Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Watch: Is it Junior Caminero time?

Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where we review the top waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season.

The premise is pretty straightforward. I’ll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I’ll try to list the category where I think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. My hope is that it will help you to determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs or not.

For a player to qualify to be on this list, he needs to be UNDER 50% rostered in Yahoo formats. I understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and I can’t help you there. These players are available in over 50% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they’re available in many places and that can hopefully satisfy readers in all league types.

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We’ll start by just looking at the teams with the best overall schedule in the next week. It’s just a part of the equation but it’s good to know which hitters will face an easier road.

Hitters

Junior Caminero – 3B, TB: 44% rostered
(PRIORITY STASH)

I’m going to keep Junior Caminero on here because he remains my favorite prospect stash if you have the bench space to do it. Caminero is hitting .309/.372/.555 at Triple-A with seven home runs, 17 runs, and 22 RBI in 27 games. I was also really intrigued by the fact that the Rays played him at second base this week but then they moved him right back to third base in the next two games. Did they not like what they saw from him defensively? With Brandon Lowe battling repeated oblique setbacks on his rehab assignment, I’d love to see Caminero get a chance to play second more in the minors, but this really comes down to the fact that he probably gives their offense more than Harold Ramirez or Richie Palacios does, and the Rays will likely call him up soon. Playing him at second base, even if it doesn’t stick, tells me they’re actively looking for ways to get him into the MLB lineup.

Jeimer Candelario – 1B/3B, CIN: 44% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, STARTING JOB)

I’ve had Candelario in the hold section for the last two weeks, but now I think we should actively be adding him. He’s 16-for-53 (.302) in 14 games in May with one home run, four runs, and eight RBI. The counting stats haven’t been there as the Reds‘ offense has hit a pretty big slump, but I love that Candelario is getting on base consistently and striking out less with just seven strikeouts in those 14 May games. I think the power boost we saw from him last year is real, and he continues to pull the ball a solid amount, so as the Reds lineup starts to figure it out, we should see more counting stats for Candelario as well. With 3B being a pretty dry position right now, Candelario needs to be scooped back up in more leagues.

Joey Ortiz – 2B/3B, MIL (34% rostered),
(RUNS, STARTING JOB)

Ortiz had solid exit velocity numbers in the minor leagues last year but couldn’t break through with the Orioles; yet, it was intriguing when he got dealt to the Brewers. Then it took him a while to break into the lineup, but now it appears that he’s emerging as the primary third baseman for the Brewers and is producing, hitting 11-for-32 (.344) with four home runs, seven runs, and seven RBI while starting nine of the last 11 games. Ortiz is unlikely to be a huge power hitter, but he does hit the ball hard and is now in a much better hitter’s park, so he will leave the yard. He also stole 11 bases last year, so he will likely swipe a base or two as well. I think you could get a little bit of production in all five categories from Ortiz and that makes him a solid add in most formats.

Eddie Rosario – OF, WAS: 31% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)

This is most likely a short-term add because the Nationals’ outfield is crowded and Rosario is starting to sit against lefties, but we also need to pay attention to what Eddie Rosario is doing when he’s playing recently. The 32-year-old is hitting 13-for-45 (.342) with four home runs, 11 runs scored, nine RBI, and four steals in 13 games in May. He’s now up to 6 steals on the year after not stealing more than 3 in any season since 2021. The Nationals as a team are running wild, and his home-to-first time is 51st in all of baseball, right alongside Steven Kwan and Julio Rodriguez, so he certainly has enough speed to keep swiping bases. He has started in 16 of 20 games since Lane Thomas was injured. While Rosario hasn’t been a fantasy star since his three-year stretch from 2017-2019, he was pretty good in 2021 and hit .255 with 21 home runs for the Braves last season. He’s sporting a more patient approach this year that has led to a career-high walk rate and the best contact rate he’s had in three years. He figures to keep playing against right-handed pitching until Lane Thomas returns and while he won’t stay on your roster all year, these are the types of short-term add that can give your team a boost throughout a season.

Josh Rojas – 2B/3B, SEA: 25% rostered
(SPEED, REGULAR PLAYING TIME)

Josh Rojas has cooled a bit of late, but he’s not playing poorly, going 13-of-45 (.289) over the past two weeks, but the counting stats haven’t been there. He’s still sporting a career-high walk rate and a career-low strikeout rate. He’s chasing outside of the zone at a career-low rate, making contact at a career-high rate, and registering a career-best 7.7% SwStr%. I like his approach and his everyday spot in the lineup Be aware that he’s no longer going to hit lead-off with J.P. Crawford back, but I think, in deeper formats, Rojas is still a viable CI/MI option.

