Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Watch: Victor Robles hot again, Jordan Walker gets another chance

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

Geraldo Perdomo – 2B/3B/SS, ARI: 44% rostered
(EVERYDAY JOB, SPEED/RUNS UPSIDE. )

I’ve had Perdomo on here for a few weeks now, but he continues to play well. Over the last month, he’s the 105th-ranked player in Yahoo 5×5 formats with a .278 average, 18 runs scored, 10 RBI, and four steals in 27 games. The multi-position eligibility is just some added value, and I think he needs to be rostered in way more leagues. I’ve also had Tommy Edman – 2B/SS/OF, LAD (40% rostered) in here for a few weeks, and I still believe he’s worth an add. We know the Dodgers are going to keep him in the lineup and even hitting eighth or ninth, he’s going to be in a good position to put up strong counting stats. In his last 12 games, he has three steals, five runs scored and seven RBI. When you add his positional versatility to all of that, it makes him a really useful add for fantasy leagues of all sizes.

Dylan Crews – OF, WAS: 40% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)

Crews made his MLB debut last week, and he is likely the highest-upside hitter prospect left who is likely to get called up this season. The second overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft hit .272/.343/.446 with 21 doubles, six triples, 13 homers, 68 RBI, and 25 steals for Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester during his first full pro season. I know he hasn’t set the world on fire, batting .233 (10-for-43) in his first 12 games, but he also has three homers and five steals. That’s an immediate five-category impact for fantasy managers and has moved to the top of Washington’s lineup, which will boost his fantasy appeal.

Lars Nootbaar – OF, STL: 24% rostered
(EVERYDAY JOB, FINALLY HITTING)

We’ve been talking about Nootbaar as a sleeper or value add for what feels like years, but we’re finally seeing some production now that Nootbaar is healthy. The Cardinals’ outfielder is the 11th-ranked player in 5×5 formats over the last two weeks, batting .311 with one home run, five runs scored, nine RBI, and two steals in 13 games. He’s playing regularly in that lineup and has the ability to contribute in all five categories, which makes him a strong fantasy play in most formats. Another overlooked outfield play is Daulton Varsho – OF, TOR (42% rostered), who has not had an amazing season in Toronto but is hitting .270 over his last 10 games with three home runs and eight runs scored. He continues to play every day because of his elite defense, and so that power and run production is worth something in deeper formats.

Seth Brown – 1B/OF, OAK 24% rostered),
(REGULAR PLAYING TIME, POWER/RBI UPSIDE)

Seth Brown has been swinging a hot bat of late, as the 66th-ranked player in 5×5 formats over the last month and has worked his way into the conversation in 12-team leagues. Over his last 13 games alone he has four home runs, six runs scored, and 15 RBI while hitting .386. Who knows how long he can keep it up, but you should roster him and see. Also, his teammate JJ Bleday – OF, OAK (40% rostered) has continued to be a fringe rosterable player in 12-team leagues and a solid outfielder in 15-team formats for essentially the entire year. He has cooled of late, but the 26-year-old outfielder is batting .260 with seven home runs, 20 runs scored, and 17 RBI over the last month. You’re not finding guys with better numbers on the wire.

Victor Robles – OF, SEA (18% rostered)
(CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, SPEED UPSIDE)

Robles got hot as soon as he joined the Mariners, then cooled again, and now he’s getting hot again. Over his last 10 games, Robles is hitting .424 with 10 runs scored, eight RBI, and five steals. He has nine steals over the last month and 23 on the year, so he’s been a tremendous source of speed this season even when he isn’t hitting this well. Robles wasn’t in the lineup on Sunday after being hit in the elbow with a pitch on Saturday, but the Mariners don’t seem concerned about him being out long-term.

Matt Wallner- OF, MIN: 15% rostered
(STRONG SIDE PLATOON, POWER UPSIDE)

Why does nobody want to pick up Matt Wallner? He continues to play against all righties and produce, hitting .282 in 40 games since the All-Star break with eight home runs, 19 runs scored, 22 RBI, and three steals for good measure. He’s more valuable in daily moves leagues because he will sit against lefties, but the Twins only face Reid Detmers on Monday and then no more lefties for the rest of the week with soft pitching matchups against the Angels and Reds. It also might be time to pay attention to what Mickey Moniak – OF, LAA (6% rostered) is doing since he’s the 28th-ranked hitter in standard 5×5 formats over the last two weeks while hitting .306 with five home runs, seven runs scored, and 11 RBI. I don’t expect the batting average to stay, but Moniak has shown contact gains in the second half of the season and hits in the middle of the order for the Angels, which makes him a deep-league option.

Parker Meadows – OF, DET: 9% 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. The outfielder is back but hasn’t caught fire. Still, he has produced enough to warrant 15-team league interest. He regularly hits at the top of the order against righties and has the raw ability to be a real contributor down the stretch, as evidenced by the four steals, 14 runs, and two home runs in his last 24 games.

Ty France – 1B, CIN (8% rostered)
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, COUNTING STATS UPSIDE)

Well, France is back to playing every day for the Reds with them ending the Dom Smith experiment. Given his elite home park, France has been able to put up solid numbers, hitting .395 over his last 12 games with six runs, five RBI, one home run, and one steal. The Reds’ lineup has not produced at the level we expected from them heading into the season, and France likely is not going to morph into a big-time power hitter, but he’s hitting the ball well and in a good spot right now.

Jose Tena – 3B/SS, WAS (7% rostered).
(REGULAR PLAYING TIME, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

Another deep league CI/MI option is Tena, who came to Washington in the Lane Thomas trade at the deadline and has been great as their everyday third baseman, hitting .310 with two home runs, nine runs, 10 RBI, and two steals in 22 games for Washington. He did display power and speed at Triple-A this year with 18 homers and 15 steals, so if he can continue translating that to the major league level, it would make him an interesting pickup in deeper formats. For now, I like that he’s getting every day at-bats and making consistent contact.

