Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Watch: Lawrence Butler on fire, Victor Robles runs wild

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

DISCLAIMER: This week’s entry will be a bit shorter and feature many of last week’s adds since we only had three games this past week. Obviously, I’ve updated the streaming pitcher section below to reflect next week’s schedule.

Let’s start with teams who have a good schedule next week:

Hitters

Heston Kjerstad - OF, BAL (35% rostered)
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)

Kjerstad is back off the concussion-IL, which is great news because he was starting to carve out an everyday role in Baltimore. Kjerstad was on this list for two weeks, but I kept mentioning that I understood being gun-shy if you were burned by Connor Norby, Kyle Stowers, or Kjerstad himself earlier in the year. It’s just hard to know what the Orioles are thinking. However, Kjerstad started against all right-handed hitters this week while Colton Cowser started only once. Given how well the rookie has acclimated in this most recent stint in the big leagues, it might only be a matter of time before he fully pushes Cowser out. Now is the time to add him before that becomes clear.

Lawrence Butler - OF, OAK: 32% rostered
(PLAYING TIME, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)

Butler was one of my most-added players last week, and he’s also the number-one player in fantasy baseball over the last two weeks. I was a fan of Butler’s coming into the season and even predicted that he would go 20/20 on our bold predictions episode of the Rotoworld Baseball Show. A .201 batting average with six home runs and six steals was not the first half I had in mind. However, Butler has looked good since coming back up, and is hitting .412 over his last 36 plate appearances with five home runs, 18 RBI, and two steals. Throughout his minor league career, Butler has been great in his second chance to see a level, making clear improvements every time. It wouldn’t shock me if he continued that trend at the MLB level and held a starting job for the rest of the season. If you just wanted playing time and power, you could also look to add Matt Wallner- OF, MIN: 3% rostered. Since Matt Wallner has come back up, he has started every game, including one on Friday against left-handed pitching. The Twins are telling us that he’s a full-time player. Wallner was featured in my Mining The Minors article where I looked at his recent production in Triple-A, so I’d encourage you to check that out, but I’m adding him for power upside.

Eugenio Suarez - 3B, ARI (30% rostered).
(HOT STRETCH, POWER UPSIDE)

Over the last two weeks, Suarez is the eighth-ranked player in fantasy baseball hitting 13-for-44 (.295) with four home runs and 14 RBI. He has historically been a much better hitter in the second half of the season, and not just in one area. Suarez’s career stats see a big spike in ISO, SLG, AVG, and other power metrics in the second half of the season. Given how long his career has been, I think we do need to acknowledge he’s somebody who either gets hot as the weather does or needs a long time to find his rhythm within a season. We could be entering a much better stretch for him than we saw in the first half of the season, and so I’m taking a gamble in deeper formats where I need power. If you need power in the short term, you can also add Michael Toglia - 1B/OF, COL (22% rostered), who has six home runs over the last two weeks. The Rockies will play one series next week at home, and Toglia is always a threat to go yard in Coors.

Brandon Marsh - OF, PHI: 26% rostered
(PLAYING TIME, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)

I’ve had Marsh on here a few times, and he always seems to fly under the radar because he’s just good enough to be useful in all formats but not good enough to really seem like a clear value on waivers. There is some concern that the Phillies are trying to add a right-handed bat at the trade deadline which could cut into Marsh’s playing time a bit; however, right now, Marsh is in a full-time role in a great lineup and is worth a shot in most formats. If you’re specifically after speed, it might be time to add Victor Robles - OF, SEA (1% rostered), who has taken an everyday
job and quite literally run with it. Robles has started five straight games and has posted five steals over the last two weeks with a .444 batting average and four runs scored. He hits at the bottom of the lineup, and the batting average will not sustain like that, but the speed is very real.

Spencer Horwitz - 1B/2B, TOR (23% rostered)
(CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

Horwitz has been on this list twice, so let’s review what we said before since much of it is still relevant: “I know the counting stats aren’t as gaudy as we’d like, but I’m taking my chances with Horwitz. He was a plus contact hitter in the minors and has carried that over into his MLB debut, showcasing a good feel for the strike zone and the ability to hit for a high batting average. In 32 games in his MLB career, Horwitz is hitting .327 with four home runs, 13 runs scored, and 11 RBI. The Blue Jays hit him second in the lineup every time he plays which tells me that they like him. With the way the offense has been struggling lately, I think he’ll be even more of a fixture in their lineup.” I also do think the counting stats will improve if the offense ticks up a bit overall in the second half and that batting average is for real.