In really deep formats, you could also look to Kevin Newman – SS, ARI (4% rostered), who has taken the starting job from Blaze Alexander and has gone 14-for-36 (.389) over the last two weeks with seven runs. He has no power and hits ninth in the order, but if you need a solid batting average and somebody getting regular playing time then Newman could work for you.

Leody Taveras – OF, TEX (24% rostered)
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)

I mentioned Taveras here last week, so I’ll reiterate what I said then: “Many people thought Taveras would be expendable with Wyatt Langford making the team, but his defense was always going to keep him around. Now we’re seeing his offense start to catch up with Taveras hitting 14-for-47 (.298) over the last two weeks with two home runs, six RBI, 14 runs scored, and two steals. That’s production across all five categories. He’s been hitting near the top of a good Rangers lineup and so we like that for his value in runs. Remember that Taveras is only 25 years old and is coming off his best MLB season last year. We could be getting some more growth here.”

Andrew Vaughn – 1B, CWS: 23% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, PLAYING TIME)

It has never quite clicked for Vaughn, who was thought of as one of the more advanced hitting prospects when he was drafted. However, he does have three home runs over his last week of action and is 14-of-55 (.255) in 15 games in May with three home runs, nine RBI, and just nine strikeouts. Vaughn had been being pitched up and inside more than in years past, and his early season results showed far more infield pop-ups than he’d had before. It’s possible he’s started to adjust back to how pitchers are throwing him, and since he still makes a solid amount of contact and doesn’t swing-and-miss often, you could still get a .250-.260 season with 20+ home runs out of Vaughn, which makes him a good CI target.

Davis Schneider – 2B/OF, TOR: 22% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)

I had Schneider on here last week. He’s been in and out of the lead-off spot and playing every day in Toronto and hitting 8-for-29 (.276) over the last two weeks with two home runs and two steals. George Springer simply isn’t cutting it, so there’s a chance that the Blue Jays decide to consistently keep Schneider up in the lineup. Either way, he’s a solid MIF target in deeper formats given his playing time and power upside.

I also don’t mind adding Paul DeJong – SS, CWS: 9% rostered for the short-term in deeper formats. We’ve seen Dejong get hot for stretches before, and he seems to be in the middle of a hot stretch now.

Edmundo Sosa – 3B/SS, PHI: 7% rostered is also playing nearly every day for the Phillies with Trea Turner out and is hitting 10-for-31 (.323) with 11 runs, six RBI, and two steals. In really deep formats or NL-Only leagues, he could be a short-term add.

Luis Matos – OF, SF: 23% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY)

Luis Matos has been a popular add after being called up following injuries to Michael Conforto and Jung Hoo Lee. Matos failed to impress in his first two MLB stints, but he’s hit the ground running in this most recent call-up, going 10-for-22 (.455) with two home runs and 16 RBI in six games. That production is going to make him a hot pickup, but just be cautious here because the Giants just came off a series against the Rockies’ poor pitching and Matos was not playing well at Triple-A, slashing .218/.308/.355 in 31 games. He was being outplayed by Heliot Ramos – OF, SF (1% rostered), who is also getting a chance to start every day in San Francisco, but is striking out 35% of the time. I wouldn’t be putting big bids in on either of these guys, but in NL-only formats or deeper 15-team leagues, you can put a small bid if you need the at-bats.

Luke Raley – 1B/OF, SEA: 21% rostered
(POWER, STRONG SIDE PLATOON)

Raley broke out with the Rays last year and then was traded to Seattle, where he got off to a really slow start. However, he’s started to pick it up of late, going 12-of-33 (.364) over his last 10 games with three home runs, seven runs scored, eight RBI, and two steals. He’s started 10 of the last 12 games so that regular playing time paired with his power and speed (he stole 14 bases last year) makes him an intriguing option in deeper formats.

If you want power, you could also go with Carlos Santana – 1B, MIN (15% rostered), who has three home runs over the last two weeks and seven over the last month while also hitting .240 over that time. I wouldn’t spend big money on him because the batting average won’t be there and the power comes and goes, but the Twins are running hot of late, so you can ride it out.

Danny Jansen – C, TOR (16% rostered)
(POWER, PLAYING TIME)

Last week, I listed Jansen as one of my favorite targets if you need a catcher so I’ll list him here again. He’s started 11 games in May and is hitting .324 with two home runs, eight runs, and five RBI. With the rest of the Blue Jays’ lineup struggling, Jansen should continue to be in the lineup regularly. He has always been a good hitter with solid pop, but his main concerns have been injury and playing time. I think the playing time will be there for the next few weeks at least, and I’d rather gamble on him staying healthy than take a less-talented catcher.

