FAAB Week 6: Meager Rations

We all have those moments from media that just get absolutely seared into our adolescent brains for one reason or another. One that has crossed over into a foundational piece of my cerebral cortex, becoming more of a feelings-based gif that plays over and over, is a scene from Mickey And The Beanstalk in which a broke-ass Mickey Mouse cuts a loaf of bread so thin for his mates, that it’s see-through. The despair that washes over Donald’s no-pants-wearing, tired self when that slice of wafer bread finally hits his plate is pretty similar to what is out on those wires right now.

Entering my third year of doing this piece, it’s been fascinating to see the trends that ebb and flow throughout a fantasy baseball season. Pretty much every time, about a month in, I write a piece like this that expounds on the limited options. And it makes sense. The players off to hot starts have been hoovered up. Pitchers are dropping like flies and hitting the IL. Batters that had cold starts haven’t had enough action to start raising those stat lines. What that all equates to is a list of options that is thin and starts to stagnate.

So this week, we do have some repeats from previous pieces as leagues reach a bit of a stasis. It takes significant injuries or the approaching projected Super Two cutoff to really create some real action in those waiver wire pools. It’s possible your team is actually in decent shape, and none of these options are better than what you’re currently rostering – that’s A-okay. But for those of you that are replacing an injury like Jazz Chisholm Jr. or Justin Martinez or still reeling from the shock of Jake Burger’s demotion, here’s some help…

The stats and roster rates below are updated as of noon central time on 5/2.

As always, if you want advice on specific roster decisions you might have, feel free to leave a comment. You can also find me on BlueSky (@mcouill7.bsky.social).

CATCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Jonah Heim (TEX, 29% CBS Rostership) – Speaking of trends that have cropped up over the years, a 12-team catcher that just lingers out there in leagues seems to happen all the time (2023: Mitch Garver, 2024: Kyle Higashioka). Heim seems like that backstop for 2025. It looks like the 2023 Jonah Heim that was an All-Star with 18 homers and 95 RBI is back, plus he’s getting DH time. I’d rather roster Heim than some catchers likely occupying spots like Keibert Ruiz, Francisco Alvarez, and maybe even Yainer Diaz at this point. (3% FAAB)

QUICK HITS: Ryan Jeffers (MIN, 45% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Gabriel Moreno (ARI, 45% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Joey Bart (PIT, 37% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Alejandro Kirk (TOR, 24% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB)

15 Team Adds

Edgar Quero (CHW, 18% CBS Rostership) – Yo quiero Edgar Quero, still. Up to a .300/.417/.350 slash line through 48 plate appearances. Great 15-team catcher that is usable in 12-teamers if lacking in batting average. Big time asset in two-catcher 12-team leagues. (3-5% FAAB)

QUICK HITS: Dillon Dingler (DET, 19% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Miguel Amaya (CHC, 15% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB)

INFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Michael Toglia (1B, COL, 43% CBS Rostership) – That time of year is happening again, for all of the May, the Rockies have a week at home followed by a week on the road. In weekly lineup leagues, this is a huge boon to get a full slate of Coors Field dice rolls followed by easy benching calls. This upcoming week will be the Tigers and Padres (woo boy, watch out Rockies’ team ERA) for Colorado. Toglia oddly has hit better on the road through his career, but he has been heating up lately slashing .269/.304/.481 with three taters and a dozen RBI over his 15 games while K-ing at a much more reasonable 28.6% rate. Even with the better road stats historically, you want as many shots at Rockies lineup spots as possible this week. (5% FAAB)

QUICK HITS: Connor Norby (3B, MIA, 42% CBS Rostership, 3-5% FAAB), Gabriel Arias (2B/3B/SS, CLE, 37% CBS Rostership, 3% FAAB), Luisangel Acuna (2B/SS, NYM, 29% CBS Rostership, 3% FAAB), Jeff McNeil (2B/OF, NYM, 25% CBS Rostership, 3% FAAB), Nolan Schanuel (1B, LAA, 38% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Jose Caballero (2B/3B/SS/OF, TBR, 37% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Caleb Durbin (2B/3B, MIL, 35% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (2B/3B/SS, PIT, 28% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B, PIT, 24% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Brooks Lee (3B/SS, MIN, 21% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB)

