. So far this season, Sheehan has been 95 mph on the four-seamer with two inches more iVB, which got him to 17", and he also threw them upstairs. The slider and changeup are solid, and even if he's not a huge upside arm, he has a solid arsenal with command that should continue to improve as the year progresses Bubba Chandler - SP, PIT: 26% rostered Chandler threw six shutout innings (again) in Triple-A on Thursday, allowing five hits while walking two and striking out seven. It's time. Just call him up. This is getting silly. Joe Boyle - SP, TB: 22% rostered Boyle is in the Rays rotation now. Kind of. He has settled into a role pitching behind Drew Rasmussen that I actually think is good for Boyle's fantasy value. I did a detailed breakdown of Boyle's arsenal and fantasy value here, so check it out. Cam Schlittler - SP, NYY: 20% rostered Cam Schlittler made his MLB debut this week against the Mariners. Schlittler is the 89th-ranked prospect, according to Baseball America, and has a 2.82 ERA this season thanks to an improving fastball that sits around 97 mph. It does have below-average extension, and we saw with Chase Burns that great velocity fastballs with mediocre extension don't miss as many bats in the big leagues. Schlittler also has three secondary braking balls that grade out well from a raw stuff perspective and showed good command in the minors this season, so I'm interested in adding him most places, as I discussed in a video I recorded last week. Grant Taylor - SP/RP, CWS: 12% rostered Taylor has legit electric stuff, and except for a poor performance against the Dodgers last week, he has been really impressive in his rookie season. He now has a 4.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 17/3 K/BB in his first 14.1 innings in the big leagues. His fastball is regularly sitting about 101 mph, and he has all the makings of a Mason Miller-type of former starter who could be lights out in one-inning stints out of the bullpen. Blake Treinen - RP, LAD: 10% rostered Trienen made his first rehab performance on Wednesday, throwing eight of his 12 pitches for strikes while sitting 95.5 mph on his sinker in a scoreless inning. He seems healthy and could be called up after the break. With Tanner Scott struggling to close out games, Treinen could emerge as an option in a closer committee in Los Angeles. Richard Fitts - SP, BOS: 4% rostered Fitts got sent down this week, but I think that had more to do with the Red Sox needing extra bullpen help before the All-Star break than it was with Fitts not being a part of their long-term plan. However, with Hunter Dobbins tearing his ACL, Fitts is back in Boston's rotation, and while I don't think he's a future stud, I'm still in the bag for him a bit. His fastball has ticked up to 97.4 mph in his last two starts, and the secondaries have started to show some swing and miss upside. I'd love to see the secondaries be a bit more consistent, but this is a good upside arm who is available in many leagues. STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order) Week of 7/14 Strong Preference Fairly Confident Some Hesitation STARTING PITCHERS TO STASH SOME STARTS I LIKE FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 21ST Week of 7/21
NBC Sports
06-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Edward Cabrera needs to be rostered, Masataka Yoshida nears a return
Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season. The premise is pretty straightforward. I'll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I'll list the category where I think he'll be helpful or the quick reason he's listed. I hope it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs. For a player to qualify for this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, 'These players aren't available in my league,' and I can't help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they're available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types. Matthew Pouliot, Waiver Wire Hitters Tyler O'Neill - OF, BAL: 34% rostered (RETURN FROM IL, POWER UPSIDE) Tyler O'neill is back. The 30-year-old has played just 26 games this season and is hitting .193/.284/.352, but we know the power upside that he has when he's healthy and in the lineup. The Orioles have hit him eighth in his two games back, which will hurt his counting stats a bit, but he could easily move up in the order if he starts hitting. His return has also not impacted the playing time of Ramon Laureano - OF, BAL (17% rostered). It seems that the Orioles will have both players in the lineup regularly at RF/DH. The veteran hit .312 in June with four home runs, 19 runs scored, and 16 RBI in 21 games. He's been hitting fourth or fifth in the order, and that gives him that counting stat upside that O'Neill won't have right now. Chandler Simpson - OF, TB: 33% rostered (RETURN FROM MINORS, SPEED WINNER) Simpson is back up because, I guess, he became a much better defender in three weeks in the minors. Since being recalled, Simpson is 13-for-35 (.371) with six runs scored and five steals in 11 games. People will tell you that fantasy managers misunderstand Simpson's actual value, but his speed is a legit issue. He's going to hit for a strong batting average and post elite stolen base totals. If Tampa Bay keeps running hot like this, he'll chip in some runs even from the bottom of the order. Evan Carter - OF, TEX: 18% rostered (POST HYPE PROSPECT, HOT STRETCH) Kennedi Landry had a good piece on Evan Carter two weeks ago, highlighting some of the changes that have led to his strong performance since coming off the He admitted to putting a lot of pressure on himself after his injury, and cited playing looser and feeling like he had a better mental approach at the plate. In June, Carter hit .333/.421/.530 in 21 games with three homers, eight RBI, 12 runs scored, and five steals. Those stolen bases are great to see with the injuries he's had in the past, and Carter has a real five-category skillset. He's unlikely to play against many lefties, but he can be a really solid option in all fantasy leagues. An option primarily for batting average, who I have had on this list all season, is Jake Meyers - OF, HOU (12% rostered). Earlier this season, I published an article on hitters who were being more aggressive and swinging at the first pitch more often this year than last year. Myers popped up for me on that leaderboard, and I explained in detail why I'm a fan of his new approach. On the season, he's hitting .307 with 13 stolen bases, and he's slashing .337/.398/.386 in 23 games in June with 12 runs scored and five steals. That's valuable in most formats, as long as you don't need power or RBI. Nolan Schanuel - 1B, LAA: 18% rostered (BATTING AVERAGE ASSET, POTENTIAL POWER GROWTH) I've always liked Schanuel. He has tremendous plate discipline. He makes an elite amount of contact. He pulls the ball enough to do damage, and I think he's trying to be more selective in getting pitches he can drive. The power numbers aren't great, but Schanuel now hits at the top of a batting order that includes Zach Neto, Mike Trout, Jorge Soler, Taylor Ward, and Logan O'Hoppe. It's not a bad spot, and he has been solid of late, hitting .256/.348/.438 in 30 games since June 1st with five home runs, 14 runs scored, 21 RBI, and two steals. That's a little bit of help in all five categories. I think Schanuel is emerging as a 1B who I may target in 2026 drafts. If you're trying to get ahead of a hot stretch, Colt Keith - 1B/2B, DET (14% rostered) is a name to look at. Since June 1st, Colt Keith is 6th among all hitters who have seen at least 100 pitches in Process+. He's hitting .296/.359/.457 in 26 games over that stretch with two home runs, 10 runs scored, and 10 RBI. The swing decisions and contact suggest that those numbers should continue to get better. Tyler Freeman - SS/OF, COL: 16% rostered (REGULAR STARTING ROLE, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) The stretch of games in Coors is done (for now), but that doesn't mean you need to get rid of Freeman. He's hitting .373 over the last month with 13 runs scored and eight steals. The stolen base value is a bit surprising given his previous results, but he has 12 steals this season while hitting leadoff for the Rockies. Freeman had a solid enough season last year for Cleveland, and moving to Colorado should help him. Freeman makes a lot of contact, but the hard contact is limited, and his BABIP has been low in years past. Coors Field tends to boost BABIP, so Freeman could emerge as a .270 hitter with some decent speed and multi-position eligibility. Freeman is also 15th in Process+ since June 1st, so the stats are backed up by a strong approach. Mauricio Dubon - 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, HOU (3% rostered) figures to get everyday playing time with Jeremy Pena on the IL with a fractured rib, and I mentioned him in this video as a potential add in deeper formats given his presence in a good lineup. Zack Gelof - 2B, ATH: 10% rostered (RETURN FROM IL, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE) After some stops and starts, Zack Gelof is finally back in the Athletics' lineup. The second baseman fractured his hamate bone in the spring and then had a rib injury during his rehab assignment, which delayed his return even more. He struggled a bit last year, but was really good as a rookie in 2023. He has 31 home runs and 29 steals in 209 career MLB games, so there is enough power and speed here to excite us a bit. The batting average will likely not be good, but remember that he plays in a minor league ballpark now that is heating up in the summer, and the ball is flying. Spencer Horwitz - 1B/2B, PIT (2% rostered) also returned from a wrist injury and struggled in the early going but has found it a bit of late, going 13-for-42 (.310) over his last 11 games with one home run, eight RBI, and six runs. The power won't be great, but the batting average should be good and his spot in the top third of the Pirates' batting order will give him a shot at OK counting stat numbers. Parker Meadows - OF, DET: 10% rostered (POWER/SPEED UPSIDE, REGULAR PLAYING TIME) Maybe there are some signs that Parker Meadows is waking up? He's gone 5-for-16 (.313) over his last six games and has hits in 10 of his last 12 games. The counting stats haven't been there, but let's give Meadows a chance to get comfortable in the batter's box after missing so much time with a nerve issue. Once he feels good, I think we'll start to see him turn on a few more pitches, and so I would still try to scoop him up before he gets hot. You could also add his teammate Wenceel Pérez - OF, DET (8% rostered), who is hitting .258/.311/.546 in 29 games since June 1st with six home runs, 18 RBI, and 16 runs scored. He has cooled down a touch over the last week or so, but this is a guy who hit .242 with nine home runs and nine steals in 112 games as a rookie last season, so there is some decent power and speed with a .250 or better average in here. He's the everyday right fielder in Detroit right now, and I don't see that changing unless his production falls off a cliff. Joey Ortiz - 3B/SS, MIL: 9% rostered (BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, HOT STRETCH) Ortiz was my most-added player last Sunday, and, so far, that has worked out for me. Well, in some respects. Ortiz has seven RBI, one home run, and one steal this week, but the hits haven't been there. Yet, over his last 27 games, he's hitting .276, and he's starting to adopt a more pull-focused approach that's leading to better results. There is some 15/15 power/speed upside here, and Ortiz is in the lineup basically every day. I'm still holding out hope here. Another multi-position option is Caleb Durbin - 2B/3B/SS, MIL (16% rostered), who has really turned it on of late, hitting .321 with three home runs, 10 RBI, 19 runs scored, and three steals over his last 27 games. It takes rookies some time to adjust to the big leagues, and we're now seeing Durbin start to get a bit more comfortable in the box. I would like to see more steals than the eight he has on the season right now, since that's been Durbin's calling card in the minors, but it's nice to see the rookie adjusting to MLB pitching and starting to get on base more often. I think the steals will come. Kyle Teel - C, CWS: 7% rostered (PROSPECT GROWTH, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Kyle Teel has entered a bit of a timeshare with Edgar Quero, which is not an ideal situation, but I think Teel has more offensive upside. He slashed .295/.394/.492 in 50 games at Triple-A with eight home runs and seven steals, and struggled when he first got called up but has gone 11-for-39 (.282) over his last 12 games with four runs scored, three RBI, and one steal. I