However, if you do want another hitter, I like Connor Wong – C, BOS (26% rostered) who has been hitting .357 over 11 games in May and showing a good amount of power and contact ability this year. If you’re specifically looking for power, you can still add Shea Langeliers – C, OAK (41% rostered) who is actually hitting .318 in 13 games in May. He still profiles as more of an all-or-nothing power bat, but he is striking out way less this season, which could mean he’s more of a .240 hitter, which would be great. Lastly, David Fry – C, CLE (11% rostered) has taken over the starting catcher role and is hitting .367 in 11 games in May with three home runs, seven runs scored, and five RBI, so you can take a gamble on him in the short-term as well.

Joey Loperfido – OF, HOU: 15% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, STRONG SIDE PLATOON)

It’s curious how we react to rookie hitters. So many rookies have come up and failed to deliver (Jackson Holliday, Jonatan Clase, Jackson Chourio) that we’re now so quick to assume it’s going to keep happening. Loperfido has been one of the most dropped hitters in Yahoo formats despite hitting .306 with one home run and a steal in 12 games since being promoted. Sure, he’s not starting against lefties, and he’s also not showing the power we wanted to see; however, he’s hitting well when he’s playing so why are we cutting him? We know he has the ability to hit for power, so if the Astros keep playing him, there’s a clear opportunity for him to earn even more value.

You might also find value with former prospect Miguel Vargas – 2B, LAD (4% rostered), who got called back up on Friday. Vargas didn’t perform in his first taste of the big leagues last year, but he’s slashing .302/.442/.590 in Triple-A this year with eight homers and 39 RBI across 181 plate appearances. That added power could be interesting and Vargas is only 24 years old, so it wouldn’t be hard to envision he found another level. He’s been playing left field full-time in the minors but could see 2B reps as well. It’s just unclear how much he’ll play.

Tommy Pham – OF, CWS: 11% rostered
(FIVE CATEGORIES, PLAYING TIME)

Nobody seems to want to pick up Tommy Pham, even though he’s hitting 16-for-47 (.340) over the last two weeks with one home run, five runs, eight RBI, and two steals. On the season, he’s hitting .338 with two home runs and two steals, so he’s not going to set the world on fire because his team is not good, but he’s always chipped in a little bit in all five categories and he’s playing nearly every game. He’s a really solid safe floor option.

I also like what Alec Burleson – 1B/OF, STL (3% rostered) is doing. He’s started eight of the last nine games and is hitting 13-for-39 (.333) over his last 12 games with three home runs, five runs, seven RBI, and one steal. The Cardinals are a mess, and it’s really hard to trust them as an organization, but Burleson is hitting the ball well now, so they should keep him in the lineup as long as that holds.

Colt Keith – 2B, DET: 9% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, HOT STRETCH)
It may be time to buy back into Keith if you dropped him at the start of the year. The rookie is hitting 10-for-31 (.323) in May with six runs, seven RBI, and one steal. The full power profile hasn’t materialized yet but just three strikeouts in 11 games in May is a pretty good improvement from the 22-year-old. He’s hitting toward the middle of the Tigers’ lineup and is starting to get more comfortable at the MLB level, so it might be time to take a gamble in deeper formats.

Kevin Pillar – OF, LAA: 9% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY)

Are we really doing this? I mean, in deeper leagues, I guess. Pillar is playing nearly every day for the Angels and is producing at an elite level, going 14-for-49 (.483) with three home runs, 14 RBI, and two steals. You know this isn’t going to keep up, but if you’re in deeper formats, you can certainly take a gamble on a guy swinging a hot bat and playing all the time.

You could also take a gamble on Pillar’s teammate, Willie Calhoun – OF, LAA: 2% rostered, who’s hitting cleanup every day for the Angels and batting 19-for-52 (.365) in limited at-bats.

Jake Bauers – 1B/OF, MIL: 9% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)

When the Brewers demoted Tyler Black and kept Bauers on the active roster, I criticized it, but he’s produced in his increased opportunities of late, going 8-for-22 (.364) with two home runs, nine RBI, and three steals. He’s playing every day and hitting in the middle of the Brewers’ lineup, which also means he has a great home ballpark. Bauers will likely not be an option in shallower formats, but he changed his approach last year to sell out for more pull-side power, so his power/speed potential is real.

