Don’t stop now! You don’t put all of this work in just to take a week off. That is what the off-season is for. Most fantasy leagues are reaching their trade deadline, so that means there is only one way left to improve your team. You can’t discount the importance of the waiver wire, even if it is a minor move. It is an exciting week as Junior Caminero was just promoted by Tampa Bay. We want you to improve your team, so let’s take a look at some Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds for Week 21.
In doing our weekly diligence, the criteria for inclusion will generally be any player rostered in less than 50% of Fantrax leagues (as of 8/13). 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
Junior Caminero, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays
After a seven-game cameo last season, Junior Caminero is back in the big leagues. There is a great deal of buzz surrounding one of the best prospects in baseball, and he should be rostered across the board.
In his first two games, Caminero has one hit in eight at-bats, but he has stolen a base and drawn a walk. At this point, there is nothing more for Caminero to do in the minor leagues. The top prospect spent 53 games in Triple-A this year and certainly proved that point. Caminero hit .276 with 13 home runs, 34 RBI, and 33 runs scored. Hitting major league pitching is hard, but Caminero is capable of delivering.
Will Wagner, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays
As part of their trade of Yusei Kikuchi to Houston, the Blue Jays did a good job of securing Will Wagner as part of the package. Wagner steadily progressed through Astros’ farm system and developed into a valuable commodity. While not a prolific power hitter, Wagner has a great approach at the plate. In somewhat of a rarity in today’s game, the infielder generally limits the strikeouts.
The problem though, is that aside from contact, Wagner doesn’t have a redeeming hit tool. He generally has a walk rate in double-digits while demonstrating an ability to hit around .300. As he adjusts to major league pitching, that likely won’t continue, but Wagner will hit for a solid average. Couple that with solid run production, and Wagner can a productive waiver wire addition.
In his first two games, Wagner wasted no time getting off to a strong start. The rookie has already doubled three times while picking up five hits and three RBI. Wagner doesn’t provide stolen bases, but solid bat-to-ball skills help here.
Andres Chaparro, 3B, Washington Nationals
One fun, or stressful part of the season is combing through those getting a chance at regular at-bats almost by default. Sometimes it’s difficult to separate the two, and it’s always tough to see when the end is coming. In the case of Andres Chaparro, while not a top prospect, he certainly earned that right in the minor leagues.
Chapparo has consistently been a high performer, and that has continued in 2024. Prior to his promotion, Chapparo was hitting .328 with 23 home runs and 85 RBI in Triple-A. It came a year after Chapparo finished with 25 home runs and 89 RBI at the same level. It took until this week for Chapparo to make his major league debut, and in his first two games, he delivered with three doubles and an RBI. If you are looking for a boost in the counting stats, Chapparo warrants a look if he can stay hot.
Oswaldo Cabrera, 2B, 3B, OF, New York Yankees
Things have not been easy for the New York Yankees other than Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in most situations this year. It seemed like things were going well with Jazz Chisholm, but with him heading to the Injured List, they are back to square one. However, Oswaldo Cabrera has been showing flashes of success in the Yankees’ lineup.
At this point in the season, the multi-positional eligibility has certainly helped when filling out a lineup. Now with Chisholm sidelined, Cabrera finds himself the recipient of regular playing time at third base. In 277 plate appearances this season, Cabrera is hitting .243 with eight home runs, 34 RBI, and 37 runs scored. Playing in about half the games in July, Cabrera hit .279. The regular playing time seems to benefit Cabrera and that will likely be the case for the rest of the season.
Matthew Boyd, SP, Cleveland Guardians
If you temporarily forgot about Matthew Boyd, you are forgiven. The southpaw has missed over a year’s worth of time with Tommy John surgery, but he returned to the mound this past week.
When we last saw Boyd, he had a 5.45 ERA in 15 starts with the Tigers in 2022 prior to his injury. Boyd did strike out a batter per inning and his 4.24 xERA looked more optimistic.
In 21.2 innings during his rehab assignment, Boyd was in midseason form. The left-hander recorded a 0.82 ERA and then brought that success forward in his season debut. Boyd struck out six in 5.1 innings while allowing just one run and not walking a batter. As we look for solid innings wherever we can find them, the veteran deserves some attention.
Alex Cobb, SP, Cleveland Guardians
There really is no ulterior motive here, but it’s interesting to look at two pitchers from the same team. Ultimately, it speaks to the intentions of the Guardians as they look to fortify themselves for the stretch run. That meant adding another pitcher, Alex Cobb, who had yet to appear in a game this season.
Cobb is now recovered from hip surgery, but his first start of the season was rough. Facing the Twins, Cobb allowed four earned runs (five in total) on nine hits and a walk over 4.2 innings. Despite the sustained trouble, the real issue was a three-run homer. Rust was likely an issue here, and I wouldn’t dismiss Cobb just yet. Last year, the veteran had a 3.87 ERA in 27 starts while striking out about eight batters per nine innings.
Seranthony Dominguez, RP, Baltimore Orioles
While Craig Kimbrel is still technically the closer for Baltimore, he has had his share of struggles as of late. As they have looked to remove some pressure from the incumbent, Seranthony Dominguez picked up two saves in the last seven days.
They were the first two saves of the season for Dominguez who has been finding his groove once again. On the season, the right-hander has a 4.09 ERA but it comes with a 3.18 xERA. Dominguez is striking out about 10 batters per nine innings and has three months this year in which his ERA is sub-2.00.
Kimbrel will likely return to the closer’s role this year, but Dominguez is in a good position to pick up some more saves this year.