believe in his approach at the plate and his overall skill set, so I think he'll continue to adjust to big league pitching, and he's worth a look in all two-catcher leagues. If you're looking for an option in a two-catcher format, you can go with Victor Caratini - C/1B, HOU (12% rostered), who could continue to play regularly in Houston now that Yordan Alvarez has suffered a setback in his rehab from a hand fracture. Nolan Gorman - 2B/3B, STL: 7% rostered (INCREASED PLAYING TIME, POWER UPSIDE) I'll admit that I'm skeptical Gorman will ever make enough contact for me to truly like him in fantasy baseball; however, he hit .254/.342/.522 in 22 games in June with five home runs, 12 RBI, and 10 runs scored. His Process+ score of 110 for that period was well above average, so there was some validity to it. I do hate his 32% strikeout rate over that same span, but if you need some power, I can see it. Another post-hype prospect seeing a bit of a mild resurgence is Ke'Bryan Hayes - 3B, PIT (5% rostered), who's gone 15-for-42 (.357) over his last 11 games with nine runs and nine RBI. There remains little power to speak of here, but Hayes has been hitting around .300 for the last month and has 10 steals on the season, so there is some value there. His name has also popped up in trade rumors, and if you can get Hayes now before he gets shipped to, say, the Yankees, you're gonna be really happy with a batting average and stolen base asset in that lineup. Luke Raley - 1B/OF, SEA: 5% rostered (RETURN FROM IL, POWER UPSIDE) Raley has settled in as the Mariners' first baseman against right-handed pitchers since coming off the IL following a two-month absence with an oblique strain. In his 12 games back, he's hitting .300 with one home run, four runs scored, and six RBI. He hit 22 home runs with 11 steals for the Mariners last season, so he could be a decent source of power and chip in steals in deeper formats. He's unlikely to play against left-handed pitching, but he can play right field as well, so there is some job security here against righties. His teammate Dominic Canzone - OF, SEA (1% rostered) has also been putting up tremendous production since being called up, hitting .275 in 22 games with six home runs, 10 RBI, and nine runs scored. Like Raley, Canzone is not going to play against lefties, and he doesn't have quite the track record of success, but Canzone has always made impressive quality of contact throughout his MLB career, so there is some upside here in deeper formats. Isaac Collins - OF, MIL: 3% rostered (HOT STREAK, EVERY DAY PLAYING TIME) Collins has been on a bit of a heater since June 1st, hitting .307/.418/.533 in 26 games with four home runs, 17 runs scored, 14 RBI, and one steal. He been striking out a bit more this past week, but he has good plate discipline overall. He's pulling the ball near 50% of the time, mostly on the ground and on a line, which is good for his batting average but might cap the overall power upside. His average exit velocity is also only 88.5 mph over that span, so this is not a hitter you're adding for power, but he has a solid approach that should lead to plenty of doubles and decent counting stats, hitting fifth or sixth in Milwaukee. Masataka Yoshida - OF, BOS (3% rostered) (IMPENDING IL RETURN, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Yoshida would be joining the Red Sox on this homestand. I know that he has this label as a 'bust' because of how much the Red Sox signed him for, but he's a career .285/.343/.433 hitter in Major League Baseball with just a 13.3% strikeout rate in 248 games. He's going to provide a great batting average and the potential for solid counting stats while hitting near the middle of Boston's lineup. Well, we think. When the Red Sox bring back Yoshida, they will have only four lineup spots for Yoshida, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu. No clue how they will manage that, but a trade has to be coming. Maybe it's Yoshida being moved into a full-time role elsewhere? Colby Thomas - OF, ATH: 1% rostered (PROSPECT CALL UP, POWER UPSIDE) The Athletics called up Colby Thomas this week, and I recorded a video on my thoughts on his fantasy outlook and why I'm a bit tepid on adding him right now. Tommy Pham - OF, PIT: 1% rostered (STARTING JOB, HOT STREAK) We've seen this often, but Tommy Pham is on a heater. The veteran is 13-for-31 (.419) over his last nine games with two home runs and 13 RBI. Maybe he's trying to play himself into a trade. Remaining in Pittsburgh would limit his counting stat upside, but perhaps Pham gets moved to a contender that wants a low-cost corner outfielder. He's a name to keep an eye on in deeper leagues. Waiver Wire Pitchers Brandon Woodruff - SP, MIL: 58% rostered Woodruff is set to come off the IL and make his season debut this Sunday against the Marlins, and while he doesn't technically qualify for this list because he's rostered in too many leagues, I wanted to give my thoughts on what to expect from him. Woodruff's velocity was sitting around 93 mph in his last rehab start, so that would be down about two mph from his peak. He did seem to split his slider into a sweeper and a harder slider, which is an interesting development. The veteran has always posted solid ratios, but I'm not expecting tons of strikeouts here, and I think we'll see inconsistency like we have from Eury Perez and Spencer Strider, and other pitchers who missed all of last season. I'd hold off on adding Woodruff in 12-team leagues, but if you wanted to put him on your bench in 15-teamers and see what he looks like, I can see that. Shelby Miller - RP, ARI: 39% rostered I'm pretty surprised Miller's roster rate remains this low. We know that both Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk are out for the season, so Shelby Miller is going to be the primary closer in Arizona for a while. He has a 2.18 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 33 innings and nine saves. Why are people chasing guys like Camilo Doval over Miller? Yes, with Corbin Burnes also out for the season, there's a chance that the Diamondbacks sell at the deadline. But that also means it's unlikely they bring in competition for Miller. The question is whether or not Miller himself gets dealt. It also seems like Jason Adam - RP, SD (38% rostered) could be emerging as a closer candidate in San Diego with Robert Suarez struggling. Adam has been great this season and could easily slide into that role and be stellar for the Padres and fantasy managers. Edward Cabrera - SP, MIA: 37% rostered Climb aboard the train with me! There's still room. When Cabrera first debuted this season, I was a fan of his pitch mix changes and thought we may finally be seeing the best version of the 27-year-old. Over his last seven starts, Cabrera has posted a 1.46 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 42/16 K/BB ratio in 37 innings. He also has three wins to show for it, but that's a line that's helpful in any league type. We also saw the best start of the season for his teammate, Eury Perez - SP, MIA (36% rostered), who delivered seven shutout innings against the Twins on Thursday. We know the type of talent Perez has, but he's been inconsistent in his return from the IL. We should still expect there to be some ups and downs after missing a whole year with Tommy John surgery, but Perez has the upside to be rostered in all league types Ronny Henriquez - RP, MIA: 27% rostered A lot of Marlins here today, but we have a new closer in Miami. Kind of. It's not Anthony Bender. It's not Calvin Faucher. It's Ronny Henriques. Henriquez saved two games in the series this week against the Twins, but then he was also used as the high-leverage reliever on Saturday. Still, two saves and one win in a week is a pretty solid performance, and the Marlins have been playing decent baseball of late. The right-hander has given up just one earned run in his last 10 appearances and has actually been pretty good all season. On the year, he has a 2.79 ERA and 1.19 WHIP with 58 strikeouts in 42 innings. If he weren't on the Marlins, he likely would have been scooped up in far more fantasy leagues weeks ago. Emmett Sheehan - SP, LAD: 27% rostered Sheehan is back in the Dodgers' rotation on Sunday. We just have no idea how long he'll stay there. He made his season debut two weeks ago and looked good, throwing four scoreless innings against the Padres with six strikeouts. It was his first MLB start since undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he showcased a solid three-pitch mix with a four-seamer, slider, and changeup. He was 95 mph on the four-seamer with two inches more iVB, which got him to 17", and he also threw them upstairs. The slider and changeup were solid, and even if he's not a huge upside arm, he has a solid arsenal with command that should continue to improve as the year progresses. The Dodgers then demoted Sheehan, and we know that Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell are working their way back, so this could be a messy situation going forward. Joe Boyle - SP, TB (7% rostered) is in a similar situation. I will fully admit that I was out on Boyle as a starter. I thought Tampa Bay might 'fix' him by moving him into the bullpen, but they turned him into a solid starter by REDUCING the movement on his pitches. Boyle was unable to harness his pitch mix and throw them in the strike zone, so they gave him a splinker and refused the use of his slider so that he had an easier time throwing strikes. It has worked wonders. In his nine starts since he got a spot start in Tampa Bay earlier in the season, Boyle has a 1.17 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 54/16 K/BB in 46 innings. With Taj Bradley continuing to struggle in Tampa Bay, you'd have to think that the team makes the swap sooner rather than later. Bryan Bello - SP, BOS: 26% rostered Over the last month, Bello has seen a real surge on the back of a new pitch mix, which I covered here. Bello has leaned into his cutter as his most-used pitch and started to dial back on his slider a bit. You can check out that article for more info, but I'm slowly buying back in on Bello; although, I'd love it even more if his changeup was as good as it used to be. Bubba Chandler - SP, PIT: 26% rostered Chandler threw six shutout innings on Saturday in Triple-A, allowing five hits while walking two and striking out six. It's time. Just call him up. This is getting silly. Orion Kerkering - RP, PHI: 23% rostered) Kerkering seems to be emerging as the primary reliever in Philadelphia. After Jordan Romano seemed to take the closer's role back over, Kerkering has been the team's most trusted reliever of late. He had gone 19 straight appearances without allowing a run before he struggled on Thursday. The strikeouts haven't been where they were last year, but the results have been good for most of the season. I expect the Phillies to mix and match some save opportunities going forward, so Matt Strahm - RP, PHI (16% rostered) is also worth rostering, but we also should expect Philadelphia to be buyers at the deadline, which could also mean a reliever gets added as well. Just something to keep in mind. Trevor Rogers - SP, BAL: 22% rostered This looks like a better version of Trevor Rogers than any version we've seen since 2021. He's sitting 93 mph on his four-seam fastball and is commanding it well for plenty of called strikes and whiffs. His changeup also crushed it in his first great appearance against the Rangers, but it didn't repeat in the second outing. The slider and sinker have also been hit or miss. I like that the fastball is there as a solid foundation, but I wish the secondaries were more consistent. Still, with the pitching landscape what it is, Rogers is worth rostering in 15-team leagues. Kumar Rocker - SP, TEX: 18% rostered I like this new version of Rocker, and I covered him here in more detail if you'd like to see why. Grant Taylor - SP/RP, CWS: 10% rostered Taylor has legit electric stuff, and except for a poor performance against the Dodgers this week, he has been really impressive in his rookie season. He now has a 4.38 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 14/3 K/BB in his first 12.1 innings in the big leagues. His fastball is regularly sitting about 101 mph, and he has all the makings of a Mason Miller-type of former starter who could be lights out in one-inning stints out of the bullpen. Matt Brash - RP, SEA: 5% rostered Matt Brash is back and continues to show dominant stuff out of the bullpen. He has allowed just one earned run in 19.1 innings this year while striking out 20 batters and walking seven. The Mariners love to use Andres Munoz as their 'stopper' or highest leverage reliever, so Brash could find his way into a few saves when Munoz has