Rotoworld’s brand-new Pickups of the Day column is designed to help fantasy managers uncover a handful of widely-available targets over the course of the season. It could be a breakout candidate, a prospect stash, an injury replacement, a pitcher with a favorable matchup or week, a player who is due some better luck, or any other number of scenarios. If there’s value to be found on the waiver wire, we will find it and bring it your way. Today’s edition features a top prospect finally emerging as an offensive force in New York and a rotation mainstay returning this weekend for the Phillies.
Francisco Álvarez, C, Mets
Available in 85 percent of Yahoo leagues
With defensive wizard Tomás Nido landing on the injured list earlier this week due to a vision-related issue, Álvarez will handle the bulk of the catching duties for the Mets for at least the next few days. It typically takes young catchers much longer to get acclimated to life in the majors, thanks to all of the additional responsibilities that come with handling a pitching staff, but the 21-year-old elite prospect has started to show some real signs of life at the dish, batting .320 (8-for-25) with two homers and four RBI across nine games since May 1. He’s rostered in less than a quarter of Yahoo fantasy leagues at the moment, and is in a prime position to contribute for fantasy managers, thanks to an uptick in playing time.
Ranger Suárez, SP, Phillies
Available in 82 percent of Yahoo leagues
It’s certainly not an ideal spot for his season debut, but Suárez will make his return to the Phillies’ starting rotation on Saturday evening against the Rockies at Coors Field. The 27-year-old left-hander has been a mainstay in the Phillies’ pitching mix over the last two seasons, recording a solid 2.72 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 236/91 K/BB ratio across 261 1/3 innings (68 appearances, 41 starts) since the start of the 2021 campaign. Simply put, Suarez’s extensive track record makes him a reliable back-end rotation stabilizer for fantasy managers moving forward. He’s lined up to face the Cubs in his second outing, which is a much more favorable matchup than he’ll face this weekend in his season debut.
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