Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Garcia is Back

Just because the calendar has turned to September, it doesn’t mean we should stop looking for opportunities to improve our team. Yes, the waiver wire might look more bleak as you stare at the same names on a weekly basis, but it doesn’t meant there’s no value. Whether it’s a young player coming up, a hot streak to ride, or someone returning from injury, there are a few options. Let’s take a look at some waiver wire options for this week.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire

Sal Stewart, 1B/3B, Cincinnati Reds

And in the fourth game, Sal Stewart went deep. On Saturday night, Stewart hit his first career MLB home run. Through four games since his promotion, Stewart is now hitting .250. Prior to that point, Stewart ripped through Double-A and Triple-A with nothing left to prove.

Despite being in his age-21 season, the Reds promoted Stewart as they are trying to hold onto faint postseason hopes. Through 118 games in the minors, Stewart hit .309 with 20 home runs with 80 RBI and 17 stolen bases. From an adjustment standpoint, it’s a good sign that Stewart consistently strikes out in the 15% range. When that’s coupled with a double-digit walk rate, the adjustment process should become easier.

Cincinnati didn’t promote Stewart for him to sit on the bench, so take advantage of that for your fantasy team.

Drew Gilbert, OF, San Francisco Giants

Will this be another trade that the New York Mets regret? As the Giants continue to have an outside chance at a Wild Card berth, Drew Gilbert is a large part in that.

Over the last seven days, entering play on Saturday, Gilbert hit .500 with two home runs, eight RBI, and six runs scored. Through 60 plate appearances in total, the outfielder is hitting .263 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and eight runs scored.

While Gilbert’s play has been attention-getting, he might be a better real-life player than a fantasy player. That doesn’t mean we should ignore him on the waiver wire, but expectations have to be realistic. Gilbert brings some power and limited speed to the table, but he can find his way on base.

Daylen Lile, OF, Washington Nationals

With 11 hits in his last 23 at-bats, ride the hot hand with Daylen Lile. The young outfielder is getting a chance at regular playing time, and we should follow suit.

Through 70 games, Lile is hitting a solid .275 with eight stolen bases and 36 runs scored. Again, Lile isn’t a player who’d be considered a true difference maker. At the same time, though, he’s playing every day and continues to get on base. In the second half of the season, Lile is hitting .308. And that means something from a fantasy perspective down the stretch.

Luis Garcia, SP, Houston Astros

After making just six starts in 2023, Luis Garcia was out close to two years following Tommy John surgery. As he made his return to the mound on Sunday, Garcia showed that it was worth the wait.

While his average fastball velocity of 91.4 miles per hour was down from his career average of 93.6, it’s just one start. Garcia took things slowly, but he was also able to reach back when needed. Perhaps the most important thing is that Garcia got through six innings. The right-hander allowed three runs while not walking a batter and striking out six.

Garcia has a career 3.62 ERA with 9.30 strikeouts per nine innings, and he’ll remain in the rotation for the rest of the season. Every start is critical, and Garcia should be a solid source of innings across three or four more this season. You can never have too much starting pitching, and healthy Garcia shouldn’t be on the waiver wire.

Braxton Ashcraft, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

At this point in the season, it’s all about maximizing those innings. As teams fall out of contention, it also becomes easier to capitalize on opponents. In the case of Braxton Ashcraft, we get both this week.

Taking the mound twice, we are getting the innings out of Ashcraft. And both of his opponents, the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, are already looking towards 2026. That’s the perfect recipe for waiver wire success.

In his last three starts, Ashcraft has a 0.66 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. In 22 games, six starts in total, Ashcraft has a 2.44 ERA while striking out 8.46 batters per nine innings. A 52.3% ground ball rate is a big part of Ashcraft’s success. Hitters are simply off balance against Ashcraft this season, with just a 3.2% barrel rate. As a streamer, there’s a lot working in Ashcraft’s favor.