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.
Ben Revere is considered day-to-day after leaving Monday’s opener with a rib cage issue. Nationals manager Dusty Baker said that it’s not serious, but we have seen these sort of injuries linger. Taylor replaced Revere on Monday and would be the beneficiary if he ends up missing extended time. The 25-year-old batted just .229 with a .282 on-base percentage last season, but he amassed 14 home runs and 16 stolen bases. That kind of power-speed ability can come in handy in most fantasy formats. Even if Revere ends up being fine, there are still avenues for playing time for Taylor. Jayson Werth hasn’t exactly been the model of health over the past couple of seasons and he’s coming off a .685 OPS last year. Baker loves his veterans, but we probably shouldn’t assume that his job is safe.
