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
Ivan Herrera (STL), C (55% rostered on Yahoo, 41.3% on ESPN)
Herrera has been in and out of the lineup this season due to injury, but he’s officially back for the Cardinals. That’s great news for fantasy players. Even better, there’s a chance he’s going to be used exclusively as a DH for the remainder of the season, so he doesn’t have to worry about the wear and tear of playing catcher.
When Herrera has been in the lineup this season, he’s been one of the top offensive catchers in baseball. He’s batted .315 with eight homers in just 162 at-bats, and his underlying data supports his production. Herrera has even managed to chip in three steals, so he’s providing value in every category across the board.
Ultimately, he’s a clear top-10 option at the position for fantasy, and the injury concerns should hopefully be mitigated with less time behind the dish. If someone in your league dropped him during his latest IL stint, scoop him up while you can.
Luis Gil (NYY), SP (42% Yahoo, 27.1% ESPN)
Gil’s return to the major leagues could be imminent. He made his second rehab assignment on Friday and was extremely impressive, tallying seven strikeouts in just 3.1 innings. He lasted 57 pitches in Double-A, and he’s scheduled for one more start at the Triple-A level. If all goes well, his following start will likely come in pinstripes.
Gil was a top-flight fantasy starter last season, taking home the AL Rookie of the Year. He finished with 15 wins and a 3.50 ERA, but his biggest contributions were from a strikeout standpoint. He averaged better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings, and he’s been at 17.55 in his two minor league starts this year. That was obviously against weaker competition, but Gil should pile up the punchouts once he’s back in the Bronx.
Pitching for the Yankees also clearly has benefits. Despite their recent cold spell, they still have the fourth-best record in the American League. Their offense ranks third in runs per game, so if Gil can get close to his marks from last season, he should win a lot of games.
Gil is tentatively slated for a top 50-60 spot in the Pitcher List Rankings when he returns from injury, but he has the potential for much more.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
As usual, Yahoo’s list of most-added players is dominated by streaming pitchers. Four of the top five options took to the mound on Saturday: Logan Allen, Adrian Houser, Zebby Matthews, and Emmet Sheehan.
Matthews has the most intriguing long-term profile, and he was returning from the IL to square off with the Rockies in Colorado. Pitching in Coors Field is never easy, and Matthews was unfortunately roughed up a bit. He surrendered five earned runs and eight hits in just four innings, and he ultimately suffered the defeat. That said, Matthews isn’t going to have to pitch at altitude moving forward, and he continues to display elite strikeout potential. He added another six punchouts on Saturday, bringing his K/9 for the year to 12.13. His next start is tentatively scheduled for next Saturday vs. the Nationals, and he can definitely be used in that contest.
Sheehan is another pitcher who has shown promise this season, but he also had a rough outing on Saturday. He entered that contest vs. the Brewers with a 2.03 ERA, but that more than doubled after surrendering five earned runs in just three innings. Sheehan still might have some future value—pitching for the Dodgers definitely helps—but he looks more like a streamer than a hold.
Allen was yet another disappointment. He wasn’t quite as bad as Matthews and Sheehan, but he certainly didn’t do his job for fantasy players. He allowed eight hits and three runs in 5.1 innings, and he added just four strikeouts. Allen ultimately doesn’t bring much to the table, especially with the Guardians looking like potential sellers at the deadline.
Houser had the best matchup of the bunch, taking on the lowly Pirates. Unfortunately, he also failed to deliver. He allowed three earned runs in just 4.1 innings, and his 10 hits and one walk allowed mean things could’ve been even worse. Houser has still been excellent for the White Sox overall, and he’s someone who could be on the move over the next few weeks. A change of scenery would greatly improve his win prospects moving forward.
ESPN’s list of most-added players features a lot of names we’ve touched on recently. Ceddanne Rafaela, Eury Perez, Zach McKinstry, and Brayan Bello are all repeats from Saturday’s column, so Kyle Stowers is the lone new addition. He’s heated back up after slumping in June, and he deserves to be rostered in all formats.
Category-Specific Players to Add
Mickey Moniak (COL), OF (11% Yahoo, 2.8% ESPN)
Power can be one of the toughest commodities in fantasy to acquire. It’s typically the most expensive, so finding a good source of power on the wire is rare.
That said, Moniak has been delivering massively in that department of late. He’s seen a huge spike since the middle of June:
Moniak launched six homers in June and has added two more in July, and he’s not just a one-trick pony, either. Moniak has also proved a .359 batting average since June 6, resulting in a 1.219 OPS overall.
