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
Clay Holmes (NYM) – SP (Yahoo – 30%)
Holmes was one of the bright spots for the Mets this spring, posting a 2.39 ERA and 1.10 WHIP through his first nine starts before a broken fibula sent him to the IL in mid-May. However, he will make a rehab start today in Port St. Lucie; if everything goes well, we could see him next week. Holmes doesn’t have ace-like strikeout upside, but his ability to churn out groundball outs could make him a surprisingly valuable innings eater in the final two months, especially if he gets dealt at the deadline to a better club. Sorry, Mets fans.
A.J. Ewing (NYM) – 2B, OF (Yahoo – 27%)
Ewing had a hand in last night’s rout of the Braves, going for 3-for-5 with two runs scored. He also picked up his 12th stolen base. I’m a little surprised his roster percentage has remained under 30%, considering his .267/ .341/ .415 slash represents pretty solid work for a 21-year-old rookie, and, you know, the lack of exciting options at second base. Regardless, I’m excited to see what Ewing can do the rest of the way, considering that he stole 70 bags in the minors last year, and that he has more than doubled the number of home runs he hit in the minors all of last season (3) in basically half the number of PAs. His 26.4% K rate is my only complaint, but even that isn’t all that bad.
Ty France (SD) – 1B (Yahoo – 31%)
France has made the rounds here over the past week, but I’m obliged to mention him again. He’s hitting .286 with 16 home runs and a 142 wRC+ across 273 PAs, and his 122 Process suggests that he should not be left on the wire. His .882 OPS would rank fourth among qualified first basemen.
Dylan Beavers (BAL) – OF (Yahoo – 1%)
Beavers, who turns 25 in a couple of weeks, has hit leadoff for the Orioles in each of the past four games. He has gotten some favorable results lately, slashing .321/ .406/ .393 since the break. The Orioles have previously guarded him from left-handers, but they may perhaps open the playbook, so to speak, in the final two months while looking ahead to next year. Overall, Beavers is slashing a modest .250/ .335/ .356 with two home runs and four steals across 183 PAs. However, considering that he flashed a fantasy-friendly skillset last year with Triple-A Norfolk, totaling 18 home runs and 23 stolen bases with a 152 wRC+, deep leaguers might want to jump on this early.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
A former blue-chip prospect with the Reds years ago, Christian Encarnacion-Strand has since found himself on an Orioles team that has at-bats available, thanks to injuries to Basallo and Rutschman. CES has power for days, but I’m skeptical that he has suddenly cured his penchant for bad swing decisions. The likely scenario, in my brain, at least, is that he’s one of those dreaded Quad-A players we’re tempted by now and then. Still, I can’t blame you for chasing the sparkling results: three home runs and a 216 wRC+ over 30 PAs. However, his role at 3B seems fluid at the moment; he was out of the lineup last night in favor of Coby Mayo, who went yard.
You know what you are going to get from Martín Pérez and Mitch Keller; they are decent streamers when they get good matchups, like last night against the Mets and D’Backs.
A switch-hitter who can play all over the field, Luis Rengifo sightings are bound to happen at least once a year. He’s made some noise lately, starting six of the Padres’ last eight games after being cut by the Brewers. Barring an unforeseen metamorphosis in his age-29 season, he’s little more than a stopgap for deep leagues.
The Brewers expected Cooper Pratt to provide them with slick defense at SS when they called him up in mid-June. But, to his credit, he has surprised with his bat, slashing .290/ .362/ .410 with a 114 wRC+, a pair of home runs, and eight stolen bases across 116 PAs. He’s a decent speculative add in deep leagues, but his 98 wRC+ with Triple-A Nashville suggests that this is probably a mirage.
Keider Montero had been a pretty decent streamer, tallying a 3.14 ERA and 1.06 WHIP through 22 games (16 starts). However, last night’s drubbing by the Orioles perhaps foreshadows more mayhem from the regression monster, which Nick has hinted at by ranking him at 80th on The List. Feel free to move on.
Zac Thornton entered last night’s start against the Braves with a 1.93 ERA and 0.86 WHIP through his first three turns. His 86th ranking on The List indicates that he doesn’t have the ceiling you might want, but he figures to be a mainstay in the Met rotation the rest of the way.
Payton Tolle’s roster percentage 0n ESPN remains surprisingly low at just over 50%. He’s 24th on The List and has all the makings of a future ace.
Gabriel Moreno is the one catcher who is still available in plenty of leagues (he’s 67% rostered on Yahoo) that I think has a decent chance at finishing as a top-five option at the position. He’s slashing .315/ .396/ .458 with seven home runs and four steals. His 127 Process suggests it would be a big mistake to let him linger on the wire. And don’t overlook those 11 starts at DH.
Regardless of last night’s outcome against an Angels team that strikes out in bunches, Tatsuya Imai is unlikely to shake the volatility that will leave fantasy managers crossing their fingers every time they put him in their lineup.
Speculative Players to add
Luke Weaver (NYM) – SP/RP (Yahoo – 15%)
Like Holmes, Weaver seems like a clear trade candidate. He has been phenomenal this year (1.93 ERA / 0.83 WHIP), and we know he can close games.
Andrew Vaughn (MIL) – 1B (Yahoo – 23%)
I highlighted Vaughn as a priority add last Thursday, and ended up with egg on my face as he sat the next two games against right-handers. But I still think he’s worth a roster spot, at least in deep daily lineup leagues where you can mix and match. He’s slashing .312/ .393/ .494, and his 123 Process suggests that he could make more noise with a more consistent role. On that note, he hit sixth last night against Mahle, suggesting that he isn’t in a strict platoon.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Anthony Kay (CWS) – SP (Yahoo – 9%) vs NYY
Kay (4.21 ERA / 1.37 WHIP) isn’t anything special, but the Yankee lineup right now is an atrocity, particularly against left-handers. And, yes, I’m aware they somehow scored nine runs last night. Even a blind squirrel can stumble upon a nut, or so I’ve been told.
Tomorrow:
Sean Manaea (NYM) – SP (Yahoo – 14%) vs. ATL
Am I excited to start Manaea against an Atlanta lineup that welcomed Acuña back yesterday? No, of course not. But there aren’t many options, and, I’m at least a little intrigued if he can get on a roll after toassing a QS against the Dodgers last Sunday. We know Manaea can be a capable arm when he is clicking.
Deep League Players to Watch
Vaughn Grissom (LAA) – 1B, 2B, 3B (Yahoo – 1%)
Grissom banged his seventh home run last night and is slashing an unspectacular .251/ .320/ .393. Still, he has become a fixture in the middle of the Angels lineup, and his 14.9% K rate could make him a suitable stopgap in deep points leagues.