Jacob Wilson - SS, OAK: 12% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

Wilson was called up after batting a ridiculous .438/.475/.686 across three levels this season. He immediately injured his hamstring running the bases in his first game, but Oakland has said he will get an MRI on Sunday and then they’ll make a decision, so keep checking for news to see if he can avoid the IL. If you just wanted batting average, you could also look to add Angel Martinez - 2B/3B/SS/OF, CLE (12% rostered). The Guardians seem to be cycling in these multi-position high-contact hitters all season, and Martinez is now emerging as another one. This week, the switch-hitter started in every game, with Tyler Freeman playing just twice. Martinez is a top-10 prospect within Cleveland’s organization and was hitting .316 in 26 games at Triple-A this season. His fantasy profile is not super enticing since he has never hit more than 14 home runs in a minor league season or stolen more than 13 bases; however, he makes a lot of contact, has a good understanding of the strike zone, and is hitting second while playing every day in a good lineup. That can be worth an add in deeper formats. If you want another multi-position add in deeper formats, you can go with Max Schuemann- 2B/SS/OF, OAK (18% rostered) since the 27-year-old is hitting .395 in 14 games in July with three home runs, 15 runs, 10 RBI and four steals. He’s hitting ninth in a bad Oakland lineup, and I’m not sure how long Schuemann can keep this up, but we need to acknowledge it while he’s doing it. The batting average and speed have been helpful over the last couple of weeks and if you need those categories, you can take a gamble.

Juan Yepez - 1B/OF, WAS: 11% rostered
(EVERY DAY PLAYER, RBI UPSIDE)

When the Nationals moved on from Joey Meneses, they installed Yepez as their starting first baseman and clean-up hitter. Now, he wasn’t crushing the ball at Triple-A, and might be more of a 20-25 home run bat, but he’s playing every day and hitting in the middle of a decent lineup, so he could be a good source of RBI with some chip-in power and a decent batting average from here on out.

Xavier Edwards - 2B/SS, MIA (8% rostered)
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, STOLEN BASE UPSIDE)

After trading Tim Anderson, the Marlins slotted Edwards into an everyday role at shortstop, and he responded by getting multiple hits in six of his last eight games, going 13-for-29 (.448) over that stretch with two RBI, four runs, and three steals. His team context is obviously bad, and he will offer you no power, but he should hit for a decent average and run when he gets on, which will provide value in deeper formats. Ernie Clement - 2B/3B/SS, TOR (3% rostered) has also worked himself into an everyday role thanks to the injury to Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He’s hitting .260 in 14 games in July with three home runs, six runs scored, and 10 RBI, which is more than enough production to be viable in deeper formats while playing regularly. If you’re just looking for batting average, you can also add Jose Iglesias - 2B/3B, NYM (4% rostered), who has become the team’s starting second baseman and is hitting .384 in 32 games with three home runs, 15 runs, 16 RBI, and two steals. Iglesias is a .281 career hitter at the MLB level, so the average figures to remain solid even in his new, expanded role.

Austin Wells - C, NYY (3% rostered)
(NEW LINEUP SPOT, POWER UPSIDE)

Meet the new clean-up hitter for the Yankees. With Jose Trevino on the IL, Wells was already the clear top catcher on the Yankees, but the slumping Bombers have also turned to Wells in the clean-up spot. Now, it may only last until Giancarlo Stanton comes off the IL, but Wells has been a solid offensive player in the past and is now in a prime spot in the lineup, which makes him a solid add in most formats. You could also turn to Tyler Stephenson - C, CIN (26% rostered), who has been solid of late, hitting .255 in 14 games in July with five home runs, nine runs scored, and 11 RBI. The lineup around him is good, and his home ballpark is great, so Stephenson is firmly on one-catcher league radars as we’re starting to see the power tick up. Another catcher heating up of late is Keibert Ruiz - C, WAS: (28% rostered) who’s hitting .292 in 13 games in July with three home runs and 10 RBI. He’ll play 75% of the games for Washington, and I’ve always liked him for batting average upside. More catchers who are hitting well of late that should be on two-catcher leagues are Alejandro Kirk - C, TOR: (4% rostered) with Danny Jansen on the trade block, and Carson Kelly - C, DET (1% rostered) has also worked his way into consideration.

Pitchers

Clayton Kershaw - SP, LAD: 62% rostered
Yes, Kershaw doesn’t make the cut-off, but we just needed to address that he’s actually back and starting for the Dodgers on Thursday. After suffering a setback on his rehab assignment in June, he’s made two rehab starts in July and got up to 67 pitches in his last rehab appearance, so he might throw 70-75 pitches this week. His velocity is just around 90 mph, but he’s been good even for much of last year, so I’m not expecting dominance but I’m expecting solid innings.

Hunter Harvey - RP, KC: 45% rostered
Harvey was traded to the Royals last week for one of the Royals’ top prospects and a conditional first-round pick. It’s a lot to give up for a reliever if you don’t want him to close. Now, I’m not saying that Harvey will just be given the closer job in Kansas City, but the Royals giving up that much tells me that they see him as somebody who could close and would be more than happy if he took the job. He has struggled over the last month, but he was great last year and early this year and it wouldn’t surprise me if he ends the year as the closer.

