Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that reviews the best players to add to your rosters. We’ll look at players who are likely available in most leagues, as well as some deep-league options. We’ll also look at the most-added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites and tell you which players to add and which to leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Angel Genao (CLE) – SS (Yahoo – 15%)
Initially, I was unsure of Genao’s role when the Guardians recalled him last Thursday. Welp, so much for that. He has started each of the past five games, including three at second after filling in at third for Ramírez. Yankee rookie George Lombard Jr. (46% rostered) has received far more hype lately, but Genao’s minor league work was not all that far behind; he slashed .300/ .401/ .474 with Triple-A Akron. He has demonstrated his tremendous plate skills by striking out twice across 21 PAs since the promotion. Part of me thinks Genao could eventually work his way up to the leadoff spot. But let’s not get too carried away. The point is, Cleveland has another uber-talented switch-hitter who should be firmly on your radar.
Jackson Holliday (BAL) – 2B, SS (Yahoo – 26%)
Holliday started August with six consecutive hitless games. Not great. But he got back on track with a longball against DeGrom on Saturday and notched another multi-hit game yesterday. Zooming out a little bit further, he has slashed .299/ .400/ .403 over the last 30 days. His post-hype appeal is still alive and well.
Tyler O’Neill (BAL) – OF (Yahoo – 1%)
The season has come full circle. Way back in April, I mentioned that we might want to keep an eye on O’Neill, just in case he showed any semblance of the guy who crushed 31 home runs in 113 games with Boston two years ago. Lo and behold, he has finally come around with home runs in three of his last six games. His most recent yardwork came yesterday against lefty Jordan Montgomery; however, he also started the game manning the cleanup spot against right-hander Kumar Rocker. Ward’s departure at the deadline has opened the DH spot in Baltimore, and O’Neill has taken advantage. Those in deep five-OF leagues might want to jump on his resurgence now. Check out the rolling chart! He’s alive! Boy, we’ve hit the dog days, haven’t we? You bet.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Streamers dominated yesterday’s waiver wire. Cade Povich was unable to replicate the success that landed him on the cover of last Wednesday’s SP Roundup as he needed 61 pitches to collect 12 outs against the Rangers in Arlington. As Nick discussed, there’s a chance he can be a decent SWATCH and become a playable option in 15-teamers, but we will have to see what the Orioles decide to do with their rotation after Chris Bassitt returns from the IL.
Randy Vásquez entered last night’s tilt against the Astros without recording more than two strikeouts since June 13th. That about sums up the Vásquez I remember during his days as a Yankee. There is almost certainly someone more interesting on your wire.
Ryan Gusto replaced Meyer (neck strain) in Miami’s rotation shortly after the ASB. However, he only recorded four innings (60 pitches) in yesterday’s blowout over the Halos. There’s nothing to see here.
Those who hoped Davis Martin could do just enough against the Guardians yesterday were thwarted by Mother Nature. Drats. It’s been a while since Martin has been worth rostering, and his next start against the Tigers in Detroit this Friday doesn’t seem like a worthwhile gamble.
As always, temper your expectations with Bryce Elder, but he gets a potentially useful two-step this week with home dates against the Mets (93 wRC+) and the D’Backs (94 wRC+).
Ian Seymour was brilliant again, holding the Mariners to one earned run over six innings while earning his third consecutive win. He’s 58th on The List, and it’s getting more difficult by the moment for me to imagine letting him linger on any league’s wire. A 19.6% K-BB% while pitching for the best team in the AL? You can’t let that linger on the wire. Fine, maybe in an eight-team league, but still.
Matthew Boyd got the job done yesterday at Kauffman Stadium. His 14.3% K-BB pales to Seymour, but he still holds value on a winning club. He’s one spot behind Seymour on The List.
Jac Caglianone had a perfect 4-for-4 performance with two dingers on Saturday. His swing decisions are often questionable, but does it matter? I don’t think so. His power is here to stay.
I can only imagine the stupefied look on my face back in April if you told me how stunned I would be to see Jake McCarthy’s roster rate at only 64.6%. But that’s where we are. Not only does he have 20 SBs, but his .860 OPS ranks third among qualified OFers. What!?
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Hunter Dobbins (STL) – SP (Yahoo – 2%) vs. PHI
Dobbins shut down the Yankees last Tuesday, and before you say who hasn’t, you should read Nick’s SP Roundup. In short, it was the best version of Dobbins that we have seen, including excellent command and increased movement on basically everything in his arsenal. Maybe it won’t stick, but he’s certainly more interesting than the other options under 10% rostered.
Tomorrow:
Cody Bradford (TEX) – SP (Yahoo – 3%) at LAA
Bradford is a bit risky, considering he has made just one start since returning from TJ, but his fastball returned a pretty enticing 33% whiff rate. Why not give it a spin against an Angels team that strikes out in bunches?
Deep League Players to Watch
Moisés Ballesteros (LAA) – C (Yahoo – 4%)
Once upon a time, Ballesteros looked like he had a chance to be the Cubs’ next big-hitting catcher. It didn’t work out. But he made his ninth start behind the plate Thursday after two starts at DH. With Soler out of the picture, the Angels seem like they are gonna give Mo-Baller all the at-bats he can handle, and I’m very intrigued to see what he can do.
