Just as the days are getting shorter, so is the fantasy baseball season. That means we need to ramp up our efforts to ensure a finish at the top of the standings. At this point in the season, the waiver wire is the only method remaining for us to improve our teams. With that being said, let’s not waste any more time and jump right in. And in case you didn’t hear, Washington promoted a top outfield prospect in Dylan Crews, so the excitement isn’t going anywhere. We want you to improve your team, so let’s take a look at some Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds for Week 23.
In doing our weekly diligence, the criteria for inclusion will generally be any player rostered in less than 50% of Fantrax leagues (as of 8/27), with some exceptions. 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
Dylan Crews, OF, Washington Nationals
The Nationals didn’t promote Dylan Crews to sit on the bench, and the young outfielder is simply too good to be ignored. While there is more work to be done, Washington is quickly becoming an exciting, interesting, and fun team to watch. That doesn’t win fantasy leagues though, and Crews has the production to match.
After hitting .274 in 51 games at Double-A this year, Crews hit .265 in 49 games at Triple-A following his promotion. Crews finished with a combined 13 home runs and 25 stolen bases while driving in 68 runs. The outfielder is a true five-tool player, and while his bat might need a little time to adjust, the stolen bases give him immediate value.
Through his first three major league games, Crews has already gotten his first home run and stolen base out of the way. I’m not sure he can be a league winner in the last month of the season, but he can certainly play a large role. That is better than most of the other waiver wire options.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF, Chicago Cubs
As we head towards September, it makes sense that Pete Crow-Armstrong would be getting regular playing time for the Cubs. That also means his roster percentage should be surging as Chicago looks toward next season. From a performance perspective though, the young outfielder is certainly earning the playing time as well.
Over the past seven days, Crow-Armstrong is showing off the full breadth of his skill set. In 23 at-bats, he has 11 hits while scoring nine runs, hitting two home runs, and stealing three bases while picking up seven RBI. As his batting average continues to climb, .233 on the season, Crow-Armstrong’s speed can’t be questioned. In 95 games, he has 26 stolen bases which are an asset on their own. As the power develops, things will get even better.
Miguel Amaya, C, Chicago Cubs
With the Cubs on the fringe of the Wild Card race, 5.5 games behind, it makes sense that they would trend younger. However, based on his performance, Miguel Amaya is also giving Chicago the best chance to be successful.
The young catcher has played in 10 games over the past two weeks. In that stretch, he has 14 hits in 34 at-bats while going deep three times with 14 RBI. With a .127 ISO, we aren’t going to see an overwhelming amount of power, but he does a good job of putting the bat on the ball. While he is hitting just .143, Amaya strikes out less than 20% of the time (18.3%) and that is huge. Amaya isn’t going to be a truly dominant fantasy catcher, but there is some upside. At this point in the season, it’s hard to argue with upside.
Jose Tena, 3B/SS, Washington Nationals
Acquired from Cleveland for Lane Thomas, Jose Tena is capitalizing on the situation. While he previously had 18 games of MLB experience, Tena has seemingly taken a step forward this season. After progressing from Double-A to the big leagues last year, Tena settled into action at Triple-A this year.
Prior to the trade, Tena hit .298 in 90 games. That came with both power (17 home runs) and speed (14 stolen bases) while driving in 63 runs and scoring 54 times. In 17 big league games, Tena is hitting .309. Both the power and speed are coming slowly, but there is 15/15 upside over a full season. Combining that with multi-position eligibility is attractive over the next month. The fact that he covers you at both corner and middle infield is even better.
Spencer Arrighetti, SP, Houston Astros
Don’t look now, but Spencer Arrighetti has turned into a legitimate starting pitcher for the Astros. Pressed into duty by default at the beginning of the season, the young right-hander has gotten progressively better. That culminated in Arrighetti taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning on Wednesday against the Phillies in a dominant start as he struck out nine.
Not only has Arrighetti brought his ERA down to 4.63, but his FIP of 4.04 shows that more improvement is coming. The rookie certainly is getting stronger as the continues to rack up the strikeouts; 10.93 per nine innings. Walks, 4.13 per nine innings, and home runs (1.23) are still a concern, but Arrighetti has settled in with a 2.55 ERA in August. Over the next month, I’d expect this trend to continue.
Rhett Lowder, SP, Cincinnati Reds
If there is a time to be aggressive, it certainly is September. In the case of the Reds, injuries to their starting rotation have driven that. From a fantasy perspective, it is exciting as that means Rhett Lowder isn’t being promoted. Just a week after making his debut in Triple-A, Lowder will make his first major league start on Friday.
Through 108.2 innings, Lowder has a 3.64 ERA and 1.15 WHIP this season. Perhaps most impressive though are Lowder’s 113 strikeouts compared to just 24 walks. Lowder comes with his strong velocity, a smooth delivery, a plus changeup, and a solid breaking pitch. While Lowder might not truly be dominating, he should turn in a strong month’s worth of starts to close out the season. At this point, can we ask for anything more?
Clarke Schmidt, SP, New York Yankees
It’s all about supply and demand at this point. While Clarke Schmidt does have one or two more rehab starts remaining, the right-hander will be back soon. For those looking for starting pitching help, and who isn’t, Schmidt is better than anything you will find on the waiver wire. He has looked good through his rehab to this point, and you have to be proactive here. Based on the calendar, Schmidt is potentially slated to make his return towards the end of the next scoring period.
When we last saw Schmidt in action, he had 67 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched. With a 2.52 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, Schmidt was also in the midst of a career best season. As New York looks for reinforcements in the rotation, Schmidt can provide that.
Seranthony Dominguez, RP, Baltimore Orioles
At this point, what more does Seranthony Dominguez have to do? With six saves in August, seven on the season, it’s clear that Dominguez has value, but he is still rostered in just 47% of Fantrax leagues. At this point, it appears that the right-hander is locked into saves for Baltimore. As they fight for the division title, we know that opportunities will continue to be present.
Perhaps more notable than the actual saves, is the fact that the Orioles have stuck with Dominguez. That is most notable as in his first three saves of the month, the right-hander allowed a run in each of those outings. However, in his three most recent saves, Dominguez emerged unscathed. He likely still will put traffic on the bases, but he strikes out more than a batter per inning, and with a 4.14 ERA on the season, he generally pitches out of trouble. A 3.32 xERA allows for some optimism, but it’s all about those saves.
Manuel Rodriguez, RP, Tampa Bay Rays
The amount of Tampa Bay relievers covered in this space really is out of hand. That doesn’t mean we are slowing down though as Manuel Rodriguez is now added to the list.
With Pete Fairbanks on the Injured List, someone needs to step up in the back end of Tampa’s bullpen. But why would it be just one player? Of course, the Rays have to turn it into a committee, but it does appear Rodriguez is on top of the list. After picking up the save on Tuesday, he does have his first two saves of the season over the past week.
Rodriguez averages 96.7 miles per hour with his fastball. There has also been limited damage this season with a 2.28 ERA. He strikes out close to a batter per inning, has a ground ball rate of 47.8%, and limits the long ball. While not an elite or truly dominant option, Rodriguez is a solid option. In chasing saves, that’s all you can ask for.