In weekly FAAB leagues, your waiver wire claims have likely already been processed. Our FAAB Insights articles are great sources for finding targets ahead of weekly waiver deadlines.
Here, you will find players you can pick up if you have daily waiver claims or if you are able to pick up players throughout the week.
These are players you should consider adding from the waiver wire for matchup number 10 who are available in 60% or fewer of ESPN leagues.
Catcher
Nick Fortes (C – MIA) .3% Rostered
Nick Fortes struggled mightily in April, slashing .191/.269/.255 for the month. He began May with a .222 batting average, and after slashing .279/.290/.373 in May, has raised his AVG to .241. Fortes has three home runs, 12 runs, 11 RBI, and three steals as well.
Since May 16, Fortes went 14-for-42 (.333), tallying half of his runs and RBI during that span and swiping two of his three bags. And more could be on the way for the young backstop.
A major strength for Fortes this season, especially recently, has been his plate discipline. He has career bests in chase rate (23.7%) and contact rate (84.1%), both of which would be top-25 in baseball if he qualified. Over the course of the season, he has steadily improved his decision making at the plate and it is paying off:
Fortes needs to loft the ball a bit more – his groundball rate and flyball rate both worsened from last season, so his HR/FB rate is down. If he can make that adjustment, he could be a great value off of the waiver wire right now.
Honorable Mention: Patrick Bailey (1.6%), Francisco Álvarez (22.2%), Connor Wong (1%), Matt Thaiss (.5%), Christian Bethancourt (5.2%), Ryan Jeffers (.3%), Gary Sánchez (1.7%), Elias Díaz (51%)
Corner Infield
J.D. Davis (3B – SF) 9.1% Rostered
J.D. Davis should be much more rostered than his current percentage. He has nine home runs, 26 runs, 31 RBI, a steal, and a .280 AVG on the season. He is relatively off the radar and should be very cheap to acquire.
Davis has been demolishing the ball this season, with a 26.4% LD rate, a 10.8% barrel rate, and a 51.5% HardHit rate. His quality of contact has allowed him to maintain a high BABIP and has driven projections to expect a career high in home runs this season. Our Power PLV metric has also noticed this boost in power:
On top of that, Davis also improved his strikeout, chase, and contact rates to their best marks since 2020. His ability to control the strikezone and make smart decisions are major reasons for his improvements and why he needs to be more widely rostered:
He should be added immediately from waivers wherever available and in nearly every format.
Honorable Mention: Ryan McMahon (30.5%), Spencer Steer (44.3%), Owen Miller (15.5%), Jeimer Candelario (8.9%), Zach McKinstry (12.2%), Brandon Drury (30.7%), Harold Ramírez (24.9%), Josh Naylor (46.4%), Corey Julks (.6%), Yuli Gurriel (2.3%), Ryan Noda (.8%), Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1.9%)
Middle Infield
Ha-Seong Kim (SS/2B/3B – SD) 10% Rostered
The early part of the season had been rough for Kim, whose batting average reached as low as .218 in early May. Since then, he has gone hitless in just four appearances in 21 games.
Kim is now on pace to surpass his MLB single season totals in home runs and steals. In fact, his 11 steals are one shy of his single season high for the Padres. His five home runs are nearly halfway to his season high total of 11 in about 400 fewer plate appearances.
Much of his success this season has been due to his plate discipline. His chase rate is at a career best 23.1%, which also happens to be the 12th best rate in baseball. Kim’s 83.1% contact rate is tied with Andrew Benintendi for 30th best in baseball. He has been making excellent contact as shown on our Decision Value PLV metric:
Kim’s batting average sits at .250, and could continue to rise if he keeps making good contact at the plate. Add in the steals and the positional flexibility, and Kim is a must-add from the waiver wire.
Honorable Mention: Kevin Newman (1.1%), Matt McLain (22.8%), Bryson Stott (38.7%), Whit Merrifield (37.3%), Luis Garcia (10.7%), Ezequiel Tovar (7.8%), Tucupita Marcano (.8%), Brendan Donovan (24.5%), Elly De La Cruz (12%), Royce Lewis (16.3%), Ronny Mauricio (1.5%), Jordan Walker (30.5%)
Outfield
Willi Castro (OF/3B – MIN) 5.5% Rostered
Willi Castro had been a role player on the Tigers over the last four seasons, but is making a name for himself with the Twins. In 126 PAs this season, he has four homers, 12 runs, 11 RBI, and 11 steals with a .263 AVG. The steals are already a single season high for Castro:
Most stolen bases in a season by a #MNTwins player under Rocco Baldelli (since 2019):
14 – Byron Buxton, 2019
11 – Willi Castro, 2023 *
11 – Jorge Polanco, 2021* – it is only June 2
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) June 3, 2023
Castro cracked a crowded Twins lineup and has been continuing to keep a hold on playing time despite a 30% K rate. Minnesota traditionally seeks batters who have high barrel and HardHit rates, something Castro was not known for. But they have gotten the best out of him in those areas – he has a career best 10.3% barrel rate and career best 38.5% HardHit rate.
