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 the emergence of talented pitching prospect in Los Angeles, the highly-anticipated arrival of a potential franchise cornerstone for Pittsburgh.
Emmet Sheehan, SP, Dodgers
Available in 73 percent of Yahoo leagues
Sheehan authored an extremely impressive debut on Friday evening, twirling six hitless frames with three strikeouts and a pair of walks against the division-rival Giants. He generated only four swinging strikes in his first outing in the majors, but allowed just five batted balls with an exit velocity over 95 mph, which certainly bodes well for his ability to avoid hard contact moving forward. The 23-year-old top pitching prospect got the call to the majors in the wake of several injuries to Los Angeles’ starting rotation after compiling a microscopic 1.86 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 88/23 K/BB ratio over 53 1/3 innings in (12 appearances, 10 starts) for Double-A Tulsa. He’s lined up to face the Astros on Friday in a home outing at Dodger Stadium and is worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats. There might be some rough outings as he acclimates to life in the majors, but with Noah Syndergaard, Gavin Stone, and Michael Grove no longer in the picture due to ineffectiveness, Sheehan has a real opportunity to stick in the Dodgers’ rotation moving forward.
Henry Davis, C, Pirates
Available in 92 percent of Yahoo leagues
Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed following Sunday’s loss to the Brewers that top prospect Henry Davis will be called up for Monday’s series opener against the Cubs at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The 23-year-old catcher was the first-overall selection in the 2021 MLB Draft and received the call to the majors after just 10 games at the Triple-A level. He’s batted a robust .284/.433/.541 with 11 homers and nine stolen bases across 232 plate appearances this season between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats, especially given the lack of quality options at the catcher position.
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