One of the biggest myths in fantasy baseball is that the draft largely determines the outcomes of a fantasy manager’s season. While it’s highly advantageous to get key contributors in the draft, often those players only provide value for a portion of the season due to injuries and slumps. That’s why winning the waiver wire on a consistent basis is a key driver of success. Finding the right pickups at the right time can not only fill roster holes but provide needed upgrades. That’s we focus on new waiver wire target each week in our Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds article.
In doing our weekly diligence, the criteria for inclusion will generally be any player rostered in less than 50% of Fantrax leagues (as of 8/21). 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
Edwin Uceta, RP, Tampa Bay Rays
The recent injury to mainstay closer for the Tampa Bay Rays, Pete Fairbanks, has opened the door for emerging reliever, Edwin Uceta, to get into the saves mix. In his 30 innings this season Uceta has been electric. To date he has an impressive 0.90 ERA, a 0.57 WHIP, and over a strike out per inning. As he has been put into higher leverage situations over the few weeks his performance has only improved, with no runs allowed since July 31. Uceta shined in his first save appearance in his last outing by allowing no base runners. He could be a major difference maker in all leagues formats to accrue additional saves while significantly reducing pitching ratios.
The Edwin Uceta development is amazing. He was DFA’d/released 6 different times in a 2 year stretch.
Rays now have a controllable 26 yo throwing from his lowest slot ever and with a very good new cutter. His 0.90 ERA, 1.53 xERA & 1.59 FIP are all top-2 ranks in MLB (min. 30 IP). pic.twitter.com/MNDnKDWA6q
— Rays Metrics (@RaysMetrics) August 21, 2024
Adrian Del Castillo, C, Arizona Diamondbacks
Another injury fill-in that is drawing much attention lately is Adrian Del Castillo, catcher for the Diamondbacks. With Gabriel Moreno’s prolonged injury absence, the opportunity for steady playing time has presented itself for Del Castillo over the last couple of weeks. During that time he has seized the moment by batting .333 with three home runs and a whopping 14 RBI already! Additionally, his elevated walk rate so far, reflected in his .404 OBP, suggests a polished approach at the plate to work into opportune-hitting situations. His .319/.403/1.011 minor league stat line this year also indicates that his early success in this major league stint is no fluke and a breakout could be in the making.
Straighten that out!
Miami native and @Dbacks rookie Adrian Del Castillo clubs his first career grand slam in front of family and friends! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/A21BDHSYlg
— MLB (@MLB) August 19, 2024
Osvaldo Bido, SP, Oakland Athletics
It can often be hard to tell what’s a mirage or trend with a limited sample size to draw upon. When looking at Osvaldo Bido’s season-long stat line there doesn’t appear to be much fantasy value. However, when zooming into his recent stretch of outings it seems he could be a key difference-maker down the stretch. Over his last three starts, Bido has allowed only two earned runs on nine hits. He also has a 17:6 strike-out-to-walk ratio. Flashes of his upside have been shown throughout the season with a nice stretch from June 22nd to July 23rd where he only allowed four earned runs in 20.2 innings. His July 28 blow-up outing can’t be ignored when factoring in risk, but Bido makes for a timely stash on the waiver wire if nothing else.
Bido locked in 🫡 pic.twitter.com/OcHDLN1TsW
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 18, 2024
Ernie Clement, 3B/SS, Toronto Blue Jays
We’ve reached the point where Ernie Clement can’t be ignored any longer as a top waiver wire target. Despite a lack of consistency early in his career, Clement has proven a steady performer over his time with the Blue Jays this season and last. In his 306 at-bats this season Clement is hitting .271 with nine home runs and eight steals. This puts him near a respectable 15/15 pace with a high batting average floor. While this level of production isn’t necessarily going to skyrocket fantasy managers up their standings, it does offer incremental value in key categories from a middle infielder. Most importantly, Clement is getting consistent playing time. In fact, he had just taken his first off day in a month earlier this week. All in all, Ernie Clement is a spark plug that can accelerate your stat accumulation.
Ernie Clement's 8th homer of the season pic.twitter.com/UnJzupSbI4
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 20, 2024
Got a few waiver wire targets of your own? Don’t be greedy! Drop some names in the comments below.