As the calendar turns to June, the first trade is in the books.  With trades come playing time opportunity for some and bench time for others.  It will be our job to help you navigate who to pick-up and who to leave on the waiver wire. In fact, Tim McLeod, our senior baseball writer is quite adept at this aspect of the game and will start highlighting these situations in our weekly waiver wire article.

Enjoy the list and please click on the baseball card to visit our partner amazon.com to explore additional information on each player.

Orlando Arcia, SS, MIL (CBS: 14% owned)

Arcia has gone 7-for-19 with three homers and seven RBI and runs scored in the past week.  He is just 24-years-of-age and only a year removed from a 15 homer, 14 stolen base rookie campaign. It’s time to give him a second look.

Ty Buttrey, RP, LAA (CBS: 29% owned)

Hansel Robles time in the closer role could be drawing to a close. He has blown two of his last four save chances with the ERA rising north of four. Buttrey is trending in a much better direction. In the month of May, he struck out 16 batters in 14 1/3 IP and allowed only two earned runs while accumulating two saves and five holds. A small investment could reap great returns.

Jon Duplantier, SP, ARZ (CBS: 16% owned)

Finally, we saw the debut of Jon Duplantier as a starter and he fared okay. He went five innings against the Mets, allowing six hits and three earned runs while striking out four. He threw 77 pitches, 51 for strikes. He has definitely earned another opportunity to start. The big question is will the Diamondbacks be a bit more flexible with the pitch count and let him work deeper into games?

Reyes Moronta, RP, SF (CBS: 5% owned)

The Giants have to be looking to be sellers come the trade deadline, and Will Smith could very well be part of that sale. Moronta, with those big strikeout numbers (39 in 26 1/3 IP), should be in the mix for saves in the Giants pen in the second half.

Zach Plesac, SP, CLE (CBS: 11% owned)

Plesac made his debut last week against the Red Sox and tossed 5 1/3 innings of four-hit ball with one walk, allowing only one earned run. A most impressive debut. What is even more impressive is that in 57 1/3 IP between Double and Triple-A he allowed a total of only seven free passes. Toss in the strikeout per inning potential and that’s one very strong resume and a recipe for success. This could turn out to be a lengthy run for Plesac in Cleveland as the struggling Indians look to shop some veteran arms before the trade deadline.

Alex Reyes, RP/SP, STL (CBS: 49% owned)

The rehab assignment for Reyes has moved to the final destination, Triple-A Memphis. Genesis proved to be no revelation, leaving the current vacancy in the Cards rotation to be Reyes for the taking.

Lucas Sims, SP, CIN (CBS: 3% owned)

Last Tuesday, against the hot-hitting Josh Bell and the Pirates, Sims went 7 1/3 innings, striking out nine. He was promptly shipped back to Triple-A Louisville. Sims has a career total of 80 1/3 IP, which leaves him under the innings threshold in most Dynasty Leagues and available to be added to the Minor League component of your roster. In Dynasty Leagues it could prove to be a solid stash.

Chance Sisco, C, BAL (CBS: 6% owned)

Sisco continues to live in purgatory at Triple-A Norfolk, waiting for his return to Baltimore. He has been on a tear and is now up to ten homers and 37 RBI in 166 at-bats while hitting for a great .289 BA.  Pedro Severino and Austin Wynns are not the answer, and hopefully, a return to Baltimore for the talented Sisco is right around the corner.

Devin Smeltzer, SP, MIN (CBS: 25% owned)

A couple of weeks back, we mentioned how Devin Smeltzer was an intriguing prospect and he could very well be first-in-line should an opportunity arise.  Well, the opportunity did arise, and he responded in fine form tossing six innings of three-hit shutout ball against the Brewers. He’s heading into a two-start week, with Cleveland and Detroit on the agenda. Does it get much better than that?

Myles Straw, OF, HOU (CBS: 2% owned)

Carlos Correa will be calling the 10-day IL home for the next 4-to-6 weeks, forcing the Astros to turn to Round Rock and Myles Straw for respite. He successfully swiped 16-of-18 bases in 190 at-bats working out of the leadoff spot at Triple-A, which should help in securing playing time until the walking wounded start returning.

Touki Toussaint, SP/RP, ATL (CBS: 24% owned)

Since being recalled on May 16, Toussaint has made six appearances out of the bullpen, tossing a total of 11 2/3 innings, and has allowed only two earned runs. He’s also chipped in with 11 strikeouts. Can we still hope for a return to the Braves rotation?

Jose Urena, SP, MIA (CBS: 26% owned)

Back at the end of April, we mentioned that Jose Urena had appeared to be righting the ship. He’s now run off a string of five consecutive quality starts, including wins in his last three outings. His ownership level is still sitting at a very low level. Way too low for our liking.

Luis Urias, 2B, SD (CBS: 29% owned)

Yes, Urias is plying his trade in the homerun happy PCL and taking advantage of it, upping his HR totals to 14 in 158 at-bats. More importantly, is the fact that he continues to demonstrate those great contact skills and is the proud owner of a 1.203 OPS. It’s only a matter of time before he takes those talents to the next level.

Five Under Five%

Anthony Bass, RP, SEA (CBS: unowned)

After his return from the Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2017, Bass has bounced around with the Rangers, Cubs, Reds, and finally his current home, Seattle. The Seattle pen has been a mess, providing Bass an opportunity to get in some late-inning work including a save opportunity, which he converted successfully this past week.

Isan Diaz, 2B, MIA (CBS: 3% owned)

It’s time to give the 23-year-old Diaz some props. From May 22-thru-May 26, he homered in five consecutive games and is now up to eleven on the season. It’s time to give him a second look in deeper leagues as he could be on the cusp of a call-up.

Andrew Knizer, C, STL (CBS: 3% owned)

The right thumb tendon strain suffered by Yadier Molina gives us an opportunity to look at the future of catching in St. Louis now. Knizer can hit, and in a backup capacity to Matt Wieters, should help in very deep two-catcher formats until the return of Molina.

Kevin Newman, 2B/SS, PIT (CBS: 3% owned)

The struggles of Cole Tucker have prompted the Pirates to give Kevin Newman another look at shortstop, and he’s rewarded them with a five-game hitting streak while hitting at the top-of-the-order. The job is his for the taking.

Jose Suarez, SP, Anaheim (CBS: 4% owned)

The 21-year-old southpaw will be making his MLB debut this afternoon against the Mariners. He’ll most likely be on a strict pitch count and this could very well turn out to be a one-and-done, but the memory of those 51 strikeouts in 29 2/3 IP at Double-A Mongomery in 2018 is still very fresh in my mind.