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.
Reds manager Bryan Price revealed after Monday’s game that Aroldis Chapman wasn’t available to pitch due to a sore left shoulder. Chapman was then spotted in the dugout rather than in the bullpen during Tuesday’s game and again appeared to not be available, though Price wouldn’t confirm it. It doesn’t appear at this point that the shoulder ailment is a major concern, but fantasy owners would be wise to stash Jonathan Broxton just in case. The big right-hander boasts a 1.43 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 35/14 K/BB ratio over 44 innings this season.
