Welcome to Pickup of the Day, where every weekday we'll pick an under-the-radar player whose immediate value is on the rise. The idea here is to identify a starter who can give you some solid innings off the scrap heap, a talented backup who's been given a chance because of a starter's injury, an unheralded regular with a favorable matchup, or a potential breakout player who's starting to put it together. Unlike regular waiver-wire advice, Pickup of the Day is geared more towards interim success, but hopefully we'll have the intuition to help you snag a waiver-wire gem a few times this season.
With a postseason berth no longer appearing to be realistic, the Red Sox have pledged to go with a youth movement for the remainder of the season. One of the big moves they made was designating A.J. Pierzynski for assignment and calling up top catching prospect Christian Vazquez. While the 23-year-old backstop is known more for his defense, he was hitting a solid .279/.336/.385 at Triple-A this season and has five hits – including three doubles – while driving in five over his first 12 plate appearances with the big club. Vazquez is worth a look in two-catcher, deeper leagues.