FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
Chandler Simpson (OF Rays): Rostered in 31% of Yahoo leagues
Simpson earned a surprisingly quick recall to the majors this week after hitting .366/.416/.465 with 11 steals in 16 games for Triple-A Durham and has started all three games since his return. The Rays seem committed to giving him a lengthier look this time, and he’ll probably be the league’s leading basestealer while playing regularly.
There’s nothing really unknown about Simpson at this point. He’s one of professional baseball’s fastest players, and he makes a great deal of contact at the plate. Although he’s a little stronger physically than some would suspect, he offers no in-game power, with his one professional homer being an inside-the-parker. Even doubles are something of a rarity for him. A middle infielder in college, he still has issues defensively in the outfield, which was the biggest reason the Rays sent him down at the end of May.
For Simpson to be a viable major league regular, he simply has to become an above average defensive center fielder. It’s quite possible he’ll get there, and it looks like the Rays are going to leave him alone in that spot now after using him in left field about half of the time during his first stint in the majors. They might eventually decide again that they need more defense in that spot, but for now, Simpson’s steals and batting average should make him a top-40 fantasy outfielder.
Noelvi Marte (3B Reds): Rostered in 22% of Yahoo leagues
With three homers, 17 RBI and four steals, Marte was very helpful in fantasy leagues over 19 games before suffering an oblique strain in early May. He’s nearly ready to return now after going 5-for-18 with a homer in his first five games on a rehab assignment.
Marte was a big question mark coming into this season and failed to make the Reds out of spring training. Once considered one of the game’s top 20 or so prospects, he was busted for PEDs in 2024 and struggled mightily after returning from suspension, hitting just .210/.248/.301 in 66 games. He proceeded to get off to a great start with Louisville, and after barely playing in his first callup to Cincinnati, he received a real chance due to Christian Encarnacion-Strand landing on the IL and started tearing it up immediately. His biggest game was kind of a fluke; he had a grand slam and a two-run double while facing Orioles position players on Apr. 20. Still, even taking that out of the equation, he hit .280 with two homers and 10 RBI over his remaining 13 games before getting hurt.
The Reds kicked Jeimer Candelario to the curb and haven’t gotten much of anything from Santiago Espinal, so third base should belong to Marte once he’s activated. He probably won’t match his early pace, but between his ability to steal bases and him getting to play half of his games in a great park for hitters, he should offer lasting value.
Austin Hays (OF Reds): Rostered in 18% of Yahoo leagues
Let’s stay with Cincinnati here and try someone already back from the injured list. Hays was activated Friday after missing four weeks with a foot contusion and is expected to go right back into the middle of the lineup while splitting time between outfield and DH.
Although he’s already experienced three IL stints, Hays has been a nice surprise while healthy this year, batting .303/.346/.555 with six homers in 130 plate appearances. He’s driven in 25 runs and scored 23 times in 31 games. No one should expect quite that same level of production going forward -- his current 139 OPS+ is far better than his career mark of 106 -- but hitting in Cincinnati is a great help, especially for a right-handed batter who had to deal with the Camden Yards modifications while playing for the Orioles. Pulling the ball is much better rewarded in Great American Ballpark, and after posting a career-high pull rate last year, Hays has gone even a tad higher in his limited action this season.
The Reds are still figuring out the second spot in their lineup (Matt McLain is back there now), but they’ve gotten excellent production from TJ Friedl leading off and Elly De La Cruz batting third, leaving a whole bunch of RBI opportunities for their cleanup man. That’s been Hays’ spot 28 of the 29 times he’s been in the starting lineup. If he gets moved down at some point, maybe he’ll no longer be worth rostering. For now, though, he looks like an asset.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
- I’m not going to feature Ben Casparius again after just writing about him a couple of weeks ago, but it seems like people stopped picking him up because he’s working as a bulk guy instead of a starter for the Dodgers. In truth, though, he’s more valuable as a bulk guy than he would be as a starter, just because his chances of a victory go way up. He’s 2-for-2 winning games while pitching behind Shohei Ohtani these last two weeks. Four times this year, he’s entered a game in the second inning, and all four times, he’s gotten a win.
- The Tigers’ Parker Meadows is still mostly unrostered and has been dropped by some who did pick him up because of his slow start after coming off the IL. That slow start, though, includes exit velocity numbers and a strikeout rate a little better than his career norm. Statcast says he should be batting .251 and slugging .430, rather than his actual figures of .191 and .338. He remains an intriguing outfield option going forward.