15 Team Adds

Oswaldo Cabrera (3B, NYY, 7% CBS Rostership) – When’s the last time you saw a young New York Yankee slashing .291/.364/.354 with a 113 wRC+ and having as little buzz as Cabrera? He’s manning the hot corner for the Yankees roughly 75% the time, but his nice start could carve out more plate appearances (which should tick up with Jazz’s injury list stint). The downsides here are a slightly inflated BABIP at .379 and zero barrels so far. But with the Yankees having the best week of ballparks for an offense, other than those Rox, with three home games against San Diego before heading to Sacramento to give everyone out there the opportunity to see Aaron Judge up close. Look for Oswaldo to settle around a .270 average with 10 homers and five steals for rest-of-season, with more upside if he can bump that time at third up to 90-plus percent. (3% FAAB)

Jon Berti (2B/3B, CHC, 6% CBS Rostership) – Berti didn’t swipe a bag since we last met, but he continues to play 75% of the time and hit for average. If hunting for a steal or two this upcoming week on the cheap, it doesn’t get better than Berti. (3% FAAB)

QUICK HITS: Ty France (1B, MIN, 19% CBS Rostership, 3% FAAB), Eric Wagaman (1B/3B/OF, MIA, 17% CBS Rostership, 3% FAAB), Lenyn Sosa (2B/3B, CHW, 4% CBS Rostership, 3% FAAB), Chase Meidroth (2B/SS, CHW, 14% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Jace Jung (3B, DET, 11% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Spencer Horwitz (1B/2B, PIT, 10% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Adael Amador (2B/SS, COL, 10% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Ben Williamson (3B, SEA, 7% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Jorbit Vivas (2B, NYY, 1% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB)

Only Team Adds

Otto Kemp (3B, PHI, 1% CBS Rostership) – Despite not having a great pathway to playing time and being off the 40-man roster, the Phillies have to find some major-league at-bats for Kemp soon. The 25-year-old has mastered Triple-A to the tune of a .319/.414/.673 (183 wRC+) slash line with nine taters and five steals to open 2025. That should at least translate into a league-average bat with some pop and speed. Certainly if Alec Bohm or Bryce Harper get hurt, Kemp would step up quickly (the Phillies dealt Kody Clemens to Minnesota recently in a likely vote of confidence for Kemp), but with the Braves closing in quickly, the Philly front office might pull the trigger earlier to inject a little extra life into the offense. (1-3% FAAB)

Tim Elko (1B, CHW, 1% CBS Rostership) – If you want to see some real darkness, check out the White Sox reddit, where clamoring for Elko over Vaughn is a daily topic. And everyone has a good point, Vaughn is now batting .167 with a 32 wRC+. While the former number-three overall pick has good batted ball stats (14.9% barrel and 50.6% HardHit rates), he just doesn’t get enough top-end oomph to be a major-league hitter, in my view. Elko has been on fire at Triple-A, posting a 190 wRC+ with nine bombs in 26 games. He does strike out a lot because of an approach that involves him swinging out of his shoes, but it’s produced a 116.7 mph max EV and 53.1% HardHit rate. The Sox seem wedded to the golden boy Andrew Vaughn, but they can’t continue to ignore what Elko has been doing while the major-league roster flounders. (1-3% FAAB)

OUTFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Jordan Beck (COL, 44% CBS Rostership) – For long-time readers around here, once you saw the Toglia blurb to lead this off, you knew there were more Rockies forthcoming. Beck has been blazing hot since April 20, hitting .344 with five bombs and a steal. Be cautious of the 35.4% K-rate this season, which will eventually cause his batting average to sink into the .220 and lower level. But ride Beck while he’s hot and start him at home during May to leverage his best asset – plate appearances in Coors Field. (5-7% FAAB)

QUICK HITS: Andy Pages (LAD, 47% CBS Rostership, 3-5% FAAB), Trent Grisham (NYY, 43% CBS Rostership, 3-5% FAAB), Trevor Larnach (MIN, 28% CBS Rostership, 3% FAAB), Kyle Stowers (MIA, 26% CBS Rostership, 3% FAAB), Jorge Soler (LAA, 47% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), JJ Bleday (ATH, 44% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Ryan O’Hearn (1B/OF, BAL, 31% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Daulton Varsho (TOR, 23% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Andrew Benintendi (CHW, 22% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB)

