Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, our weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire guide. We’ll be doing things a little differently this season, with Eric Samulski publishing the initial waiver-wire article on Friday afternoon. Then James Schiano updates it every Sunday to make sure you get the most up-to-date information.
The premise of the article is pretty straightforward. We’ll give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When we list a player, we’ll list the category where we think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. We hope this helps you determine whether the player fits your team’s needs. Not every “trending” player will be a good addition to your specific roster.
To qualify for this list, a player needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. We understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and we 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.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters
Luis Robert - OF, NYM (37% rostered)
(HEALTHY - FOR NOW, HOT STREAK)
I get it; he’s hurt all the time. The Mets are a disappointment. Yada yada. Robert is also hitting .267/.286/.467 in 14 games in August with three home runs and seven RBI. The stolen bases haven’t been there, and he’s a risk of injury on any play, but he’s been producing this month, so there are worse gambles.
Samuel Basallo - C, BAL (37% rostered)
(OFF THE IL, POWER UPSIDE)
Basallo is off the injured list and is now the primary catcher in Baltimore. Or, even if Carlos Narvaez holds onto that job, Basallo will play every day at 1B/DH. The .239 batting average is not ideal, but 16 home runs and a 13.1% barrel rate over 88 games will help you in power categories.
Josh Bell - 1B, MIN (31% rostered)
(POWER UPSIDE, REGULAR PLAYING TIME)
As we mentioned last week, we’ve done this throughout the season with Bell, but he’s hitting well again. In 16 games in August, he’s hitting .361/.435/.607 with four home runs, 12 runs scored, and 14 RBI. The Twins remain a bit of a feisty offense, so you can roll the dice on Bell for now, but just remember that he’s a streaky hitter and there will likely be a colder stretch on the other end of this. Nathaniel Lowe - 1B, CLE (3% rostered) is also an interesting target. Yes, he left the friendly confines of Great American Ballpark, but he’s starting for the Guardians against all right-handed pitchers. In 14 games in August, he’s hitting .286/.315/.510 with two home runs and 11 RBI. That’s going to play in deeper formats.
Cole Carrigg - OF/SS, COL (24% rostered)
(COORS FIELD, POWER UPSIDE)
The Rockies had been using Carrigg as their starting shortstop because they have three other OFs they want to get into the lineup against righties. However, those opportunities have not been as frequent lately, despite the fact that Carrigg has been fine there defensively so far. His value is in his .281/.364/.467 slash line with five home runs, 35 runs scored, 34 RBI, and seven steals. He has below-average barrel and hard-hit rates, so he’s not tearing the cover off of the ball, but he has good bat speed and is making better-than-league-average zone contact, which is a nice profile in Coors Field. It’s likely just not a budding star.
Griffin Conine - OF, MIA (22% rostered)
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)
Back in July, James recorded on Griffin Conine, and he just keeps hitting. In 31 games since the break, he’s hitting .277/.364/.585 with nine home runs, 15 runs scored, and 19 RBI. He will sit against lefties, so he’s a better option if you’re in a daily moves league or a mid-week lineup change league, but there is plenty of power in his bat to go along with plus bat speed and elite exit velocities.
Abimelec Ortiz - 1B, WAS (20% rostered)
(STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE)
Two weeks ago, we mentioned that it seemed like Abimelec Ortiz 2would get the first crack at the starting first base job after Luis Garcia Jr. was traded to the Yankees. Well, the 24-year-old has five home runs and an .863 OPS in August, which has been solid overall production. Ortiz, who came over in the MacKenzie Gore trade, had a slow month of April, but then hit 17 home runs in 58 games before being promoted. His home runs over that stretch ranked 4th in the International League behind Joshua Baez, Hector Rodriguez, and Matt Wallner. His .308 ISO ranked 2nd, trailing only Baez, and his .893 OPS ranked 22nd. On the season at Triple-A, Ortiz had a 14.8% barrel rate and 45.3% hard-hit rate, with just a 19.5% strikeout rate and 9.7% swinging strike rate, so this is not an empty power profile, and he figures to play against all right-handers in a good lineup.
Cam Smith - OF, HOU (17% rostered)
(PROSPECT PEDIGREE, POTENTIAL HOT STREAK)
Is it possible that Cam Smith is finally turning a corner? James recorded a video this week on that very idea. In 15 games in August, he is hitting .320/.333/.620 with four home runs, 10 runs scored, and 10 RBI. His fly ball rate in the second half is 43%, and, more importantly, his Pull Air rate is 26.3%, which is well up from his 14.4% career mark, so he is continuing to work to lift the ball. Now he just needs to do it consistently.
