Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Watch: Closer landscape continues to evolve down the stretch

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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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds

Hitters

Wilyer Abreu – OF, BOS (41% rostered)
(STRONG SIDE PLATOON, POWER UPSIDE)

Why did Abreu’s roster rate go down this week? He went 7-for-26 with two home runs and his roster rate dropped 5%. I’m not sure I understand that. Abreu is hitting .284 in 24 games since the All-Star break with six home runs, 19 RBI, and 15 runs. He also has seven steals on the season, so he’ll chip in a little bit in all five categories and needs to be rostered more widely.

Another formerly highly rostered outfielder who has slipped below the waiver threshold of late is Daulton Varsho – OF, TOR (42% rostered). I’ve had my doubts about Varsho’s contact ability in the past, but he plays every day because of his elite defense and he’s been on a hot streak, going 13-of-46 (.283) over gis last 12 games with two home runs, eight runs, six RBI, and one steal. He can contribute a little bit everywhere so that makes him a solid player if you roster five outfielders or are in a 15-team format.

Austin Wells – C, NYY (36% rostered)
(NEW LINEUP SPOT, POWER UPSIDE)

Even with Giancarlo Stanton back, Wells has remained the clean-up hitter for the Yankees and the new lineup spot has also been a huge boost to his value. In 23 games since the All-Star break, he’s hitting .329 with three home runs and 16 RBI. He won’t steal bases, and the run totals will be just OK, but those are good numbers for hitters at most positions and great numbers for a catcher. This Yankees lineup is a bit deeper now, so Wells is a great add in all league types.

In one-catcher formats, you can also turn to Tyler Stephenson – C, CIN: (46% rostered) who is 14-for-49 (.286) in 13 games in August with five home runs and 11 RBI. Given his hot streak and his playing time, he deserves to be rostered in one-catcher formats right now. In deeper leagues, you can also go with Joey Bart – C, PIT: (23% rostered), who has been tremendous over the last three weeks and is also getting starts at designated hitter. Another option for deeper formats is Freddy Fermin – C, KC (7% rostered), who has been getting regular playing time at DH too.

Gavin Lux – 2B/OF, LAD (37% rostered)
(HOT STREAK, LINEUP BOOST)

Will Lux continue to play regularly with Tommy Edman back? You’d have to think the Dodgers would keep him in the lineup at second base given that he’s hitting .353 in 27 games since the All-Star break with five home runs, 19 RBI, and 14 runs. He only has four steals on the season, so he won’t run much, and the power is capped at about 15 home runs in a full season, but the consistent quality of contact and strong batting order makes him intriguing.

If you wanted another batting average asset in the outfield, you could turn to Alex Call – OF, WAS (18% rostered) Call is now in an everyday role after Jesse Winker and Lane Thomas were traded at the deadline. Call has gone 25-for-67 (.373) in his 18 games since being activated with 12 RBI and three steals. He’ll lead off basically every day for the Nationals from here on out, and while that batting average will come down, he could be a good deep-league source of average and steals.

Tommy Edman – 2B/SS/OF, LAD (32% rostered)
(IMPENDING IL RETURN, EVERYDAY JOB)

Last week I mentioned that it could be the time to stash Edman before his price went up, and now we know that Edman will officially be returning on Monday. Despite Edman playing a lot of outfield in the minors, I believe he should emerge as the everyday shortstop for the Dodgers with Mookie Betts shifting to right field. Even if Edman’s wrist injury saps some of the power from his bat (not that there had been much), he’ll be a starter with good speed who hits in one of the best lineups in baseball. If you have a spot to stash him for one week, this is likely the time to do so.

