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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds for Week 13

By Taylor Tarter
Joey Votto fantasy baseball waiver wire

Here are some waiver wire targets ahead of Week 13 that you should consider adding. The following recommendations are organized as deep and shallow league targets. Of course, the players you choose to add and drop from your team should largely depend on your league size and the roster construction of your team.

More great fantasy baseball advice and analysis: Waiver Wire & FAAB Recommendations | Daily MLB Injury Report | MLB DFS Picks | Line-up Analysis | Dynasty Rankings and Strategy | MLB Bullpen Updates | MLB Player Props | Prospect Rankings & Analysis | Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Recommendations

Deep League Targets

C Bo Naylor – CLE

After Mike Zunino was designated for assignment, Bo Naylor received the call from the Guardians. In his first four games in the bigs, Naylor has struggled. He has five strikeouts in 12 at-bats, with three runs and an .083 AVG. But he did pick up his first major league hit:

Naylor looked solid in the minors this year, especially for a catcher. He showed an advanced eye at the plate that he has yet to display in his first four games in Cleveland. When he left AAA, he had an 18.1% BB rate and a 19.3% K rate with a .253 AVG. Naylor left with 13 homers, 45 runs, and 48 RBI.

His approach at the plate has been his calling card throughout the minors. He finished with a 10% or better walk rate in five of six stops. He also finished with double digit home runs in four of his five minor league seasons and even had double-digit steals in two of them.

The power should eventually come around for Naylor, and the average should begin to tick up as he gets more playing time. He is a great depth add off the waiver wire.

1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn – BAL

Ryan O’Hearn has basically come out of nowhere, earning time at first base for the Orioles with Ryan Mountcastle on the shelf. O’Hearn has been exceptional, tallying six home runs, 16 runs, 20 RBI, and a .341 AVG in 98 plate appearances. Here is one of his recent nukes:

There are some clear issues that present long-term concerns, including O’Hearn’s limitations against left-handed pitching and a .403 BABIP. The Orioles have limited his exposure to LHP to only five at-bats, resulting in a .200 AVG. The .403 BABIP should land closer to his career .280 BABIP, especially with a 17% LD rate, which is lower than his career rate.

That being said, there are plenty of things that O’Hearn does well. He has been demolishing the ball, with a 13.2% barrel rate and a 55.9% HardHit rate. Those would rank 27th and fourth respectively among qualified hitters if O’Hearn was qualified.

He has a 23% HR/FB rate, which is slightly higher than his career norm. However, he has been launching fly balls at a higher clip than he has since his debut season.

O’Hearn also has improved his chase rate to 28.3%, its lowest since 2020. Plus, he has the highest contact rate of his career at 79%.

All in all, with the rash of injuries across the majors, fantasy managers in need of some depth or power should definitely consider O’Hearn. Treat him like a pitching streamer and add him off the waiver wire for the next few weeks. Once you see his BABIP start to dip, then swap him out for someone else.

SS/3B Maikel Garcia – KC

Maikel Garcia has been producing well through his first 41 games this season. He has two homers, 18 runs, 16 RBI, seven steals, and a .281 AVG. This is essentially what he did throughout his time in the minors, and should continue with more playing time for the Royals.

Garcia only finished two minor league seasons without double-digit steals. He had nine in his first season as a 17-year-old and had four this season before getting the call. His rest of season projections range from seven to 10 more steals, but at this pace, he could easily outproduce that.

Garcia could also maintain a solid AVG, though projections expect him to hit in the .250s ROS. Since 2021, Garcia only left one minor league stop (this season) with an AVG lower than .274. The projections may factor in his .348 BABIP dropping, but because of his 21% LD rate and his speed, he may be able to maintain a high BABIP.

For a skinny guy – just 145 pounds – Garcia hits the ball very hard. He has a 7% barrel rate and an impressive 51.8% HardHit rate that would be 15th overall if he qualified. Those numbers have helped him hit a couple of homers like this one:

Garcia has a great approach at the plate as well, chasing the ball just 22% of the time with an 83.8% contact rate.

