All players listed are rostered in 55% or fewer of Yahoo leagues and can help you for the upcoming week and beyond. Without further ado, here are this week’s top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.
- Fantasy Baseball Research & Advice
- Fantasy Baseball Trade Analyzer
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Assistant
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
- Rest-of-Season Projections
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Targets
Happy Fourth of July weekend. It doesn’t get a whole lot better than a backyard barbecue, fireworks and summertime baseball. It’s a fun time of year, and for fantasy basball enthusiasts, we’re right in the thick of it.
Let me start by quickly apologizing for last week. Oof, Chase Burns and Jacob Lopez did not make me look good. While the hitters performed well and Lucas Giolito‘s been nasty, those two starters took it on the chin after I was high on them. Hopefully, Burns’ disastrous start was just a blip on the radar where he was possibly tipping his pitches. And Lopez just had an off day. Young pitchers tend to have blow-up games now and then (as most starters do), but I just didn’t expect it to come immediately after recommending them. I’m sorry about that one. I’ll try to do better this week.
Thankfully, there’s plenty of upside to go around with these next 10 players, enough to make up for last week. There should be something for everyone, so let’s get right to it.
Jasson Dominguez (OF – NYY): 48%
The Martian is back and he’s hotter than ever, collecting 16 hits over his last 11 games (eight starts). Jasson Dominguez is hitting .444 since June 23rd and has now earned his way atop the Yankees’ batting order. With a handful of teammates suffering injuries, Dominguez has been granted another opportunity to start, and he’s thriving.
The switch-hitting outfielder can do a bit of everything. He’s already swiped 13 bags to go along with six home runs and 37 runs scored. The power has been slightly scarce, but with the recent batting average boost, I fully expect the confidence to carry over into the power department. Dominguez is worth a look in all leagues.
Addison Barger (3B – TOR): 44%
I mentioned Addison Barger a few weeks ago, highlighting his Statcast rates and his ability to drive nearly every type of pitch thrown his way. Despite my humble efforts, Barger continues to fly under the radar, remaining available in the majority of leagues.
Well, if you weren’t convinced then, you may be now. According to Yahoo’s fantasy ranking system, the Blue Jays third baseman was the seventh-best player in all of baseball last week. He racked up eight runs, three homers, seven RBI and hit for a .346 average. Barger even stole a base. Also, if your league counts doubles, he mashed four of those as well.
Barger is batting in the cleanup spot for the Jays recently and makes for an excellent Max Muncy replacement. He should be rostered in nearly all leagues.
Cam Smith (3B, OF – HOU): 54%
It may be a little late to add Cam Smith, but he’s been so good lately, he deserves mentioning again. I spoke about Smith in length weeks ago, but he’s now taken his game to the next level.
Smith has been a beast at the plate for the last month, registering an outlandish 21 RBI to go along with four home runs, two steals and a .357 batting average. He’s been even more en fuego lately, producing a .480 average over the last seven days. Smith is entrenched in the four-hole for the Astros and should be added everywhere he is still available.
Zach McKinstry (2B, 3B, SS, OF – DET): 49%
Zach McKinstry has been doing a bit of everything lately, which has been extremely valuable given his positional versatility. He’s capable of filling in at several spots left vacant by the wave of injuries around the league and serves as an excellent depth option.
The jack-of-all-trades has been especially hot of late, hitting .450 over the last week. Over the last 30 days, the former Dodger has amassed 13 runs, two homers, seven RBI, seven stolen bases and a .346 average. Throw in the positional eligibility, and you’ve got yourself a nice waiver wire pickup for the weeks ahead.
Willi Castro (2B, 3B, SS, OF – MIN): 45%
Willi Castro offers much of the same as Zach McKinstry does. Castro also contributes across the board while filling in at nearly any position needed. The Twins utility man hasn’t exactly been hitting the cover off the ball lately, but he has upped his steal attempt,s swiping four bags over his last six games. He also stole 14 bases last year and 33 the year before in limited duty, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 28-year-old continue to run.
Over 221 at-bats, Castro has registered 37 runs, seven homers, 20 RBI, seven steals and a .271 batting average. He’s been consistently hitting second or third in the Twins lineup and is a decent add if you need a replacement.