If you want speed in the middle infield, you can also go back to David Hamilton – 2B/SS, BOS (22% rostered). After a brutal July, Hamilton has turned it on a bit again, going 11-for-37 (.297) in 12 games in August with two home runs and five steals. While that has led to regular playing time, we know that Hamilton will continue to sit versus left-handed pitching, so keep that in mind. The Red Sox face just one lefty this upcoming week, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

Spencer Torkelson – 1B, DET (31% rostered)
(ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)

Tork is back. Now, I’m not the biggest Torkelson fan, and I think there are still some contact and approach issues I’d love to see improve; however, we can’t pretend the power upside isn’t tremendous. The 24-year-old slashed .239/.356/.442 across 275 plate appearances at Triple-A Toledo but did have 11 home runs in 58 games in the minors. He also hit 19 home runs in 72 games after the All-Star break last season. I know he was heating up in the minors the last few weeks, but he also had a 31 percent strikeout rate in Triple-A in 58 games, so I’m not convinced he’s going to come back and immediately start raking. However, if you need power, he’s worth an add.

Geraldo Perdomo -2B/3B/SS, ARI (28% rostered)
(RUNS, SPEED UPSIDE)

Perdomo, who was an All-Star last season, missed much of the season with an injury, Perdomo has gone 15-for-51 (.294) over his 14 games in August, with nine runs, five RBI, and two steals. He’s up to .275 now with one home run, 13 doubles, four steals, 22 RBI and 37 runs scored across 204 at-bats this year. He only has four steals so far this year, but he did steal 16 last year, so he could also give you solid speed and run totals from here on out too despite hitting near the bottom of Arizona‘s lineup.

You could also take a gamble on Ernie Clement – 2B/3B/SS, TOR (11% rostered), who is a full-time starter for the Blue Jays and has also started to run more of late. Clement has three steals in August while hitting .298 in 14 games with six runs scored and eight RBI, so if he can pair that solid batting average and positional versatility with some speed, he could be a solid deep league add.

Michael Conforto – OF, SF: 19% rostered
(HOT STREAK, POWER/RBI UPSIDE)

Conforto was one of the waiver wire darlings at the start of the season, but he slumped and battled injuries and has seen his roster rates drop drastically. However, he has been pretty good for the last month and really turned it on over the last two weeks, hitting 14-for-46 (.304) in 14 games in August with two home runs and 10 RBI. He hits third in a solid lineup, which will continue to give him ample chances to knock in runs.

We’re also running it back with JJ Bleday – OF, OAK (23% rostered), who has been hot at the plate for over two weeks now, going 19-for-53 (.358) with three homers, nine RBI, and a 1.028 OPS in his last 15 games. Overall, he’s slashing .249/.330/.449 with 15 homers, 45 RBI, 57 runs scored and one steal across 483 plate appearances this season in what has been a solid bounceback effort for a former top prospect many people had written off.

Matt Wallner– OF, MIN: 14% rostered
(STRONG SIDE PLATOON, POWER UPSIDE)

Why does nobody want to pick up Matt Wallner? He continues to play against all righties and produce, going 18-for-60 (.300) in his last 21 games with four home runs, 13 runs scored, 12 RBI, and two steals for good measure. He’s more valuable in daily moves leagues because he will sit against lefties, but he was featured in my Mining The Minors article where I looked at his recent production in Triple-A. I’d encourage you to check that out, but I’m adding him for power upside.

You can also get deep league power upside from Jonah Bride – 1B/3B, MIA (13% rostered), who is hitting .308 (20-for-69) with five home runs and 17 RBI since the All-Star break. I’m not entirely sure how long this can last since he has no track record of this kind of success, but he hass moved into an everyday role since Josh Bell was traded to Arizona, so he could be worth a look while he’s swinging it well.

Parker Meadows – OF, DET: 7% rostered
(RETURN FROM IL, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)

We were excited for Meadows to return after his demotion to Triple-A Toledo because he had made process changes that led to clear success. However, Meadows hurt his hamstring in his third game back and landed on the IL. Well, the outfielder is back now and has gone 13-for-41 (.317) with seven runs scored, four RBI, and four steals in 11 games. He has only one home run, but he has the ability to drive the ball out of the park, which gives him low key five category value. Meadows has the raw ability to be a real contributor down the stretch and is worth a stash in most formats.

