Waiver Wire Week 17, Part 2: Post All-Star Waiver Wire

Each team has only played a few games since my last waiver wire article was published, so not much has changed. The good news is that the waiver wire never sleeps, and now’s the time to make a push in your fantasy leagues. I can’t wait for these final months to play out, and it should be an interesting time to scrounge the waiver wire. I actually am leaving a link here to last week’s article because all of the guys mentioned in these two pieces are great additions for the second half. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the options for this week!

Waiver Wire Week 17, Part 1: Pre All-Star Waiver Wire | Razzball Fantasy Baseball

The stats and roster rates below are updated on 7/16. All rostership percentages are on Yahoo.

Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!

Also, check out my Streamers article dropping tomorrow. 

CATCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Ryan Jeffers (MIN, 31% Rostership) – Jeffers was in this article last week, but he was in the deep league section. He’s a must-add off the waiver wire in any league that rosters at least 10 catchers because he was a stud before landing on the IL. Jeffers has a .404 OBP and .942 OPS through 39 games this year and made his return right before the break. He doubled in both of those first two games and homered in two of his four rehab outings, so it’s clear the hitting stroke is still strong! If you’ve been trying to fill the Will Smith void, Jeffers is an easy add off the waiver wire.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3-5%

QUICK HITS: Gabriel Moreno (ARI, 47% Rostership), Yainer Diaz (HOU, 41% Rostership), Samuel Basallo (BAL, 50% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Kyle Teel (CWS, 14% Rostership) – It’s hard to believe Teel is still sitting on so many waiver wires. This guy was one of the top catching prospects in baseball prior to the Garrett Crochet trade, and you have to imagine he’ll be the Sox’s starting catcher for the next decade. He hits in the heart of this lineup nearly every day while generating a .361 OBP and .759 career OPS in over 300 career at-bats. Those numbers could be his floor because Teel tallied a .401 OBP and .910 OPS at Triple-A over the last two years.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Keibert Ruiz (WAS, 10% Rostership), Francisco Alvarez (NYM, 18% Rostership), Joe Mack (MIA, 3% Rostership)

INFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Ezequiel Duran (1B/2B/3B/SS, TEX, 39% Rostership) – I’m not so sure Duran will maintain for the remainder of the season, but he’s difficult to avoid with the way he’s playing right now. This utility man has a .277 AVG and .780 OPS across his last 72 outings. His recent form is even more ridiculous, registering a .309 AVG and .877 OPS across the last three weeks. Those sorts of averages are amazing from a player who’s eligible at nearly every position, especially since Duran has been moved up to the middle of this lineup over recent weeks.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3-5%

QUICK HITS: Luke Keaschall (2B, MIN, 59% Rostership), Sam Anonacci (2B, CWS, 45% Rostership), Zack Gelof (2B/3B, ATH, 37% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Royce Lewis (3B, MIN, 30% Rostership) – This waiver wire add might play out like the picture below, but Lewis can look like a Rolls-Royce at times. A relegation to the minors might be the thing that got him going because Lewis had a .333 AVG and 1.303 OPS across 15 minor league games. He also homered 10 times across those 15 games, which is no surprise since he had a .364 OBP and .913 OPS through his first two seasons. We’ve seen glimpses of that recently, posting a .274 AVG and .855 OPS across his last 30 fixtures.  There aren’t many guys sitting on this many waiver wires that have the ability to hit 15 dingers in the second half, but Lewis is one of them.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Curtis Mead (WAS, 1B/2B/3B, 28% Rostership), Tommy Edman (LAD, 2B/SS, 21% Rostership), Charlie Condon (COL, 1B, 9% Rostership)

OUTFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Luis Robert (NYM, 41% Rostership) – It’s impossible to get excited about Robert when looking at his statistics, but this guy has the ability to be a Top 50 player in fantasy. That’s what he was throughout his first four seasons, averaging about 30 homers and 25 steals across a 150-game pace. He also had 28 homers and 56 steals across 210 games over the last two seasons, despite his average plummeting to the low-200s. The potential for 10 homers and 10 steals over the final months is a real possibility for a talent like this, and you have to imagine the Mets took every precaution to have him healthy for the final months of the season.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3%