Pitchers

Trevor Megill – RP, MIL (49% rostered)

Megill has been on here the last three weeks. He’s the closer in Milwaukee until Devin Williams comes back, and he’s pretty good. You should add him if you need saves. You could also throw a small amount of FAB on Jalen Beeks – RP, COL (14% rostered), who has four saves over the last two weeks as the primary closer for the Rockies. However, given the poor team context and the poor pitching environment, it’s hard to get overly excited about Beeks for the remainder of the season.

Dean Kremer – SP, BAL (46% rostered)

I think Kremer should get more respect. In the second half of last season, Kremer started throwing his fastball up in the zone more and added Induced Vertical Break (iVB) without changing his release point. He also added drop to his changeup, which helped him with strikeouts and, in 74.2 second-half innings, he posted a 3.25 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 20.5% strikeout rate, compared to a 4.78 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 22% strikeout rate in 98 first half innings. He’s carried over that success this year and has a career-high 25.3% strikeout rate to go along with a 3.72 ERA in 46 innings. He is a high-end streamer for me and deserves to be held on rosters in deeper formats, even if you don’t start him in every outing.

Taj Bradley – SP, TB: 44% rostered
For the last few weeks, I mentioned that I thought it was time to stash Bradley and then he looked really good in his season debut against the Yankees. Bradley got 11 swings and misses on 93 pitches on the night — at least two on each of his four offerings — while posting a 30% CSW. He followed that up with a solid outing in a tough environment on the road in Fenway, striking out six in five innings. He seems to be making some small changes to his pitch mix from last year, and with his upside, he needs to be rostered in all formats.

I also think it’s time to stash his teammate Shane Baz – SP, TB: 24% rostered, who I discussed in my Add/Drop video on YouTube two weeks ago. He struggled with his command in his first Triple-A rehab outing but looked much better in his second start. That rust is to be expected coming off a year without pitching and also the automated strike system in the minors tends to throw off some guys. Baz has top-30 upside, so if you can stash him now, you absolutely should.

Christian Scott – SP, NYM: 34% rostered
Scott followed up this solid MLB debut against an admittedly mediocre Rays offense with a strong showing against a good Braves team. Then he struggled against the Marlins, but, you know, so did Zack Wheeler. It’s highly unlikely that a rookie pitcher will dominate in every single start, but Scott’s talent can’t be denied so I would not be dropping him after his poor start and would be running to grab him if somebody did drop him. His ability to miss bats is clear, and I love his demeanor on the mound. His fastball has so much life and his sweeper and slider both have the potential to miss plenty of bats. If he succeeded against the Braves, he can probably be started against most offenses, so even if you decide to be cautious and sit him this upcoming week against the Phillies, he should absolutely be added to your roster.

Reese Olson – SP, DET: 41% rostered

More people need to be adding Reese Olson. Reese Olson is a pitcher I’ve been bullish on since the preseason, so it’s nice to see him delivering here. He’s on a run of six straight good starts and only has one real blemish on the year with a poor second start against the Pirates. The schedule he’s faced hasn’t been the hardest but that’s also part of what comes with pitching in the AL Central. I think Olson is a talented, young arm and I believe he’ll finally get a win at some point since this Tigers offense should get going a bit.

I also like adding Marlins starter Ryan Weathers – SP, MIA (6% rostered) in deeper formats given that he has a two-start week. The matchups against Milwaukee and Arizona aren’t great but I’m also not running from them given that Weathers has been a solid arm for much of the season and has some strikeout upside.

Robert Gasser – SP, MIL: 19% rostered
Gasser has a deep pitch mix and solid command so while he won’t wow you in the way Paul Skenes does, he is still a good prospect. He features an elite sweeper and has solid control with his sinker and four-seam, which gives him a good foundation. I believe he’s a smart enough and poised enough pitcher to make the most of his arsenal as a safe floor option. We saw that in his last outing against the Pirates where he wasn’t getting tons of swings and misses, but he was able to mix and match his arsenal to keep hitters off balance and not give up any damaging contact. That can be as important as a pitcher who just blows hitters away.

A.J. Puk – RP, MIA: 10% rostered
Puk is back in the saves mix for the Marlins. I don’t think they’re just going to give him the job, but Tanner Scott has struggled with his command all season and Puk was solid as a reliever for much of last year. The Marlins are also not a great team and are in the midst of a fire sale, so we have an idea how many save chances they’ll get. Still, it’s worth putting a small big on Puk if you need saves.

Jose Urquidy – SP, HOU: 3% rostered
In deeper formats, I think Urquidy makes for a good stash right now. He has one more minor league start to make but should be up in Houston before the end of May. While his ceiling isn’t high, he’s a solid starter and will absolutely move into the rotation with the Astros’ starters struggling. I know this isn’t the elite team context we thought we were getting, but Urquidy is a solid floor pitcher on a good team and that’s worthy of a roster spot in many deeper formats.