to put out a fire in the eighth inning. Richard Fitts - SP, BOS: 4% rostered Fitts is back in Boston's rotation, and while I don't think he's a future stud, I'm still in the bag for him a bit. He was rushed back from his earlier rehab assignment after a pectoral injury because the Red Sox were without Walker Buehler and Tanner Houck at the time and weren't comfortable with Dobbins pitching three times through a batting order. That clearly backfired, and Fitts returned to Triple-A to essentially finish his rehab assignment, where he has looked sharp. His fastball maintained its velocity in his first start back, and even ticked up to 97.4 mph in a rain-shortened start against the Reds this week. I'd love to see the secondaries be a bit more consistent, but he faces the Rockies at home this week, and so I'm in for it. Jordan Hicks - SP/RP, BOS: 4% rostered Could Aroldis Chapman be traded at the deadline. The Red Sox are still on the fringe of playoff contention, but they could conceivably trade away some players on expiring deals and also add other players. With Jordan Hicks now in the bullpen and Justin Slaten coming back off the IL soon, the Red Sox could feel good enough about their bullpen that they trade Chapman to a contender for a starting pitcher, back-up catcher, first baseman or some combination. If they do that, Hicks likely emerges as the favorite for saves in Boston. Cam Schlittler - SP, NYY: 0% rostered Clarke Schmidt is likely headed for Tommy John surgery, and the Yankees are hurting with their starting rotation. Luis Gil is not ready to come back yet, which means Cam Schlittler will be making his MLB debut this week against the Mariners. Schlittler is the 89th-ranked prospect, according to Baseball America, and has a .282 ERA this season thanks to an improving fastball that sits around 97 mph. It does have below-average extension, and we saw with Chase Burns that great velocity fastballs with mediocre extension don't miss as many bats in the big leagues. Schlittler also has three secondary braking balls that grade out well from a raw stuff perspective and showed good command in the minors this season, so I'm interested in watching him. STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order) Week of 7/7 Strong Preference Fairly Confident Some Hesitation If I'm Desperate
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29-06-2025
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Jurickson Profar returns, Jacob Lopez is on a heater
Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season. The premise is pretty straightforward. I'll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I'll list the category where I think he'll be helpful or the quick reason he's listed. I hope it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs. For a player to qualify for this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, 'These players aren't available in my league,' and I can't help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they're available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types. Matthew Pouliot, Waiver Wire Hitters Jo Adell - OF, LAA: 36% rostered (POWER UPSIDE, POST-HYPE PROSPECT) I know we've done this a bunch with Adell in the past, and I'm not sure I buy it, but I do feel the need to point out that he's been playing well of late and he's still just 26 years old, so it would be foolish to assume he's a finished product. In 24 games in June, Adell is batting .274/.358/.670 with 11 home runs, 18 runs scored, and 18 RBI. His strikeout rate has settled around 25% over that span, which isn't ideal but is an improvement for him. However, you're adding him for the 11 home runs in 24 games. His power is unquestioned, and if he can just hit .240 the rest of the way, he could be a big addition to your fantasy teams. Over the last three weeks, his roster rate has climbed from 6%, so I'd imagine he won't make the cut next week. Another option if you're looking for power is Kyle Stowers - OF, MIA (28% rostered). Stowers is proving to be a particularly streaky hitter in his first big league season, but that's not a shock from somebody who is primarily a power bat. He had a prolonged cold stretch from late May into early June, but Stowers has homered in three of his last seven games and has gone 11-for-39 (.282) over his last 13 games with three home runs, 10 runs scored, and seven RBI. The lineup context isn't great, hence the seven RBI on three home runs, but if you're in deeper formats and need power or just want to ride his hot stretch until it flames out, go for it. Cam Smith - 3B/OF, HOU: 33% rostered (PROSPECT GROWTH, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Last week, I recorded a full video on why you should add Cam Smith, so you should check that out for more details than I can give in here, but I was optimistic that Smith would start to add back in some lift and power to his swing now that he had gotten confident with consistent contact. Additionally, if we use Pitcher List's Process+ stat, which measures the combined value of a hitter's Decision Value, Contact Ability, and Power, Smith has a Process+ score of 110. 100 is the league average, so we love to see that. Another option for primarily batting average is Ernie Clement - 2B/SS/3B - TOR (30% rostered). Clement is hitting .368/.411/.483 in 23 games in June with one home run, 17 runs scored, four RBI, and one steal. The 29-year-old has proved himself to be a solid batting average asset last season, and his multi-position eligibility makes him valuable in deeper leagues, even if he's not giving you much power or speed right now. Jurickson Profar - OF, ATL: 32% rostered (IMPENDING RETURN, COUNTING STATS UPSIDE) This is the week. Despite the fact that I think the rule is stupid, Profar is allowed to play in rehab games even though he was suspended for 80 games for breaking league rules. Whatever. It's dumb. But he can return on July 2nd, which is Wednesday. When he comes back, he figures to be the regular left fielder in Atlanta, so he's probably worth an add in all formats to see what he can do without the PEDs. Lane Thomas - OF, CLE (23% rostered) also seems to be turning things around a bit. People love to pile on Thomas because he was terrible when the Guardians acquired him last year, but he eventually settled in and hit .264 in 25 games in September with seven home runs, 13 runs scored, and 20 RBI, and then was good in the playoffs. I think we forget about that stretch. He was cold to start this season, but he played just 8 games before getting hurt. He gritted it out for five more games before landing on the IL. He came back for four games and then got hurt again, so the rhythm to the season has been a mess for him. Over the last week, he's gone 5-for-18 with two home runs, four RBI, two runs scored, and two steals. Perhaps he's starting to settle in? Michael Toglia: 1B/OF, COL: 22% rostered (STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE) Toglia is certainly more of a schedule-based add. I recorded a video explaining why I'm not really excited to add him in fantasy here. I just think his strikeout rates and contact issues are going to continue to be a problem. However, he has tons of power, and Colorado's next six games are in Coors Field and the six after that are in Fenway Park and Great American Ballpark, so these could be a solid two weeks of offense for Colorado. You could also add Mickey Moniak - OF, COL (11% rostered), who is hitting .292/.358/.750 over 15 games in June with six home runs, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored, and two steals. We've seen him go through these hot streaks before, and his strikeout rate remains high, so I don't expect this type of production to last, but he's seeing the ball well and has that same strong schedule that we mentioned with Toglia. Evan Carter - OF, TEX: 21% rostered (POST HYPE PROSPECT, HOT STRETCH) Kennedi Landry had a good piece on Evan Carter last week, highlighting some of the changes that have led to his strong performance since coming off the He admitted to putting a lot of pressure on himself after his injury, and cited playing looser and feeling like he had a better mental approach at the plate. In June, Carter is hitting .310/.403/.517 in 19 games with three homers, eight RBI, 11 runs scored, and three steals. We do know that Texas is not likely to play him against many lefties, so that could limit his value in weekly leagues, and he seems to get banged up quite frequently, so he remains an injury risk, but Carter is just 22 years old and has plenty of fantasy juice if he can stay healthy. An option primarily for batting average, who I have had on this list all season, is Jake Meyers - OF, HOU (12% rostered). Earlier this season, I published an article on hitters who were being more aggressive and swinging at the first pitch more often this year than last year. Myers popped up for me on that leaderboard, and I explained in detail why I'm a fan of his new approach. On the season, he's hitting .307 with 13 stolen bases, and he's slashing .337/.398/.386 in 23 games in June with 12 runs scored and five steals. That's valuable in most formats, as long as you don't need power or RBI. Nolan Schanuel - 1B, LAA: 18% rostered (BATTING AVERAGE ASSET, POTENTIAL POWER GROWTH) I've always liked Schanuel. He has tremendous plate discipline. He makes an elite amount of contact. He pulls the ball enough to do damage, and I think he's trying to be more selective in getting pitches he can drive. The power numbers aren't great, but Schanuel now hits at the top of a batting order that includes Zach Neto, Mike Trout, Jorge Soler, Taylor Ward, and Logan O'Hoppe. It's not a bad spot, and he has delivered of late, going .277/.352/.479 in 23 games in June with four home runs, 11 runs scored, 18 RBI, and two steals. That's a little bit of help in all five categories. I think Schanuel is emerging as a 1B who I may target in 2026 drafts. Brooks Lee - 2B/3B/SS, MIN: 18% rostered (BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME) Lee is another solid multi-position eligible player who has remained in the lineup even as the Twins have gotten healthy. With Royce Lewis on the IL with yet another lower-body injury, that should keep Lee as an everyday player in Minnesota, and, frankly, he has played enough to remain in the lineup even when Lewis does come back. Lee is hitting .365/.393/.533 in 23 games in June with four home runs, 11 runs scored, 16 RBI, and one steal. Interestingly, his power boom in June has come when he started pulling the ball LESS and hitting it in the air less, so I'm not sure if it will last, but he has a 28% line drive rate in June, and hard-hit line drives can leave the park too. I'd be primarily adding him for batting average, but some power may come too. If you're trying to get ahead of a hot stretch, Colt Keith - 1B/2B, DET (10% rostered) is a name to look at. Since June 1st, Colt Keith is 6th among all hitters who have seen at least 100 pitches in Process+. He's hitting .250/.324/.433 in 20 games over that stretch with two home runs, six runs scored, and eight RBI, but the swing decisions and contact suggest that those numbers should just continue to get better. Tyler Freeman - SS/OF, COL: 15% rostered (REGULAR STARTING ROLE, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Yes, another Rockies hitter. We talked about the schedule earlier, but we've also seen Freeman emerge as the regular right fielder for the Rockies since being called up. He has hit .324/.409/.432 in 41 games with nine stolen bases and 20 runs scored. Freeman had a solid enough season last year for Cleveland, and moving to Colorado should help him. Freeman makes a lot of contact, but the hard contact is limited, and his BABIP has been low in years past. Coors Field tends to boost BABIP, so Freeman could emerge as a .270 hitter with some decent speed and multi-position eligibility. Freeman is also 15th in Process+ since June 1st, so the stats are backed up by a strong approach. Another multi-position option is Caleb Durbin - 2B/3B/SS, MIL (6% rostered), who has hit .292/.366/.444 in 21 games in June with three home runs, 17 runs scored, and eight RBI. I would like to see more steals, since that's been Durbin's calling card in the minors, but it's nice to see the rookie adjusting to MLB pitching and starting to get on base more often. I think the steals will come. Parker Meadows - OF, DET: 11% rostered (POWER/SPEED UPSIDE, RETURN FROM THE IL) Meadows has struggled since coming off the IL, but I often think that we're too quick to turn away from a player just because he doesn't hit the ground running. Adjusting to MLB pitching is hard, even if you've been at this level before. Meadows was out for almost three months; it's