There is something for everyone on the Yahoo waiver wire right now, as roster rates tend to climb slowly during the stretch run. And although this is the time of year to heavily stream players with favorable upcoming matchups, there are also a few players who have plenty of potential to become rest-of-season roster mainstays.
The good news doesn’t end there, as this week’s list includes a strong balance of starters, relievers and hitters. Let’s dive in:
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Pitchers to add
Andrew Painter, SP, Phillies, 24%: Since rejoining the Phillies on July 31, Painter has shown some significant changes to his arsenal that should have fantasy managers excited. The former top prospect seems to have finally figured out his four-seam fastball, which he is throwing harder and inducing more vertical break. His changeup has fed off the fastball improvements to become more effective itself. The results have been excellent, including a 3.62 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across five starts.
Painter should be in most lineups for his Friday start against a weak Angels offense and can remain on rosters if that outing goes well.
J.T. Ginn, SP, Athletics, 32%: Ginn has been the Athletics’ most consistent starter this season, as his respectable strikeout skills and heavy groundball lean have made him successful at home and on the road. Still, every Athletics pitcher likely prefers to work away from their hitter-friendly home park, which will be the case for Ginn twice next week, when he makes starts at offense-suppressing venues in Texas and Seattle. Managers who need to load up on starters for the final week of the fantasy regular season should add Ginn and his fellow two-start teammate, Gage Jump (13%), who has fared much better on the road (3.49 ERA) than at home (5.62 ERA).
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Ben Joyce, RP, Angels, 23%: Managers who are looking for saves will find plenty of readily available options, led by Joyce, who is not only baseball’s hardest thrower but has also earned three of the Angels’ past four saves. The right-hander has been terrific (0.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 12:3 K:BB ratio) since returning from a season-opening stint on the IL. Among the current reliever options, Joyce is the one who is being used exclusively as a closer.
Mason Montgomery, RP, Pirates, 27%: Montgomery can make a strong case to be baseball’s best reliever this summer. After all, the left-hander has logged a 0.86 ERA and 0.62 WHIP since July 1, while striking out a ridiculous 41 batters over 21 innings. Over that two-month stretch, Montgomery’s effective work has enabled him to collect three wins and six saves. In a given week, he has a better much better chance than an average one-start pitcher to help fantasy managers.
Grant Taylor, SP/RP, White Sox, 33%: Taylor has plenty of similarities to Montgomery, as someone with terrific strikeout skills who is accumulating wins and saves by being used exclusively in high-leverage roles. Mason Miller is the only pitcher in baseball who currently tops Taylor in both saves and strikeouts (8 SV, 89 SO). And with the White Sox looking to secure a surprising division title, Taylor figures to be deployed often down the stretch.
Hitters to add
Mickey Moniak, OF, Rockies, 33%: Moniak earned a two-year contract extension, as the Rockies identified him as part of their future by virtue of him posting an OPS over .800 for the second straight season. He has been incredible at home this year (.997 OPS), which makes him a must-start player when Colorado enjoys a homestand. Such is the case for the entirety of next week, and for 16 of 22 games, starting on Monday. Although the 28-year-old is seen as a boring veteran by many fantasy managers, he’s easily the top player to add from this article. Those in deeper leagues who cannot add Moniak and pivot to his teammates, Cole Carrigg (17%) and Zac Veen (6%).
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Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins, 14%: The Twins are calling up their best prospect today. Jenkins, who is ranked as the No. 14 prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline, will surely play regularly, with a likely home in center field while Byron Buxton deals with a nagging hip injury. Jenkins has been on fire in Triple-A, having gone deep eight times in August prior to his promotion. He’s hitting for average this season (.323) and showcasing his speed (17 steals). The left-handed hitter should also benefit from seeing plenty of righty starters on the Twins’ upcoming schedule.
Tim Tawa, 1B/2B/3B/OF, Diamondbacks, 17%: Managers who are looking for a utilityman to slide in and out of their lineup can consider Tawa, who has recently been a five-category contributor with the advanced stats to support his success. The 27-year-old has logged an outstanding 93.6 mph average exit velocity during August, and he ranks 12th among qualified hitters in xBA (.297) and 19th in xSLG (.504). His actual August stats have been impressive as well, including four homers, five steals and a .283 average.
Dylan Beavers, OF, Orioles, 3%: Beavers is swinging a hot bat, having hit .348 with three homers and a 1.334 OPS since August 19. The 25-year-old is a predictable streamer, as he plays against all right-handers and sits versus southpaws. He’s an outstanding three-day option at the outset of next week, when the Orioles will play three games at Coors Field against right-handed starters.
Hitters with favorable weekend matchups
Henry Bolte, OF, Athletics, 12%: Managers who are looking for a speedy table-setter can add Bolte, who has become the full-time leadoff hitter in an injury-ravaged Athletics lineup. The fastest runner in baseball, according to Statcast, Bolte showed an average quality of contact during his initial three months in the majors before crushing the baseball (93.1 mph average exit velocity) during August.
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To put that AEV into perspective, it would rank in the 97th percentile if Bolte could maintain it across a full season. He should provide runs, steals and batting average when the Athletics face the Orioles at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park this weekend.
Coby Mayo, 1B/3B, Orioles, 4%: Although Mayo still has much to prove in a career that has yet to fully take off, we can already say with certainty that this former prospect can thrive against left-handers. In fact, this season Mayo has logged an eye-popping 1.109 OPS in those matchups, which includes 14 homers in 114 at-bats. The 24-year-old has an excellent chance to go deep this weekend, when the O’s face two southpaw starters during their series at homer-happy Sutter Health Park. Mayo could also thrive late in the game against an Athletics bullpen that ranks last in ERA.
Pitchers to stream this weekend (ranked in order of preference)
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Andrew Painter @ LAA (Friday, 24)
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Tyler Mahle vs. COL (Sunday, 43)
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Grant Holmes vs. COL (Friday, 31)
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Jared Jones @ STL (Friday, 28)
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Zac Thornton vs. HOU (Sunday, 21)
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Martin Pérez vs. COL (Saturday, 28)
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Zebby Matthews vs. CWS (Sunday, 18)
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Dean Kremer vs. CWS (Friday, 11)
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Christian Scott vs. HOU (Friday, 30)
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Shane Drohan vs. TEX (Saturday, 23)
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Robert Gasser vs. TEX (Sunday, 7)
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Max Scherzer vs. SEA (Sunday, 6)
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Seth Lugo @ CLE (Sunday, 24)
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Cristian Javier @ NYM (Saturday, 7)
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Anthony Kay @ MIN (Sunday, 18)
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