Waiver Wired: Waiver Wired: Reed Ready
Are we finally getting close to seeing Tyler Glasnow’s major league debut? I wish I had the answer for you. The 22-year-old extended his hitless streak (yes, hitless) to 13 innings Wednesday with Triple-A Indianapolis, but he has also walked 11 batters in that time. If you include his last three starts, the 6-foot-8 right-hander has walked 16 batters in 17 2/3 innings.
Sure, Glasnow has the shiny 1.61 ERA and has struck out 100 batters in 84 innings, but it sounds like he still has some work to do with his control and command. I understand the pressure to call him up as the Pirates are playing their way out of contention, but this feels like a tough situation to put him in. Even if the call-up does come in the next few days, I’d temper expectations out of the gate in fantasy leagues.
Have specific questions about your roster? Ask @djshort on Twitter. You can also email your fantasy baseball questions to [email protected]. Subscribe to the Rotoworld Baseball Podcast on iTunes. Please remember to rate and review if you dig it. New episodes come out every Friday.
MIXED LEAGUES
Cody Reed SP, Reds (Yahoo: 31 percent owned)
If you take a quick look at Reed’s line from his major league debut last weekend against the Astros, it might not blow you away. The 23-year-old gave up four runs on six hits (including two home runs) and three walks in seven innings. But he was very impressive in between the two homers. Sitting in the low-to-mid-90s with his fastball and showing off a nasty slider, the bespectacled southpaw struck out nine batters and induced 16 swinging strikes. There’s a reason he’s one of the top left-handed pitching prospects in the game. As I said in the video above, the Reds don’t present the best situation in fantasy leagues. Reed finds himself in a tough home park with a bad bullpen and a lineup that figures to get worse as the season moves along, but I think he at least has matchup appeal in mixed leagues. A start against the Padres on Friday is one of them.
Devon Travis 2B, Blue Jays (Yahoo: 30 percent owned)
I mentioned Travis in Waiver Wired when he made his return from shoulder surgery about a month ago, but we didn’t see much from him early on. I suppose that makes sense after such a long layoff, but he has finally kicked it into gear recently. The 25-year-old is hitting .400 (14-for-35) with two homers and five doubles over his last nine games. After hitting second on Tuesday, he was moved into the leadoff spot on Wednesday with Ezequiel Carrera out of the lineup. With Jose Bautista projected to miss around a month due to turf toe, Travis has a chance to stake his claim on that gig. Given his home ballpark and some of the big bats behind him, this obviously makes him pretty interesting in most formats.
Willson Contreras C, Cubs (Yahoo: 48 percent owned)
The most popular add of the week, Contreras is being used as part of a three-man rotation behind the plate during his first stint in the majors. Cubs manager Joe Maddon said earlier this week that he could see the rookie backstop starting two or three out of every five games, with David Ross continuing to work with Jon Lester and Miguel Montero continuing to work with Jake Arrieta. I can see how it’s a bit of a challenge to justify a roster spot for him in a one-catcher 10-team league, but the offensive upside is big and you could make this situation work if you have bench flexibility and can plan ahead with the schedule. With the lack of production at the catcher position this season, it’s worth trying. Obviously he’s a no-brainer add in deeper leagues (two-catcher, etc.) and keeper/dynasty formats.
Seung Hwan Oh RP, Cardinals (Yahoo: 27 percent owned)
Kevin Siegrist RP, Cardinals (Yahoo: 14 percent owned)
Trevor Rosenthal notched a pair of saves during this week’s sweep of the first-place Cubs, but he was pretty fortunate on Monday and Tuesday was a nail-biter. Cardinals manager Mike Matheny continues to stand behind him, but the overall numbers remain concerning. The hard-throwing right-hander owns a 4.50 ERA and 1.92 WHIP and has the highest walk percentage among any pitcher with at least 20 innings pitched. There’s nothing to suggest that a change is imminent, but the Cardinals have a pair of intriguing alternatives if you want to speculate. Oh has compiled a 1.70 ERA and 50/8 K/BB ratio in 37 innings during his first season stateside while Siegrist has a 2.34 ERA with 10.6 K/9 in 113 appearances dating back to the start of last season. No surprise, Oh would be my top choice if both are available. He can provide value even if he isn’t getting saves.