15 Team Adds

Alek Thomas (ARI, 10% CBS Rostership) – Thomas continues to be the best widely available option. Sure, he doesn’t have a homer yet, but that’s baseball, baby, cause he’s flashing enough power with a 10% barrel rate and 46.7% HardHit rate. The 25-year-old has played a couple fewer games this week, conceding the time to Jorge Barrosa. But Barrosa swings a questionable bat, and his recent run of playing time feels a bit more like the D-backs seeing if he can stick on the roster when Ketel Marte returns (either Barrosa or Tim Tawa will be shuttled back to Triple-A when Marte is activated from the IL). When options on the wire are this thin, you can either go with the better player in Thomas, who is slashing .299/.345/.416, or go with a higher volume but worse bat like Kepler or Meyers below. Or for the true sickos… six games of Mickey Moniak in Coors Field. (3% FAAB)

QUICK HITS: Max Kepler (PHI, 18% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Tommy Pham (PIT, 17% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Jesus Sanchez (MIA, 14% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Jake Fraley (CIN, 13% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Harrison Bader (MIN, 11% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Jake Meyers (HOU, 10% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Mickey Moniak (COL, 6% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Miguel Andujar (ATH, 7% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Johan Rojas (PHI, 4% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB)

Only Team Adds

Eli White (ATL, 4% CBS Rostership) – Woo, boy, I’m sure the Atlanta front office didn’t expect to see Eli White, starting outfielder, penciled into their lineup when they started 2025, but here we are. Despite the Eli White regular run, the Braves have nearly clawed themselves back to a .500 record, and well, it might be because White is slashing .311/.367/.600 through 49 plate appearances. Some of that is boosted by a recent Coors Field trip, but the 30-year-old had some hype back in 2021/2022 with Texas as a stolen base option. However, White wasn’t able to limit the Ks back then, which sunk his opportunity. With Atlanta, he has done better limiting the whiffs, making him a sneaky power/speed combo while he continues to get run. (3-5% FAAB)

Drew Waters (KCR, 4% CBS Rostership) – Waters is on a luck-fueled heater, hitting .378 over his last 10 games with a .481 BABIP. However, there has been one really encouraging thing in that stretch – he’s striking out significantly less – posting a 23.1% rate compared to 32.9% for his career entering the season. If he can keep the strikeout rate around 28%, Waters could see a breakout season in which the batting average isn’t a drag on the double-digit homers and steals he could provide. (5% FAAB)

STARTING PITCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Ryan Gusto (HOU, 29% CBS Rostership) – If the grody outfield options above weren’t indicative enough of how thin things have gotten, look at these starting pitching options. It makes sense that the pitcher player pool has been thoroughly drained at this point because injuries are mounting league-wide, causing those arms to be dropped or stashed in IL spots. Gusto continues to roll in Houston, as he held the dangerous Tigers lineup to two runs over 4.1 innings this week while fanning six. The surface (3.00 ERA and 9.7 K/9) and underlying (3.14 FIP) stats both look great for Gusto. Despite being a reliever to enter the season, there shouldn’t be much worry about how long the leash will be – he tossed 148.1 innings at Triple-A last year – making him a worthy investment for rest-of-season. (5-7% FAAB)

QUICK HITS: Shane Smith (CHW, 39% CBS Rostership, 3% FAAB), Luis Ortiz (CLE, 36% CBS Rostership, 3% FAAB), Tomoyuki Sugano (BAL, 43% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Tobias Myers (MIL, 38% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Jordan Hicks (SFG, 30% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Colin Rea (CHC, 21% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB)

15 Team Adds

Steven Matz (STL, 10% CBS Rostership) – The veteran southpaw has maintained his excellent start to the season, now sporting a 1.50 ERA and 1.89 FIP with a 7.5 K/9. The strikeouts will always be lacking, but Matz pitches in a good home park in front of a solid defense and looks healthy, probably the biggest key. His next start is against the Pirates at home, making a great streamable option in deep leagues. (3-5% FAAB)