Another deep league option would be David Peralta – OF, SD (10% rostered) now that he’s an everyday player for the Padres. The veteran is hitting 20-for-68 (.294) over his last 21 games with five home runs, 15 runs, and 12 RBI. We’ve seen him go on some strong stretches in the past, so his presence in a surging lineup should be intriguing if you’re looking to catch lightning in a bottle with a hot streak.

I should also mention that Ramon Laureano – OF, ATL (1% rostered) has been playing every day of late with Jorge Soler hurt and Adam Duvall losing favor. Over the last two weeks, Laureano is hitting .333 in 12 games with three home runs, seven runs, and five RBI. Getting bats in good lineups is never a bad idea.

Jace Jung – 2B, DET (6% rostered)
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY)

The Tigers have turned these over to the youth movement, calling up one of their top prospects in Jace Jung. The brother of the Rangers Josh Jung, Jace hit 14 home runs with a .831 OPS in 91 games at Triple-A this year. The former first-round pick has enough power to contribute for fantasy purposes right away and pairs that with solid plate discipline since he walked 16.1% of the time with a 22.4% strikeout rate in the minors. We have to figure that the strikeout rate increases a bit against big-league pitchers, but he should hit for power and be an OBP asset out of the gates.

If you’re in a deeper format, you could also turn to Jung’s teammate Trey Sweeney – SS, DET (1% rostered); however, I’m not sure about his upside and his playing time. He is a career .251 minor league hitter who was hitting just .254 in 96 games for the Dodgers’ Triple-A club. He was better since coming to Detroit and has 15 home runs and 20 steals in the minors this season, so there is some fantasy appeal, but I’m not sure he’ll hit enough at the MLB level.

Ramon Urias – 1B, 2B, 3B, BAL (1% rostered)
(CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, MODEST COUNTING STAT UPSIDE)

Despite just a .244/.313/.390 slash line, Urias maintains some deep league fantasy value since he figures to be the starting third baseman on the Orioles for the rest of the year after they sent Coby Mayo down to the minors. There is nothing in Urias’ profile that jumps off the page, but hitting in a lineup as good as Baltimore’s will boost his fantasy value enough to be considered in deeper formats.

If you really want just batting average upside, you could also turn to Will Wagner – 2B, Tor (5% rostered). who’s going 8-for-15 (.533) in four games since being called up with two runs and three RBI. Wagner was hitting .307 in 70 games in Triple-A for Houston before being traded to Toronto and had a ridiculous 16.7% walk rate compared to just a 10.2% strikeout rate. He doesn’t run much or hit for much power, but the batting average and plate discipline are very much for real.

Niko Kavadas – 1B, LAA (1% rostered)
(STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE)

I wrote about Kavadas back when he was with the Red Sox and I thought he might get a chance to fill in for Triston Casas. That never happened, but Kavadas seems to be getting a chance with the Angels. The 25-year-old first baseman is slashing .264/.400/.521 with 19 homers and 67 RBI over 383 plate appearances in Triple-A and that’s including his poor stats in 11 games since being traded to the Angels, where he hit .159/.229/.341 with two homers and four RBI for Triple-A Salt Lake. He should DH or play first base against all right-handed pitchers from here on out, which makes him intriguing if you need power.

In deeper formats, you could also look to Shay Whitcomb – SS, HOU (2% rostered), who led all of minor league baseball in home runs last year and was slashing .293/.378/.530 with 25 homers, 91 RBI and 26 stolen bases in 481 plate appearances in Triple-A this year. The issue is that he was called up while Alex Bregman is out for the weekend, but we have no idea how long Bregman will be out, so Whitcomb could be buried on the bench in Houston.

Adrian Del Castillo – C, ARI (4% rostered)
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)

I covered Del Castillo a few weeks ago in my Mining the Minors article and he’s now getting a chance to start with Gabriel Moreno hurt. In the article, I said: Del Castillo was put on my radar earlier this week by Chris Clegg in his awesome work at Dynasty Dugout. For just a taste, this is part of what Chris said: “Del Castillo has always shown some pop and good OBP skills but seems to be taking it to the next level this year…His exit velocities are quite strong, with an average exit velocity of 91 mph and a 90th percentile of 105.5 mph. The contact numbers are reflective of his batting average as well, as Del Castillo has a 78.5 percent overall contact rate and an 86 percent in-zone clip. The chase rate is a modest 26 percent, showing quite a well-rounded profile…The profile looks good, and there is a real chance Del Castillo will be in Arizona soon. With the underlying data, performance, and an opportunity for at-bats soon, Del Castillo is an easy buy [in dynasty leagues].”