going to take some time for him to get his rhythm back. He's a talented hitter and is playing pretty much every day in Detroit, and has gone 5-for-20 over his last six games, so may be starting to put it together a bit. I would still try to scoop him up before he gets hot. You could also add his teammate Wenceel Pérez - OF, DET (7% rostered), who is hitting .288/.338/.616 in 22 games in June with five home runs, 14 RBI, and 13 runs scored. He also hit .242 with nine home runs and nine steals in 112 games as a rookie last season. He's the everyday right fielder in Detroit right now, and I don't see that changing unless his production falls off a cliff. Kyle Teel - C, CWS: 6% rostered (PROSPECT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Kyle Teel has entered a bit of a timeshare with Edgar Quero, which is not an ideal situation, but I think Teel has more offensive upside. He slashed .295/.394/.492 in 50 games at Triple-A with eight home runs and seven steals, and struggled when he first got called up but has gone 9-for-29 (.310) over his last 10 games with two runs scored. I believe in his approach at the plate and his overall skill set, so I think he'll continue to adjust to big league pitching, and he's worth a look in all two-catcher leagues. If you're looking for an option in a two-catcher format, you can go with Gary Sanchez - C, BAL (7% rostered), who figures to be the starting catcher in Baltimore with Adley Rutschman landing on the IL. The veteran will be more valuable against left-handed pitching, but he has gone 13-for-34 (.382) in 10 games since coming off the IL with four home runs, 10 runs scored, and 14 RBI. That will play in most league types, and with Rutschman not back until after the All-Star Break, that's almost another month of time with Sanchez as the primary starter. Christian Moore - 2B, LAA: 6% rostered (RECENT CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE) Moore hit two home runs in a win over the Red Sox this week, but he also went just 4-for-20 on the week, which is essentially what you're getting with him. The rookie struggled to start the season in Double-A, but was playing solid in Triple-A and had a .279/.374/.422 slash line in 54 games across Double-A and Triple-A with five home runs and eight steals. He also had a 14% swinging strike rate and just a 70% contact rate, so that tells us there will be swing-and-miss issues in the big leagues. I would expect a .230 average but with some intriguing power and speed hitting near the bottom of a solid but not great lineup. It's not much different than what we should expect from fellow rookie Brady House - 3B, WAS (5% rostered). The former 11th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft was hitting much better in the minors, going .304/.353/.519 in 65 games at Triple-A with 13 home runs. His average exit velocity was 90.2 mph with a 46% hard-hit rate. House was pulling the ball at a career-high rate, nearly 50% of the time, while lowering his chase rate by 6%. He still swings and misses a lot (15% swinging strike rate in the minors) and has a 47% groundball rate that will cap his upside, but the new approach and solid enough zone contact rate let's me think that House could hit .240 in Washington with decent power numbers the rest of the way. Luke Raley - 1B/OF, SEA: 5% rostered (RETURN FROM IL, POWER UPSIDE) Raley has been out since late April with an oblique strain, but he returned last week and has gone 7-for-21 in six games with a homer and six RBIs. He hit 22 home runs with 11 steals for the Mariners last season, so he could be a decent source of power and chip in steals in deeper formats. He's likely to see most of his playing time in right field, but he could also play first base and designated hitter, which gives him added job security; although, he's unlikely to play against left-handed pitching. That's similar to the role that Pavin Smith - 1B/OF, ARI (7% rostered) has carved out for himself in Arizona. Smith is hitting just .200 in 20 games in June, but that comes with four home runs and 11 RBI. He's slashing .266/.380/.463 on the season but only has eight home runs, so if that home run production can tick up, he could provide real value in deeper formats. Isaac Collins - OF, MIL: 4% rostered (HOT STREAK, EVERY DAY PLAYING TIME) Collins has been on a bit of a heater since June 1st, hitting .315/.441/.556 in 19 games with three home runs, 14 runs scored, 12 RBI, and one steal. He also has 13 walks to 16 strikeouts, so the plate discipline overall has been pretty solid. He's pulling the ball near 50% of the time, mostly on the ground and on a line, which is good for his batting average but might cap the overall power upside. His average exit velocity is also only 87 mph in June, so this is not a hitter you're adding for power, but he has a solid approach that should lead to plenty of doubles and decent counting stats, hitting fifth or sixth in Milwaukee. Nolan Gorman - 2B/3B, STL: 3% rostered (INCREASED PLAYING TIME, POWER UPSIDE) I'll admit that I'm skeptical Gorman will ever make enough contact for me to truly like him in fantasy baseball; however, he's hitting .254/.342/.522 in 22 games in June with five home runs, 12 RBI, and 10 runs scored. His Process+ score of 110 is well above average for the same time period, but I do hate his 32% strikeout rate over that same span. I'm not sure how long this will last for Donovan Solano - 1B/3B, SEA (2% rostered), but we need to acknowledge that he's 17-for-41 (.415) in his last 14 games with three home runs and 13 RBI. He plays 1B around four times a week, so that makes him harder to roster outside of the deepest formats, but he hit .278/.331/.443 in 44 games in the second half last year, and has a .279 career MLB batting average, so he can help you there. Andrew McCutchen - OF, PIT: 3% rostered (CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, HOT STREAK) This may be more of a Yahoo pick-up because McCutchen is OF-eligible there and isn't in many other formats. However, the veteran has been producing of late, hitting .270/.331/.423 over his last 35 games with five home runs, 14 RBI, and 15 runs scored. We know the lineup around him isn't great, which will limit his overall fantasy upside, but McCutchen should remain solid for fantasy managers in deeper formats. Similarly, Andrew Benintendi - OF, CWS (2% rostered) is a veteran outfielder we've forgotten about a bit, granted, some of that is because he can't stay healthy. Still, Benintendi is hitting .248/.303/.477 in 30 games since coming off the IL with four home runs, 11 runs scored, and 18 RBI. He plays every day and hits third, which should help with some of the counting stats, and that could make him useful in deeper formats. Waiver Wire Pitchers Shelby Miller - RP, ARI: 37% rostered I'm pretty surprised Miller's roster rate remains this low. We know that both Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk are out for the season, so Shelby Miller is going to be the primary closer in Arizona for a while. He has a 2.18 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 33 innings and nine saves. Why are people chasing guys like Camilo Doval over Miller? Yes, with Corbin Burnes also out for the season, there's a chance that the Diamondbacks sell at the deadline. But that also means it's unlikely they bring in competition for Miller. The question is whether or not Miller himself gets dealt. It also seems like Calvin Faucher - RP, MIA (18% rostered) has taken the closer role in Miami again. I'm not sure how many saves you're going to get out of this, and Miami can't seem to settle on one guy, but if you're hurting for saves, Faucher could be a solid option. Landen Roupp - SP, SF: 33% rostered Roupp is one of my favorite starters on this list to roster. He impressed me in spring training and then took a little while during the regular season to get going, but has a 2.18 ERA over his last eight starts. The strikeouts haven't been what they were in the minors or in spring training, but it appears that Roupp has traded some swing-and-miss for better overall results, and I'm OK with that. Perhaps this is the pitcher version of Cam Smith, where he focuses less on striking guys out and more on just getting MLB hitters out consistently, and then once the confidence comes, he starts to tinker back towards trying for punchouts more often. Regardless, I'm buying in. Bryan Bello - SP, BOS: 28% rostered Over the last month, Bello has seen a real surge on the back of a new pitch mix, which I covered here. Bello has leaned into his cutter as his most-used pitch and started to dial back on his slider a bit. You can check out that article for more info, but I'm slowly buying back in on Bello; although, I'd love it even more if his changeup was as good as it used to be. Edward Cabrera - SP, MIA: 24% rostered Cabrera is another of my favorite starters to add on waivers. I was a fan of his pitch mix changes when he first debuted this season, and he has started to produce against good teams lately, too. Over his last two starts (against Philadelphia and San Francisco), Cabrera allowed three runs on five hits in 11.2 innings with 11 strikeouts and six walks. I am happy to add Cabrera in all leagues, but he's more of a streamer in 10 and 12-team formats. Orion Kerkering - RP, PHI: 23% rostered) Kerkering seems to be emerging as the primary reliever in Philadelphia. After Jordan Romano seemed to take the closer's role back over, Kerkering has been the team's most trusted reliever of late. He had gone 19 straight appearances without allowing a run before he struggled on Thursday. The strikeouts haven't been where they were last year, but the results have been good for most of the season. I expect the Phillies to mix and match some save opportunities going forward, so Matt Strahm - RP, PHI (15% rostered) is also worth rostering, but we also should expect Philadelphia to be buyers at the deadline, which could also mean a reliever gets added as well. Just something to keep in mind. Jacob Lopez - SP, ATH: 21% rostered I recorded a video this week on Jacob Lopez's outrageously good last four starts, so watch that to hear more about my thoughts on him and why I'm fine with rolling him out there to see how long this lasts. Robert Garcia - RP, TEX: 18% rostered Garcia is now the closer in Texas. I think. He has three saves in the last month, but his ratios have been pretty problematic. Although, his last five outings have been much better in that regard. The other issue is that Texas is not winning as many games as we thought they would at the start of the season. They could get hot at any moment, but Garcia has not proven to be a truly lockdown reliever, and he's a left-handed reliever, which gives him a platoon disadvantage against most of the hitters he's going to face. Chris Martin - RP, TEX (20% rostered) has also picked up two saves recently. I think Texas would rather have Martin in the 'fireman' role, but it's hard to tell at this point, so if you wanted to roster him for general solid ratios and the occasional save, that could work. Emmett Sheehan - SP, LAD: 12% rostered Sheehan made his season debut last week and looked good, throwing four scoreless innings against the Padres with six strikeouts. It was his first MLB start since undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he showcased a solid three-pitch mix with a four-seamer, slider, and changeup. He was 95 mph on the four-seamer with two inches more iVB, which got him to 17", and he also threw them upstairs. The slider and changeup were solid, and even if he's not a huge upside arm, he has a solid arsenal with command that should continue to improve as the year progresses. The Dodgers then demoted Sheehan and also said his next start will be at Triple-A; however, he might be up in two weeks and could have a spot in the rotation for a while. However, Tyler Glasnow is also working his way back, so this could be a messy situation going forward. Joe Boyle - SP, TB (7% rostered) is in a similar situation. I will fully admit that I was out on Boyle as a starter. I thought Tampa Bay might 'fix' him by moving him into the bullpen, but they turned him into a solid starter by REDUCING the movement on his pitches. Boyle was unable to harness his pitch mix and throw them in the strike zone, so they gave him a splinker and refused the use of his slider so that he had an easier time throwing strikes. It has worked wonders. In his nine starts since he got a spot start in Tampa Bay earlier in the season, Boyle has a 1.17 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 54/16 K/BB in 46 innings. With Taj Bradley continuing to struggle in Tampa Bay, you'd have to think that the team makes the swap sooner rather than later. Frankie Montas - SP, NYM: 5% rostered I recovered a video on Montas after his season debut this week, so I encourage you to watch that for my detailed thoughts. I'll treat him as a streamer going forward. Grant Taylor - SP/RP, CWS: 5% rostered Taylor has legit electric stuff, and I think he could be closing for the White Sox in short order, but it's anybody's guess what Will Venable wants to do. Taylor locked down a traditional save last weekend, but then he pitched the seventh inning during the week, and then he had a two-inning save on Saturday. His usage is all over the place, but he has been lights out no matter what role he has, which is why I think he's worth an add everywhere. Matt Brash - RP, SEA: 4% rostered Matt Brash is back and continues to show dominant stuff out of the bullpen. He has not allowed a run in 16.1 innings this year while striking out 17 batters. The Mariners love to use Andres Munoz as their 'stopper' or highest leverage reliever, so Brash could find his way into a few saves when Munoz has to put out a fire in the eighth inning. Richard Fitts - SP, BOS: 4% rostered Fitts is back in Boston's rotation and while I don't think he's a future stud, I'm still in the bag for him a bit. He was rushed back from his earlier rehab assignment after a pectoral injury because the Red Sox were without Walker Buehler and Tanner Houck at the time and weren't comfortable with Dobbins pitching three times through a batting order. That clearly backfired, and Fitts returned to Triple-A to essentially finish his rehab assignment, where he has looked sharp. His fastball maintained its velocity in his first start back, and I think Fitts has some decent upside in deeper formats. STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order) Week of 6/30 Strong Preference Fairly Confident Some Hesitation If I'm Desperate
