The time is now. These next few weeks truly are critical for you to make your mark in the standings. This is the time to truly evaluate things and make a difference before the gaps get too large. As you continue working to improve your team, let’s take a look at some Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds for Week 11.
In doing our weekly diligence, the criteria for inclusion will generally be any player rostered in less than 50% of Fantrax leagues (as of 6/05). The popularity of Dynasty leagues on Fantrax does sway some of these percentages compared to other platforms, but these are players who should be on your radar.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Recommendations
Brendan Rodgers, 2B, Colorado Rockies
The big thing here for Brendan Rodgers is that he is healthy. Of course, the hope is that I didn’t jinx anything, but Rodgers has been playing every day and hitting in the middle of the lineup for Colorado. After he hit .235 in April, Rodgers turned the corner and had a .290 batting average in May. Before we go any further, we do have to issue the Coors Field disclaimer. Rodgers is hitting .307 at home this season compared to .234 on the road.
Middle infield options are rough, and if you aren’t looking for speed or power, Rodgers will provide at-bats. If you can stream him only at home, then even better.
Justyn Henry-Malloy, 3B, Detroit Tigers
After hitting .253 with six home runs and 27 RBI in 45 games at Triple-A, Justyn Henry-Malloy was promoted to the big leagues. In his third career game on Wednesday, Henry-Malloy went deep as he picked up his first two career hits.
Last year, Henry-Malloy had a strong season. He played all 135 games at Triple-A and hit .277 with 29 home runs, 83 RBI, and 89 runs scored. As far as impact prospects go, Henry-Malloy isn’t going to truly stand out, but he can certainly be a solid contributor. There are available at-bats in Detroit as long as Henry-Malloy continues to display his solid plate skills. This isn’t a league-winning addition, but he can be a solid piece.
Jake McCarthy, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
We tried this last year with Jake McCarthy and it didn’t work. In taking a step back though, maybe we are being too harsh. While he had his share of struggles, McCarthy still stole 26 bases in 99 games. The problem was that he didn’t do anything else as the outfielder hit just .243 with two home runs and 16 RBI.
So far this season, things are looking are looking better for McCarthy. The Diamondbacks are utilizing him as more of a platoon option (29 at-bats against southpaws compared to 102 against right-handed pitching), but he is hitting .414 against left-handers. McCarthy is hitting .273 overall and he is already at 13 RBI while going deep twice and scoring 21 runs. The greatest focus here is McCarthy’s eight stolen bases.
Heliot Ramos, OF, San Francisco Giants
The injury to Michael Conforto initially propelled Heliot Ramos into the lineup, but it doesn’t appear he will be so quick to come out of it. Formally a top prospect, Ramos is up to five home runs after going deep again on Wednesday. That gives him three home runs so far this month as the outfielder is now .304 with 19 RBI in 108 plate appearances.
Before we go any further, Ramos does have a .414 BABIP but he also has a .207 ISO and .511 slugging percentage. Prior to his promotion, Ramos was also having success in Triple-A with eight home runs and 21 RBI as things have seemingly begun to click. Strikeouts will continue to be an issue, and the batting average isn’t sustainable, but the power is real. Ramos has a 55.4% hard-hit entering play on Wednesday to go along with a 12.5% barrel rate. At the very least, this is a hot streak worth latching onto.
Tylor Megill, SP, New York Mets
The fact that Tylor Megill is making two starts this week grabs our attention. When you then consider that his first start is coming against the Miami Marlins, things get even better. Megill does follow the week up against the San Diego Padres, and both starts are coming at home.
Since returning from the Injured List, Megill has a 3.18 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 17 innings. He is coming off a tough start against the Washington Nationals, but Megill gutted out the victory allowing four runs in five innings. While it’s just 21 innings, Megill has limited the long ball this year at just 0.43 per nine innings. We have seen a slight uptick in Megill’s average fastball velocity to 95.8 miles per hour. Of greater emphasis though is the revised approached from Megill has seen him utilize a cutter.
Spencer Arrighetti, SP, Houston Astros
It doesn’t get much worse than Spencer Arrighetti’s major league debut. The right-hander allowed seven runs over three innings, and the good news is that things have only gone up from there. There were a few other rough starts mixed in, but things have gotten progressively better for Arrighetti.
His ERA sits at 5.79 on the season, but Arrighetti does have a 4.47 xERA and 3.97 FIP. With a 2.57 ERA in his last three starts, while striking out 19 in 14 innings, things have gotten even better. The strikeouts have been the one consistent piece for the right-hander at 10.61 per nine innings, but the walks have been a problem. Luck hasn’t been on the rookie’s side either as Arrighetti has worked through a .370 BABIP.
With a 6.1% barrel rate against, hitters aren’t truly squaring up Arrighetti and that helps. In facing the San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers, the rookie gets two favorable matchups.
Adam Mazur, SP, San Diego Padres
With both Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish injured, Adam Mazur has secured a spot in the rotation. The rookie made his debut earlier in the week and allowed just one run on two hits and four walks in six innings of work. Mazur did only strike out two batters, but it’s clearly enough to earn another start on Sunday.
In the minor leagues, Mazur struck out close to a batter an inning after being drafted in the second round in 2022. Mazur has shown potential in his brief minor league career, but most notably he has consistently walked less than two batters per nine innings. As he adjusts to pitching at the major league level, that at least gives him a good start.
Yimi Garcia, RP, Toronto Blue Jays
Depending on when your league digested the Jordan Romano news, it’s possible Yimi Garcia is still available. In about 47% of Fantrax leagues, as of 6/05, that is still the case. While the initial outlook on Romano is that perhaps he will be out for three weeks to a month, I’m not sure how viable that truly is. As Garcia picked up the first save in Romano’s absence, he should be rostered across just about all formats.
This is the second time Romano has received injections in his pitching elbow. Earlier this season, he missed about three weeks, but it’s likely this time is longer. The negativity towards Romano’s health outlook will ultimately lead to more saves for Garcia, and that is what we are after.
While Garcia has just three saves on the season, he did save 15 games in 2021 so there is a limited track record. It has been a strong season for Garcia as has just a 1.57 ERA in 23 innings. Garcia is striking out over 11 strikeouts per nine innings while averaging a career-high 96.8 miles per hour with his fastball. The right-hander is limiting home runs, 0.39 per nine innings, which is also helping him find success.
Jeremiah Estrada, RP, San Diego Padres
Not every relief pitcher we look to add is going to have a clear path to saves. Sometimes, a strong reliever is better than a middling starter, and with Jeremiah Estrada that could be the case. Over the past 14 days, Estrada has 15 strikeouts in seven innings while not allowing a run. Estrada has also picked up two victories which is a nice bonus.
In 18.2 innings this season, Estrada has 30 strikeouts with just six walks. Opposing hitters are batting just .113 against Estrada who has a 0.48 ERA and 0.70 WHIP. Throughout his minor league career, Estrada had prolific strikeout numbers and that makes a valuable roster piece.