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Waiver Wire – Week of August 29

Corbin Carroll, OF, ARZ (CBS: 43% rostered, ESPN: 4% rostered): Since being promoted to Triple-A Reno, Carroll is tearing it up to the tune of 7 homers, 11 SB, and a stellar .408 OBP in only 129 at-bats. He appears to be ready for the next step. Are the Diamondbacks?

Cade Cavalli, SP, WAS (CBS: 24% rostered, ESPN: 6% rostered): Cavalli’s debut was far from stellar, but at the same time, it wasn’t a total disaster. He did manage to strike out six over 4 1/3 innings. He gets a mulligan on that first start from me and an opportunity to prove himself this week against the A’s.

Robbie Grossman, OF, ATL (CBS: 13% rostered, ESPN: 35% rostered): The nightmare that was his season in Detroit has largely been forgotten with the trade to the Braves and a fresh start. In his past 43 at-bats, Grossman has hit two homers, driven in 9 runs, and swiped a base. He is also looking at holding a regular spot in the batting order moving into September. Sneaky off-the-radar production is at hand.

Gunnar Henderson, SS, BAL (CBS: 31% rostered, ESPN: 4% rostered): Much like Corbin Carroll, will the O’s promote their top prospect, Gunnar Henderson? At least they are hunting for a wildcard spot. At the same time, a year is a year is a year. The odds are better than Corbin Carroll, but it’s still far from being a done deal that we see Henderson plying his trade in Baltimore this September.

Ha-seong Kim, 2B/SS/3B, SDP (CBS: 28% rostered, ESPN: 12% rostered): Playing all over the infield, mainly at shortstop, filling in for Tatis Jr., Kim has enjoyed a solid season and recently has even found his way into some at-bats at the top-of-the-order. He’s amassed seven homers, 49 RBI, scored 47 runs, and stolen nine bases with a .334 OBP this year, which is a solid campaign for a player that didn’t have a job breaking camp last spring. He will own the shortstop gig for not only the balance of this year but also moving forward into 2023, and in deeper Leagues should continue to be an asset.

Matt Manning, SP, DET (CBS: 42% rostered, ESPN: 9% rostered): Since coming off the IL on August 2, Manning has tossed three quality starts in five outings and allowed a total of only eight earned runs. He’s making up for lost time in a hurry. Of the three young arms in Detroit, who had Matt Manning is the only one to finish the season in the Tigers rotation likely?

Garrett Mitchell, OF, MIL (CBS: 8% rostered, ESPN: not rostered): The name of the game is speed, and there’s plenty of it. Tyrone Taylor has been struggling lately, providing an opportunity for Mitchell to potentially be more than just a role player off the bench. Even if he doesn’t find his way into full-time at-bats, the stolen bases potential (17-for-18 in 251 AB over three levels down on the farm) should have our attention.

Albert Pujols, 1B, STL (CBS: 28% rostered, ESPN: 20%): I never thought I’d make mention of future HOF’er Albert Pujols on the Waiver Wire, especially with his career winding down. All it took was six homers in his last 34 at-bats. This now leaves him seven homers short of 700 for his career. Who isn’t rooting for Albert Pujols to wrap up an amazing career by getting to 700 home runs?

Trevor Rogers, SP, MIA (CBS: 43% rostered, ESPN: 51% rostered): The 24-year-old southpaw has endured a dreadful sophomore season, but his recent six-inning gem while rehabbing at Triple-A Jacksonville is attention-getting. When you toss six innings of no-hit ball with only one walk to go along with 12 punchouts, it should get our attention and the Marlins. A return to their rotation could very well be in the cards for Rogers.

Kodai Senga, SP, FA (CBS/ESPN: not rostered): If your League allows for International players to be signed in-season, spend a couple of bucks on Kodai Senga. An out-clause in his agreement with the SoftBank Hawks could be cause for one of the elite NPB starters to look at MLB for the 2023 campaign. In six-of-his-past seven seasons, he has posted a sub-3 ERA, and, in his career, he holds an excellent 2.62 ERA with better than a strikeout-per-inning. The mid-90s fastball combined with a great forkball could propel Senga into a highly sought-after 30-year-old rookie for 2023.

Drew Waters, OF, KCR (CBS: 10% rostered, ESPN: 1% rostered): There have never been questions about the tools. He has plenty. The question is will he hit enough to display those tools? The Braves didn’t believe he would. The Royals still do. A small bid will give you the first opportunity to see the early returns.

Closer Report

Brandon Hughes, CHC (CBS: 11% rostered, ESPN: 4% rostered): That flicker of hope that was Wick closing is fading quickly as he has struggled of late, allowing runs in four of his past six outings. The fact that he got toasted to the tune of four runs, three earned, in 1/3 of an inning last night doesn’t help his cause. Next up for the Cubbies is 26-year-old southpaw Brandon Hughes. Proceed with caution but proceed.

Rafael Montero, HOU (CBS: 34% rostered, ESPN: 16% rostered): Ryan Pressly has found his way to the 15-day IL with neck spasms, opening the door for Montero to slide into the ninth-inning role. With eight saves already on his resume this year and great peripherals, Montero is more than qualified to get the job done until the return of Pressly.

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