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22-06-2025
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- NBC Sports
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Chase Burns arrives, Jo Adell powers up
Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season. The premise is pretty straightforward. I'll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I'll list the category where I think he'll be helpful or the quick reason he's listed. I hope it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs. For a player to qualify for this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, 'These players aren't available in my league,' and I can't help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they're available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types. Matthew Pouliot, Waiver Wire Hitters Nick Kurtz - 1B, ATH: 40% rostered (RETURN FROM THE IL, POWER UPSIDE) Nick Kurtz went 2-for-17 in his return from the IL, and his roster rate fell to 29% in Yahoo Leagues. It's the same thing that happened when people dropped him after he struggled initially after being called up. We have to stop doing that. Power hitters are going to be streaky. Kurtz responded to that 2-for-17 start by going 8-for-23 with four home runs, seven RBI, and six runs scored. We know that offense is going to pick up in Sacramento as the weather warms, and Kurtz clearly has elite power, so I'd be trying to add him in any leagues where he's still available. Cam Smith - 3B/OF, HOU: 31% rostered (PROSPECT GROWTH, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Earlier this week, I recorded a full video on why you should add Cam Smith, so you should check that out for far more detail than I can give in here. Additionally, if you dropped Javier Báez - 2B/SS/3B/OF, DET (38% rostered), you can go ahead and re-add him. He's gone 13-for-36 in his last 12 games with three home runs, 11 runs, and six RBI, and is still performing and playing regularly for a good Tigers team. Jo Adell - OF, LAA: 30% rostered (POWER UPSIDE, POST-HYPE PROSPECT) I know we've done this a bunch with Adell in the past, and I'm not sure I buy it, but I do feel the need to point out that he's been playing well of late. Over his last 35 games, Adell is batting .276/.372/.612 with 10 home runs, 17 runs scored, and 19 RBI. More importantly, he has just a 23% strikeout rate over that span, with a 50% hard-hit rate and 11 barrels. We've seen Adell have short stretches of improved contact in the past, so there's no guarantee that this sticks, but if it does, he will be a huge fantasy asset, so he's worth adding while he's running hot. A deep league option primarily for batting average is Jake Meyers - OF, HOU (8% rostered). Earlier this season, I published an article on hitters who were being more aggressive and swinging at the first pitch more often this year than last year. Myers popped up for me on that leaderboard, and I explained in detail why I'm a fan of his new approach, so you should read that article to check out the analysis; however, I think he's a solid add for steals and something close to a .280 batting average. Over his last 13 games, he's hitting .367 with eight runs scored and three steals. Those are the three categories where I think he'll help you the most, but he could provide decent value in all three. Evan Carter - OF, TEX: 29% rostered (POST HYPE PROSPECT, HOT STRETCH) Kennedi Landry had a good piece on Evan Carter the other day, highlighting some of the changes that have led to his strong performance since coming off the He admitted to putting a lot of pressure on himself after his injury, and cited playing looser and feeling like he had a better mental approach at the plate. Since being activated, he's gone 14-for-45 (.311) with three homers, eight RBI, and three steals. We do know that Texas is not likely to play him against many lefties, so that could limit his value in weekly leagues, and he seems to get banged up quite frequently, so he remains an injury risk, but Carter is just 22 years old and has plenty of fantasy juice if he can stay healthy. Another underrated platoon outfielder is Jesus Sanchez - OF, MIA (11% rostered), who will face five right-handed starters this upcoming week. Sanchez is among the league leaders in bat speed and has hit .266/333/.430 with six home runs in 158 plate appearances against right-handed pitching this season. He could be in for a strong week of production. Jurickson Profar - OF, ATL: 24% rostered (IMPENDING RETURN, COUNTING STATS UPSIDE) Despite the fact that I think the rule is stupid, Profar is allowed to play in rehab games even though he was suspended for 80 games for breaking league rules. Whatever. It's dumb. But he can return on July 2nd and figures to be the regular left fielder in Atlanta. If you have space to stash him now, that might not be a bad idea in deeper formats. Michael Toglia: 1B/OF, COL: 23% rostered (STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE) Toglia is back and locked into a starting role in Colorado again, but I'm still hesitant to add him. I recorded a video explaining why here, but I just think his strikeout rates and contact issues are going to continue to be a problem. I get that he has tons of power, but the batting average is likely to be awful, so you need to be in a specific situation where your team can handle his poor average, or your average is low enough that you basically decide to punt it. Jeff McNeil - 2B/OF, NYM: 20% rostered (CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, SURPRISING POWER) I think most people wrote off Jeff McNeil as a fantasy-relevant player when he was hurt earlier in the year, but he has been solid for the Mets since coming off the IL, hitting .250 with 23 RBI, 15 runs scored, and one stolen base. Despite the Mets offense being in a swoon of late, McNeil has stayed solid, going 12-for-44 (.273) over the last two weeks with four home runs and 10 RBI. The multi-position eligibility is also helpful, and while I think McNeil will be primarily a batting average asset, he is showing some surprising power this year as well. Another option for similar skills is Ernie Clement - 2B/SS/3B - TOR (19% rostered). Clement is hitting .371 over the last month with three home runs, 17 runs scored, and seven RBI. The 29-year-old has proved himself to be a solid batting average asset last season, and his multi-position eligibility makes him valuable in deeper leagues. Jordan Beck - OF, COL: 16% rostered This is all about the schedule. The Rockies are home for nine of their next 12 games, and the other three are in Milwaukee, which is also a good offensive park. Beck is hitting .303/.344/.479 at home this season with three home runs and 11 RBI in 30 games. He can be a real asset in most fantasy leagues when he's at home. You could also add Mickey Moniak - OF, COL (3% rostered) for the same reasons as Beck. Moniak is 17-for-57 (.298) over his last 19 games with seven home runs, 11 RBI, 12 runs scored, and two steals. We've seen him go through these hot streaks before, so I don't expect it to last, but he's seeing the ball well and also going to Coors for nine of his next 12 games. Nolan Schanuel - 1B, LAA: 15% rostered (BATTING AVERAGE ASSET, POTENTIAL POWER GROWTH) I've always liked Schanuel. He has tremendous plate discipline. He makes an elite amount of contact. He pulls the ball enough to do damage, and I think he's trying to be more selective in getting pitches he can drive. The power numbers aren't great, but Schanuel now hits at the top of a batting order that includes Zach Neto, Mike Trout, Jorge Soler, Taylor Ward, and Logan O'Hoppe. It's not a bad spot, and if your primary goal isn't power, then I think Schanuel could be a good bet for you. Same goes for Ty France - 1B, MIN (7% rostered), who remains the starting first baseman in Minnesota with a solid 8.4% barrel rate. He has less speed than Schanuel does and similarly modest power, but his batting average will be helpful, and he'll chip in enough in the counting stats to help you in deeper formats. Brooks Lee - 2B/3B/SS, MIN: 15% rostered (BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME) Lee is another solid multi-position eligible player who has remained in the lineup even as the Twins have gotten healthy. With Royce Lewis on the IL with yet another lower-body injury, that should keep Lee as an everyday player in Minnesota. He's hitting .341 over his last 12 games with three home runs and seven RBI. The power and speed numbers aren't likely going to be great, but he'll chip in a few and then add solid counting stats in a decent lineup. Kody Clemens - 1B/2B/3B/OF, MIN (2% rostered) should also get regular playing time at second base or first base against right-handed pitchers with Lewis out. He was red hot after the Twins acquired him and he was thrust into the starting lineup, so if you're in deeper leagues, he could be a usable player for a few weeks. Parker Meadows - OF, DET: 13% rostered (POWER/SPEED UPSIDE, RETURN FROM THE IL) Meadows has struggled since coming off the IL, but I often think that we're too quick to turn away from a player just because he doesn't hit the ground running. Adjusting to MLB pitching is hard, even if you've been at this level before. Meadows was out for almost three months; it's going to take some time for him to get his rhythm back. He's a talented hitter and is playing pretty much every day in Detroit. I would still try to scoop him up before he gets hot. You could also add his teammate Wenceel Pérez - OF, DET (4% rostered), who is hitting .284/.333/.612 in 21 games this season with five home runs, 10 RBI, and 11 runs scored. He also hit .242 with nine home runs and nine steals in 112 games as a rookie last season. He's been playing a lot of right field with Kerry Carpenter shifting to DH and Colt Keith riding the bench a lot, and that could be how Detroit approaches this moving forward. Brady House - 3B, WAS: 7% rostered (RECENT CALL-UP, FORMER TOP PROSPECT) Brady House is the next in the infusion of young talent into this Washington lineup. The former 11th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft was on a hot streak before being promoted to the big leagues and hit .304/.353/.519 in 65 games at Triple-A with 13 home runs. His average exit velocity was 90.2 mph with a 46% hard-hit rate. House was pulling the ball at a career-high rate, nearly 50% of the time, while lowering his chase rate by 6%. He still swings and misses a lot (15% swinging strike rate in the minors) and has a 47% groundball rate that will cap his upside, but the new approach and solid enough zone contact rate let's me think that House could hit .240-.250 in Washington with 10+ home runs the rest of the way while hitting in the middle of the lineup. That's not nothing. Kyle Teel - C, CWS: 7% rostered (PROSPECT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Kyle Teel has entered a bit of a full-on timeshare with Edgar Quero, which is not an