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.
Chase Headley is expected to miss at least the next couple weeks with a strained calf, which means the Padres need someone to fill in a third base for a while. They will promote prospect Jace Peterson, but it’s utility man Alexi Amarista that’s expected to receive the bulk of the playing time at the hot corner. Amarista is only a career .231/.278/.351 hitters over parts of four major league seasons, but the 25-year-old was a .312/.368/.439 hitter in the minors. He’ll be eligible at multiple positions in your league and can run a bit, so there’s deep league value here.
