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.
Dellin Betances already brought enough production as a setup man to warrant ownership in most standard fantasy leagues, but his value just shot up considerably -- to the very top tier of fantasy relievers. Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced after Wednesday’s loss to the Nationals that closer Andrew Miller is headed to the 15-day disabled list with a flexor mass strain in his left forearm and that Betances would be sliding immediately into the club’s ninth-inning role. Betances, 27, boasts a 0.28 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings this season. He had a 1.40 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 90 innings last season. This might be the best reliever in baseball, and Miller could very well be out for a period much longer than 15 days.