He should continue to earn playing time in Kansas City with these sorts of results. If you need cheap steals, Garcia is worth an add from the waiver wire.

OF Mike Tauchman – ChC

Mike Tauchman has been surprising for the Cubs in 30 games this season, heating up recently. Overall this year, he has two home runs, 14 runs, 17 RBI, three steals, and a .289 AVG.

Tauchman is 13-for-40 (.325) since June 10, with both homers, 12 runs, and eight RBI coming during that span.

This does not look like a fluke, despite the .364 BABIP compared to a .310 career BABIP. Tauchman has career highs with a 32% LD rate and a 39% pull rate, which both inflate BABIP. Wrigley Field is also among the best ballparks for lefty batters in terms of batting average. On top of all of that, Cubs manager David Ross likes him at the top of the order:

Also helping Tauchman’s case for legitimacy is an improved plate approach. He has a career-low swing rate, resulting in a 21% chase rate, an 80.4% contact rate, a 16.8% walk rate, and a 21% strikeout rate, which are all career bests.

This appears to be the real deal for Mike Tauchman, and fantasy managers should seriously consider adding him from the waiver wire.

SP Gavin Williams – CLE

Gavin Williams made his debut for the Guardians after Triston McKenzie landed on the IL. With Peyton Battenfield and Cal Quantrill also on the IL, Williams should continue to get a run with Cleveland. In his debut, Williams tossed 5.2 innings with four strikeouts, three walks, and four earned runs.

It was a disappointing start for Williams, but if his minor league career tells us anything, good news is on the way. In four minor league stops across two seasons, Williams never left a stop with lower than a 10 K/9 rate or higher than a 2.93 ERA.

Williams struggled with walks in AAA this season, and that manifested in his first outing in the majors. But in his three previous minor league stops, his highest BB/9 rate was 3.3 in 70 IP at AA.

He features a fastball, slider, changeup, and curveball. His fastball touches triple digits but averaged 95.5 MPH in his debut. His breaking and offspeed pitches looked great in his first outing with his slider, changeup, and curveball inducing 25%, 33%, and 50% whiff rates and 40%, 33%, and 16% whiff rates respectively. Here is a look at his curveball that should continue to fool hitters:

If he can get the walks in check, he could settle in as a solid mid-rotation starter. In the meantime, Williams is worth an add from the waiver wire.

Shallow League Targets

C Henry Davis – PIT

Henry Davis was doing well at AA before his promotion to AAA and eventually Pittsburgh. At AA this season, he had 10 homers, 25 runs, 27 RBI, seven steals, and a .284 AVG. He hit .286 in 10 games at AAA before being added to the Pirates’ roster.

The catcher position for Pittsburgh has not produced much in terms of offensive output this season, which presumably was the reason for Davis’ promotion. Austin Hedges has just one home run and a .169 AVG across 45 games and 140 PAs. Jason Delay has done a bit better with a home run and a .286 AVG in 96 PAs over 37 games. But neither has the upside that Davis possesses.

Davis’ worst season in the minors was a 31-game stint at AA last year when he hit .207 with four home runs. Aside from that, he never left a stop in the minors with a batting average under .263.

While his projections put him around a .230-.240 AVG over the rest of the season, he should get consistent playing time, and opportunity is king in fantasy. That makes Davis an excellent waiver wire option at the catcher position, especially when he hits homers like this:

1B Joey Votto – CIN

Joey Votto made his triumphant return from a shoulder/biceps issue, homering in his first game back:

Votto only has three games under his belt (as of writing), so it is a bit early to dig into his stats, but he is just two seasons removed from a 36-homer, .266 AVG season. He did not do as well last season but was clearly dealing with injuries that likely limited him.

The Reds will have to finagle their roster as they look to get reasonable playing time for Votto, Spencer Steer, Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain and others. But they are invested both financially and sentimentally in Votto, and will likely get him as many at-bats as they can.