ideal situation, but I think Teel has more offensive upside. He slashed .295/.394/.492 in 50 games at Triple-A with eight home runs and seven steals. While he's gone just 7-for-29 to begin his big league career, I believe in his approach at the plate and his overall skill set. I think he'll continue to adjust to big league pitching, and he's worth a look in all two-catcher leagues. If you're looking for an option in a two-catcher format, you can go with Gary Sanchez - C, BAL (2% rostered), who figures to be the starting catcher in Baltimore with Adley Rutschman landing on the IL. The veteran will be more valuable against left-handed pitching, but he has gone 6-for-14 with five runs scored, two home runs, and seven RBI since coming off the IL. I'd expect him to play about 75% of the games in the short term, and he still has a good amount of power in his bat. Christian Moore - 2B, LAA: 6% rostered (PROSPECT CALL-UP, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE) Last week, the Angels called up Moore and made him the FOURTH player from last year's draft class to already make his MLB debut, along with Nick Kurtz, Jac Caglianone, and Cam Smith. Moore struggled to start the season in Double-A, but was playing solid in Triple-A and now has a .279/.374/.422 slash line in 54 games across Double-A and Triple-A with five home runs and eight steals. He also had a 14% swinging strike rate and just a 70% contact rate, so that tells us there will be swing-and-miss issues in the big leagues. I would expect a .230 average but with some intriguing power and speed hitting near the bottom of a solid but not great lineup. I get wanting to add him for his upside, but it does feel like more of a deep league target. Ryan Ritter - SS, COL (1% rostered), is another rookie who has stepped into a full-time role with Ezequiel Tovar on the IL with an oblique injury. Ritter was crushing at Triple-A with a .305 average with 16 home runs, 43 RBI, and three steals in 52 games. His contact rate was under 73% in Triple-A, which isn't ideal and makes me think the batting average will be a fair bit lower in the big leagues. I don't think he'll be up for long, but in deeper formats, he could be worth a gamble if you need a MIF, especially given the Colorado schedule the next two weeks. Tyler Freeman - SS/OF, COL: 4% rostered (REGULAR STARTING ROLE, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Yes, another Rockies hitter. We've seen Freeman emerge as the regular right fielder for the Rockies since being called up. He has hit .326/.417/.442 in 37 games with seven stolen bases. Freeman had a solid enough season last year for Cleveland, and moving to Colorado should help him. Freeman makes a lot of contact, but the hard contact is limited, and his BABIP has been low in years past. Coors Field tends to boost BABIP, so Freeman could emerge as a .270 hitter with some decent speed and multi-position eligibility. Pair that with nine games at home over the next two weeks, and he's a worthwhile add. Luke Raley - 1B/OF, SEA: 4% rostered (RETURN FROM IL, POWER UPSIDE) Raley has been out since late April with an oblique strain, but he returned to the Mariners' active roster on Friday. He did not start against a left-handed pitcher, but he did enter the game once Chicago went to the bullpen, which is a good sign for his playing time. Raley went 7-for-19 with a homer, a double, a walk, and a strikeout on his rehab assignment, and he hit 22 home runs with 11 steals for the Mariners last season, so he could be a decent source of power and chip in steals in deeper formats. He's likely to see most of his playing time in right field, but he could also play first base and designated hitter, which gives him added job security. Alec Burleson - 1B/OF, STL (32% rostered), is another multi-position option, and he's been hitting well of late, going 16-for-49 (.388) over his last 13 games with two home runs, eight RBI, and seven runs. The issues have been that he only has eight home runs on the season after hitting 21 last year, and the Cardinals keep wanting to play Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman, which makes it hard to rely on consistent playing time for Burleson if the other hitters heat up too. Andrew McCutchen - OF, PIT: 3% rostered (CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, HOT STREAK) This may be more of a Yahoo pick-up because McCutchen is OF-eligible there and isn't in many other formats. However, the veteran is on a heater right now, going 28-for-89 (.315) over his last 24 games with five home runs, 14 RBI, and 12 runs scored. We know the lineup around him isn't great, and we know that this level of production isn't going to hold, but McCutchen should remain solid for fantasy managers in deeper formats. Waiver Wire Pitchers Max Scherzer - SP, TOR: 36% rostered Scherzer threw five shutout innings in Triple-A on Wednesday in his final rehab start. He'll now likely rejoin the Blue Jays rotation this upcoming week, so what should we expect? Well, Scherzer sat 92.5 mph in his rehab start, which is right in line with what he did last year. He had a 3.95 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 43.1 innings last year, and his strikeout rate has fallen every year since 2019. However, he also hasn't posted a WHIP above 1.20 since 2012, so you're likely going to get solid ratios with fairly average strikeout numbers from Scherzer while he's healthy. Which could only be one or two starts at this rate. He's more of a deep league option for me. Shelby Miller - RP, ARI: 35% rostered Justin Martinez is out for the season as he deals with a UCL injury, and AJ Puk suffered a setback in his rehab and had to undergo surgery, so Shelby Miller is going to be the primary closer in Arizona for a while. With Corbin Burnes also out for the season, there's a chance that the Diamondbacks sell at the deadline, which means it's unlikely they bring in competition for Miller. The question is whether or not Miller himself gets dealt. It also seems like Calvin Faucher - RP, MIA (9% rostered) has taken the closer role in Miami again. I'm not sure how many saves you're going to get out of this, and Miami can't seem to settle on one guy, but if you're hurting for saves, Faucher could be a solid option. Chase Burns - SP, CIN: 28% rostered At this point, Burns may be a better stash than Bubba Chandler - SP, PIT (29% rostered). I really don't know what Pittsburgh is doing with Chandler. He was dominating Triple-A and deserved to be in the big leagues. Then his command started to waver in recent weeks, but this feels 100% like a player who has nothing left to prove but is either pressing too much as he tries to do anything to earn a call-up or pitching frustrated because he knows his performance doesn't actually matter. I'm not at all worried about his command. However, Burns is possibly a better overall pitching prospect than Chandler, and he's now in Triple-A too. I don't think Burns gets a shot before August because I don't realistically think the Reds will stay in playoff contention in a loaded NL race. However, I might be wrong, and the Reds could feel compelled to give him a shot to push them closer to the postseason. SUNDAY UPDATE: Obviously, I was wrong. The Reds have decided to be really aggressive with Burns and are calling him up to start on Tuesday. He should be scooped up in all leagues. I hate the ballpark, and this is a RAPID rise for a player who started the year in High-A, so we have no idea what to expect against MLB hitters. That said, he is incredibly talented and is worth a gamble. Robert Garcia - RP, TEX: 18% rostered Garcia is now the closer in Texas. I think. He has four saves in the last month, but his ratios have been pretty problematic, and Texas is not winning as many games as we thought they would at the start of the season. They could get hot at any moment, and Garcia has been scoreless in six of his last eight appearances, but he has not proven to be a truly lockdown reliever. Plus, he's a left-handed reliever, which gives him a platoon disadvantage against most of the hitters he's going to face. He threw on back-to-back nights this week, which allowed Chris Martin - RP, TEX (20% rostered) to pick up the save. I think Texas would rather have Martin in the 'fireman' role, but it's hard to tell at this point. I'd probably rather roster Orion Kerkering - RP, PHI (21% rostered), who has converted the last two save chances for the Phillies. After Jordan Romano seemed to take the closer's role back over, Kerkering has been the team's most trusted reliever of late. He hasn't given up a run in his last 16.1 innings, and even if I expect the Phillies to mix and match some save opportunities going forward, I feel confident about Kerkering not torpedoing your ratios. Edward Cabrera - SP, MIA: 17% rostered Cabrera looked so good early in his start against Washington last week, but then he got stepped on while covering first base and was laboring. He allowed a home run immediately after the injury and was then removed from the game. Then he returned to the mound this week against the Phillies and threw six shutout innings before an inherited runner scored in the seventh. He had a ridiculous 37% whiff rate and remains a pitcher I think could truly break out this second half (and then maybe get traded to a contender?) The right-hander has long tantalized with his upside and disappointed with his command, but he is making some pitch mix changes that caught my attention. I dug into him for my starting pitcher news column last week, so I'd encourage you to check that out for a more detailed breakdown. Emmett Sheehan - SP, LAD: 10% rostered Sheehan made his season debut on Wednesday and looked good, throwing four scoreless innings against the Padres with six strikeouts. It was his first MLB start since undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he showcased a solid three-pitch mix with a four-seamer, slider, and changeup. He was 95 mph on the four-seamer with two inches more iVB, which got him to 17", and he also threw them upstairs. The slider and changeup were solid, and even if he's not a huge upside arm, he has a solid arsenal with command that should continue to improve as the year progresses. I know the Dodgers sent him down after the start, but I think he'll be back up in short order, and I'd be interested. Just don't expect him to go longer than five innings in his starts. Joe Boyle - SP, TB: 6% rostered I will fully admit that I was out on Boyle as a starter. I thought Tampa Bay might 'fix' him by moving him into the bullpen, but they actually turned him into a solid starter by REDUCING the movement on his pitches. Boyle was unable to harness his pitch mix and throw them in the strike zone, so they gave him a splinker and refused the use of his slider so that he had an easier time throwing strikes. It has worked wonders. In his nine starts since he got a spot start in Tampa Bay earlier in the season, Boyle has a 1.17 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 54/16 K/BB in 46 innings. With Taj Bradley continuing to struggle in Tampa Bay, you'd have to think that the team makes the swap sooner rather than later. Greg Weissert: RP, BOS: 5% rostered Early in the season, Alex Cora said that Aroldis Chapman was Boston's closer, but he would also use him in the eighth inning if an opponent had a big left-handed bat coming up. We took that to mean save chances for Liam Hendriks, but he was never fully healthy. Then we took that to mean save chances for Justin Slaten, but he also ended up on the IL. Lately, that has meant save chances for Greg Weissert. Boston's lineup isn't putting up massive run totals, so fantasy managers in deeper leagues could look to Weissert for those ancillary save chances. Didier Fuentes - SP, ATL: 5% rostered With Chris Sale landing on the IL, it seems like the 20-year-old Fuentes will be sticking around in the Atlanta rotation. While I like his long-term upside, I'm not really bullish on him in redraft leagues. His four-seam fastball has elite specs, and his curveball flashes plus at times, but it's consistent. He also rarely used his splitter in the minors. Given his rapid rise through the minors and his narrow pitch mix, I just don't believe there is going to be enough consistency here to chase in redraft formats. Grant Taylor - SP/RP, CWS: 3% rostered The White Sox flame-throwing prospect is up and pitching out of the bullpen for now. Taylor has legit electric stuff, and I think he could be closing for the White Sox in short order. Richard Fitts - SP, BOS: 1% rostered Fitts is with Boston in San Francisco, and I think there's a good chance he is rejoining this rotation with Hunter Dobbins either moving to the bullpen or being sent down. I'm still in the bag for Fitts a bit. He was rushed back from his earlier rehab assignment after a pectoral injury because the Red Sox were without Walker Buehler and Tanner Houck at the time and weren't comfortable with Dobbins pitching three times through a batting order. That clearly backfired, and Fitts returned to Triple-A to essentially finish his rehab assignment, where he has looked really sharp. The Yankees also announced that Alan Winans - SP, NYY (1% rostered) will be called up to take Ryan Yabrough's place. Winans has been great in Triple-A this season, posting a 0.90 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 59/13 K/BB in 50 innings. I hate his matchup in Cincinnati, but he may be a better bet for the Yankees rotation until Luis Gil comes back than Marcus Stroman. STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order) Week of 6/23 Strong Preference Fairly Confident Some Hesitation If I'm Desperate
