Waiver Wired: Waiver Wired: Tommy Boy

And just like that, we have only one full week remaining in the regular season. Here’s hoping you are ready for the final push. This column is going to look a lot different next Thursday, as I’ll be focusing on some last-minute streaming options before handing out our annual “Waiver Wired Awards.” Take a look at the recommendations below and good luck out there.

Editor’s Note: Play one-day fantasy baseball for cash! FanDuel is hosting a $60,000 league for Thursday’s MLB games. It’s just $5 to join and first place wins $5,000. Starts tonight at 7:05pm ET. Enter now!

Have specific questions about your roster? Ask @djshort on Twitter.

MIXED LEAGUES

Darren O’Day RP, Orioles (Yahoo: 24 percent owned)

With All-Star closer Zach Britton sidelined due to a mild left lat strain, O’Day has converted saves in each of the last two games. Orioles manager Buck Showalter has described it as a day-to-day situation, but fantasy owners need to act where they can. Long one of the game’s most underappreciated relievers, O’Day owns a ridiculous 1.47 ERA and 77/13 K/BB ratio over 61 1/3 innings this season. He’s a must-own if he’s still out there.

Neftali Feliz RP, Tigers (Yahoo: 27 percent owned), Alex Wilson RP, Tigers (Yahoo: 7 percent owned)

The dysfunction continues with the Tigers, as Bruce Rondon was sent home this week due to an issue with his “effort level.” The 24-year-old recently blew back-to-back save chances and he showed an unusual drop in velocity during his most recent appearance on Monday. With Rondon out of the mix, the Tigers plan to have Feliz and Wilson share the role. Feliz is obviously the bigger name here, but Wilson has had the better year. Both should be scooped up where available.

Tommy Pham OF, Cardinals (Yahoo: 26 percent owned)

The Cardinals have dealt with a bunch of injuries to their regulars this season, but significant contributions from rookies have helped keep them afloat. Randal Grichuk and Stephen Piscotty came first, but Pham has joined the party recently, batting .326 (30-for-92) with 12 extra-base hits — including four home runs — 15 RBI, and 20 runs scored over 30 games since returning from the minors in mid-August. He has been the Cardinals’ regular center fielder over the past week and has hit second in each of the last seven games. The 27-year-old has been a productive player in the minors when healthy, providing both pop and speed, so this isn’t coming out of nowhere. There’s appeal here in most formats.

Marcus Semien 2B/3B/SS, Athletics (Yahoo: 28 percent owned)

As I said with my recommendation of Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar a couple of weeks ago, I’m a big fan of multi-position eligible players at this time of the season. Regulars are getting rest for all sorts of reasons, so you sometimes need to be able to scramble at the last minute to fill a spot. Semien offers pop and speed and has been hitting pretty well over the past couple of months. He’s useful in most formats right now, even if it’s just as a bench fill-in.

Danny Valencia 1B/3B/OF, Athletics (Yahoo: 19 percent owned)

Another multi-position eligible option, Valencia has thrived as Oakland’s regular third baseman since being claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays in early August, batting .286 with nine home runs and an .884 OPS over 37 games. For the year, he has an .881 OPS against right-handers compared to an .825 OPS against left-handers. This is contrary to his reputation and perhaps it won’t continue, but he’s eligible at multiple positions and is hitting for average and power while getting regular playing time.

Ender Inciarte OF, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 29 percent owned)

If you need some speed, Inciarte is still widely-available in most leagues. He’s 20-for-29 in stolen base attempts this season, so the success rate isn’t the best, but only 24 players in MLB have swiped more bases this season. He’s hitting .302 on the year, but just keep in mind that he does much of his damage against right-handers. Names like Kevin Pillar (Yahoo: 29 percent owned), Angel Pagan (Yahoo: 16 percent owned), and Mikie Mahtook (Yahoo: 3 percent owned) could also be worth exploring on the speed front.

Mitch Moreland 1B, Rangers (Yahoo: 38 percent owned)

Moreland had a bit of a power outage in July and August, but he has flipped the switch so far this month, amassing five home runs, four doubles, and 15 RBI over 18 games. This includes three home runs in the past week. The 30-year-old continues to have issues against left-handed pitching, which is notable for his matchups against the Astros this weekend, but I’m surprised to see someone with 23 home runs and 82 RBI still available in so many leagues.  

Suitable Streamers:

Carlos Rodon SP/RP, White Sox (Yahoo: 44 percent owned)

Rodon has had an up and down rookie season, but he’s finishing strong. The young southpaw has posted a 1.66 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings over his last nine starts dating back to early August. He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in a start during that time. I’m comfortable rolling with him against the Yankees on Friday and he’s definitely someone I’ll have on my radar in drafts next spring.

Aaron Nola SP, Phillies (Yahoo: 28 percent owned)

Another rookie hurler, Nola bounced back from a rough start against the Nationals by tossing seven innings of one-run ball against the Braves last time out. The 22-year-old has been a bit homer-prone at times, but he owns a 3.84 ERA over his first 12 starts in the majors and the secondary numbers back up his success. He has averaged 7.8 K/9 and 2.35 BB/9 to go along with a ground ball rate approaching 50 percent. Another start against the Nationals (on Saturday) feels like a gamble, but it’s one most fantasy owners should be willing to take.

Kris Medlen SP/RP, Royals (Yahoo: 19 percent owned)

Aside from one disaster outing, Medlen has been pretty good since joining the Royals’ rotation last month, posting a 3.93 ERA over six starts. He has just 18 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings during that time, but the control has been there and he’s been inducing a bunch of ground balls. He also had a season-high 13 swings and misses in his last start against the Tigers on Sunday. Medlen might not have much of a lineup supporting him depending on when the Royals clinch (their magic number is at two right now), but I like him against the Indians on Saturday.

Anthony DeSclafani SP, Reds (Yahoo: 32 percent owned)

I included DeSclafani among my streaming recommendations last Thursday. That didn’t work out so well. He gave up five runs (four earned) in just 4 1/3 innings against the Brewers. Still, I’m not giving up on him as an option. He’s had a solid rookie season, including a 3.48 ERA with an impressive 62/12 K/BB ratio in 67 1/3 innings over his last 11 starts. This coincides with increased usage of his curveball. And while the home-road splits don’t show it, he’s been a lot better at Great American Ball Park recently. The competition (Cardinals, Pirates, Dodgers) haven’t exactly been pushovers either. He gets the Mets on Friday night, which doesn’t feel as scary as it was about two weeks ago.  

Andrew Heaney SP, Angels (Yahoo: 42 percent owned)

As opposed to DeSclafani, Heaney worked out just fine after he was recommended in this space last week. While he didn’t get the win in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Twins, he allowed two runs over six innings while striking out six batters. The 24-year-old southpaw now owns a 3.30 ERA and 72/21 K/BB ratio in 95 1/3 innings through 16 starts this season. Similar to Rodon, Heaney might be owned in more competitive formats already, but he needs to be active against the Mariners on Saturday.

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