Pitchers

Jeffrey Springs – SP, TB: 44% rostered

Springs has been awesome in his last two starts, allowing two total runs over 10 innings against the Diamondbacks and Orioles while striking out 15 and walking just one. Yeah, we’ll take that all day. It is important to remember that Springs is coming off Tommy John surgery and hasn’t thrown more than five innings in any of his four starts since coming back. With Tampa Bay not contending for anything this season, it makes sense for them to continue to monitor Springs’ workload, and so I would be surprised if he suddenly starts pitching deeper into games. That could make wins hard to come by, but the performance overall has been great of late.

Nick Martinez – SP/RP, CIN: 38% rostered
The 34-year-old is transitioning back into the starting rotation after being a multi-inning reliever before Frankie Montas was traded and has pitched really well in that role, allowing just one run in 24.1 innings prior to his start on Friday. Even in that start, he had allowed just one run on two hits through five innings before he faded in the sixth inning, which is to be expected considering he hasn’t been a starter for much of the year. Overall, the right-hander sports a 3.25 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP and 79:10 K:BB across 97 innings this year. He has been solid as a starter and is firmly in the deep league mix, even next week against the Blue Jays.

Justin Martinez – RP, ARI: 39% rostered

The Arizona bullpen situation is a bit of a mess at the moment, but it does seem like Martinez is emerging as the ninth-inning favorite. The right-hander has not allowed an earned run in 6.2 innings in August with 13 strikeouts and four walks in those innings. He has a 1.87 ERA on the year and clearly has the team’s trust right now, which is enough for you to roster him if you need saves considering how well the Diamondbacks have been playing of late.

Ryne Nelson – SP, ARI: 32% rostered
I know the Diamondbacks are saying Nelson is being moved out of the rotation, but I can’t believe they’d do that. He has a 2.72 ERA in his last nine outings and the Diamondbacks have gone 7-2 in those games. He has been leaning on his four-seam fastball of late to great success. Keep an eye on this situation because if he stays in the rotation, he should stay on your roster.

Seranthony Dominguez – RP, BAL: 31% rostered

As Craig Kimbrel continues to struggle, Dominguez seems to be emerging as the primary closer for the Orioles. He has produced an impressive 1.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 10:3 K:BB through nine innings with the Orioles and also snagged the last two saves for his new team. He’s been hard to trust in the past, but the role is valuable enough that he’s worth an add.

Another option for saves is Lucas Erceg – RP, KC (33% rostered), who has taken over the closer’s role with Hunter Harvey on the IL. Erceg has pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings since arriving from Oakland in a trade with eight strikeouts and zero walks. The Royals are an underrated team, and save chances will accrue here.

Michael Kopech – RP, LAD: 36% rostered and Aroldis Chapman – RP, PIT: 30% rostered
Two guys who have emerged into late-inning committees with tremendous results of late. Kopech earned his first save with the Dodgers on Friday, and he has yet to give up a run over 8.1 innings since being traded while posting a 13:1 K:BB in that span. We know his stuff is electric, but if the Dodgers are able to iron out a clear attack plan for him and then also use him in late innings, he could have major fantasy value. However, I’d expect him to remain in some sort of committee. Same for Aroldis Chapman, who has been great for the Pirates and is getting tons of high-leverage innings while David Bednar struggles. Yet, the Pirates keep going back to Bednar, and he looked good on Saturday, so he may be rounding back into form.

