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
Dylan Beavers (BAL) – OF (Yahoo – 2%)
Beavers’ .716 OPS doesn’t jump off the page, but he has been productive lately, with three home runs and two multi-hit performances over the past week. One of those home runs was a pretty nice oppo shot off Yankee reliever Fernando Cruz. He’s got pop. I must admit, he has lost some at-bats to left-handers, including McClanahan last Saturday. However, Tyler O’Neill’s injury could open the door for more at-bats. Beavers’ PLV metrics (114 Process) are very encouraging, too. Best of all, the Orioles have a juicy schedule forthcoming with three in Sacré Verde and three in Colorado. He might not be a standard league guy quite yet, but if you’re in a deeper five-OF league, now might be the time to leave it to Beaver(s). I’m sorry, I had to.
Andrew Painter (PHI) – SP (Yahoo – 18%)
You have to give Painter credit; he has gotten his bell rung a bunch this year, got demoted, and returned looking like a man on a mission. His previous start against the Cards last Saturday checked every box. As Nick noted in the Roundup, his fastball returned a plvStuff+ grade of 120 for the second consecutive outing, and it propelled him toward a career-high 20 whiffs. Simply put, he looks like the guy scouts imagined when he was unanimously considered the best pitching prospect in the minors before going under the knife. And, yeah, he gets a dream matchup next against the Angels in Anaheim.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Randy Vásquez was pretty efficient against the Pirates yesterday; he needed 68 pitches to get 15 outs. But the juice isn’t worth the squeeze (4 whiffs on 32 swings).
Grayson Rodriguez fell one out short of a QS against the Guardians. I wish I could say there was a sliver of a chance he could be a post-hype guy, but there’s nothing to see here; he recorded just four whiffs on 42 swings.
Randy Dobnak started against the Jays in Toronto. He’s just a Hail Mary QS play on the off chance all the groundballs find gloves.
Fairbanks might miss some time with a recurring nerve issue in his throwing hand, opening the door for Calvin Faucher, who has secured 14 holds this season and converted 15 of 20 save opportunities last year. He’s not a world-beater, of course, but as Rick Graham discussed yesterday, he has been increasingly effective after tabling his cutter usage.
The Giants pushed Landen Roupp’s next start back a day. He’s struggled mightily over his last five appearances, but I still think he is at the very least worth streaming against the D’Backs on the off chance he recovers his first-half form (15.1% K-BB%).
Joey Cantillo pitched well in Anaheim, holding the Angels to two earned runs over six innings; however, he didn’t earn his 10th win. He’s 38th on The List and should be rostered in most leagues.
Tristan Peters received yesterday’s spotlight. The 26-year-old rookie leads baseball with a 1.508 OPS over the past seven days. I’m not usually interested in guys who are hitting eighth, and I wish his PLV metrics (101 Process) were a little more convincing, but I understand the obligation to chase results.
I had hoped that MacKenzie Gore could take that next step this year, but I’ll admit after last night’s clunker against the White Sox he has worn my patience thin. Still, I think it’s best to keep him. He just posted a Gallows Pole last Friday and gets a great matchup early next week at home against the A’s.
Dustin May had some rotten luck last night in Queens and had to leave after one pitch thanks to a nasty comebacker. Hopefully he’s alright. But in the meantime, he’s a pretty clear hold, despite his previous nightmare outing in Seattle.
Category Specific Players to Add
Nick Sogard (BOS) – 1B, 2B, 3B (Yahoo – 27%)
Boston’s 28-year-old switch hitter has had a pretty solid season so far, hitting .275 with a 126 wRC+ across 164 PAs. He doesn’t offer power or speed, but his 17.5% K rate and 15.6% BB rate as the leadoff man make him a good source of runs down the stretch.
Speculative Adds
Elvis Alvarado (A’s) – RP (Yahoo – 3%)
Alvarado secured his fifth save last night against the Twins. His pitch quality metrics are sketchy (4.88 PLV), but as Rick Graham mentioned in yesterday’s RP Roundup, he could be the 1A option in this pen. SAGNOF, right?
Héctor Rodríguez (CIN) – OF (Yahoo – 3%)
Terry Francona had Rodríguez lead off to spark Cinci’s lineup. And, well, it worked. The 22-year-old went yard twice and banged 27 more earlier this year with Triple-A Louisville. He has posted a .711 OPS since being recalled on August 4th.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Sean Manaea (NYM) – SP (Yahoo – 30%) vs. MIL
I wish the matchup were better; the Brewers are fifth in runs scored. Still, Manaea has flashed a good ceiling lately with a slight uptick in velocity. Let’s hope it sticks.
Tomorrow:
David Peterson (CHC) – SP, RP (Yahoo – 19%) vs. CIN
Yes, I’m ignoring Peterson’s 5.17 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in favor of his recent form; he looked brilliant against the Mariners last Saturday, recording eight strikeouts (17 whiffs / 45 swings). And a home matchup against the Reds is too good to pass up.
Deep League Players to Watch
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (BAL) – 1B/3B (Yahoo – 6%)
I don’t doubt that CES will get exposed at some point by his near-50% chase rate. But at the same time, he deserves to be on the radar. He went 4-for-5 yesterday and swatted his seventh dinger on Tuesday.
Sal Frelick (MIL) – OF (Yahoo – 6%)
Frelick returned yesterday and went 3-for-4 from the leadoff spot against Mets right-hander Robert Stock. He’s back on the radar, especially in daily leagues.
Mickey Gasper (BOS) – C (Yahoo – 11%)
The 30-year-old switch hitter has gone yard five times since being recalled from Triple-A Worcester on August 17th. I want to say he is probably not this good, but his PLV metrics are great (121 Process).