After having below-average barrel and HardHit rates for most of his career, Votto modified his approach at the plate in 2021, which led to a 17.2% barrel rate and a 53.2% HardHit rate. He has maintained those high rates, even into early this season.

Votto has shown the ability to adapt based on data, with high line drive and pull rates coming in his last four seasons. Keep an eye out to see if he does the same as he gets more time this season.

Votto is an interesting option at first base and may potentially have been overlooked in your league. Consider him as a waiver wire add this week.

2B/SS Luis Garcia – WAS

Luis Garcia has continued to do well for the Nationals, but his rostership is low. That may be due to the Nationals being a struggling team, rather than Garcia’s performance.

Garcia has a .283 AVG with five homers, 33 runs, 33 RBI, and three steals in 278 PAs. He has career bests in his 5% walk rate and 11.9% K rate. His approach at the plate is excellent, resulting in the ninth-best contact rate among qualified hitters at 87.1%.

The 56% GB rate and slightly below average barrel and HardHit rates of 6.5% and 38.1% are just about the only knocks on a solid profile for fantasy baseball.

Garcia has made improvements to his chase, contact, and swinging strike rates. His HardHit rate is the best of his career. Plus, he has seemingly underperformed in terms of power. His flyball rate is identical to last season and higher than it was in 2020 and 2021, but Garcia has posted his lowest HR/FB rate of his career.

If he can adjust his swing slightly to get more loft on the ball, he has the potential to outproduce his projected 6-9 home runs for the rest of the season, while also potentially reaching double digit steals. Moreover, he could do all of that with a .280 AVG. Last season, 11 players had at least 10 homers and steals with a .280 AVG.

Garcia is undervalued and widely available in many leagues. He should be a major consideration from the waiver wire.

OF Tommy Pham – NYM

Tommy Pham has split his time between the outfield and designated hitter this season, with Daniel Vogelbach and Mark Canha somewhat underperforming. Pham has seven home runs, 18 runs, 28 RBI, eight steals, and a .260 AVG this season, but has really gotten hot in June:

Four of his homers, 11 of his runs, and 14 of his RBI have come this month, all while he has hit .321. He has gone hitless in just two of 15 appearances this month.

This does not appear to be a flash in the pan. Many of his markers are almost identical to his career norms. His strikeout and walk rates are both one percent lower than his career averages, while his batting average is one point higher than his career AVG. His contact rate for this season is slightly better than last season and identical to his career average, while his 20.3% chase rate is better than his career norm.

Pham has actually improved in many areas this season which points to more good things to come. He has a 22.5% LD rate, which is the highest it has been since 2018. And his 42.3% pull rate is the highest it has been since 2020. Both are higher than his career averages, which actually suggests his BABIP and AVG could be higher, especially if he maintains solid plate discipline.

Pham also has a 15.3% barrel rate, which is the second highest of his career, along with the highest HardHit rate of his career at 51.4%. Those help explain the 20% HR/FB rate, which is his highest since 2018, and legitimize his pace of home runs. It would not be surprising if he surpasses the 17 homers he hit last season if he continues getting consistent playing time.

He is a little under the radar but has a chance at a 15/15 or even 20/15 season. There is huge value in that, so Pham should be a waiver wire priority this week where available.

SP Kyle Bradish – BAL

Kyle Bradish is not a big-name pitcher but he has been one of Baltimore’s best starting pitchers this season. Bradish has 65 IP under his belt this season, his second in the majors, along with a 3.88 ERA.

He has an 8.3 K/9 rate, which is slightly under his 8.49 rate from last season when he threw 117.2 IP. Bradish has improved his walk rate from last year, allowing just 2.49 walks per nine innings.

Bradish’s 73.5% LOB rate and 43.5% GB rate are both better than league average, and although he does not have enough innings to qualify, his GB rate is actually better than Shane McClanahan’s.

On the surface, Bradish’s ERA is not BABIP or HR/FB influenced, which reflects in his 4.00 xFIP. His line drive rate allowed is up from last season, but so is his BABIP. His HR/FB rate is within the league-average range. Considering those factors, he could actually do better than his expected stats.