QUICK HITS: A.J. Ewing (NYM, 35% Rostership), Cole Carrigg (COL, 30% Rostership), Heliot Ramos (SF, 46% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Jake Mangum (PIT, 15% Rostership) – How often can you find a leadoff hitter for one of the hottest offenses in baseball on the waiver wire? It’s hard to believe that’s what Pittsburgh has become with Oneil Cruz sidelined, but the emergence of Mangum is a major reason why. This speedy outfielder is hitting .310 this season while swiping 18 steals. Those alone are worthy of a waiver wire speculation, especially since Mangum has maintained a .468 OBP and 1.018 OPS across the last two weeks. It’s unclear if this is just a hot streak, but Mangum should be a reliable source for speed, even if things fall apart.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Domonic Canzone (SEA, 16% Rostership), Trevor Larnach (MIN, 7% Rostership), Jasson Dominguez (NYY, 12% Rostership)

STARTING PITCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Cade Cavalli (WAS, 36% Rostership) – It feels like everyone forgot about Cavalli after he was suspended and then struggled in the subsequent start. That’s how fickle the waiver wire can be, but this guy was looking like a stud before that. We’re still talking about a guy who’s allowed four runs or fewer in all 20 starts while allowing three or fewer in 18 of them. That pairs with a 1.25 WHIP and a 10.5 K/9 rate since the opening month, with Cavalli recording at least nine Ks in five of his last 15 starts. Nobody with that ability should be sitting on waiver wires, and we didn’t even mention that he has one of the best offenses in baseball supporting him.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

Jared Jones (PIT, 33% Rostership) – Jones was in this waiver wire article last week, and this might be your last opportunity to pick him up. He’s one more great start away from being rostered in every league because Jones threw six perfect innings in his most recent outing. He did that against a dangerous Atlanta lineup, but he also had a 2.89 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 11.8 K/9 rate throughout his rehab assignment. That’s the potential we saw before Tommy John surgery, and it should be interesting to see if he can maintain this throughout the second half.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: Peter Lambert (HOU, 48% Rostership), Jack Flaherty (DET, 58% Rostership), Landen Roupp (SF, 41% Rostership), Merrill Kelly (ARI, 36% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Clay Holmes (NYM, 26% Rostership) – Holmes had his leg shattered by a comebacker earlier in the season, but he’s close to a return. He threw a 40-pitch live batting practice last week and should begin a rehab assignment sometime soon. Fantasy managers forget how reliable Holmes has been over recent years, providing a 3.14 ERA and 1.21 WHIP since 2020. That’s nearly 500 innings of pristine pitching, and we love that he had a 2.39 ERA and 1.10 WHIP before that flukey injury. Pitching in Citi Field is the icing on the cake because that’s one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

Zach Thornton (NYM, 13% Rostership) – The Mets have declared that Thornton will be in the rotation coming out of the All-Star break. Prospect people know that’s an interesting speculative add off the waiver wire because Thornton was terrific before the break. He had a 0.69 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in his final two starts before the break, after posting a 3.02 ERA and 1.06 WHIP at the minors over the last two seasons. He also gets the benefit of pitching in Citi Field, which was evident since those two most recent starts were in that spacious ballpark.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Brandon Pfaadt (ARI, 10% Rostership), Christian Scott (NYM, 16% Rostership), Ronel Blanco (HOU, 2% Rostership), Jackson Jobe (DET, 6% Rostership)

RELIEVERS

10/12 Team Adds

Reynaldo Lopez (ATL, 30% Rostership) – Most of the closers are rostered in shallow leagues at this point, but Lopez is an interesting RP player. This guy was relegated to the bullpen earlier this season but earned his way back in the rotation behind his 3.50 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. Lopez also has a 2.49 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over the last month, but was even better than that two years ago. He had a 1.99 ERA and 1.11 WHIP across 25 starts back then, and now has a 2.83 ERA and 1.12 WHIP since 2021. Seeing averages like those across nearly 400 innings is quite the waiver wire find, but nobody believes in Lopez for whatever reason.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: J.T. Ginn (ATH, 45% Rostership), Ian Seymour (TB, 57% Rostership), Gregory Soto (PIT, 36% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Grant Taylor (CWS, 22% Rostership) – Finding closers off the waiver wire is always one of the biggest joys for fantasy managers, and Taylor might be one of them. Everyone knew that he was the most talented pitcher in this pen, but he needed Seranthony Dominguez to collapse to capture this role. That’s just what we’ve seen, with Taylor picking up two saves over his last three outings. He also has a 2.79 ER,  1.10 WHIP and 12.5 K/9 rate while showcasing some of the nastiest stuff in the game. This ChiSox team is nearing the end of its rebuild, and Taylor’s closing ability is one of the next major steps.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3-5%

QUICK HITS: Yoendrys Gomez (MIN, 29% Rostership), Jacob Webb (CHC, 11% Rostership)