Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best players in baseball that 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, and we’ll also look at the most added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites, and let you know which players to add, and which players you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Michael Soroka (WSN), SP/RP (14% rostered on Yahoo, 4.2% on ESPN)
It’s time to start taking Soroka seriously. It was easy to dismiss his nine-strikeout performance vs. the Rockies, especially with Colorado being on the road. Their offense has been historically bad outside of Coors Field this season, so you don’t earn any credit for shutting them down.
But following that up with 10 strikeouts vs. the Dodgers? That should certainly put Soroka on the radar. He did that in Los Angeles across just 5.1 innings, though he did allow three earned runs. Still, it resulted in a sparkling 1.01 FIP against one of the best offenses in all of baseball.
Soroka’s ERA for the year still sits above five, but his 3.20 xERA suggests he’s been unfortunate. He does a great job of combining strikeouts with groundballs, and he’s also extremely stingy about handing out free passes. In terms of K-BB%, Soroka ranks 17th among pitchers with at least 50 innings. That puts him in pretty elite company. He’s just two spots behind Jacob deGrom and two ahead of Paul Skenes, and while no one is comparing Soroka to those guys, it goes to show just how effective he’s been.
The only real issue for Soroka is the long ball. His home-run-per-fly-ball rate ranks as the 13th-worst among pitchers with at least 50 innings, which helps explain the discrepancy between his advanced statistics and his actual ones. If he can show some improvement in that area, it could make Soroka a valuable piece of a fantasy rotation.
Chandler Simpson (TBR), OF (31% Yahoo, 11.4% on ESPN)
Simpson is back in the majors after a quick detour to Triple-A, and he should pick up basically right where he left off. Before being sent down, Simpson was one of the top stolen base threats in all of baseball. He racked up 19 steals in just 133 plate appearances. That’s elite production. It still ranks as the ninth-most in the majors, and most of the players ahead of him have had at least 100 additional at-bats.
With Simpson replacing Kameron Misner on the active roster, he should have the opportunity to play most days. Even when he’s not in the lineup, he’s still capable of entering as a pinch runner and picking up a steal or two. He’s one of the few difference makers for category leagues, with the upside of winning weeks entirely by himself.
The big question is if he can hit enough to stay in the majors. His advanced metrics aren’t pretty, but Simpson’s game is all about speed. He’s not looking to elevate and drive the baseball, but rather dink and dunk to get on first. He did enough of that before getting sent down—his batting average was right around .300—so he isn’t likely to hurt you in that department. Anything he provides in the other categories is merely the cherry on top.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
It was a big day for streaming pitchers on Thursday, with each of the five most-added players taking the bump for their squad.
Hayden Birdsong and Janson Junk opposed each other in San Francisco, and the game turned out to be much higher-scoring than expected. Birdsong struggled mightily, allowing seven earned runs across just four innings, while Junk allowed five runs in just 3.2 innings. It goes without saying that neither performance was particularly valuable for fantasy purposes. Junk can be pretty safely avoided moving forward, and Birdsong is much more appealing.
Shane Baz was much more successful. He went eight scoreless innings against the Royals, and even more impressively, he added nine strikeouts. The Royals have the second-lowest strikeout rate against right-handers for the year, and Baz carved them up anyway. He’s now turned in two scoreless outings in his past three starts, though the exception was a clunker vs. the Tigers. He has some blowup potential, but the upside is clearly high enough to warrant a spot in your rotation.
Jeffrey Springs has had some solid results recently, but he was merely average Thursday vs. the Tigers. He allowed three runs across five innings, and he managed just three strikeouts. His numbers for the year are passable, but he brings minimal upside to the table. He’s best deployed as a streamer in the right matchups.
Clayton Kershaw rounds out the group of starters, and after a shaky debut, he’s looked basically like the Kershaw of old. He’s obviously not quite as dominant at 37 years old, but he’s pitched to a 3.31 ERA for one of the best teams in baseball. He’s picked up his fourth consecutive win on Thursday, pitching six innings of one-run ball in Coors Field. He allowed just two hits and one walk and added five strikeouts, so he’s doing more than enough to maintain relevance for fantasy purposes.
The top two names on ESPN’s most-added list are two of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Jacob Misiorowski has absolutely dominated since being promoted to the majors, and he put together another excellent performance on Wednesday. He outduelled Skenes for the Pirates, picking up his third win in three starts. His xERA is a sparkling 1.84 through his first three outings, and he’s added 19 strikeouts in 16 innings. Misiorowski is almost universally rostered at this point, but if he’s somehow still available in your league, make sure to rectify that immediately. He’s all the way up to No. 29 in the Pitcher List Rankings, and that could rise even higher after Wednesday’s performance.
Chase Burns made his big-league debut on Tuesday, and he also looked the part. He racked up eight strikeouts, including six in the first two innings, and he didn’t allow a single free pass. He did surrender three runs in his 5.0 innings, but he was facing a tough Yankees’ offense in a hitter-friendly environment. There will be better matchups ahead, and the stuff is absolutely electric.
Speaking of the Yankees, Clarke Schmidt also makes an appearance on this list. He’s another player who should be approaching universal rostership. He got off to a shaky start this season, but he’s been fantastic overall. He hasn’t allowed an earned run in three straight starts, and his ERA for the year is down to 2.84. Add in a 2.85 ERA in 16 starts last year, and he’s solidified his status as a top-end starter.