Cole Young - 2B, SEA (16% rostered)
(HOT STREAK, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
In 31 games in the second half, Young is hitting .258/.315/.400 with four home runs, 15 runs scored, and 13 RBI. Over that stretch, he has been one of the best contact hitters in baseball, with a 96.1% zone contact rate and an 87.6% contact rate overall. That gives him the fifth-best zone contact rate in baseball in that stretch behind only Liam Hicks, Jung Hoo Lee, Steven Kwan and Luis Arraez. Pretty nice company. He might be more of a fit in deeper formats because his main value is batting average, but he is contributing a little bit across the board. Jeff McNeil - 1B/2B/OF, ATH (17% rostered) is another option for batting average with a full week in Sacramento on tap. In 27 games since the All-Star break, McNeil is hitting .364/.387/.523 with three home runs, 12 runs scored, and 17 RBI. There is very little healthy competition behind him in Sacramento right now, so we’ll roll the dice.
Zac Veen - OF, COL (15% rostered)
(RECENT PROSPECT CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE)
Veen was called up last week after putting together a really impressive season at Triple-A. There remain some questions about playing time and his ability to hit breaking balls, but Eric covered it all in a video last week. So far, Veen is 5-for-18 with two home runs, seven RBI, and a 7/1 K/BB ratio in seven games.
Angel Genao - 2B/3B/SS, CLE (13% rostered)
(PROSPECT CALL-UP, SNEAKY POWER/SPEED)
We’ve had Genao on here since he got called up, and James highlighted his potential in a video. In 72 games at Triple-A, Genao hit .309/.395/.494 with 13 home runs, 53 RBI, and 11 steals with a 92% zone contact rate and a 7% swinging strike rate. So far, he has acclimated himself well, going 15-for-45 in 13 games with a home run, seven runs scored, a steal, and a 4/4 K/BB ratio. He plays basically every day and has been hitting fifth or sixth in the Guardians’ lineup, so it’s not a bad profile. Another multi-position player who has settled into an everyday role is Javier Sanoja - 2B/3B/SS/OF, MIA (7% rostered). In 17 games in August, he’s hitting .345/379/.600 with three home runs and 13 RBI, so there has been a surprising amount of production lately.
Rafael Flores Jr. - C/1B, PIT (11% rostered)
(POWER UPSIDE, STARTING JOB)
We can’t say we expected this from Flores Jr. The former Yankees prospect came to the Pirates last season in the David Bednar trade. At the time, he had played just 10 games in Triple-A, and it was unclear what he might amount to in a system that hasn’t produced a lot of great catching prospects in recent years (not including Ben Rice, who is no longer a catcher). Flores then hit just .228 with four home runs and 38 RBI in 65 games at Triple-A this season, and it seemed like another not-really prospect. Yet, since Endy Rodriguez went on the IL, Flores has been playing most games and has gone 15-for-48 with six home runs, 12 RBI, and a 15/8 K/BB ratio in 19 games. He has good bat speed and a 52% hard-hit rate and is for sure worth an add in all two-catcher formats.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B/3B, BAL (10% rostered)
(POWER UPSIDE, POTENTIAL STARTING JOB)
Is CES getting a shot to start? Despite not being listed on Fangraphs as a starter in Baltimore, he has started five of the last six games, including two of the last three against righties. Now, Basallo’s return from the IL could change some of that, but CES has gone 9-for-34 over his last eight starts with seven home runs and 10 RBI, so perhaps the power will earn him a bigger piece of the pie.
Henry Bolte - OF, ATH (8% rostered)
(FAVORABLE SCHEDULE, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)
When Bolte was called up earlier in the summer, the narrative was that he had finally started to lift the ball a little more and had improved the swing-and-miss issues, which gave him a lower fantasy floor. However, in his first few MLB weeks, he was stealing a lot of bases and hitting a lot of groundballs and not doing much else. Now, in 18 games in August, he’s hitting .329/.364/.493 with three home runs, 13 runs scored, eight RBI, and two steals. He’s still only hitting 19% fly balls this month, but the ones he is hitting are often pulled and can leave the yard. With a full week in Sacramento on tap, he’s worth an add.