Kyle Manzardo – 1B, CLE (6% rostered)
(COUNTING STAT UPSIDE, PLAYING TIME QUESTIONS)

The 24-year-old top prospect struggled mightily in his first taste of the big leagues, hitting .207/.241/.329 with seven RBI across 87 plate appearances. However, he has been great at the Triple-A level with a .946 OPS and 20 homers across 83 games. He has also hit well in six games since his promotion, going .333 with two solo home runs. However, he won’t hit against lefties and is not yet a full-time player. Another former top prospect getting a second (or third) chance is Jordan Walker – OF, STL (25% rostered), who is finally getting a chance to be a full-time starter for the Cardinals. Over his last five games, he’s gone 6-for-19 with two home runs, six runs scored, four RBI, and one steal. Much of that came in one game, but Walker has considerable upside and is now getting a chance to show it.

Jonny DeLuca – OF, TB: 1% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, SPEED UPSIDE)

We did this dance with DeLuca back at the beginning of the summer when he first stepped on the field for the Rays, but then he struggled and lost playing time and was dropped in basically all formats. Well, he’s back now and has been hitting and running wild of late, going 15-for-42 (.357) with nine runs scored, two home runs, and three steals over his last 12 games. If you just wanted speed, you could also gamble on Garrett Mitchell – OF, MIL (4% rostered), who we were also bullish on when he came back from injury but has just now finally started hitting. The problem is that Blake Perkins has also been hitting and Mitchell has yet to be able to steal away a full-time job.

Pitchers

Justin Martinez – RP, ARI: 49% rostered
Even though Paul Sewald is beginning to pitch better, Martinez is still the ninth-inning favorite in Arizona. The right-hander has six saves over the last month with a 4.26 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts in 12.2 innings. I don’t love the ratios here, but he 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. Lucas Erceg – RP, KC (37%) is also back from his injury scare and still the closer for a reeling but solid Royals team. He has seven saves, a 1.14 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts in 12.1 innings. He does have a 5.11 ERA over that span, but that really came from one bad outing.

Ryne Nelson – SP, ARI: 49% rostered
Well, the Diamondbacks did the right thing and announced they are keeping Nelson in the rotation and moving Jordan Montgomery to the bullpen. Recently, Nelson has been leaning far more aggressively into his four-seam fastball, which has helped carry him to a 2.76 ERA with a 0.95 WHIP over his last 10 starts. He has also struck out at least five batters eight times in those two starts and has six quality starts. His schedule isn’t easy the rest of the way (Giants, Astros, Brewers), but he’s been pitching well enough that you’re not running from it.

Seranthony Dominguez – RP, BAL: 49% rostered
Over the last month, Dominguez is tied for third in baseball with eight saves. He also has a 3.48 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts in 10.1 innings over that stretch. He’s been hard to trust in the past, but the role is valuable enough that he’s worth an add. It may finally be happening for Ben Joyce – RP, LAA (36% rostered) who was jerked around by the Angels for a while, but appears to now be the primary closer.

Aroldis Chapman – RP, PIT (40% rostered)
With David Bednar removed from the closer role in Pittsburgh, Chapman figures to serve as the team’s stopper for now. He did blow a save in spectacular fashion on Saturday, so we’re unclear how long he’ll still have that job, but he’s been pitching well enough to get another shot or two. It should also be noted that Dennis Santana – RP, PIT (4% rostered) has been lights out since coming to Pittsburgh, and is serving as their top right-handed relief option with Bednar removed from the role. That could lead to the odd save chance in the short term.

Edwin Uceta – RP, TB (24% rostered)
Yes, the Rays turned another random reliever into a stud. He’s been stellar this year in Tampa Bay, allowing three total runs and amassing a 46/6 K/BB in 34 1/3 innings this season. He’s also now stepped into the Rays’ primary high-leverage role with Pete Fairbanks hurt which means he’ll pick up some saves but primarily face the best hitters in the opponent’s order. In the event that causes him to pitch earlier in games, Manuel Rodriguez – RP, TB (4% rostered) has been snagging the save chances. Garrett Cleavinger – RP, TB (4% rostered) has also been getting some save chances when there are left-handed hitters up at the end of games.

Porter Hodge – RP, CHC (29% rostered)
Hodge and Jorge Lopez – RP, CHC (11% rostered) can also both be rostered given that they appear to be forming a committee in Chicago after the team released Hector Neris. Right after Neris was released, Hodge stepped up to earn his second save of the season. However, since then, Hodge has also been used earlier in the game in high-leverage situations, and Lopez has been able to snag saves. They both should get opportunities down the stretch.

Tyler Holton – RP, DET: 22% rostered
It’s possible that Holton is the most underrated reliever in baseball. Over the last two weeks, he has three saves for the Tigers but has also served as an opener this season as well. Those three saves come with a 1.08 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and seven strikeouts in 8.1 innings. He’s just delivering right now. Matt Strahm – RP, PHI (30% rostered) has also saved two games this week and is emerging as part of the late-inning committee in Philadelphia. That makes him worth a gamble in most leagues because he’s also an elite ratio asset.

DL Hall – SP/RP, MIL: 5% rostered
I need to shout out Hall, who was my most-rostered player coming into the year, but pitched poorly early on and was hurt for most of the season. However, he’s back now with increased velocity and looks downright dominant. I’m not sure if the Brewers will let him start at any point, but I’ll be interested if they do.

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

I’ve started breaking down the waiver wire pitchers for the upcoming week in a new weekly article, so you should check that out here. However, I’ll copy and paste the list (without the analysis) below.