Bradish’s success has come largely in part to ridiculous breaking pitches. His slider has a .184 batting average against and his curveball has a .180 batting average against. They have 38.7% and 30.2% whiff rates respectively, and 26.5% and 21.1% putaway rates. His slider, in particular, is filthy, with 8.5 more inches of horizontal movement than average among pitchers who have thrown a slider 100 times (sixth-most among 200+ pitchers). It has 205% more break than average, which is second-best in baseball with the same parameters. Here is a look at it in action:

Bradish is not a big name, so he may still be available on your waiver wire. He should be considered as an add for this week and onward.

Other Players to Add from Waivers

Here are a few other players available in a range of league sizes that you should consider adding if they are on your waiver wire.

  • C: Fracisco Alvarez, Tyler Stephenson, Travis d’Arnaud, Patrick Bailey, Yainer Diaz
  • CI: Jordan Walker (OF), Ryan McMahon (2B), Brandon Drury (2B), Harold Ramirez (OF), Ramon Urias (2B), Corey Julks (OF), J.D. Davis, Jake Burger, Joey Votto
  • MI: Brendan Donovan (1B/3B/OF), Royce Lewis (3B), Orlando Arcia, Bryson Stott, Matt McLain, Ezequiel Tovar
  • OF: Luke Raley (1B), Christopher Morel (2B), Nolan Jones, Lane Thomas, Leody Taveras, Eddie Rosario, Austin Hays, Aaron Hicks, Joc Pederson, Jake McCarthy, Esteury Ruiz, Mike Yastrzemski, Will Benson, Kerry Carpenter, Jake Fraley
  • SP: Ranger Suarez, Reid Detmers, Kyle Hendricks, Julio Teheran, James Paxton, Brayan Bello, Kyle Gibson, Taj Bradley, J.P. France, Braxton Garrett, Tarik Skubal, Bryan Woo, Wade Miley
  • RP: Scott McGough, A.J. Puk, Evan Phillips, Adbert Alzolay, Will Smith, Jason Adam, Pete Fairbanks

Prospect Waiver Wire Watch

A number of prospects are worthy of consideration for waiver wire claims due to being called up or potentially being called up. Here are a few to consider adding.

  • MIL OF Sal Frelick – late start because of injury, but has looked good in the minors
  • MIA 2B Jacob Amaya – on the weak side of platoon, but could work his way into more time
  • LAD 2B Michael Busch – recalled as Muncy fill-in; six runs, three RBI, one steal, and a .194 AVG
  • KC 2B Samad Taylor – three runs, two RBI, .214 AVG; needs to carve out role, but could be cheap SB option
  • LAD SP Emmet Sheehan – 3 Ks, 2BBs, and a QS in 6 IP in debut; will get at least one more start
  • SF OF Luis Matos – 10 runs, 2 steals, and batting .300; power should come
  • ATL SP AJ Smith-Shawver – only 3 ER allowed through 13.1 IP with 11 Ks
  • CIN SS Elly De La Cruz – already has six steals, has two homers, striking out a bunch – doing what we thought
  • LAD SP Bobby Miller – 28:10 K:BB ratio in 28 IP with a 2.83 ERA
  • STL SP Matthew Liberatore – hard to count on in fantasy with a 5+ ERA
  • CIN SP Andrew Abbott – 22:9 K:BB across 23.2 IP with a 1.14 ERA
  • CIN SP Brandon Williamson – ERA still over 5, but mostly due to one bad start against LAD
  • CIN 1B/3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand – .349 AVG and 17 homers in 49 games at AAA, played OF
  • BAL OF Colton Cowser – another BAL minor leaguer that should get the call soon; 9/47/36/6/.341 at AAA
  • NYM 3B Brett Baty – playing nearly every day; producing, but struggling with the AVG
  • ChC 1B Matt Mervis – AVG below the Mendoza Line
  • PIT SP Luis Ortiz – with injuries to the PIT pitching staff, Ortiz should get consistent starts for the foreseeable future
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