Cooper Pratt - SS, MIL (8% rostered)
(OFF THE IL, SPEED UPSIDE)
Cooper Pratt is off the injured list and has started three of the four games since he’s been back. Before getting hurt, he was an on-base machine and was stealing tons of bases whenever he got on. It remains to be seen if the injury will prevent that kind of running, but he’s worth adding while we figure it out. Also, Joey Ortiz - SS/3B, MIL (4% rostered) has started each of the four games since Pratt has returned and may be back in a full-time role. We had Ortiz on her a few weeks ago when he had changed his swing, but then his playing time became inconsistent. Now, in 11 games in August, he’s hitting .351/.395/.591 with two home runs, 10 RBI, and one steal. They need to keep playing him while he’s hitting.
Jared Young - 1B, NYM (7% rostered)
(REGULAR PLAYING TIME)
Young has been a steady producer as the Mets’ primary first baseman this season with eight home runs, three stolen bases, and a .784 OPS through 79 games. He’s started against four of the last seven lefties they’ve faced too, making him intriguing in deeper leagues.
Jordan Lawlar - 3B/OF, ARI (6% rostered)
(OFF THE IL, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)
Lawlar is back and has started all four games in centerfield. The 24-year-old has battled multiple injuries this season and was hitting just .250 in 15 games, but Friday night showed you why he was one of baseball’s top prospects over the last few seasons. If he is getting everyday at-bats, he’s worth a gamble.
Kaelen Culpepper - SS, MIN (6% rostered)
(PROSPECT PROMOTION, POWER/SPEED COMBO)
James recorded this video ahead of Culpepper’s debut about how his skills could translate to the big leagues. He is the Twins’ second-ranked prospect and the 29th-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. He had a .271 average with 14 home runs, 46 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 74 games for Triple-A St. Paul this season, and has started to earn every day playing time in Minnesota, going 11-for-35 in 10 games with one home run, four runs scored, and two RBI. An 11/2 K/BB ratio isn’t ideal, but it’s early days.
Pedro Ramirez - 2B/3B, CHC (3% rostered)
(POTENTIAL STARTING JOB, PROSPECT PEDIGREE)
With Dansby Swanson out for the regular season, Nico Hoerner has moved to shortstop, and Ramirez has become the regular second baseman for the Cubs. While the immediate results haven’t been great, Ramirez has hit .285/.344/.416 in 152 plate appearances for the Cubs this season with two home runs, 20 runs scored, 15 RBI, and seven steals. That’s production that’s going to play in all league types.
Seaver King - SS, WSN (1% rostered)
(STASH, POWER/SPEED COMBO)
A prospect with stash potential, King has 18 home runs, 13 stolen bases, and a 153 wRC+ in 85 games split between Double-A and Triple-A this season. He may get an opportunity for some big-league shortstop reps, given the recent news that CJ Abrams is shifting to second base. You don’t NEED to get ahead of this and stash King, but we’d add him immediately if news came that he was getting a shot
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers
Tyler Mahle - SP, ATL (39% rostered)
No, we don’t want to start Mahle against the Dodgers, but he has been really good since joining the Braves. He’s sitting 93 mph with his four-seamer and locating it up in the zone with splitters and sliders under the zone. It’s working, and he has good team context behind him.
Jacob Webb - RP, CHC (33% rostered)
There was so much speculation about who would close in Chicago after the trade deadline, but it remained Webb. He has four of the Cubs’ six saves in the month and, on the year, Webb has a 2.25 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 27.2% strikeout rate with nine saves in 56 innings. He will remain the closer until Daniel Palencia (shoulder) comes back, but Palencia’s health is no sure thing, and he’s not pitching well in Triple-A right now. You gotta keep rolling with Webb.
Kodai Senga - SP/RP, NYM (27% rostered)
With Devin Williams landing on the IL, it seems that Kodai Senga will get a shot to be the closer in New York. Eric covered the potential upside of that in a video last week. Since then, Senga has cemented himself as the clear closer for the Mets, and he looks good doing it.
Jackson Jobe - SP, DET (24% rostered)
The Tigers freed up two spots in their starting rotation after trading away Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. Jobe then took one of those spots and has been fine so far, but the main issues from last year still remain. Jobe has high-end velocity, and his four-seamer performs well at the top of the zone to righties, but he simply can’t miss bats on the whole. The slider and changeup flash the ability at times, but he doesn’t seem to like to throw his slider in two-strike counts. It’s all a bit of a puzzle. The pieces are there, and he has the job, so we understand taking a chance, but this could be the same frustration from last year.