Castro also has the highest flyball rate of his career, which has pushed his HR/FB rate over his career average. With continued playing time, he could potentially surpass his single season high in homers (9).
He is in danger of losing some batting average thanks to an obscenely high 40% chase rate, but he drives and pulls the ball well when he does make contact. He could feasibly hit .250 over the rest of the season.
Castro is a worthwhile waiver add in deep leagues thanks to his newfound ability to hit for power, plus his ability to swipe bags.
Honorable Mention: Chris Taylor (5.6%), Bryan De La Cruz (14.8%), Jose Siri (6.9%), Leody Taveras (4.6%), Mitch Haniger (11.8%), Jack Suwinski (7%), Eddie Rosario (1.8%), Marcell Ozuna (10.8%), Charlie Blackmon (26.2%), Esteury Ruiz (37%), Brandon Marsh (15.3%), Will Brennan (4%), Lane Thomas (19.3%), Austin Hays (28.3%), Randal Grichuk (4.5%), Akil Baddoo (1.4%), Jesús Sánchez (1.2%)
Starting Pitcher
MacKenzie Gore (SP – WAS) 25.1% Rostered
Perhaps because he plays on a lackluster Washington team, MacKenzie Gore has flown largely under the radar this season. Despite the limitations on Gore accumulating wins, he has been able to perform extremely well in other areas.
Gore has an 11.25 K/9 rate, good for fifth best among qualified starters. His 82.9% LOB rate is 12th best among qualified starters. His 43.8% GB rate is just above league average and is 28th among qualified starters. His biggest issue is a 3.9 BB/9 rate, but with his ability to strand runners, the walks have not burned him too much.
Arguably, Gore has been unlucky as well. His BABIP sits at .344 and his HR/FB rate is well above league average at 16.4%. It is not surprising that he has a 3.66 ERA compared to a 3.46 xFIP.
Gore has leaned heavily on his fastball, tossing it 60% of the time. But his curveball and slider are arguably his best pitches and what have led to such a high K/9 rate. His curveball has induced a 45% whiff rate, and his slider has induced a 42% whiff rate. Both are excellent putaway pitches, with 30% and 20% putaway rates respectively.
Here he is striking out the side in a recent game using each of his pitches to get outs:
MacKenzie Gore, K'ing the Side.
6Ks thru 4. pic.twitter.com/x50ec8HPLc
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 28, 2023
Gore’s PLV numbers are exceptional. His fastball, slider, and curveball all grade above average, and his PLA is favorable compared to his ERA:
Gore needs to be rostered in all formats and in all league sizes, and needs to be added from the waiver wire now.
Honorable Mention: Miles Mikolas (48.7%), Logan Allen (18.8%), Michael Lorenzen (11.5%), Michael Wacha (45.2%), Braxton Garrett (6.1%), JP Sears (3%), Louie Varland (9.6%), Tanner Bibee (22.8%), Tommy Henry (1.5%), Ben Lively (14.4%), Bailey Ober (35.2%), Bobby Miller (38.5%), Brayan Bello (8.4%), Kyle Gibson (21.8%), Tarik Skubal (3.5%)
Relief Pitcher
Jason Adam (RP – TB) 21.1% Rostered
With Pete Fairbanks on the shelf, Jason Adam has taken hold of the closer role in Tampa. Typically, Tampa goes closer by committee, but it looks like Adam’s grasp on the role is firm. Aside from Fairbanks, no other Rays relievers have more than 1 save this season.
His stuff has propelled him into the role – according to our PLV data, his slider grades as a borderline quality pitch and his fastball grades as league average:
Statcast breaks his pitches down slightly differently – separating his slider and sweeper. His sweeper is absolutely filthy, with a .091 batting average against, a 52.9% whiff rate, and a 31.5% putaway rate. It is no wonder batters have such a hard time with it when it moves like this:
Jason Adam, Filthy 80mph Back Door Sweeper. 😷
21 Inches of Horizontal Break. 😯 pic.twitter.com/Mh0CM2dds0
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 28, 2023
If he has lasted on the waiver wire in your league, go add him now.
Honorable Mention: Alex Lange (36.6%), Miguel Castro (10.8%), Kyle Finnegan (11.9%), Giovanny Gallegos (10.7%), Craig Kimbrel (16.6%), Andrew Chafin (14.9%), Kendall Graveman (9.7%), Mark Leiter Jr. (5.3%), Clay Holmes (41.6%), Michael King (9.5%), Will Smith (20.8%), Brusdar Graterol (3.9%)