Check out my list of weekly streamers below.

STREAMING STARTER OPTIONS FOR THE UPCOMING WEEK (ranked in loose order)

• Ben Lively (CLE) – vs NYM, at LAA

• Dean Kremer (BAL) – vs CWS

• Reese Olson (DET) – at KC, vs TOR

• Michael Wacha (KC) – vs DET, at TB

• Casey Mize (DET) – at KC, vs TOR

• Jameson Taillon (CHC) – at STL

• Taj Bradley (TB) – vs KC

• Christian Scott (NYM) – at CLE

• Robert Gasser (MIL) – at MIA

• Trevor Williams (WAS) – vs SEA

• Sean Manaea (NYM) – vs SF

• Jose Soriano (LAA) – vs CLE

• Tylor Megill (NYM) – at CLE, vs SF

• Cal Quantrill (COL) – at OAK, vs PHI

• Austin Gomber (COL) – at OAK

Luke Weaver – RP, NYY: 15% rostered

Every year, a group of ratio-helping relievers emerges into the fantasy landscape ready to help our teams. Even though they are not likely to get saves, they can rack up strikeouts and help balance our ratios and that can often be more valuable than streaming a mediocre starter or chasing saves with a flawed reliever. Weaver has emerged as one of those as a multi-inning option out of the Yankees bullpen. He’s been picking up some wins and helps with ratios as well.

My other favorite option for that could be Nick Martinez – SP/RP, CIN (3% rostered).

Players to Drop

In this section, I’ll give you a few players who are rostered in over 50% of leagues who I think might be OK to cut bait on. I’ll also list the schedule to highlight which teams have fewer games or face a tougher road of pitchers in case you want to churn the bottom of your roster by getting rid of some hitters with a bad schedule.

Cedric Mullins – OF, BAL: 71% rostered
This is for shallower formats because I think Mullins will continue to play as the Orioles’ best option in center field. However, Austin Hays can actually play a solid CF, so there’s a chance that Mullins would lose some playing time if he continues to struggle and he has certainly struggled of late, hitting .067 in May with 13 strikeouts in 10 games. He does have six home runs and six steals, so I’m not cutting him in 15-team leagues, and I’m holding him in 12-team leagues with deep benches where I need the speed. But in shallower formats or leagues with small benches, I think you can play some of the hot bats over Mullins.

Lourdes Gurriel – OF, ARI: 74% rostered

Gurriel was likely a fringe roster player at the start of the season but then he got off to a torrid start and now people are hesitant to drop him after he’s cooled off considerably. Remember what you thought about him before the season started and ask yourself how you would have reacted to him if he went 19-for-97 (.196) with no home runs and five RBI over one month. Would that still be a player you’d hold onto?

Michael Busch – 1B/3B, CHC: 65% rostered
If you’re in deeper formats or still need power, by all means, you can hold Busch because I do think his power is legit. It’s just the rest of the profile that I’m less certain about. He has a 35% strikeout rate this season and has 23 strikeouts in 15 games in May. That will always be a part of his game, so the batting average will likely always be low, and cold stretches will happen. If you need the power, you can bench him through the cold streaks, but in shallower formats, I don’t think you need to.

Players to Hold

Andy Pages – OF, LAD: 43% rostered

Much like I discussed above with Joey Loperfido, I think we need to change the way we look at rookie hitters. Pages came up and looked great. Now, he’s in the middle of his first slump and everybody is cutting him. Rookie hitters are going to slump. Does Pages’ profile suggest he can work his way out of it? Personally, I believe so. Using Pitcher List’s rolling graphs, we can see that Pages’ strike zone judgment has gotten worse but his in-zone decisions are still really good, so he’s been chasing out of the zone more as pitchers are more cautious with him. Despite his struggles, his contact ability has still been around MLB average, even during the cold streak. His minor league walk rates suggest he won’t remain this overly aggressive as pitchers adjust to him, so I think he can be benched in deeper formats but I’d try to hold. If you’re in a 10 or 12-team league and want to move on, I understand.

Mackenzie Gore – SP, WAS: 47% rostered
Gore being one of the most dropped players on Yahoo tells me that people view him as a streamer and drop him after his starts. Why? Is his 1.38 WHIP a bit high? Yes. But he has a 3.30 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. His walks are actually down from last year and the WHIP is, in large part, due to an inflated .361 BABIP. That’s going to regress to the mean, which means that Gore could conceivably be even better in the coming weeks. I think he needs to be rostered in most formats, even if you don’t start him against the best offenses.