So a lot has gone down since Wednesday’s piece. Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel have officially signed and if they’re available on your waiver wire you should roster them as soon as possible. Like you, I cannot wrap my head around the Keston Hiura demotion from earlier this week but I would only drop him if you need the roster space for another player. Would I drop him for Keuchel or Kimbrel? Of course, especially if pitching is a need. Don’t be too surprised if you see some familiar names in this week’s piece. I’ll do my best to introduce some new guys to look at, but there are a few players worth mentioning again because of their hot streaks.
10 Team Leagues
Max Kepler OF MIN; FAAB Bid: 12-18% - Kepler is a pretty popular player. He’s over 70% owned across the industry so he may not be available in your league. However, he should still be mentioned because he’s getting the treatment Pedro Severino received in Wednesday’s piece. On Thursday night Kepler went ahead and slugged three dingers. He didn’t get the start on Friday night because the Twins were up against a fellow southpaw, but 13 of his 15 home runs have come off righties this season. He’s not completely inept against lefties, but he will occasionally get the day off against them. You should definitely snag him if he’s out there. Also check and see if Domingo Santana is available on waivers. His ownership dipped a little bit, but he’s been swinging a hot stick of late as well.
José Leclerc and/or Shawn Kelley RP’s TEX; FAAB Bid: 10-12% - It’s awfully difficult to hold two relievers from the same team. And I was very high on Kelley not too long ago, but things got a little rocky in the middle of the week. He did get the save on Thursday night, but this came after a blown save on Wednesday. He’s still getting saves so he’s worth owning. José Leclerc could still reclaim the job by season’s end and he’s been better save for this last outing. Prior to Friday night, over his previous 11.2 innings of work he had 23 strikeouts, two walks, and he allowed just two earned runs. But on Friday he surrendered a two-run home run that resulted in him taking the loss. Leclerc still has potential and could reclaim the job at some point, but Friday night definitely gave Kelley some more slack.
Frankie Montas SP OAK; FAAB Bid: 8-10% - I’m not a huge fan of Montas, but I admire what he’s done lately. Five of his last six starts have been quality starts and his ERA seems legitimate compared to his 3.09 FIP. He averages just under a strikeout per inning and he has just a 2.44 BB/9. However, the one thing I really like about him is that he keeps the ball in the park. Over his last nine starts (53 innings) he’s allowed just one home run, which came in his last start to the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, Shohei Ohtani so I won’t hold that heavily against him.
C.J. Cron 1B MIN; FAAB Bid: 12-15% - Cron’s appeared at least once before this column, possibly twice. He went deep on Friday night for his 14th home run, but it’s the return of Nelson Cruz from injury that can only make the Twins even more deadly and aid Cron’s value a little more. He’s still on pace for his second straight 30-home run season so he’s definitely a guy that deserves better than 60% ownership.
12 Team Leagues
Wade Miley SP HOU; FAAB Bid: 1-5% - I don’t get the love for Wade Miley . He’s over 50% owned on Yahoo and his ownership is jumping on ESPN. He’s surrendered a home run in each of his last ten starts and 11 of 13 on the season. If I had to venture a guess, fantasy owners are encouraged by the 23 strikeouts over his last three outings spanning 18 innings of work. Add in the fact he has a terrific offense providing run support and he has some favorable matchups on the horizon against Baltimore and then Toronto. I don’t love him long-term, but he’s definitely worth a cheap flyer if you need a streamer.
Yandy Díaz 1B, 3B TB; FAAB Bid: 3-5% - It’s time to zig when the rest of the industry zags. Whether people are dropping him because he was hurt or because he’s had some struggles since coming off the Injured List, there is a trend of growing availability for Diaz and he is coming off a game on Thursday where he went 3-for-5 and he’s scored a run in each of his last three games (Update: Diaz failed to score Friday night, but he recorded two hits and a RBI in Game 1 of Saturday’s doubleheader). He’s got some tempting matchups on the horizon for next week following a trip on the road to Boston this weekend. You might be able to get him for very cheap since everyone’s so quick to drop him at this point. I’ll even briefly mention Avisaíl García once again because after the hot streak he went on that earned him a spot in last Saturday’s waiver advice column he missed a few games with a hamstring injury. But he’s since returned on Tuesday, adding a home run and two doubles to his stats in 2019.
Kevin Kiermaier OF TB; FAAB Bid: 10-15% - Rarely do I mention the same guy in back-to-back waiver wire columns and rarely should it be an outfielder since the position is very deep. But Kiermaier warrants recognition despite the sub-.800 OPS. On Friday he hit another home run bringing his season total to seven and he also has ten steals. 15/15 is still on the table if he stays healthy, but the power will continue as he has ten doubles and four triples as well. My only complaint about Kiermaier is that he’d be better suited hitting higher in the order instead of seventh. If they move him up then that could definitely up his steals and runs.
15+ Team Leagues
Kevin Cron 1B, 3B ARI; FAAB Bid: 1-5% - In deeper leagues all you can really do on the waiver wire is chase upside. Kevin Cron got a start on Friday night in Toronto for the Diamondbacks. They found a convenient time to utilize him as a designated hitter and he didn’t disappoint as he hit his first home run. He’s mostly been used as a pinch hitter in his brief stint with Arizona with just a few starts here and there. If Arizona can get him more at bats then you can understandably bid a little more. So far he has just five hits on the season, but they’ve all been extra base hits.
Taylor Rogers RP MIN; FAAB Bid: 3-5% - If you’re in need of saves you should roll the dice on Rogers. Rogers logged saves on Sunday and then again on Thursday before Blake Parker earned Friday’s save. He’s also a nice source of strikeouts with an 11.89 K/9 and a 1.93 BB/9. The one concern I have with him is his tendency to give up home runs as of late. He’s given up three in his last five appearances, but at the same time Blake Parker has been worse in that department. The Twins have the second-best record in the American League and the third-best record in all of baseball so there’s definitely some appeal with adding Rogers if he does somehow swipe the job from Parker. At the very worst, Rogers can aid in the ratio categories, but you can likely avoid him in points leagues. If Rogers is unavailable take a look and see if Sergio Romo is still out there. His ERA and strikeout-to-walk numbers aren’t as great as Rogers’, but he is the primary closer in Miami.
Cavan Biggio 2B TOR; FAAB Bid: 1-3% - I’m still not 100% sure how to pronounce Biggio’s first name, but he’s available in deeper leagues and he has two stolen bases so far in June. The batting average sucks, but it’s been a small sample size. In his last eight games he’s drawn eight walks so he’s showing tremendous patience at the dish. He could be sent back down at any moment, but he won’t cost you very much if anything at all. But if you can afford a flyer that can provide stolen base help give Craig Biggio’s kid a look.
Zach Plesac SP CLE; FAAB Bid: 2-4% - Plesac’s been making some noise through three starts in his short MLB career and it’s well deserved. In three starts against the Red Sox, White Sox, and Yankees he’s allowed just four earned runs in 19.1 innings of work. He’s only walked three batters while striking out 14. He’s given up a home run in each of his last two starts, but they’ve only been solo shots. His ownership is trending upward so you’ll need to grab him sooner rather than later. He gets a start on Wednesday against the Reds and then he’s a two-start pitcher the following week against the Rangers (in Texas) and Tigers (at home).