Robbie Ray - SP, SF (42% rostered)
This may be the last week Ray qualifies for this list, so I’ll just repeat what I wrote the previous three weeks: “Now is the time to stash Robbie Ray since he just moved his rehab assignment up to Triple-A. He’s still only at about three innings of work (or that’s the plan for this upcoming week) so he’s maybe three weeks away from making his season debut, but I think we’re forgetting the ceiling that Ray has. There are some command concerns with Ray since he’s always had some control issues and command is the last thing to come back after Tommy John surgery. However, his overall talent level and strikeout upside make him worth a stash.” Another injury stash is Jeffrey Springs - SP, TB (32% rostered), who threw four shutout innings in his last rehab start at Triple-A. He’s now up to 62 pitches and with the Rays trading Aaron Civale away, it looks like they’ll be sellers who could also deal Zach Eflin or Zack Littell. I wouldn’t expect Springs up until after the trade deadline, but I think he could slide back into the rotation when I had previously worried he would be a multi-inning reliever with a full staff around him.

Max Meyer – SP, MIA: 31% rostered

Today (Sunday) marks the day in which the Marlins gain an extra year of control on Max Meyer. I have to assume that’s why he hasn’t been called up and now they’re free to bring him into the big league rotation. Of course, I thought they’d give him the chance before, and they didn’t so I really have no idea at this point.

Luis L. Ortiz - SP, PIT (26% rostered)
I really like Ortiz based on some changes he made this season, which you can read about in my Mixing It Up article from three weeks ago. I think he needs to be rostered in all formats right now.

River Ryan – SP, LAD: 6% rostered
Yes, it’s exciting that Ryan is supposed to be coming up, but I’m not so sure it’s fantasy-relevant. The Dodgers’ prospect has never thrown more than 75 pitches in a professional outing, and the team has Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, and Bobby Miller all close to a return. Even if Ryan gets a few turns in the rotation, they’re likely to be mostly four-inning stints, which means he won’t get you wins, and that really caps his fantasy upside. I’m not saying not to bid on him; I’m just saying, don’t expect a major impact.

Ben Joyce - RP, LAA: 6% rostered
I like grabbing shares of Joyce as a young, high-upside reliever who could find himself in a closer job if/when Carlos Estevez gets traded. Joyce has added a sinker this season and is pounding the strike zone with it, which has made him more confident overall. He looks great.

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

Yilber Diaz (ARI) - at KC, vs PIT

Jose Soriano (LAA) - at SEA, vs OAK

Tobias Myers (MIL) - at CHC, vs MIA

Michael Lorenzen (TEX) - vs CWS, at TOR

Albert Suarez (BAL) - at MIA, vs SD

Drew Thorpe (CWS) - vs SEA

Lance Lynn (STL) - at PIT, vs WAS

Luis L Ortiz (PIT) - at ARI

Ryne Nelson (ARI) - at KC

Javier Assad (CHC) - vs MIL, at KC

David Peterson (NYM) - at MIA, vs ATL

Landon Knack (LAD) - vs SF

Andre Pallante (STL) - at PIT

Spencer Arrighetti (HOU) - at OAK

Griffin Canning - at SEA

Max Meyer (MIA) - vs BAL, at MIL (potentially)

Spencer Schwellenbach (ATL) - vs CIN

Jameson Taillon (CHC) - vs MIL

Yonny Chirinos (MIA) - vs NYM, at MIL

Joey Estes (OAK) - at LAA

Ross Stripling (OAK) - at LAA

Randy Vasquez (SD) - at WAS, at BAL

Hogan Harris (OAK) - vs HOU, at LAA

Jake Kochanowicz (LAA) - at SEA, vs OAK

River Ryan (LAD) - vs SF (potentially)

Jake Bloss (HOU) - at OAK

Spencer Howard (CLE) - vs DET

Jonathan Cannon (CWS) - at TEX

Players to Drop

Bo Bichette - SS, TOR: 84% rostered
Bichette left Friday’s game with a calf injury (again), and I think that may have helped seal the deal for fantasy managers. The Blue Jays said Bichette would be out for “multiple weeks,” which is a vague timeline that likely puts him back sometime in August. When you factor in that he’s been on the IL multiple times this season with the same injury, that the Blue Jays are not in playoff contention, and that Bichette himself is having a poor season, I see no reason the team will rush him back. If you have the IL spot, go ahead and hold him, but you might get one month of Bichette this season, and the production hasn’t been there to warrant holding him on your bench if you’re contending for a title in your league.

David Fry - C/1B/OF, CLE: 54% rostered
I think the sun has set on Fry. I know he was a great find at the start of the season and is a really good story. However, he is hitting just .228 over the last month with no home runs, one run scored, and four RBI. That’s outside the top 400 hitters in 5x5 scoring. Even with catcher eligibility, he’s not producing well enough across the categories for me to want to hold onto him right now.

Alex Verdugo - OF, NYY: 52% rostered
I don’t think Verdugo needs to be rostered in this many places. He’s a fine hitter, and the move to Yankee Stadium has helped his power a bit, but he’s not that much different of a player. He’s hitting .231 with 10 home runs on the season but is batting just .159 over his last 88 at-bats in the last 30 days with one home run, and has now been moved down in the batting order. I just don’t see the value here.