With another full week of baseball coming up, it’s always smart to check the waiver wire or scout for the occasional ‘diamond in the rough’ fantasy star found at a very cheap cost. Winning the waiver wire could be the difference between grabbing a few extra points to land in the money or falling just short. Here’s a few hitters that might be available on your league waiver wire or could be found at a relatively low cost against favorable pitching matchups.
(Note: Stats and numbers are as of June 9th)
Monday, June 12: Wilmer Flores (NYM, 1B/3B) vs. CHC John Lackey (4-6, 5.12 ERA)
Since being activated from the disabled list on May 3, Flores has been swinging a hot bat, hitting .368 (28-for-76) with 13 RBI. On the flip side, Lackey has struggled in his last seven starts, posting a 2-3 record with a 5.13 ERA. Flores has gotten his season batting average up to .310 on the year and has started in five of the team’s last six games, so expect him to continue to have a spot in the lineup as long as he hits. Only owned in 25% of Fantrax leagues, Flores can be a solid fill-in for either corner of your infield, as he’s eligible for both first base and third base.
Tuesday, June 13: Scooter Gennett (CIN, 2B/OF) vs. SD Clayton Richard (4-7, 4.54 ERA)
Gennett shook up the fantasy baseball world last week when he went 5-5 with four home runs and 10 RBI in one game. He’ll face another friendly pitching matchup when he faces Richard, who has given up eight runs in his last 10.2 innings pitched. Left-handed batters are hitting .286 against Richard on the season. Gennett, a left-handed hitter, raised his season batting average to .306 on the year. He’s only owned in 23% of Fantrax leagues and 13.4% of ESPN leagues, so he might be able to plug into your second base or outfield slot.
Wednesday, June 14: Jesus Aguilar (MIL 1B) vs. STL Michael Wacha (3-3, 4.50 ERA)
With Ryan Braun sidelined due to a calf injury, Aguilar has been seeing more plate appearances and making the most of them. He’s batted a solid .348 over the past week and .311 in the past month with five home runs on the season. He’ll likely be facing Wacha, who was tagged for four runs in six innings when he faced the Brewers in May. Right-handers are currently batting .274 on the season against Wacha. Only owned in 14% of Fantrax leagues, Aguilar could provide a cheap bat in daily fantasy or solidify your infield off the waiver wire.
Thursday, June 15: Leury Garcia (CWS 2B/OF) vs. BAL Chris Tillman (1-3, 5.59 ERA)
Garcia has been seeing the ball very well throughout the early part of the season, compiling a .294 batting average and batting .301 over the past month. He’s even been a threat to steal, swiping six bases on the year so far. On the flip side, Tillman has struggled in his first half of the season, being tagged with a .364 batting average by lefty batters. He beat the White Sox in his first start of the season but has dropped three decisions since then. Garcia is only owned in 37% of Fantrax leagues and can be played as a second baseman or outfielder.
Friday, June 16: Eric Sogard (MIL 2B) vs. SD Jarred Cosart (0-2, 4.88 ERA)
Travis Shaw has been out the past few days due to personal reasons and Eric Sogard has stepped up in his place at third. Sogard has batted .414 with three home runs in his past 22 games as he continues to take good at-bats. He’ll likely be facing Cosart, who allowed one run and lost to the Brewers earlier in the season on May 18. Lefties are batting a solid .378 against Cosart on the season. Sogard is only owned in a mere 12% of Fantrax leagues, so if he continues to get at-bats, he should be worth claiming off the waiver wire.
Saturday, June 17: Delino DeShields (TEX OF) vs SEA Yovani Gallardo (2-6, 6.26 ERA)
With two Rangers possibly going on the disabled list (Mike Napoli and Adrian Beltre), DeShields has been seeing a lot of at-bats at the top of the Rangers lineup. He’s currently batting .301 on the season and a whopping .563 over the past week. He’s also totaled 12 stolen bases on the year already. He’ll likely be facing off against Gallardo, who lost to the Rangers in his May 5 start. Righties are batting .339 against Gallardo on the season. As long as he continues to hit and get on base, DeShields should be a solid option to pick up for your outfield.
Sunday, June 18: Jake Marisnick (HOU OF) vs. BOS David Price (1-1, 5.29 ERA)
Marisnick has played all around the Astro outfield and has batted .262 so far on the year. He’s had some slumps, but he’s managed to crank six home runs and steal five bases. He’ll be facing Price, who has only had three starts since coming off the disabled list. In his last start, he was rocked by the Yankees for six earned runs in five innings. Marisnick is only owned in 14% of Fantrax leagues, so it’s almost guaranteed he’ll be available on your waiver wire or at a cheap price in daily fantasy.