Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best players you should be adding to your rosters. We’ll look at the players that are likely to be available in most leagues, as well as some deep league waiver wire 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
Jasson Domínguez (NYY) – OF (Yahoo – 13%)
Reading the tea leaves suggests that the Yankees don’t really view their former top prospect as anything more than a fourth outfielder. He has had plenty of defensive miscues and has struggled to hit right-handed. But we can ignore that for now, because he is healthy and Trent Grisham isn’t. As is often said, necessity is the mother of invention. With Judge and Stanton also on the mend, the cupboard is bare in Yankee land. Last season, the 23-year-old switch-hitter formerly known as the Martian hit .257 with a 103 wRC+, 10 home runs, and 23 steals across 429 PAs. He has already demonstrated 20/20 potential, and that’s more than enough to make him a worthwhile add in pretty much any five OF league. More importantly, he hit third against Patrick Corbin on Sunday, indicating a big opportunity awaits. Let’s see what he does with it.
Jordan Lawlar (ARI) – 3B/OF (Yahoo – 14%)
Another post-hype prospect, Lawlar slashed .313/ .403/ .564 with 11 home runs and 20 stolen bases across 300 PAs with Triple-A Reno last season. The Diamondbacks optioning Waldschmidt suggests that Lawlar should get an extended run to prove himself, which we haven’t really seen yet. I guess that technically makes him more of a speculative add, but as someone who loves to chase post-hype prospects in fantasy, Lawlar seems like an easy dice roll. I also like that he has stolen three bases despite just returning from the IL. You think he’s ready?
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
The Rockies went bananas in Vegas on Sunday, and their leadoff man, Willi Castro, was one of the beneficiaries, going 4-for-6 with a pair of homers and seven RBIs. That’s probably what you’d might expect from him across two weeks. Regardless, Castro’s versatility makes him a useful glue guy in a lot of leagues; just don’t expect too much; he’s a career .247 hitter with a 95 wRC+. Although he can steal a base here or there, so there’s that.
Noelvi Marte has been featured at least once since being recalled from Triple-A Louisville on June 3rd. He has gone yard in three consecutive games. It’s, of course, far too early to tell with certainty if he has made any legitimate strides, but he is well worth a pick up, considering his pedigree and terrific home ballpark.
Elvis Alvarado nailed the A’s last two save opportunities last Wednesday and Saturday. The big 27-year-old righty boasts a 32.3% K rate through 14 appearances. He throws hard, too, so he looks like a fun diceroll. However, as Rick Graham noted in his latest RP Roundup, the situation isn’t a closed book yet. Bid carefully.
A third-round pick by the Red Sox out of high school back in 2020, Blaze Jordan earned a promotion last Friday after slashing .313/ .373/ .548 across 252 PAs with Triple-A Memphis. The 23-year-old righty bagged his first home run on Saturday, a three-run jolt against Twins reliever Travis Adams. As Keith Corbliss mentioned way back in April, Jordan combines good raw power with an exceptionally low K rate (11.5% this year in Memphis). I can’t think of a good reason not to give him a chance, unless maybe you’re just loaded at the corners. Lucky you!
Kai-Wei Teng earned some clicks for a home start against a meh Tigers lineup (97 wRC+). Barring a miraculous performance Monday night, his 11.6% K-BB% through 20 games, including seven starts, indicates someone that you’re probably not gonna keep too long in most standard leagues.
If you’re weighing recent performance, Dustin May might be the most interesting name here; he has struck out 31 batters over his last four turns (24 IP), and is starting to really look like he has taken a step forward. Overall, he owns a 15.3% K-BB% and had a dream matchup last night against what has turned out to be a toothless Padres lineup (87 wRC+). Late Edit: And he took advantage with a CGSO. Yeah, I don’t think he belongs on any waiver wire.
It feels like Walbert Ureña is playing with fire, given all the batters he has walked. Still, you have to hand it to him; he owns a pristine 1.84 ERA and 1.14 WHIP through his last eight turns, including his most recent gem against the D’Backs. I’ll admit, I’m a little skeptical. Still, that’s too good to leave on the wire, right? Yeah, I think so.
Even after a bad start against the Brewers in Vegas, J.T. Ginn owns a 3.15 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. He got a fairly decent matchup last night against a Cruz-less Pirates team, albeit in the A’s less-than-forgiving home park. Regardless, Ginn’s 94th ranking on The List suggests you shouldn’t hold him too tightly.
Troy Melton hit his first rough patch last Tuesday, allowing four dingers in a win against the Twins. His 13.7% K rate indicates potential regression, but his exceptional control has kept him afloat. He’s 42nd on The List and looks particularly valuable in points leagues, where you can take advantage of his RP tag.
26-year-old lefty rookie TJ Rumfield has been a rare bright spot for the Rockies, slashing .280/ .361/ .465. He earned some clicks after three consecutive multi-hit games. But there’s a catch; they were in Vegas. Regardless, he looks like a fairly decent play in deep points leagues, thanks to his 14.4% K rate. His 101 Power via PLV (just about league average) indicates he might not have enough juice for typical category leagues.
Speculative Players to Add
Colt Keith (DET) – 1B, 2B, 3B (Yahoo – 8%)
Keith was having a pretty quiet season. Until last night, when he became the youngest Tiger since Al Kaline to hit three home runs in a game. You have to be at least a little interested, no?
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Robert Gasser (MIL) – SP (Yahoo – 1%) vs CLE
The 27-year-old lefty totes a 6.38 ERA and 1.58 WHIP after getting thrashed by the A’s in his fourth start last Tuesday. So much for what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. It’s impossible to determine where Gasser is skills-wise. But he at least demonstrated some strikeout ability in the minors. I’d be willing to give him a shot at home against a Guardians lineup that’s missing their MVP.
Tomorrow:
Javier Assad (CHC) – SP/RP (Yahoo – 9%) vs COL
Assad needed just 85 pitches to blank the Giants across six innings last Friday in Oracle Park. Alright, fine, maybe that’s not terribly impressive, considering Oracle is a nice place to pitch, and the Giants aren’t scary. But now he gets an even better matchup. Assad is your prototypical kitchen sink pitcher who throws the ball over the plate; that’s probably good enough to take advantage of the Road Rockies.
Deep League Players to Watch
Andrew Benintendi (CWS) – OF (Yahoo – 2%)
Boring? Absolutely! But you could do far worse than the guy hitting third for the White Sox. Benintendi has been surprisingly productive over the past 30 days (22 games), slashing .253/ .325/ .467 with four home runs.
Daniel Schneemann (CLE) – 2B, 3B, SS, OF (Yahoo – 5%)
Gabriel Arias (CLE) – 2B, SS (Yahoo – 0%)
No one, of course, can replace Enriquito, but the Guardians will have to try. Gabriel Arias, who returned from the 60-day IL on Sunday, started the season as Cleveland’s SS but has since been supplanted by Rocchio, leaving third base as his most likely spot. Schneemann, who owns a career .652 OPS, is another candidate to get more at-bats. Neither stands out based on their track records, but, hey, at-bats are at-bats. It’s probably splitting hairs, but Arias seems like the more interesting of the two based solely on his top-shelf bat speed.