Jacob Lopez - SP, ATH (24% rostered)
This just keeps happening, and we’re having flashbacks of that insane 11-13 start stretch of tremendous production last year that Lopez we on last year. In six starts since rejoining the rotation, he has a 2.48 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 28.4% strikeout rate in 32.2 innings. We know Sacramento is scary, but we also know that finding good pitchers in deeper formats is incredibly challenging.
Joe Musgrove - SP, SD (24% rostered)
Musgrove may be returning from the IL this weekend. He said that he feels better than he has in two years, and his fastball velocity is up over 95 mph in his rehab outings. We’d prefer to add him and keep him on our bench for the first start, but he’s worth a spec add at this point.
Kade Anderson - SP, SEA (22% rostered)
Kade Anderson was finally called up. The left-hander will make his debut on Saturday against the Cubs, and Eric covered what to expect in a video this week.
Ben Joyce - RP, LAA (20% rostered)
Joyce was activated off the injured list two weeks ago and has promptly taken over the closer’s role. He’s hitting 103 mph on the radar gun and with Sammy Natera Jr. landing on the IL, it’s just Joyce for saves now.
Mason Montgomery - RP, PIT (16% rostered)
We thought Luke Weaver would walk into Pittsburgh and just take the closer’s role. It hasn’t happened. Granted, the Pirates only have four saves in August, but Montgomery has three of them, and Weaver doesn’t have one. Montgomery always had elite swing-and-miss ability, so if he’s now the main guy at the back of the bullpen, he needs to be added.
Andrew Painter - SP, PHI (12% rostered)
Andrew Painter is reinventing himself. We now have a few starts where he has leaned on his new changeup (was previously a splitter) more than any other pitch. We also have a recent start where he changed his grip on his four-seamer and got more velocity and vertical movement than he ever had. 18 inches of iVB at 97 mph is something we can easily get behind.
Dean Kremer - SP, MIN (11% rostered)
The Twins are a good pitching organization. We shouldn’t forget that. In three starts with the Twins, Kremer has a 3.12 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and 15/5 K/BB ratio in 17.1 innings. He’s commanding his splitter and cutter well and would have had another great start last time out until Alec Bohm lifted a splitter out of the stadium. Kremer remains a decent deep league option.
Yusei Kikuchi - SP, LAA (8% rostered)
Kikuchi is set to return off the injured list this week. He wasn’t good before getting hurt, and we wouldn’t rush to add him, but you should know that he’s back in case he pitches well this weekend.
Andrew Alvarez - SP, WAS (7% rostered)
It’s a two-start week against Miami and Colorado at home. Alvarez has not pitched deep into games and has some WHIP risk, but if you wanted to take the gamble, we understand.
George Klassen - SP, LAA (7% rostered)
Eric had Klassen in that same article on players who could see a boost after the trade deadline. There were some big-time command issues with Klassen throughout his minor league career and in his early MLB starts, but in six Triple-A starts in July, he had a 2.48 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 38/11 K/BB ratio in 36.1 innings. We thought he might be figuring it out, but then he walked four guys in four innings in his first start back with the Angels. Yet, last week, he seemed to get back on track, allowing two runs on five hits and walking one over six innings against the Rangers and then threw seven shutout innings against the Astros this week. He sits 97 mph with a strong gyro slider, so this is a profile that can work, but he has been inconsistent in the past and needs a better out pitch to lefties.
Nate Pearson - RP, KC (1% rostered)
It appears we have a new closer in KC. Pearson was a top pitching prospect in Toronto, but injuries prevented him from ever breaking through as a starter. He finally got a chance as a reliever with the Cubs, and he’s been bouncing around a bit, but he seems to have the 9th inning role in Kansas City now. Given his pedigree and potential strikeout upside, he’s worth an add.
Adrian Houser - SP, SF (1% rostered)
Houser was really good for the Giants out of the bullpen and has now allowed one run on 12 hits in 16 innings since re-joining the rotation. He’s not going to strike tons of batters out, but he’s a solid ratio play in deeper leagues in a two-start week.
Will Dion - RP, WSN (1% rostered)
Acquired as part of the package for Foster Griffin, Dion has thrown 12 scoreless innings to begin his Nationals tenure. Stretching out to presumably take over a bulk role, he worked 4 1/3 hitless innings with seven strikeouts last Saturday against the Mets and three scoreless innings yesterday against the Marlins. He’s a smaller lefty with an extreme over-the-top release point that makes his fastball difficult to square up, a la Trey Yesavage. Apart from that, he has a changeup that he leans on against right-handed batters and can mix a cutter and curveball too. He holds some deep league intrigue if he can work up to something near a starter’s workload.
