No, you cannot pick up Grimace on the Waiver Wire. It’s unclear how much he truly has to do with the Mets’ winning streak, but we can’t argue with the results. The intention now, is to find your version of Grimace. With a lot of baseball left to be played, don’t sell yourself short. There is always time left when it comes to improving your team. Any edge or improvement that you can find could truly make a difference. Don’t stop evaluating your team and looking for ways to improve. As you continue working to improve your team, let’s take a look at some Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds for Week 13.
In doing our weekly diligence, the criteria for inclusion will generally be any player rostered in less than 50% of Fantrax leagues (as of 6/19). 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
Ben Rice, C, New York Yankees
Prior to his promotion earlier this week, Ben Rice was beginning to get some buzz. Anthony Rizzo was struggling, and Rice had been surging through the minor leagues. The Yankees began to give Rice time at first base, but it’s clear that the intention was to get his bat into the lineup. Rizzo’s broken arm forced the issue, and Rice’s catcher eligibility only makes things more attractive.
At least against right-handed pitching, Rice should be receiving regular playing time. Rice only had 11 games at Triple-A under his belt, but he hit .333 with three home runs and 10 RBI. That came after Rice had 12 home runs in 49 games at Double-A. Rice should hit for a solid batting average with strikeouts not being an overwhelming concern. The power and run production is what we are after, and Rice should deliver there. The fact that it’s coming from the catcher position is an added bonus.
Noelvi Marte, 3B, Cincinnati Reds
With Noelvi Marte’s suspension set to send on June 27th, your time to add is quickly coming to a close. In fact, depending on your league, the window might have even closed. When Marte returns, he is in position to once again claim regular playing time.
Through his first two rehab games in Triple-A, Marte has three hits in 10 at-bats. This is after he hit .316 in 35 games with the Reds last. Marte hit three home runs while stealing six bases and picking up 15 RBI. There might be some initial rust, but Marte is returning to a favorable situation and is clearly better than the majority of options available on the waiver wire.
Tyler Soderstrom, 1B, Oakland A’s
The good news is that the Oakland A’s have wasted no time Tyler Soderstrom. They promoted the prospect and promptly inserted him into the middle of the lineup. Receiving regular playing time has proven to be quite productive for Soderstrom.
Strikeouts will continue to be a problem for Soderstrom, 31.7% of the time, but a double-digit walk rate does help from an OBP perspective. Through 104 plate appearances, Soderstrom has five home runs. While he doesn’t come with an overwhelming power took, he is a 20 home run hitter. To this point though, the rookie is doing a great job of making strong contact. Soderstrom has a .211 ISO, 16.4% barrel rate, and 56.4% hard-hit rate.
Hunter Goodman, OF, Colorado Rockies
On his own merits, Hunter Goodman is worthy of our attention. The fact that he plays half his games in Coors Field only enhances that. And then when you add in the fact that Goodman is beginning to spend some games behind the plate, there could be some real value.
At this point, Goodman is still more of an option for deeper leagues, but one hot streak could change that. With a .198 batting average this season, that part of Goodman’s game could be a struggle. However, he does have five home runs and 15 RBI in 86 plate appearances. that comes after Goodman hit 34 home runs in 106 minor league games last year. The big problem for Goodman is making contact. When the bat hits the ball this year, he does have a 14% barrel rate.
Jonathan Cannon, SP, Chicago White Sox
Chicago is the land of opportunity as the White Sox are clearly looking toward the future. Through six games, five of them starts, Jonathan Cannon is doing a good job of taking advantage of things. That culminated in Cannon’s last start as he came one out away from recording a complete game, shutout. Ultimately, Cannon scattered seven hits in 8.2 innings as he walked just one batter while striking out four.
Cannon did struggle in Triple-A prior to his promotion, but with a 3.34 ERA in Chicago, he has gotten off to a strong start. The big thing for Cannon has been his ability to limit walks, 1.67 per nine innings. Opposing batters have a barrel rate of just 6% against Cannon who has done a good job of finding his initial footing.
Trevor Rogers, SP, Miami Marlins
Injuries kept Trevor Rogers to just four starts last year, but he seems to be finding his way back. In reality, we haven’t seen Rogers at his peak since 2021. The southpaw had a 2.64 ERA that season with 157 strikeouts over 133 innings.
In his last three starts, Rogers has a 3.50 ERA as he continues to shake off some rust. Walks are still going to be a concern, but a 48% ground ball certainly helps erase any damage. Rogers generally allows about a home run per game, but he was able to get through seven innings in his last start against Washington. The Nationals only managed two runs against Rogers, but perhaps most notably, he didn’t walk a batter.
While chasing wins doesn’t really apply here due to the Marlins, Rogers does have two starts this week.
Colin Rea, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
As the Milwaukee Brewers continue to sit in first place, they continue to find success in the rotation. The latest contestant has been Colin Rea. In his last three starts, Rea’s ERA is just 1.96 as he has picked up two victories. Over 18.1 innings, Rea has just two walks while striking out 15.
In 14 games this season, 12 starts, Rea has already picked up six victories while recording a 3.29 ERA overall. Rea is not someone that will truly stand out, overall he has just 6.34 strikeouts per nine innings. With a 4.46 FIP, there is some understandable trepidation. In reality, that is who Rea really is, and that is a streamer.
With two starts coming this week, at San Diego and home against Texas, Rea should be on your radars.
DJ Herz, SP, Washington Nationals
Promoted almost by default, DJ Herz has done a good job of taking advantage of the situation. Despite having success in Double-A last year, and through his minor league career, walks were an ever-present problem. For the most part though, Herz did manage to pitch around them to record solid numbers.
In his three major league starts to this point, Herz has done a good job of limiting the walks with five in 14.1 innings. Herz continues to strike out more than a batter per inning even with an average fastball velocity of 93 miles per hour. The sample size is small, but Herz’s 2.09 xERA is pretty strong. That is mostly a result of six shutout innings against the Marlins in his last start as Herz struck out 13.
While his next start does come in Coors Field, the Rockies aren’t exactly intimidating as an offensive force.
John Brebbia, RP, Chicago White Sox
It’s not a secret that Michael Kopech has struggled this season. To say that his hold on the closer’s job is tenuous at best would not be an understatement. Prior to the season, there was some buzz that John Brebbia would receive the role, but some Spring Training injuries delayed his clock.
Now that the season has begun, Brebbia has pitched to uneven results behind Kopech. He did pick up his second save of the season in the past week to go along with eight holds. Brebbia’s 5.81 is victim to a few rough outings, but his other metrics paint a much better picture; 4.15 xERA, 3.46 FIP, and 2.94 xFIP. He’s striking out 11.62 batters per nine innings while limiting the walks (2.05) which is useful for a closer.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see Brebbia take on more of the ninth-inning role as Kopech continues to struggle.