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.
Ryan Goins has always been known for his glove, not his bat. However, he’s been trying to keep up with the powerful bats of his teammates of late, as the 27-year-old sports a robust .315/.444/.479 batting line with three homers since the beginning of August. He smacked a walk-off, two-run homer for the Jays on Tuesday. Obviously the career .229/.275/.328 hitter is unlikely to keep this up over the long haul, but he’s been a top-10 fantasy hitter over the last week, making him worthy of a middle infield spot while he’s wielding a hot stick.