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15-06-2025
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Shelby Miller is closing again, Abraham Toro is on fire
Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season. The premise is pretty straightforward. I'll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I'll list the category where I think he'll be helpful or the quick reason he's listed. I hope it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs. For a player to qualify for this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, 'These players aren't available in my league,' and I can't help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they're available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types. Matthew Pouliot, Waiver Wire Hitters Roman Anthony - OF, BOS: 65% rostered (TOP PROSPECT, RECENT CALL-UP) Anthony doesn't qualify for this list, but he was just promoted on Monday, so it feels like I need to at least address my expectations for the top prospect in baseball. The 21-year-old hit .288/.423/.491 with 10 home runs, 45 runs scored, 29 RBI, and three steals in 58 games at Triple-A, which should be enticing on its own. Anthony has also never posted a swinging strike rate above 9% at any point in the minors, except for 50 games at High-A in 2023, which will aid his adjustment to the big leagues. He has already demonstrated the ability to hit MLB pitching hard, and I believe he can be a solid asset with a decent batting average, power, and the ability to swipe 5-10 bases. He's going to sit against most lefties, at least for now, so keep that in mind, but he should be added in all formats. Evan Carter - OF, TEX: 32% rostered (POST HYPE PROSPECT, HOT STRETCH) Kennedi Landry had a good piece on Evan Carter the other day, highlighting some of the changes that have led to his strong performance since coming off the He admitted to putting a lot of pressure on himself after his injury, and cited playing looser and feeling like he had a better mental approach at the plate. In the 10 games since being activated, he's gone 11-for-27 with three homers, eight RBI, two steals, and a 4/4 K/BB ratio. He's now hitting .283/.368/.517 on the season, with four homers, 10 RBI, 13 runs scored, and five steals. We do know that Texas is not likely to play him against many lefties, so that could limit his value in weekly leagues, and he seems to get banged up quite frequently, so he remains an injury risk, but Carter is just 22 years old and has plenty of fantasy juice if he can stay healthy. Another underrated platoon outfielder is Trevor Larnach - OF, MIN (20% rostered). Larnach is hitting well over the last month and will bat in the middle of the order against all right-handed pitchers, but it can be hard to roster players that we know are going to sit against lefties. Alejandro Kirk - C, TOR: 32% rostered (CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, BELATED BREAKOUT?) We've been waiting for the Alejandro Kirk breakout for quite some time, but the 27-year-old has been on fire of late, going 19-for-46 (.413) over his last 11 games with two home runs, nine RBI, and six runs. We know he's going to play at least 75% of the games for Toronto, and this is a team that has been playing well of late as well. Hitting fourth in the order now gives him plenty of opportunity for RBIs, and I like Kirk as an add in all formats if you need a catcher, but just keep expectations in check for his power ceiling. Abraham Toro - 1B/2B/3B, BOS: 31% rostered (CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, HOT STRETCH) Listen, we know this isn't likely to last, but Toro is just 28 years old and was an intriguing prospect when he was coming through the minors. He's had some hot stretches before, and he's on a pretty good run of late, batting .350 over his last 23 games with four home runs, 14 runs scored, and 11 RBI. More importantly, he's starting regularly at first base for Boston and likely will continue to do so as long as he's hitting well. As we get closer to the trade deadline, it's possible that Toro could be replaced by somebody the Red Sox trade for, but if Toro is still starting and producing in a month, you'll have already earned value on picking him up. A deeper league multi-position add is Otto Kemp - 2B/3B, PHI (3% rostered). The 25-year-old has gotten off to a slow start since being called up by the Phillies, but he's playing first base pretty much every day while Bryce Harper is on the IL. Kemp has been a fixture in our Rotoworld blurbs because he has been crushing Triple-A to the tune of a .313/.416/.594 slash line in 58 games with 14 home runs and 11 steals. He has always posted high swinging strike rates in the minors, and the overall contact rate was just 67% in Triple-A, so don't expect a good batting average, but the power and speed are legit. Jo Adell - OF, LAA: 28% rostered (POWER UPSIDE, POST-HYPE PROSPECT) I know we've done this a bunch with Adell in the past, and I'm not sure I buy it, but I do feel the need to point out that he's been playing well of late. Over his last 35 games, Adell is batting .276/.372/.612 with 10 home runs, 17 runs scored, and 19 RBI. More importantly, he has just a 23% strikeout rate over that span, with a 50% hard-hit rate and 11 barrels. We've seen Adell have short stretches of improved contact in the past, so there's no guarantee that this sticks, but if it does, he will be a huge fantasy asset, so he's worth adding while he's running hot. A deep league option primarily for batting average is Jake Meyers - OF, HOU (8% rostered). Earlier this season, I published an article on hitters who were being more aggressive and swinging at the first pitch more often this year than last year. Myers popped up for me on that leaderboard, and I explained in detail why I'm a fan of his new approach, so you should read that article to check out the analysis; however, I think he's a solid add for steals and something close to a .280 batting average. Nick Kurtz - 1B, ATH: 24% rostered (RETURN FROM THE IL, POWER UPSIDE) Nick Kurtz didn't set the world on fire this week in his return from the IL, but there is plenty of talent in his bat. He was heating up before landing on the IL with a strained oblique, hitting four home runs in his last five games before the injury. The talented rookie returned to the lineup on Monday, and we know that offense is going to pick up in Sacramento as the weather warms, so I'd be trying to add him in any leagues where he's still available. I'm actually surprised Kurtz is rostered in so many fewer leagues than Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B, CIN (35% rostered). Kurtz is a higher-rated prospect and is in a similarly strong environment. We know CES is going to play almost every day for the Reds, and we know that he flashed solid power skills in the minors. However, he has also had strikeout issues since being promoted to the big leagues and is not a lock to produce, given his career stats. He came off the IL like a house on fire and then went 3-for-17 in his next five games, which is emblematic of what we should expect from him. He's well worth a gamble given his power upside now that he's back and healthy, but I'd still rather have Kurtz. Chase Meidroth - 2B/3B/SS, CWS: 23% rostered (EVERY DAY JOB, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) I've had Meidroth in this column for weeks, and I'm going to keep him here because he has multi-position eligibility and great batting average upside with some steals thrown in for good measure. In 30 games since May 11th, Meidroth is hitting .310/.385/.397 with 13 runs scored, five steals, two home runs, and a 16/14 K/BB ratio. He's another hitter I'm highlighting on here who is making good swing decisions and succeeding due to a strong understanding of the strike zone. He had never stolen more than 13 bases in a season at the minor league level, so that number is a bit shocking to me, but he can run a bit and is a smart baseball player on a bad team that has no problem taking chances on the bases. Meidroth is also hitting leadoff and playing every day, so he could accumulate runs and steals while hitting for a solid batting average. Another option for similar skills is Ernie Clement - 2B/SS/3B - TOR (19% rostered). Over the same period since May 11th, Clement is hitting .316/.352/.500 with four home runs, 18 runs scored, 12 RBI, and an 8/6 K/BB ratio in 31 games. Even with Andres Gimenez back, Clement is still an everyday player, just at 3B now. The 29-year-old has proved himself to be a solid batting average asset last season, and his multi-position eligibility makes him valuable in deeper leagues. Parker Meadows - OF, DET: 19% rostered (POWER/SPEED UPSIDE, RETURN FROM THE IL) Meadows has struggled a bit since coming off the IL, but I often think that we're too quick to turn away from a player just because he doesn't hit the ground running. Adjusting to MLB pitching is hard, even if you've been at this level before. Meadows was out for almost three months; it's going to take some time for him to get his rhythm back. He's a talented hitter and is playing pretty much every day in Detroit. Scoop him up before he gets hot. On the flip side, Matt Wallner - OF, MIN (13% rostered) has been hot since returning from the IL, or has at least seen his power return to previous form with three home runs in his last 10 games. The power is exactly what you're looking for with Wallner, and he's been batting cleanup against righties, which should provide solid counting stats. I think the batting average will tick up a bit as well and maybe settle closer to about .250. Marcelo Mayer - 3B/SS, BOS: 19% rostered (RECENT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Last week, I mentioned that Mayer was off to a slow start to his MLB career and may be a better real-life player than a fantasy player. While I still think that's true, Mayer has shown a bit more power this season and then put that on display with his two-homer game against the Rays on Wednesday. Sadly, he and Roman Anthony are going to sit versus most left-handed pitchers, which can make it harder to roster him in weekly lineup lock leagues. His teammate, Trevor Story - SS, BOS (32% rostered), is also heating up after a horrible May. Story is hitting over .319 in 12 games in June with two home runs, two steals, and 12 RBI. He's going to be in the lineup every day for Boston and has nine home runs and 10 steals on the year, so there is some power and speed here as well. He's prone to some cold stretches, but he remains a solid fantasy asset. Jeff McNeil - 2B/OF, NYM: 11% rostered (CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, SURPRISING POWER) I think most people wrote off Jeff McNeil as a fantasy-relevant player when he was hurt earlier in the year, but he has been great for the Mets since coming off the IL, hitting .268 with 22 RBI, 13 runs scored, and one stolen base through his first 144 plate appearances this season. However, he has been heating up of late, along with this entire Mets offense, going 16-for-47 (.340) in his last 13 games. The multi-position eligibility is also helpful, and while I think McNeil will be primarily a batting average asset, he is showing some surprising power this year as well. Brooks Lee - 2B/3B/SS, MIN (4% rostered) is another solid multi-position eligible player who has remained in the lineup even as the Twins have gotten healthy. With Royce Lewis seemingly headed to the IL with yet another lower body injury, that should keep Lee as an everyday player in Minnesota. The power and speed numbers aren't going to be great, but he'll chip in a few and then add solid counting stats in a decent lineup. Kyle Teel - C, CWS: 11% rostered (PROSPECT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Kyle Teel was promoted last weekend and has started every game but one at