QUICK HITS: Quinn Priester (MIL, 19% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Sean Burke (CHW, 16% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Ben Casparius (LAD, 15% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Ben Lively (CLE, 14% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN, 13% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Logan Evans (SEA, 11% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Gunnar Hoglund (ATH, 9% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Jack Kochanowicz (LAA, 8% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Davis Martin (CHW, 6% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Blade Tidwell (NYM, 3% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB)

Only Team Adds

Carlos Rodriguez (MIL, 1% CBS Rostership) – Despite sharing a Triple-A rotation with hot commodities like Logan Henderson and Jacob Misiorowski, Rodriguez might be the next one to receive a spot start in Milwaukee thanks to a stellar 1.26 ERA with a 11.3 K/9 over 28.2 innings. Tobias Myers hasn’t looked sharp in his return from an oblique injury, Quinn Priester has turned back into a pumpkin, Chad Patrick is a fake player, and Jose Quintana is ancient, so there’s a lot of opportunity in the Brewers’ rotation currently. With the ball club keeping pace in the NL playing .500 ball, they’ll eventually need a live arm like Rodriguez to push them into true playoff contention. (3% FAAB)

Caden Dana (LAA, 4% CBS Rostership) – After opening the season well, the Angels have sunk to the bottom of the AL West, mostly in part because of their horrendous starting pitching. The starting staff has pitched to a 4.52 ERA, making it the sixth worst in the league (worst is the Marlins at 6.59!!). Since being demoted in early April, Dana has carved up Triple-A to the tune of a 2.45 ERA and 10.9 K/9 across 25.2 innings, outpitching Chase Silseth. Kyle Hendricks and his 6.65 ERA with a 6.02 FIP looks bound for the Charlie Morton treatment (bullpen demotion en route to a DFA) and could open a rotation spot soon for Dana. (3% FAAB)

RELIEVERS

10/12 Team Adds

David Bednar (PIT, 43% CBS Rostership) – So maybe Dennis Santana and I should have been afraid of Bednar last week. But hey, the jinx that I hexed here last week certainly spurred Bednar on to that first save since his recall last Saturday, right? Right?!? (7% FAAB)

Chris Martin (TEX, 28% CBS Rostership) – Luke Jackson is starting to unravel in Texas, as expected, allowing seven runs (five earned) over his last four appearances. Martin is the superior pitcher, and honestly, should have been the closer all along. With the Rangers in a tight AL West race, don’t be surprised to see Martin walk up to Bruce Bochy and state, I can fix you. (3-5% FAAB)

QUICK HITS: Tommy Kahnle (DET, 41% CBS Rostership, 3-5% FAAB), Kirby Yates (LAD, 39% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Jason Adam (SDP, 36% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Will Vest (DET, 36% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB, Lucas Erceg (KCR, 32% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB)

15 Team Adds

Shelby Miller (ARI, 15% CBS Rostership) – Listen, I don’t advocate for player injuries but thank god Justin Martinez hit the IL with a shoulder issue to open an easy path to a pickup suggestion. Because, whew, playing the reliever carousel around these parts every week is nigh impossible. Martinez’s shoulder injury looks extremely concerning considering the velocity drop, and Puk was moved to the 60-day IL this week with his elbow injury. Miller has the experience and pedigree to walk right into the Arizona closer role while looking really sharp in his second stint in the desert, pitching to a zero ERA with a 0.59 WHIP and 15 Ks against 4 walks in 13.2 innings. He’s going to be an expensive FAAB add considering the injury issues for Martinez and Puk and the D-backs hot start. For my leagues with mid-week pickups, Miller went for large bids to teams desperate for saves, so be prepared to shell out if you need him. (7-9% FAAB in 15-teamers, 5-7% FAAB in 12-teamers)

Zach Agnos (COL, 3% CBS Rostership) – No way this ends well, but Agnos has risen to the top of the Rockies’ bullpen. If super hard up for saves and sitting on an open bench spot, it can’t hurt to add Agnos and just see what happens. (1-3% FAAB)

QUICK HITS: Calvin Faucher (MIA, 14% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Matt Strahm (PHI, 11% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Yimi Garcia (TOR, 11% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Reed Garrett (NYM, 8% CBS Rostership, 1-3% FAAB), Jesus Tinoco (MIA, 7% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Phil Maton (STL, 4% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB), Jordan Leasure (CHW, 2% CBS Rostership, 1% FAAB)