The Fantasy Baseball landscape can change in an instant. Rookies get called up and make an impact, pitchers come back from injuries to dominate and hitters go on torrid streaks and we have already seen it in the 2023 MLB season. Getting some of these players off the fantasy baseball waiver wire is important, especially with the plethora of injuries. Make sure you are looking at waiver wire pickups constantly. Some of them will be short-term pickups, while others can be useful for the rest of the season.

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters

Joey Gallo, 1B/OF, Minnesota Twins (40% – Yahoo, 11% – ESPN)

It makes sense that some are slow to come around on Gallo. He has hit less than .200 the last three seasons and recently came off the injured list. Gallo is slashing .243/.364/.757 with eight runs, six home runs and 12 RBIs in 44 plate appearances. He has a 29.5% strikeout rate and won't hit for average, but has an absurd 85.7% hard hit rate and has shown he can be productive with power.

Jose Siri, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (16% – Yahoo, 4.6% – ESPN)

Siri is expected to be activated from the injured list on Tuesday as he returns from a hamstring injury. Siri was off to a fast start in six games, slashing .318/.333/.682 with two home runs, eight RBIs and one stolen base. The Rays have a crowded outfield, but Siri should get at-bats. He is in the 98th percentile of sprint speed and has some power, too.

Bryan De La Cruz, OF, Miami Marlins (14% – Yahoo, 4.5% – ESPN)

De La Cruz was one of the best hitters in baseball last September. He played sporadically the first few games of the season, but has played 15 straight games. He is slashing .297/.346/.446 with eight runs, five doubles, two home runs, eight RBIs and one stolen base.

Jack Suwinski, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (16% – Yahoo, 4.8% – ESPN)

Suwinski is off to a fast start and in the top fifth percentile of many statcast categories. He is slashing .255/.383/.683 with seven runs, five home runs, 12 RBIs and two stolen bases. Suwinski had 19 home runs and four stolen bases last season in 106 games, while batting .202. He will sit against most left-handers, but there are some good signs here and he's worth adding in deeper formats.

Connor Joe, 1B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (24% – Yahoo, 13.4% – ESPN)

The Pirates are one of the biggest surprises of the early MLB season and Joe is playing a part. He is slashing .357/.455/.643 with six doubles, two triples, two home runs, eight RBIs and one stolen base. Joe is making a lot of hard contact and not chasing bad pitches.

Randal Grichuk, OF, Colorado Rockies (12% – Yahoo, 2.6% – ESPN)

Grichuk began the season on the injured list and is close to a return. Grichuk hit 19 home runs last season in 141 games and will be appealing when the Rockies play at home.

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Logan Allen SP, Cleveland Guardians (17% – Yahoo, 5.3% – ESPN)

Allen was called up and made his debut Saturday and took advantage of a favorable matchup against the Marlins. He pitched six innings and allowed five hits, one runs, one walk and struck out eight. The 2020 second-round pick had a 1.43 ERA in three starts at Triple-A. The risk is him not remaining in the starting rotation as some arms get healthy, but he's worth considering in deeper formats in case he stays up.

Tanner Houck, SP, Boston Red Sox (19% – Yahoo, 8.2% ESPN)

Houck has been mentioned here a few times, but the ownership levels remain low. There might have been some hesitation since Houck was possibly moving to the bullpen, but the Red Sox sent Brayan Bello to Triple-A and Houck will remain a starter. Houck has a 25.6% strikeout rate and a 13% swinging strike rate. Houck stuck out seven over seven innings in his last start against the Twins.

Matt Strahm, SP, Philadelphia Phillies (28% – Yahoo, 9.2% – ESPN)

Strahm has also been mentioned here a few times, yet people are slow adding him. Long term health and durability is a concern, but with so many injuries we need to think about the immediate future. Strahm is still building up his pitch count and has gone at least 5 innings in two of his last three starts. Strahm struck out 11 over 5.1 innings in his last start against the Rockies. He has a 38% strikeout rate and a 15.4% swinging strike rate.

Drew Smyly, SP, Chicago Cubs (24% – Yahoo, 7.7% – ESPN)

Smyly took a perfect game into the eighth inning in his last start against the Dodgers. He went 7.2 scoreless innings and allowed no walks and struck out 10 with 18 swinging strikes. After a bad first start, Smyly has pitched 18.1 innings and allowed seven hits, two runs, walked three and struck out 20. he had a 2.28 ERA in his final nine starts last season.

Griffin Canning, SP, Los Angeles Angels (6% – Yahoo, 1.6% – ESPN)

Canning is a good streamer for Tuesday. He gets a home matchup against the Athletics and they are one of the worst teams we have seen in a while. Streaming against them is the way to go. Canning's velocity is up and he's throwing his fastball less, while throwing his slider and changeup more. He has a 15.9% swinging strike rate.

Joey Lucchesi, SP, New York Mets, (10% – Yahoo, 3.4% – ESPN)

Lucchesi made his first appearance in the majors since 2021 last week and was dominant against the Giants. He pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed four hits, two walks and struck out nine. Lucchesi has a difficult delivery to pick up and gets a great matchup against the Nationals in his next start.

Bryan Abreu, RP, Houston Astros (35% – Yahoo, 6.7% ESPN)

Ryan Pressly picked up his first save Friday and was unavailable the next two games and Abreu picked up the save in both. Abreu has a 19:6 K:BB ratio over 12.1 innings and allowed one run. He has a 41.3% strikeout rate. Pressly has pitched consecutive days once this season and while he's the closer, Abreu is worth adding if you're desperate for saves.

 

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