Max Scherzer (SP – TOR): 46%
It was vintage Max Scherzer on Monday, allowing just three base runners over five innings of work. While the term “vintage” may be pushing it, Scherzer looked every bit the part, holding the Yankees to just two runs on three hits and no walks while striking out seven. He only threw 71 pitches in the outing and dealt with some soreness during the game, but the veteran went through his normal routine this week, including a bullpen session where he said everything felt fine. He’s on tap to take on the Angels on Saturday and the Athletics after that.
The Jays are in contention for the American League East title this season (topping the division heading into play on Saturday), and you know one of baseball’s most competitive players is going to do all he can to get them there. Scherzer is a solid addition in deeper leagues.
Joe Boyle (SP – TB): 7%
The Rays are also in contention and like one of my old favorite football coaches, Herm Edwards, used to say, “you play to win the game.” It’s no guarantee, but the Rays could trade one of their plethora of arms this month to make room for Joe Boyle’s return. Boyle would not only lead them to more wins, but he could catapult them into division champions.
Boyle made just one start for Tampa back in April, shutting down the Braves over five near-perfect innings with seven strikeouts. He was sent down shortly after due to a roster crunch, but he’s continued to dominate at Triple-A Durham. If the Rays hadn’t been so fortunate with their starting rotation this season, Boyle likely would have been back in the Majors long ago.
Shane McClanahan is also set to return sometime this month as well but with the American League East lead on the cusp, the Rays would be foolish to keep Boyle down much longer. The 6-foot-8, 250-pound righty has been arguably the best pitcher in Triple-A this year, producing a 1.85 ERA and 0.986 WHIP over 15 games. He’s also struck out 96 of the 292 batters he’s faced (32.9% strikeout rate).
Zack Littell is coming off an excellent game and now has a 3.61 ERA over 104.2 innings. The issue for Littell is that his contract is up at the end of the year, and he’s also given up a league-leading 23 home runs. While the 3.61 ERA is nice, all the gopher balls will eventually catch up with him, making further success more difficult. Homers and contract aside, with an ace-like arm just waiting in the wings, it would behoove the club to deal Littell and improve in other areas. The Yankees have relinquished their lead, and if the Rays are serious about winning the division, Boyle needs to be pitching every five days.
Boyle may not get called up this week, but his promotion is coming. Snag Boyle off the waiver wire now if you’ve got the room. You could be getting a potential ace for the last two months of the season.
Andrew Painter (SP – PHI): 17%
Andrew Painter is less of a must-add as he’s struggled quite a bit this season. He may also be preserved for the future by pitching out of the bullpen. That said, Aaron Nola still is not ready to return and Mick Abel has fallen apart in his recent outings.
While Painter is far from a sure thing, he does have the stuff to succeed at the Major League level. He has also been touted as one of the top arms in the Minors over the past couple of seasons. His injuries have been well documented, and because of them, he may not throw enough this season to make a strong fantasy impact. However, the Phillies are holding him out of the All-Star Futures Game next week, so they could be lining him up to start after that. Painter is worth a gamble in deeper leagues.
If closers are what you’re after, these next two players are decent desperation plays.
Ronny Henriquez (RP – MIA): 23%
Ronny Henriquez is the Marlins’ closer of choice at the moment, and for good reason. Henriquez not only throws hard, but he throws a variety of different pitches, making him difficult to square up. The recently turned 25-year-old has already produced 58 strikeouts over just 42 innings of work. That puts him on pace to reach 100 on the season, an excellent milestone for any reliever.
Henriquez has allowed just one run over his last 10 outings and has secured three saves over the last five days. The Marlins aren’t known for their winning streaks, but they’ve won nine of their last 10, making Henriquez a near must-start.
Seth Halvorsen (RP – COL): 7%
The Rockies still stink, but when they do claim victory, those wins often come by a narrow margin. Out of the Rockies’ last 11 wins, eight of them have come by three runs or fewer. Out of the other three, two of them came by just four runs. In other words, even though the Rockies struggle to win games, they still produce a decent amount of save opportunities.
Seth Halvorsen is hardly a sure thing when it comes it getting the job done, but he has locked down over his last three save chances. He’s up to seven on the season and strikes out nearly a batter per inning. The Rockies closer is best kept for those in deeper leagues, but if you’re lucky, he could double his saves total by September.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | SoundCloud | TuneIn
Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.
