Cal Raleigh, C, SEA (CBS: 8% rostered): His amazing 23 game hitting streak concluded on Friday, but what an incredible start to the season for the 24-year-old backstop. Raleigh has slugged seven homers, driven in 23 runs, and is sporting a 1.037 OPS over 132 at-bats. Given that the Mariners haven’t been shy in calling up their youngsters, it’s fair to think that Raleigh should be staying close to his phone.
Daulton Varsho, C, ARZ (CBS: 11% rostered): The poor DBacks. One of the highlights of their horrible season has been the play of Carson Kelly. Last night he got plunked on the wrist by a wayward Walker Buehler offering and fractured his wrist. Stephen Vogt is guaranteed to see an increased workload, but maybe it’s time Arizona gave Daulton Varsho another look. He has caught 11 games at Triple-A Reno since being demoted and is tearing it up at the plate, going 25-for-80 with 16 extra-base hits, nine of which have left the park, and 25 RBI. It’s time to see Varsho getting another opportunity.
Ha-Seong Kim, 2B/SS/3B, SDP (CBS: 14% rostered): Fernando Tatis Jr. left last night’s game against the Reds after landing hard on his shoulder diving for a ball. According to the Padres, the move is considered precautionary, and he is currently listed as day-to-day. That’s likely the prognosis for the balance of the 2021 season. Kim stepped up and slugged a two-run shot in his absence and is the likely go-to guy should Tatis be forced to the IL again.
Emmanuel Rivera, 3B, KCR (CBS: not rostered): Rivera is currently tied for third place in the Triple-A East with 11 home runs. He is tied for first in RBI’s with 34. Kelvin Gutierrez is mired in a slump heading into Sunday’s action going 3-for-20 in the past week with a K/BB ratio of 25/2 on the season. It might be time the Royals give the 24-year-old Rivera a call.
Abraham Toro-Hernandez, 3B, HOU (CBS: 4% rostered): Alex Bregman has found his way to the 10-day IL with a left quad strain, and it appears that in the interim, Toro-Hernandez is looking at the lion’s share of playing time. He brings a little pop, a little speed, and great contact skills to the table. That outstanding .485 OBP at Triple-A Sugar Land should guarantee plenty of playing time until the return of Bregman.
Adam Engel, OF, CWS (CBS: 3% rostered): The injuries have been unrelenting this year on the “South Side”. Adam Eaton is the latest to find his way to the IL, with a strained hamstring, moving Engel into a position where he should see everyday at-bats. He has hit two homers in the past week and should be a steady producer until some of the walking wounded start returning.
Adam Duvall, OF, MIA (CBS: 36% rostered): Adam Duvall is one streaky player. He started June by going on a 0-for-15 run before exploding for seven homers and 17 RBI over the past nine games. Invest some of that FAAB in the hopes that the run will continue through the end of June.
Akil Baddoo, OF, DET (CBS: 25% rostered): Baddoo is coming off a nice little run, going 8-for-21 over his past six games. The countables aren’t there, but if he continues hitting the way he has recently they eventually will be, especially the stolen bases.
Yonathan Daza, OF, COL (CBS: 11% rostered): With 58 hits in his first 176 at-bats, one would think the countables would be a bit better. The Rockies have moved him up in the order and hopefully, that should translate to at least a few more runs scored. There is also a bit more speed in his game than we’ve seen to date.
Steven Duggar, OF, SFG (CBS: 12% rostered): In the past seven days, Duggar has gone 7-for 19 with a pair of homers and swiped two bases. The Giants are on a roll and Duggar is doing his part to ensure that does not change.
Patrick Sandoval, SP, LAA (CBS: 18% rostered): Take a bow, Mr. Sandoval! You have earned an encore mention on the Waiver Wire. We mentioned him last week when he was rostered to the tune of 6 percent, and after his last outing, a solid 5 2/3 IP against the Tigers with nine strikeouts, he should be a target in all formats this weekend.
Matt Manning, SP, DET (CBS: 33% rostered): It’s great to see the Tigers “big three” all plying their trade in Detroit. Manning made his debut last week and it was a solid effort. He held the Angels to two earned runs over five solid innings in his debut. He needs to work on his off-speed stuff and work it into his pitch mix a bit better, but so far so good.
Erick Fedde, SP, WAS (CBS: 16% rostered): Fedde is on one serious roll, having blanked the DBacks, Giants, and Mets over his past three starts. On the season, he’s sporting a 3.33 ERA and 1.15 WHIP with 49 strikeouts in 51 1/3 IP. What are we waiting for?
Cal Quantrill, RP, CLE (CBS: 11% rostered): The injuries to Zach Plesac and now Shane Bieber have forced the Indians to move Quantrill from the long-relief role into the rotation. He has looked good in his past two outings but be cautious as the opposition was the Orioles and Pirates, two teams that are not exactly offensive powerhouses.
Bailey Ober, SP, MIN (CBS: 5% rostered): The Twins turned to the 6’9” Ober and that long extension combined with great control makes that 92 mph fastball get to the batter a little quicker than one would assume. He’s an intriguing option in AL-only and deeper Leagues.
Paulo Espino, RP, WAS (CBS: 1% rostered): The 34-year-old righty has been pressed into service in the injury stricken National rotation and in 27 2/3 IP is sporting an outstanding 21/3 K/BB ratio. He blanked the Pirates over five innings in his last start and in NL-only formats is worthy of a roster spot. Let’s see how he does against the Phillies and Marlins next week before we proclaim him Mixed League relevant.
Zach Thompson, RP, MIA (CBS: 4% rostered): The Marlins seem to have an infinite depth of starting pitching and good starting pitching at that. Thompson’s cutter baffled the Braves over five shutout innings in his last start and he’s looking at the Cubs and Nationals, both decent matchups, in his next two starts.
Hunter Harvey, RP, BAL (CBS: 8% rostered): Hunter Harvey is still in the process of knocking the rust off, but it won’t be long before he owns the ninth-inning gig for the Orioles. Buying in now will save some of that precious FAAB.
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