His playing time is also trending in the right direction, so he’s someone who should be owned at a much higher frequency. He’s not going to post a 1.200 OPS forever, but playing at Coors Field should make him a decent source of power at a minimum.
Otto Lopez (MIA), 2B/3B (40% Yahoo, 35.6% ESPN)
Lopez is someone who has produced solid batted-ball data all year. Unfortunately, that hasn’t translated to a ton of success. He’s batting just .242 for the year, but his xBA is significantly higher at .292. That puts him in the 91st percentile, but he’s underperformed his expected mark by the 14th-largest gap among qualified hitters.
That makes him a solid positive regression candidate over the second half of the year, and we’ve already started to see it. He batted .301 in June, and he also added four homers and four steals. He’s the No. 1 second baseman in the ESPN Fantasy Player Rater over the past 30 days, so he’s another player who shouldn’t be this available.
Grant Taylor (CHW), RP (12% Yahoo, 2.4% ESPN)
It’s hard to get too excited about anyone with the White Sox. That’s particularly true about their closer. They’re one of the worst teams in the league, so they don’t have a ton of late-game leads to ultimately protect.
However, Taylor has established himself as one of the team’s best high-leverage relievers. He has three saves since being called up to the main roster, but that undersells his viability in fantasy. Taylor has pitched to a 2.06 xERA and limited opposing batters to a .197 xBA, both of which grade out as elite. His stuff is absolutely electric, so he’s also provided plenty of strikeouts. Add in outstanding batted-ball data, and Taylor looks like one of the best relievers in the league.
Even if he doesn’t get a ton of save opportunities, he still has the potential to provide solid strikeout numbers and ratios.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out the great Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings to see his favorite choices. Sunday’s slate is loaded with aces, so there aren’t a ton of appealing streamers out there. That said, there are still a couple of places where we can turn:
Trevor Rogers (BAL), SP (46% Yahoo, 34.7% ESPN)
The Rogers trade had the potential to go down as a disaster for the Orioles. They shipped off Stowers and Connor Norby, and both players have the potential to be everyday players for the Marlins for the foreseeable future. Stowers’ ceiling is even higher than that, so it seems like the Orioles sold very low on him.
That said, Rogers has at least bounced back this season with some quality production. He’s been limited to just six starts, but he’s been absolutely brilliant in those outings: 1.53 ERA, 2.94 xERA, 23.9% strikeout rate. He’s also surrendered a barrel rate of just 4.4%, which puts him in the 93rd percentile.
Rogers will square off with the Rays on Sunday, and he’s become a trustworthy starter at this point. The Rays are also a solid matchup, ranking 19th in wRC+ vs. southpaws.
Speculative Adds
Ramon Laureano (BAL), OF (13% Yahoo, 3.9% ESPN)
Laureano is a name that has been rumored to be available at the trade deadline, and he’s putting together his best season in years. He owns a 136 wRC+, and he’s launched 11 homers in just 69 games. His underlying metrics suggest he hasn’t been particularly fortunate, so there’s no reason to expect a ton of regression.
A potential trade could help or hurt Laureano. If he ends up with a permanent lineup spot for an improved offense, Laureano has the potential to be a solid source of value. If he’s more of a platoon bat for a contender, it would result in a downgrade. Ultimately, this is definitely a situation to keep an eye on.
Luke Keaschall (MIN), 1B/2B/OF (15% Yahoo, 2.9% ESPN)
Keaschall has only played in seven major league games, but it’s hard to make more of an immediate impact. He batted .368 with a .538 on-base percentage, and he swiped five bases.
Keaschall has been on the IL since the end of April, but he appears set to make his return soon. He began a rehab assignment on Friday, and he should be back with the big club in short order. The Twins are expected to be sellers at the deadline, with guys like Willi Castro among the most likely to be moved. That would open up plenty of opportunities for Keaschall down the stretch. He’s an intriguing IL stash if you’re looking for stolen bases.
Deep League Players to Watch
Angel Martinez (CLE), 2B/OF (6% Yahoo, 2.1% ESPN)
In deeper leagues, sometimes you just have to ride the hot hand. Martinez fits that description. His advanced metrics for the year aren’t particularly exciting, but he’s posted a .279 batting average and .917 OPS since July 4. His hot streak has also resulted in more offensive responsibilities, moving into the leadoff spot for Cleveland’s past two games.
