I stepped in earlier this week to cover the Waiver Advice column as Ray is on vacation and I offered up some names that I still very much stand by as suggestions. You can find my previous Waiver Wire Article right here. Not all of those players willmake the Sunday edition, but they’re still guys worth taking a look at.

Hitters

Enrique Hernandez (BOS; FAAB Bid: 5%) You could probably get him for even less than five percent of your FAAB. The batting average is so-so at just .244 but he contributes in plenty of categories with 50 runs scores, 38 RBI, and he has 14 home runs and 23 doubles. Not to mention he hits leadoff for the Red Sox. I can’t fathom why he’s available in about half of ESPN and CBS leagues. He’s hit southpaws a little better than righties this year and fortunately for him the Red Sox face a few lefties in the coming scoring period. If he’s available, this is the hitter I’d be looking to add this week.

Joc Pederson (L) (ATL; FAAB Bid: 5%) Pederson has seemingly found his role with the Braves as their new leadoff hitter following the loss of Ronald Acuna. After a quiet run where he went 1-for-15 last week, Pederson exploded going four-for-six with a home run, three runs scored, and four RBI on Saturday. The Braves have eight games in next week’s scoring period and given the potential matchups I expect JP to play in at least six, but probably seven of them. We also know that Pederson is a streaky hitter so let’s hope this is a period where he can get hot.

Josh Harrison (R) (WSH; FAAB Bid: 3%) I’m doubling down on Harrison since he did make my article on Thursday. If you need help with some batting average or you need to plug some holes in the infield, I like what Harrison’s been doing lately. He’s riding an eight-game hitting streak with six doubles in that span. I just wish they could fit him atop the order, but I understand the difficulty there. Since June 30th he’s slashing .329/.388/.507 with 24 total hits (ten of which have been for extra bases) and he has 12 RBI and 13 runs scored. That looks like solid production overall and he’s available in over half of ESPN leagues.

Harrison Bader (R) (STL; FAAB Bid: 3%) I’m intrigued by Darth Bader at the moment. He’s probably the “deeper league guy” to grab this week if none of the other hitters in this section are available. He’s been hitting pretty well following the All-Star Break and in general he was doing great after he missed all of June. Since July 2nd he’s slashing .361/.418/.590 with three home runs, five doubles, a dozen RBI and a pair of steals. And since the All-Star Break he already has five multi-hit games. Injuries have been an issue for him throughout his career but he’s always had that 15/15 upside if he could pull off a healthy year.

Akil Baddoo (L) (DET; FAAB Bid: 1%) Remember this guy from waaaaaay back in April? Well as it turns out he’s been raking again and hopefully he keeps the momentum rolling next week. The other thing of note is that after bouncing around the lineup in May and June he’s settled back into the leadoff spot for Detroit. Since June 23rd he’s slashing .275/.320/.473 so the power numbers aren’t great although he did hit three home runs last week. Basically, over the last month he’s also accumulated 17 runs and 18 RBI while adding in six swipes. I wouldn’t give him a long leash and I would prefer to not spend a ton on him, but I like how he’s trending at the moment.

Starting Pitchers

Shane McClanahan (L) (TB; FAAB Bid: 6%) I know McClanahan might be a little over-owned in CBS and Yahoo leagues, but he’s under 50% owned in ESPN leagues. McClanahan gets two starts next week both of which will be in the Trop against the Yankees and Red Sox. Those are two offenses that can tee off so use McClanahan at your own discretion this week. Plus, there’s always the risk he doesn’t pitch incredibly deep into either start, but with two starts this week he has the ability to accumulate numbers so I’m not reading too much into how deep he can go. He averages over a strikeout per inning and if he does well there’s a ten-inning floor for him this week.

Austin Gomber (L) COL; FAAB Bid: 5%) Gomber had a rough go in his first start back after missing a month with a forearm injury. He served up three solo home runs at home, but still got a win and a quality start. Either way, allowing three home runs in six innings is bad and he’s fortunate nobody was on base. But he was still one of the hottest pitchers in baseball before he got hurt. ESPN isn’t listing it this way, but I believe he’s scheduled for two starts in the coming scoring period and they’re on the road against the Angels and Padres. I like him at least for the first matchup and I’m fine using him against the Padres as he looked good in his last two starts against them.

Tylor Megill (R) (NYM; FAAB Bid: 3%) I mentioned Megill as a waiver grab a little over a week ago and even I couldn’t have predicted what he did against the Blue Jays on Friday night. Megill needed just 78 pitches to get through six scoreless innings with five strikeouts, one walk, and two hits. I wouldn’t spend an incredible amount on FAAB on him, but I do like his upcoming schedule. He gets a home matchup against the Braves on Wednesday and then gets two starts the following week on the road against the Marlins and Phillies. I’m perfectly fine using him for all three match-ups unless we see him falter in either of the first two. 

Rich Hill (L) (NYM; FAAB Bid: 0-1%) If you can get Rich Hill (L) for free then I’d consider this a speculative add and one who gets a short leash. Ever since arguably the best start of his career two months back where he recorded 13 strikeouts, it’s been a rough patch of starts for Hill. Maybe a new environment will turn the tide for him as he was recently traded to the Mets. A good litmus test for Hill will come Sunday afternoon against Toronto, and if things go well then I’d consider him in next week’s scoring period against the Reds. I would probably avoid using him for Sunday’s start though.

Relief Pitchers

Chris Flexen (R) (SEA; FAAB Bid: 2%) I know he’s been getting more starts and has dual eligibility, but I’m including him as a reliever because he’s RP-eligible and he has two starts in the coming scoring period. The first of which will be against Houston, but the second comes against Texas. He’s looked solid against Texas in three starts and only has one good start against Houston. He also doesn’t generate a ton of strikeouts (just 5.68 K/9) so using him in points leagues will be your call. He’s mostly a shallow league two-start add this week. I’d be surprised if he was there in 12-team leagues or deeper.

Gregory Soto (L) (DET; FAAB Bid: 0-1%) Soto is available in over 70% of ESPN leagues and I don’t want to spend any FAAB on him this week in the event he’s dealt before Friday’s trade deadline. Soto earned himself All-Star honors this year and he’s allowed just one hit in four appearance following the break. He’s notched saves in all four appearances giving him 11 on the year. Teams are always looking for bullpen help around this time of year. If he is dealt, his fantasy stock goes down. But if Detroit holds him then he’s definitely worth grabbing as a cheap source of saves down the stretch.

Heath Hembree (R) (CIN; FAAB Bid: 0-1%) Hembree is another discounted source of saves who I would prefer to acquire for next-to-nothing. He has seven saves this month and he boasts an absurd 14.52 K/9. He also got the Reds last two saves on Friday and Saturday and he’s available in plenty of leagues. It’s worth noting that in Joe Gallina’s latest Bullpen Report he does list the Cincinnati closer job as probably the most unstable. Hembree managed to find his way into the job through injuries and strong play. He’s done nothing to warrant losing the job so hopefully this sticks and he isn’t dealt at the deadline. I haven’t heard his name come up as much as Soto’s so we’ll see how things shake out.

Blake Treinen (R) (LAD; FAAB Bid: 0-1%) Treinen’s available in deeper leagues and I love him in Solds (saves + holds) formats. He has 22 holds and while I don’t think he gets many saves the rest of the way, Kenley Jansen (R) has been struggling. Either way, Treinen is a reliable source of holds and he averages over a strikeout per inning. There isn’t much else to be said. There’s solid production here if he accommodates your particular league.