As the midway point in the season is somehow quickly approaching already, the FAAB budget for most teams has likely had a large chunk taken out of it by now. So if you’re wondering how to use the resources you still have left of that budget, you’ve come to the right place. In most seasons, the most impactful pickups the rest of the way at this point often come in the next six weeks before August hits. With that in mind, let’s look and see who you should be targeting for the upcoming week.
Unfortunately, the injuries in the outfield have continued this week, with Ronald Acuña Jr. and O’Neil Cruz landing on the injured list. Both are likely to miss extended time just like Aaron Judge, and an already thin position for fantasy baseball is now considerably worse. On a positive note, though, the promotions of Braden Montgomery and Cole Carrigg provide an opportunity for relief at the position, and those options are covered below.
With that, let’s go ahead and check out the FAAB recommendations for this week.
Throughout the season, this column is designed to help you decide who to target on the waiver wire, as well as how to prioritize who to add. The focus will mainly be on relevant players who are also widely available in all leagues, and will often include players I’ve spent my own FAAB dollars on. Every league is different, so players will not be given an exact dollar amount; instead, I will use a four-tier investment rating system, ranging from a minimal spend to a potential difference-maker.
Investment Rating System
Just like last week, only two teams have a seven-game schedule this upcoming week: the Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels. Wade Meckler is the one hitter mentioned this week with a full slate of games. The rest of the teams have a six-game schedule in the week ahead.
SEVEN GAMES: ATH, LAA
Batters
Outfielders
Cole Carrigg ($$$): In his debut for the Colorado Rockies, Carrigg got his big league career off to a nice start by recording a triple and a walk in his first game. It showcased a lot of the skills he’s exhibited in the minor leagues, utilizing both his good plate discipline and speed. It’s an interesting skill set, especially when you consider that his home ballpark is Coors Field. That should give him a great opportunity to hit for average and to frequently hit triples just like he did in his first game. It remains to be seen how much over-the-fence power he will have, but his minor league stats show someone who could hit around 15 home runs over a full season. Combined with the rest of his skillset, if he can do that, he’s going to be a useful player for your teams at a weak position.
Wade Meckler ($): You can treat Meckler like a very cheap streamer pick for the upcoming week. I’m not sure yet how much to buy what he’s doing, but so far I like seeing a player already have two home runs and two steals while taking a lot of walks as well in only 18 games, as Meckler has. With four games on the schedule to face the Athletics in Sacramento, it’s a great time to give Meckler a shot and see where it goes. This is a good opportunity to use Meckler if you need outfield help and miss out on Carrigg and Montgomery.
Braden Montgomery ($$$): So far in the first few games of his career, Braden Montgomery has shown more upside than anyone else covered in my article this week. You really couldn’t start a career any better when you consider the fact that he hit a walk-off home run in his first MLB game for the Chicago White Sox. He’s also chipped in two doubles, even though he’s only played in two games. The poor plate discipline is likely something that will catch up to him at some point, and it will be on him to adjust. The raw tools for Montgomery are obvious, though, and he did have a nice walk rate at Triple-A above 13%. He doesn’t actually chase that much, with the biggest concern being his swinging strike rate, which was around 15% in the minors this year. He hits the ball plenty hard, so it really will just come down to how much he’s able to make contact.
Infielders
Tyler Callihan ($): Callihan had quite the coming-out party on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting two home runs, including one off of Shohei Ohtani. It’s the type of performance that would catch anyone’s attention. It could just be a hot streak out of nowhere that doesn’t actually lead to anything. What he’s done in eight games is interesting and worth paying attention to. What impresses me is that he has a 6:2 BB:K ratio so far, with a stolen base, and also an ability to play all over the field. He’s already seen time at second base, third base, and the outfield as well. Treat him like a speculative add, but it’s also a good time to take a chance on starting him with all his games this week, coming in Colorado and Sacramento.
Kody Clemens ($$$): While the platoon risk is still very much present for Kody Clemens, he’s actually the player I’ve been most intrigued by this week. At the very least, he’s worth using any time he’s in the lineup, and if he lines up to face all righties in a given week, it would be a great time to start him. He hits the ball hard and is also a versatile player like Callihan, with eligibility at first base, second base, and the outfield. He needs to be rostered in any daily leagues where he’s still available, and he likely is, considering he’s only rostered in 18% of Yahoo leagues. He also started on Saturday against a lefty, so he could possibly be hitting himself out of a platoon and be an everyday player going forward.
Spencer Horwitz ($$): Just like his teammate Callihan on the Pittsburgh Pirates, Horwitz will also benefit from that same favorable upcoming schedule next week. The underlying metrics show someone with pretty mediocre exit velocities, but he has great plate discipline and is especially valuable in points leagues for that reason. He has more walks than strikeouts this season, and has managed to hit nine home runs so far this season as well. That puts him on pace to hit 21 home runs, with his career high being the 12 that he hit in 2024. Five of those home runs have also come over the past three weeks, so he may even be finding a way to get to his power more consistently now.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Javier Assad ($$): Assad was quite impressive on Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals, where he was pressed into duty after an injury to Jameson Taillon forced him to exit his start after only one inning. He responded with his best outing of the season, covering 6.1 innings and only allowing one hit and one walk while striking out five. It earned him a start on Friday against the San Francisco Giants and dominated them in a similar fashion again. He threw six shutout innings with five strikeouts and earned the win, only allowing three hits and one walk. He lines up to face the Colorado Rockies next week in Chicago, which provides a great streaming opportunity for your teams.
Reid Detmers ($$$): After another dominating performance on Wednesday against the Houston Astros, it’s about time that we talk about Reid Detmers. He’s been especially impressive in his last four starts, where he’s struck out 36 in only 26 innings, with a 1.73 ERA and 0.54 WHIP. That does conveniently leave out the previous start, where he gave up eight runs, but one of those four good starts also came against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also happens to line up for two starts next week, where he will face the Arizona Diamondbacks and Athletics, both on the road. At the very least, it’s worth riding this out as long as it lasts, so I wouldn’t be too afraid to start him in Sacramento either.
Dustin May ($$): Dustin May has quietly been on a nice roll, and continued that on Tuesday against the New York Mets. In that start, May threw six shutout innings with six strikeouts, only allowing four hits and a walk. Over his last seven starts, which is a span of 42 innings, May now has 44 strikeouts, a 3.43 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. That does come with a 1-4 record, but he’s showing himself to be a stable volume arm with over a strikeout per inning, and that kind of production can’t go unnoticed. He’s only rostered in 32% of Yahoo leagues, and that number should be a lot higher. He lines up to face a San Diego Padres lineup that’s been pretty bad this year, so get him in your lineups if you need pitching help.
Hagen Smith ($$): While it appears Hagen Smith may not be promoted after all by the Chicago White Sox, thanks in large part to their game on Thursday being postponed. If he is going to get the call, it’s likely to come next week and not on Saturday like it was initially reported. While the track record in the minors has not been great for Smith, it seems like he may have turned a corner in the last couple of starts. He’s always had a high walk rate, but also has a really high strikeout rate. It’s a high-risk, high-reward type of play, but I’d suggest adding him just in case he hits. The White Sox have promoted their prospects aggressively this season, so Smith is still likely to debut sooner rather than later.