Cody Bradford – SP, TEX: 24% rostered
Much like Springs, Bradford is starting to round back into form after returning from injury. Unlike Springs, Bradford didn’t undergo major surgery and his team is competing for a playoff spot, so the left-hander is being pushed a little more. Over his last two starts, he’s allowed three runs in 11 innings while striking out nine batters against the Twins and Yankees, two playoff teams. The Rangers had wanted Bradford to come back and pitch out of the bullpen, but injuries to Max Scherzer and Jon Gray forced him back into the rotation and he could be there to stay.

Tyler Mahle – SP, TEX (21% rostered)
Mahle has been solid in his first two starts against tough opponents in the Astros and Red Sox. In 9.2 innings he allowed three runs while posting a 9:4 K:BB, which came with 15 whiffs in his last start against the Red Sox. The stuff has looked good, particularly for a pitcher making just his second start of the year after missing the early part of the season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Mahle offers some risk for the remainder of the season due to his inconsistency, but the reward is obvious too.

David Festa – SP, MIN: 16% rostered

Yes, Festa hasn’t pitched more than five innings in any of his seven starts, but he’s struck out at least six batters in five of those games and I’m never opposed to chasing strikeout upside. Festa was enjoying a great year in the minors, and was unlucky in his first two starts at the big league level. Since rejoining the Twins on July 24, Festa has been tremendous, posting a 2.38 ERA and 31:8 K:BB over 22.2 innings. We should be jumping back in but we may not get more than five innings from him ever this year.

Matthew Boyd – SP, CLE: 15% rostered
Boyd sat 92.2 mph on his four-seam fastball in his season debut, which is up from when we saw him last. He also continued to spin a solid slider and mix in a changeup against righties. Overall, he had a 29 percent whiff rate and 39 percent CSW in what was a really strong outing. We’ve seen Boyd be a serviceable fantasy starter in the past, and he landed in a pretty good environment to be one again. He can be added in all 15-team leagues and deeper now, but he has a tough start on the road against the Yankees next week. The veteran looked great in his five rehab outings, posting an 0.83 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, and 27:2 K:BB in 21.2 innings. He’s worth a gamble in deeper formats.

Zebby Matthews – SP, MIN: 14% rostered
Zebby Matthews made his MLB debut this week, and I broke down his pitch mix in this week’s Mixing It Up, so I’d encourage you to check that out.

Alex Cobb – SP, CLE: 10% rostered
Cobb didn’t have a great first start with Cleveland, giving up four earned runs in 4.2 innings while inducing just three whiffs on 82 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 23 percent. However, he bounced back well in his second start, allowing one run on three hits in 5.2 innings against the Cubs. The veteran was effective in San Francisco, pitching to a 3.80 ERA in 301 innings across two seasons. He’s not going to rack up tons of strikeouts and has a tendency to give up a decent amount of hits which has hurt his WHIP, but he is a solid and dependable starter for most league types.

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

• Javier Assad (CHC) – vs DET, at MIA

• Jameson Taillon (CHC) – vs DET

• Michael Lorenzen (KC) – at LAA

• Jonathan Cannon (CWS) – at SF, vs DET

• Bryan Sammons (DET) – at CHC, vs CWS

• Cody Bradford (TEX) – vs PIT

• Eduardo Rodriguez (ARI) – at MIA

• Jordan Montgomery (ARI) – at MIA

• Bowden Francis (TOR) – vs LAA

• Zebby Matthews (MIN) – at SD, vs STL

• Martin Perez (SD) – vs MIN, vs NYM

• Edward Cabrera (MIA) – vs ARI, vs CHC

• Dean Kremer (BAL) – at NYM, vs HOU

• DJ Herz (WAS) – vs COL, at ATL

• Justin Wrobleski (LAD) – vs TB

• David Festa (MIN) – vs STL

• Luis L. Ortiz (PIT) – at TEX, vs CIN

• Tyler Mahle (TEX) – at CLE

• Nick Martinez (CIN) – at TOR

• Cal Quantrill (COL) – at WAS

• Jose Urena (TEX) – vs PIT

• Matthew Boyd (CLE) – at NYY, vs TEX

• Osvaldo Bido (OAK) – vs TB

• Alex Cobb (CLE) – at NYY