either catcher or DH. It seems like he's getting a chance to supplant Edgar Quero, who was fairly average in his first 39 MLB games and provided below-average defense. Teel also may have more offensive upside, slashing .295/.394/.492 in 50 games at Triple-A with eight home runs and seven steals. He's gone just 4-for-18 to begin his big league career, but he's worth a look in all two-catcher leagues. If you're looking for an option in a two-catcher format, you can go with Carlos Narvaez - C, BOS (20% rostered), who has not only emerged as the starting catcher in Boston but one of the better rookies in the AL. He was known primarily for his plus defense when he was acquired from the Yankees in a trade this off-season, but he's hitting .347/.448/.541 over his last 30 games with three home runs, 19 runs scored, and 13 RBI. He provides top-tier defense behind the plate and is going to start about two-thirds of the games for the Red Sox while hitting near the middle of the order. Nolan Schanuel - 1B, LAA: 11% rostered (BATTING AVERAGE ASSET, POTENTIAL POWER GROWTH) I've always liked Schanuel. He has tremendous plate discipline. He makes an elite amount of contact. He pulls the ball enough to do damage, and I think he's trying to be more selective in getting pitches he can drive. The power numbers aren't great, but Schanuel now hits at the top of a batting order that includes Zach Neto, Mike Trout, Jorge Soler, Taylor Ward, and Logan O'Hoppe. It's not a bad spot, and if your primary goal isn't power, then I think Schanuel could be a good bet for you. Same goes for Ty France - 1B, MIN (7% rostered), who remains the starting first baseman in Minnesota with a solid 8.4% barrel rate. He has less speed than Schanuel does and similarly modest power, but his batting average will be helpful, and he'll chip in enough in the counting stats to help you in deeper formats. Christian Moore - 2B, LAA: 8% rostered (PROSPECT CALL-UP, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE) The Angels announced on Friday that they would be calling up Christian Moore. Shockingly, Moore is now the FOURTH player from last year's draft class to already make his MLB debut, along with Nick Kurtz, Jac Caglianone, and Cam Smith. Moore struggled to start the season in Double-A, but was playing solid in Triple-A and now has a .279/.374/.422 slash line in 54 games across Double-A and Triple-A with five home runs and eight steals. He also has a 14% swinging strike rate and just a 70% contact rate, so that tells us there will be swing-and-miss issues in the big leagues. Maybe expect a .240 average but with some intriguing power and speed hitting near the bottom of a solid but not great lineup. I get wanting to add him for his upside, but it does feel like more of a deep league target. Ryan Ritter - SS, COL (1% rostered), is another rookie who has stepped into a full-time role with Ezequiel Tovar on the IL with an oblique injury. Ritter was crushing at Triple-A with a .305 average with 16 home runs, 43 RBI, and three steals in 52 games. His contact rate was under 73% in Triple-A, which isn't ideal and makes me think the batting average will be a fair bit lower in the big leagues. I don't think he'll be up for long, but in deeper formats, he could be worth a gamble if you need a MIF. Mike Tauchman - OF, CWS: 6% rostered (OFF THE IL, PLAYING TIME GUARANTEE) Tauchman has been playing every day for the White Sox, batting leadoff and hitting .297/.410/.547 in 18 games since coming off the IL with three home runs, 12 runs scored, and 10 RBI. We've seen Tauchman be a solid deeper league fantasy asset in the past, and his plate discipline metrics are really strong so far this year. He will sit against most lefties, and doesn't play on a really good offense, so that caps some of the counting stats upside. However, in deeper formats, I think Tauchman is worth a look given his solid performance and consistent role. Despite the fact that I think the rule is stupid, Jurickson Profar - OF, ATL (14% rostered) is allowed to play in rehab games even though he was suspended 80 games for breaking league rules. Whatever. It's dumb. But he can return on July 2nd and figures to be the regular left fielder in Atlanta. If you have space to stash him now, that might not be a bad idea in deeper formats. Thairo Estrada- 2B, COL: 6% rostered (OFF THE IL, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Estrada was a big late-round favorite of mine early in the season after he signed with Colorado. I think he hurt his fantasy value by playing through injury last year, but he's a .270 15/15 type of talent who will now be playing in Coors Field. A fractured wrist could impact some of that power, and Estrada is certainly going to be a better bet when Colorado is at home. However, I believe he could be a solid source of batting average and speed while being the likely everyday starter at second base for the Rockies. We've also seen Tyler Freeman - SS/OF, COL (3% rostered) emerge as the regular right fielder for the Rockies since being called up. He has hit .299/.367/.448 in 28 games with five stolen bases. Freeman had a solid enough season last year for Cleveland, and moving to Colorado should help him. Freeman makes a lot of contact, but the hard contact is limited, and his BABIP has been low in years past. Coors Field tends to boost BABIP, so Freeman could emerge as a .260-.270 hitter with some decent speed and multi-position eligibility. Alek Thomas - OF, ARI: 1% rostered (CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) I had Thomas on here a bunch earlier in the season and, admittedly, dropped him in a few formats because his lack of power and speed really limit his fantasy viability. However, we have seen his power tick up a bit lately, with him having two home runs in his last 12 games. I don't think Thomas will become a power hitter, so he's probably more of a target if you need some batting average. Wenceel Pérez - OF, DET (1% rostered), who is hitting .280/.315/.540 in 16 games this season with three home runs, six RBI, and eight runs scored. He also hit .242 with nine home runs and nine steals in 112 games as a rookie last season. He's been playing a lot of right field with Kerry Carpenter shifting to DH and Colt Keith riding the bench a lot, and that could be how Detroit approaches this moving forward. He's likely only going to play four games a week, so it's more of a daily moves play or a stash and hope he takes Keith's place permanently. Waiver Wire Pitchers Jacob Misiorowski - SP, MIL: 45% rostered Much like Anthony, Misiorowski doesn't technically qualify for this list, but he made his MLB debut on Thursday, so I wanted to take the time to discuss him here because, man, that was an impressive showing. He regularly hit triple digits with his fastball and had solid command after his cutter/slider, which he can also use to get ahead. The curveball command was spottier, but it has good break, and then he also ripped off a few 90 mph changeups that got some swings-and-misses to lefties. Epect some inconsistency because he's a rookie with a spotty track record of command, but by all mean,s go out and grab him. Mick Abel - SP, PHI: 39% rostered It turns out, Abel's stay in the rotation is going to be longer than some assumed when he was called back up last week. Aaron Nola's ribcage strain is going to prevent him from even throwing for the next two weeks, and then he'll need to build back up to bullpens before going on a rehab assignment. That means Abel may have another month before his spot in the rotation is in jeopardy. I'm not sure his ceiling is exceptionally high right now, but he has a deep pitch mix and seems comfortable attacking the strike zone, so I don't see him putting up too many stinkers for you either. Shane Smith - SP, CWS: 34% rostered It's rare you see a pitcher with a 2.37 ERA and 23% strikeout rate across 68.1 innings be rostered in so few leagues. But I guess that's what happens when you're on the White Sox. Smith has slowed a little bit of late, with two poor starts against the Mets and Mariners, but bounced back this week against the Tigers a bit. He has gone six innings only three times this season and has only two wins, so that can make him tough to start, but the ratios and strikeouts have been pretty good these past 6 weeks. Also, just some respect for Smith's teammate Adrian Houser - SP, CWS (18% rostered), who has a 2.15 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts in 29.1 innings for the White Sox this season. It's still Houser, and he pitches for the second-worst team in baseball, so there's not tons of upside here, but he's been really good so far and he'll likely be traded at the deadline, so maybe he ends up somewhere he can be more useful. Shelby Miller - RP, ARI: 34% rostered Justin Martinez is out for the season as he deals with a UCL injury, and AJ Puk just suffered a setback in his rehab, so Shelby Miller is going to be the primary closer in Arizona for a while. With Corbin Burnes also out for the season, there's a chance that the Diamondbacks actually sell at the deadline, which means it's unlikely they bring in competition for Miller. The question is whether or not Miller himself gets dealt. It also seems like Calvin Faucher - RP, MIA (9% rostered) has taken the closer role in Miami again. I'm not sure how many saves you're going to get out of this, and Miami can't seem to settle on one guy, but if you're hurting for saves, Faucher could be a solid option. Quinn Priester - SP, MIL: 26% rostered Priester has been on a tremendous run of late, pitching to a 2.54 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. He's still more of a match-up play than anything, but I thought he was worth highlighting here. Edward Cabrera - SP, MIA: 21% rostered Cabrera looked so good early in his start against Washington on Friday, but then he got stepped on while covering first base and was clearly laboring. He allowed a home run immediately after the injury and was then removed from the game. Provided his injury isn't anything major, I remain very interested here. The right-hander has long tantalized with his upside and disappointed with his command, but he is making some pitch mix changes that caught my attention. I dug into him for my starting pitcher news column last week, so I'd encourage you to check that out for a more detailed breakdown. Robert Garcia - RP, TEX: 19% rostered Garcia is now the closer in Texas. I think. I have no idea. He has four saves in the last month and has had the last few save chances for Texas, but his ratios have been really problematic. Now, some of that is connected to a 'blown' a save against the Rays last weekend, which was one of the unluckiest blown saves I've seen with TWO runners scoring on THE SAME infield single. Two of the three hits Garcia gave up in that inning were infield singles. It feels like a fluky poor performance. However, Chris Martin - RP, TEX (21% rostered) is also returning from the IL and could get back into the closer conversation as well, but nobody has seemed to want Martin to close during his career, and you have to wonder whether or not that has something to do with his preference. Michael Kopech - RP, LAD: 14% rostered Kopech has come off the IL and pitched the ninth for the Dodgers and then also walked three batters in one inning in the seventh. We have no idea what his role is going to be, but Los Angeles seems likely to have a right-handed complement to Tanner Scott, and maybe that's Kopech. However, Alex Vesia - RP, LAD (19% rostered) also picked up a save this week and while that was mainly due to matchups, he's been good this year and maybe can help you with your ratios while getting a handful of saves. David Festa - SP, MIN: 7% rostered With Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews both hurt, David Festa is locked into a rotation spot in Minnesota. Perhaps more importantly, he was also allowed to pitch six innings in his last start, and it seems like Rocco Baldelli may loosen the leash on him a bit. There remain some command concerns, but Festa has upside if you're swinging for the fences. Hunter Dobbins - SP, BOS: 4% rostered Dobbins was featured in an article I wrote this week that highlighted starting pitcher targets for the second half of the fantasy baseball season. Check that out for the details on why I like Dobbins, but you maybe also saw that for yourself last night. Grant Taylor - SP/RP, CWS: 3% rostered The White Sox flame-throwing prospect is up and pitching out of the bullpen for now. Taylor has legit electric stuff, and I think he could be closing for the White Sox in short order. STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order) Week of 6/16 Strong Preference Fairly Confident Some Hesitation If I'm Desperate
