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
Spencer Jones (NYY) – OF (Yahoo – 29%)
Full disclosure, I would think long and hard about selling Jones in dynasty leagues next year. The whiffs aren’t going away (36.6% K rate), and at some point, pitchers will attack him with more spin and offspeed. But that doesn’t matter now. His off-the-charts bat speed has yielded a 15.8% barrel rate, nine home runs, and a .772 OPS. Judge’s return, meanwhile, is the proverbial tide that lifts all boats. The rookie’s upside for the final couple of weeks is too good to pass up.
Ben Joyce (LAA) – RP (Yahoo – 16%)
Joyce surrendered a run in the ninth but got his fourth save yesterday against the Red Sox. His walk rate is a little higher than you’d like (12.8%), but he has dodged serious trouble, having allowed three earned runs across his 11 appearances since returning from the IL (labrum surgery) on August 4th. So far, he has fanned a third of the batters he has faced. And his four-seamer has averaged 101.2 mph. That sounds good to me.
Elvis Alvarado (A’s) – RP (Yahoo – 9%)
Alvarado sealed his sixth save yesterday against the Jays. His four-seamer averages just under 99 mph and has yielded a 32% whiff rate. But his command and control are shaky, to say the least (48.7% hard-hit rate, 11.8% BB rate). But, hey, SAGNOF, right?
Kyle Teel (CWS) – C (Yahoo – 6%)
We were pretty excited about Teel this season (.786 OPS as a rookie last year), but a twice-strained hamstring and a left ankle sprain sent him to the IL. Nonetheless, he returned last Friday (let’s hope for good) and went yard in back-to-back games; one of them left his bat at 112.4 mph. So far, so good. The only downside was that he hit ninth. I know, that’s not what we want. But I think he could work his way up the lineup, which is a pretty good one that should afford him ample RBI opportunities.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Shea Langeliers will begin a rehab assignment today and apparently could return next Tuesday as the DH. The A’s have nothing to play for, so I’m a little skeptical, but if you have an IL spot and a move to burn, he is absolutely worth adding.
Reynaldo López returned last night and had a difficult assignment against Caminero and Co. He could potentially have two starts next week against the Cubs and Astros. No, I’m not excited about that in the least bit, but I suppose he could grab a win if that’s all you care about.
Walker Buehler started yesterday’s series finale against the Nats. We know what to expect from him. Maybe a win, and that’s about it. He could potentially get two starts next week, starting with Coors, followed by a better one in San Diego against the Fish.
I have to give Ryan Johnson some credit; he has pitched a little better lately, but his ceiling is low, and team context does him no favors. Barring some sort of Koufax-induced miracle last night at Fenway Park, I couldn’t imagine hanging onto him for next week.
Davis Martin has struggled for a while, but he’s at least a decent innings-eater. He faced the Pirates last night and should get two turns next week against the Guardians in Cleveland and at home against the Tigers. Those are both middle-of-the-road matchups, according to PLV.
Jake Bennett had a very disappointing outing last night against the hapless Halos, with only two strikeouts (HAISTBMBWTS?!), but he should remain a worthwhile option next week at Globe Life Park. It’s a different story, though, if you’re prioritizing strikeouts.
Will Warren took advantage of a great matchup last night against the Rockies (QS with 8 K’s). With Judge back, he’ll have, at the very least, a pretty decent chance at a couple more wins. His next turn should come early next week in Minny against the Twins, and that could certainly work.
Andre Pallante is about as boring of a streamer as you’ll find, but his matchups next week (vs. SF and @PIT) make him a potential option.
Shane Baz has been mostly underwhelming (12.2% K-BB%), but he has flashed strikeout upside at times. He faced the Guardians last night and should get two turns next week, starting at Citi Field and ending in Camden against the Jays. Neither matchup jumps off the page, especially with Soto back.
Category-Specific Adds
Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) – SP (Yahoo – 13%)
Kikuchi has had a season to forget. But he flashed some fun strikeout upside in his previous start at Pittsburgh. His next start in D.C. is a little scary; the Nats have scored the second-most runs in baseball. But they also strike out at a 24.3% clip vs. LHP.
Jonah Cox (SF) – OF (Yahoo – 9%)
Cox can run wild (34 SBs in 55 games in the minors) and has started five consecutive games. He has hit pretty well so far (.781 OPS).
Speculative Adds
Dylan Beavers (BAL) – OF (Yahoo – 2%)
We’ve discussed Beavers at least a few times. I really liked his breakout potential (112 Process), but Craig Albernaz has played musical chairs with his lineup lately. However, he hit leadoff last night against left-hander Foster Griffin and went 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs. Will it stick? Your guess is as good as mine. But with Luis Robert Jr. also on the IL, the room is suddenly a little less crowded.
Anthony Volpe (NYY) – SS (Yahoo – 2%)
Jazz’s sprained thumb has opened the possibility of Volpe playing second base. Caballero played 2B yesterday, so consider this just material for your 15-team watchlist. But Volpe has raked at Triple-A; I’ll give him that. Seriously, though, it would be pretty wild if he ended up being a thing for the last two weeks. We’ll see.
Josue De Paula (LAD) – OF (Yahoo – 6%)
The Dodgers called up De Paula for the injured Ohtani. De Paula, a 21-year-old lefty, totaled a 143 wRC+ with 26 home runs and 31 stolen bases across 583 PAs with Double-A Tulsa. The sixth overall prospect via pipeline, De Paula should get plenty of DH at-bats against RHP. History says to bet against rookies, but he is awfully tempting.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Cristian Javier (HOU) – SP (Yahoo – 7%) at PHI
No, I’m not in love with the matchup. It’s risky. But Javier looked awfully good in his previous start last Friday (8 Ks, 19 Whiffs). With only a handful of games today, why not see where this goes? Maybe he can replicate his Game 4 magic from four years ago.
Tomorrow:
Dustin May (MIL) – SP (Yahoo – 19%) vs. CIN
May has gotten knocked around the past few weeks, literally and figuratively. But some dumb luck was involved, including a “Singled-Out” start against the Mariners on 8/19. A home matchup against the Reds is a good spot for him to get back on the right track.
Deep League Options
Colt Keith (DET) – 1B, 2B, 3B (Yahoo – 8%)
We were excited about Keith very early on. Those were the days. Anyway, he has started four consecutive games and banged his 10th home run yesterday off Zebby Matthews. The Tigers host the Rockies this weekend. Hey, look, you could do a lot worse.
J.P. Crawford (SEA) – SS (Yahoo – 7%)
What, you’re not excited? Crawford hit leadoff yesterday against southpaw Cody Bradford. I have no clue if that sticks. Probably not? Regardless, the Mariners end the week in Sacramento, making Crawford a last-ditch option. It would have been a fun spot to unleash Lazaro Montes, too, but the Mariners have benched him against left-handers, and that is all they will see this weekend (Springs, Jump, J-Lo).
Moisés Ballesteros (LAA) – C (Yahoo – 3%)
The former Cubbie catcher sat yesterday for the first time since August 29th. But before that, he picked up two multi-hit games, including his eighth home run. The Angels end the week in D.C., giving them a shot at scoring some runs.
Vaughn Grissom (LAA) – 1B, 2B, 3B (Yahoo – 3%)
Grissom hasn’t done much (97 wRC+), but at least he hits behind Trout. He could see some RBI opportunities this weekend against a Nats staff that has struggled for much of the season.
