And just like that, the calendar is turning to July. Don’t fret though, as there is still a lot of baseball remaining. Anything can happen in the next three months, and it’s in your power to help dictate that. 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 14.
In doing our weekly diligence, the criteria for inclusion will generally be any player rostered in less than 50% of Fantrax leagues (as of 6/26). 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
Jhonkensy Noel, 3B, Cleveland Guardians
To say that Jhonkensy Noel earned his promotion would be an understatement. The Guardians are looking for offense, the 22-year-old corner infielder is in the position to provide it. Noel wasted no time making his presence felt by going deep in his first game. That came after Noel hit 18 home runs in Triple-A while batting .295.
What seemed to move the needle for Noel was the fact that he had hit .343 since May with 14 of his home runs. Even more notable than that is that Noel brought his strikeout rate down below 20% in that stretch. Even as Noel struggles with the batting average, the power upside should be there.
Alec Burleson, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Over the past two weeks, Alec Burleson has settled into a groove at the top of St. Louis’ batting order. Burleson has 16 hits in his last 47 at-bats with three home runs, three stolen bases, 12 RBI, and 12 runs scored. While he doesn’t walk, Burleson also limits the strikeouts with a rate of just 14%.
The outfielder is hitting a strong .289 with 12 home runs and 33 RBI. Burleson’s .290 xBA supports his performance to this point while posting a career-high 15.5-degree average launch angle. While the Cardinals lineup might not be as strong as in other years, batting second still has some value. In 93 at-bats hitting second, Burleson is batting .312 with seven home runs, 18 runs scored, and 15 RBI.
Heston Kjerstad, OF, Baltimore Orioles
Heston Kjerstad is back in the big leagues, and perhaps now he will play every day. Well, we do need to caveat that as it appears to be that the left-handed hitting Kjerstad has found himself in a platoon. With that being said though, Kjerstad does have the platoon advantage in a favorable lineup.
At this point, the Orioles really didn’t have a choice anymore. There was nothing left for Kjerstad to do at Triple-A, so the promotion did come at a good time. In 56 games, the outfielder hit .300 with 16 home runs and 58 RBI. There is some concern with the 26% strikeout rate in Triple-A, but it didn’t hold him back from a batting average perspective. The fact that Kjerstad also has a double-digit walk rate should help with the adjustment factor.
David Peterson, SP, New York Mets
Things have been up and down for David Peterson as of late. The left-hander has struggled with his control, but he is coming off a strong start. Despite allowing just one run on three hits against the Yankees in his last start, Peterson only made it through 4.1 innings. That is a direct result of the five walks he allowed. Peterson did strike out eight though as he brought his ERA down to 3.67.
Through 27 innings, Peterson is only striking out 6.67 batters per nine innings, so his last start was a positive development. Generating a 52.4% groundball rate helps to limit the damage. Allowing an average launch angle of just 7.3 degrees also helps to mitigate issues from too many baserunners. The Mets are surging which helps from the perspective of chasing victories. In the upcoming week, Peterson takes the mound twice. He also does so with favorable matchups against Washington and Pittsburgh.
Roasny Contreras, SP, Los Angeles Angels
In 95 innings of work with the Pirates in 2022, Roasny Contreras had a 3.79 ERA and struck out close to a batter per inning. The problem is that he followed up with a 6.59 ERA last year which jettisoned him from the rotation. After spending time in the minor leagues, Contreras is back in the big leagues. This time though it is with the Angels.
Earlier in the season, Contreras had success pitching out of the bullpen. In 30 innings, Contreras recorded a 3.90 ERA while striking out close to batter per inning. Both home runs and walks were still a concern, but the right-hander did generate some solid results. Contreras made his first start of the season on Wednesday and limited the A’s to one run on four hits and two walks. As he transitions to the rotation, Contreras is still in the process of building up his stamina.
In the upcoming week, Contreras takes the mound twice. The impending matchups are intriguing as Contreras faces Oakland again as well the Cubs.
David Festa, RP, Minnesota Twins
Following the injury to Chris Paddack, David Festa is slated to make his major league debut on Thursday. At the very least, Festa will be getting a few starts with the Twins, but if he finds success, it’s possible that his role expands and continues.
Festa is an explosive pitcher who has 87 strikeouts so far this year in just 59.2 innings. In his first extended action at Triple-A, Festa has run into some trouble with the long ball at 1.36 per nine innings, but his strikeout upside is a big plus. Despite a .352 BABIP, Festa brings a 3.77 ERA into his major league debut.
Aroldis Chapman, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates
With David Bednar heading to the Injured List, Aroldis Chapman is back in a familiar role. Closing games is nothing new for Chapman although he certainly isn’t the same pitcher he was in his prime. For our purposes though, that is simply a minor inconvenience if we can secure some saves.
In 28 innings this season, Chapman is striking out over 15 batters per nine innings. The problem though, is that Chapman is walking 8.68 batters per innings which isn’t kind to your WHIP. The power of the strikeout though does help when pitching out of trouble. Chapman’s 3.86 ERA could be a lot worse. While Bednar is sidelined, the strikeouts and saves are worthy of your attention.
Griffin Jax, RP, Minnesota Twins
Griffin Jax had his time in the spotlight earlier in the season. While Jhoan Duran was sidelined, Jax did a great job closing games for the Twins. While Duran has been back, and the pecking order is clear, we shouldn’t ignore Jax.
Based on workloads, Jax still finds his way into the occasional save. He is up to seven on the season for Minnesota to go along with 12 holds. Even if he isn’t getting saves, there is still a lot of value to be found here. Jax has 46 strikeouts compared to just eight walks in 34.1 innings. Opposing teams are struggling to find success Jax. His 2.10 ERA and 0.90 WHIP could help augment any fantasy roster as hitters are batting just .187 against him.
While there is always the allure of chasing wins, sometimes that can do more harm than good to a team. Instead, there is value in locking down your ratios and picking up strikeouts.