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
Jorge Mateo (ATL) – 2B, SS, OF (Yahoo – 8%)
Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing hand after a brutal collision with Gunnar Henderson and a hamstring injury made Mateo little more than an afterthought the past two years. However, he’s back, healthy, and more importantly, occupying what appears to be a regular spot in a hot-hitting Atlanta lineup. Strictly speaking, Mateo is best served as a steals specialist, but with few decent options at second base, he deserves a hard look in a lot of leagues. The 30-year-old righty last earned over 300 PAs three years ago, and stole 35 bases, demonstrating the damage he is capable of. Unfortunately, he also damaged some managers’ ratios with a .217/.267/.340 slash, and there’s the rub: he’s never been a good hitter. Still, his stolen base upside could certainly swing leagues if he sticks in a great Atlanta lineup.
Matt Boyd (CHC) – SP (Yahoo – 56%)
Boyd landed on the IL after a freak injury left him needing a minor knee procedure. However, he is hard on the comeback trail, having last completed four innings this Sunday with Triple-A Omaha. Boyd had an ugly 6.00 ERA and 1.29 WHIP through his first five starts. However, he was terrific last year, posting a 3.21 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over 31 starts. And for as bad as the early results were on the surface, he got plenty of whiffs (31% K rate). We know he can be a big difference maker. Nick has him ranked 56th on The List.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Michael McGreevy has been on and off the standard league roster bubble. His 2.98 ERA and 1.09 WHIP are great, but his 18% K rate gives him no room for error.
A career-high five hits bumped Jung Hoo Lee’s roster percentage up a few points. But it was Coors Field. Lee’s best trait is avoiding strikeouts; that’s perfectly fine for points leagues, but managers in category leagues might want to look elsewhere.
Brooks Lee went yard twice Sunday, but his 92 Power via PLV and lack of speed make him best-suited for points formats. Although the eligibility helps his value in deeper formats. He’s settled at third base since Royce Lewis‘ demotion.
Ty Madden returned last night from the IL (forearm contusion). The Rays, meanwhile, have the lowest K rate in baseball, so the matchup didn’t seem all that great. Regardless, Nick didn’t paint an exciting picture of Madden following his debut in early May; his slider is pretty good, but his fastball is a legitimate concern. I wouldn’t consider him more than a deep league streamer who should also be on a limited pitch count.
Before last night’s game against the Marlins, Cade Cavalli earned a King Cole against the Guardians thanks to a bump in his curveball velocity. He undoubtedly deserves a roster spot and has looked like a prototypical post-hype prospect; however, I wouldn’t be opposed to flipping him if he pitches well against the Marlins. His curveball is great, but the rest of his arsenal suggests someone who could oscillate a lot.
David Sandlin had an unbelievably efficient debut last week. He is a fun arm to take a chance on, given his octane velocity. And his RP eligibility is an added bonus in points leagues. The only downside is that he will likely face a tight pitch count (61 during his debut), so managers hunting for QS/W might be left a little frustrated.
A former fourth-overall pick, JJ Bleday has thrived in Cinci, slashing an absurd .303/ .398/ .642 through 128 PAs. Sure, fine, he won’t keep that pace. Regardless, you don’t need me to tell you he should be on someone’s roster. But I will anyway. A 141 Process!? Are you kidding me!? Yes, his breakthrough checks the boxes.
Emmet Sheehan sticks out like a sore thumb. Yes, his velocity dips have been terrifying, but under no circumstances should he be on waivers; his 15.5% SwStr rate would rank third-best among qualified SPs.
Ezequiel Duran has flashed a little more power this season (107 via PLV). However, the rest of his underlying metrics aren’t too exciting. He’s a solid stopgap, but I wouldn’t cling to him too closely.
Category Specific Players to Add
Paul Goldschmidt (NYY) 1B (Yahoo – 4%)
Goldy has established himself as a regular in Stanton’s absence, slashing .261/ .354/ .495 through 127 PAs. His PLV metrics, including 105 Contact, 128 Power, and 135 Process, indicate that he should be a pretty decent source of RBIs/HR for as long as Stanton remains on the IL.
Speculative Adds
Connor Prielipp (MIN) SP (Yahoo – 8%)
Prielipp will face the White Sox today, the same squad that bullied him last Wednesday. As someone who previously highlighted the 25-year-old lefty, I’m painfully obliged to report that the results have been brutal, save for his start against the Brewers on May 16th. Still, Prielipp’s prospect pedigree and his repertoire, including two breakers with whiff rates over 30%, suggest a pitcher who could become a fantasy asset with some tweaks here and there. At the very least, he is well worth putting on your watchlist.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Grayson Rodriguez (LAA) – SP (Yahoo – 18%) vs COL
Unfortunately, Rodriguez’s secondary pitches haven’t been up to snuff in his three starts since returning to the IL; the conundrum has undoubtedly capped his strikeout upside. However, I still want to give this a try, because, you know, it’s the Road Rockies.
Tomorrow:
Walbert Ureña (LAA) – SP (Yahoo – 18%) vs COL
Ureña has dodged a lot of trouble to hold a 2.44 ERA despite a 12.9% BB rate. Luckily for him, he’ll face the Rockies, the team that owns the second-lowest walk rate in baseball.
Deep League Players to Watch
Dominic Smith (ATL) – 1B (Yahoo – 4%)
I’ve mentioned Smith before, but he continues to produce well, albeit in limited duty, slashing .325/ .356/ .496. His PLV metrics are pretty darn good, too, including 118 Power and 130 Process. If you’re in a deep daily league like me and struggling with Vinnie P, Smith makes for a decent stopgap with the way he has been raking lately.
Vaughn Grissom (LAA) – 1B, 2B, 3B (Yahoo – 3%)
Grissom’s .238/.314/.377 slash line isn’t exciting. However, he’s playing every day for the Angels and hitting third behind Trout; that’s not a bad spot at all, if you ask me. His power is just about average (99 via PLV), but he has excelled at making contact (121), making him a potential points league play.