Byron Buxton is the lone batter on this list, and he’s another player who simply shouldn’t be available. He combines power and speed like few others, racking up 17 homers and 13 steals so far this season. He’s the No. 5 outfielder in ESPN’s Fantasy Player Rater for the year, so he’s a must-add where available.
Category-Specific Players to Add
Michael Toglia (COL), 1B/OF (22% Yahoo, 3.5% ESPN)
Toglia is the definition of a category specialist. He strikes out at a massive clip, which is going to absolutely kill his batting average. He’s hitting just .204 for the year, and his .218 xBA isn’t much better.
However, the power is 100% legit. He’s launched three homers in his first 10 games since being recalled from the minors, and he’s improved his batting average to .256 over that stretch. That’s still not going to help you much, but it gives a bit of optimism that he won’t hurt you too much either.
After being sent down and recalled last year, Toglia played at a 30-homer pace over the final few months of the season. It’s very possible he follows the same trajectory this season. He still gets to play half his games at Coors Field, and he also recently added outfield eligibility on Yahoo.
Willi Castro (MIN), 2B/3B/SS/OF (47% Yahoo, 27.8% on ESPN)
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Royce Lewis is currently on the IL. He’s expected to start a rehab assignment on Friday, but it remains to be seen when he’ll actually return to the big club. Even when he does, he’s shown zero ability to actually stay on the field for more than a handful of games at a time.
His loss has been Castro’s gain. The utility man has been in the lineup nearly every day in June, and he’s posted a .319 batting average and an .895 OPS in those contests. He’s launched three homers with 13 runs scored and eight RBIs, and he can even sprinkle in a steal from time to time as well.
With the way he’s hitting, his job should be safe even when Lewis returns. He’s the type of player who can help a little bit in every category across the board.
Shelby Miller (ARI), RP (37% Yahoo, 11.0% on ESPN)
Why is Miller still so widely available across the industry? The Diamondbacks have slumped a bit recently, dropping to just 41-39 in one of the best divisions in baseball. However, Miller has established himself as the team’s clear top closer. He’s picked up each of the traditional saves since Justin Martinez landed on the IL.
Miller has also been extremely effective. He’s pitched to a 1.97 ERA, and his strikeout metrics are also excellent. He ranks in the 98th percentile for chase rate, 86th percentile for whiff Rate, and 76th percentile for strikeout rate.
Some of his batted-ball data suggests he hasn’t been quite that dominant, but he has the ninth-inning job for a potential playoff squad locked down. That makes him a pretty valuable reliever.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out the great Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings to see his favorite choices. Friday’s slate features a handful of potential options. Nick makes the case for Landon Roupp against the White Sox, but he’s far from the only option:
Jose Quintana (MIL), SP (23% Yahoo, 12.1% ESPN)
Roupp’s matchup vs. the White Sox is good, but it’s not the best one possible. That designation falls to Quintana, who will get to square off with the Rockies at home. Colorado has been nothing short of an abomination outside of Coors Field this season. They’ve averaged just 2.98 runs per game when playing on the road, and only Pittsburgh has a lower wRC+ in that split. Against southpaws in particular, they’ve posted a 69 wRC+ with a 29.0% strikeout rate.
Almost any starter can be trusted in this matchup, and Quintana has been better than you might think. His ERA currently sits at 2.98 through his first 10 starts, and he’s allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of those outings. Some of his advanced metrics suggest he’s due for regression, but are the Rockies really the team to send him crashing back to reality? That seems unlikely.
Speculative Adds
Trevor Story (BOS), SS (33% Yahoo, 11.9% on ESPN)
It’s amazing what a little competition will do. Story had to be feeling the heat after the team promoted Marcelo Mayer to the major leagues, and all of a sudden, he’s started to show some flashes. He’s hitting .274 in June, and if he’s going to continue to perform at that level, he’s a solid fantasy shortstop. He already has double-digit steals and homers, so he’s someone worth keeping an eye on. There’s no need to rush out and add him in deeper leagues, but his job at least feels safer than it did a month ago.
Eury Pérez (MIA), SP (37% Yahoo, 12.2% on ESPN)
There was plenty of excitement about Pérez when he made his return to the big leagues this season. He was outstanding in the majors at just 20 years old, and he still has the stuff to be one of the best pitchers in baseball. Unfortunately, he’s gotten off to a bit of a rocky start, which has caused his rostership to dip below 40% on Yahoo.
However, Pérez definitely still has the upside to warrant a roster spot. His fastball has averaged better than 98 miles per hour, and he’s put together strong batted-ball data as well. Ultimately, his 3.68 xERA suggests he’s been significantly unlucky through his first handful of starts. We still had him at No. 41 in the Pitcher List Rankings heading into this week, so even if you don’t want to add him immediately, he’s worth keeping an eye on.
Deep League Players to Watch
Grant Taylor (CHW), SP/RP (4% Yahoo, 0.9% on ESPN)
There’s not a ton to get excited about with the White Sox at the moment, but Taylor is a possible exception. He was somewhat surprisingly promoted straight to the majors after just 26.2 Double-A innings this season, skipping Triple-A entirely.
It’s unclear how the White Sox view Taylor long term, but he’s been absolutely electric out of the team’s bullpen. His fastball has averaged better than 99 miles per hour, and he’s backed it up with outstanding strikeout and batted-ball metrics. Taylor earned his first career save over the weekend, and it’s possible that the White Sox will continue to use him as their closer moving forward. That probably won’t lead to a ton of save opportunities, but he should provide solid ratios at a bare minimum.