Justin Bour 1B, Marlins (Yahoo: 20 percent owned)
Bour proved to be a nice surprise with the Marlins last season by slugging 23 home runs with an .800 OPS and he’s actually on track to improve upon those numbers this season. Thanks to a hot June, the 28-year-old is hitting .267 with 12 home runs and an .843 OPS through 61 games. The power has been there once again and he has managed to cut down on his strikeouts while drawing more walks. And if you look at things like exit velocity and hard-hit rate, he ranks very highly. Bour is playing almost exclusively against left-handed pitching, but that’s not such a bad thing for fantasy owners. He’s a fine corner infielder option in most formats.
Kolten Wong 2B, Cardinals (Yahoo: 30 percent owned)
Wong’s stint in the minors proved to be a brief one, as he earned his way back to the majors after hitting .429 (12-for-28) with four homers over seven games. After getting a crash course in center field during his time with Triple-A Memphis, Wong has started four games there since rejoining the Cardinals. The transition to the outfield is a work in progress and he hasn’t hit much since returning from the minors, but the pop and speed should at least have him on your radar once again. It’s worth noting that Randal Grichuk has been swinging the bat well in Triple-A since his demotion over the weekend, so the window for Wong to make an impact could be brief.
Melvin Upton, Jr. OF, Padres (Yahoo: 42 percent owned)
We have seen a handful of big-name outfielders hit the disabled list over the past week or so, yet it still feels like Upton is being overlooked in a lot of leagues. I’m sure some of this is lingering bitterness or doubt related to his awful showing in Atlanta, but he’s currently on track for his best season since 2012. The 31-year-old already has nine homers through 72 games and ranks seventh in the majors with 15 steals. Reaching 20 homers and 30 steals doesn’t feel that crazy. Upton still strikes out a lot, so there’s not much batting average upside here, but at least he’s not the complete drag that he was in Atlanta. He’s hitting fifth in the Padres’ order on most nights, so I like his chances of continuing to be a useful multi-category contributor.
Travis d’Arnaud C, Mets (Yahoo: 46 percent owned)
I recommended stashing d’Arnaud in a DL spot three weeks ago and it’s worth mentioning him again now that he’s finally back with the Mets. The 27-year-old was batting just .196 with a .549 OPS in 13 games prior to hitting the disabled list with a strained rotator cuff two months ago, but this is a guy who had 12 homers and an .825 OPS in 67 games last season. The upside is too big to leave him on the wire in most formats, though I’m not counting on him staying healthy. Still, I’d probably take d’Arnaud over Contreras for this season if given the choice.
Melky Cabrera OF, White Sox (Yahoo: 39 percent owned)
Do I love Cabrera as a fantasy option? Not really. The batting average is there when he’s right, but he doesn’t offer much power and doesn’t steal bases. This caps his ultimate upside, but I could see using him in the short-term while we wait for some other outfielders to get healthy. In case you missed it, J.D. Martinez, Jose Bautista, Dexter Fowler, David Peralta, Gerardo Parra, and Steven Souza have all gone down over the past week, so getting a safe-but-unexciting option isn’t the worst thing. Cabrera has at least bounced back from a disappointing first season in Chicago by posting a solid .291/.345/.450 batting line.
Shopping at the five-and-dime:
(Players owned in under 10 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Jake Peavy SP, Giants (Yahoo: 8 percent owned)
Peavy still owns an ugly 5.47 ERA, so it might be surprising to find him here, but that was heavily weighted by some early ugly starts. The veteran right-hander has compiled a 2.82 ERA and 28/9 K/BB ratio in 38 1/3 innings over his last seven starts. He has allowed one earned run or fewer in five of them. Keeping the ball in the ballpark has been a big key, as he has allowed just one home run during this recent stretch. He gave up seven through his first seven starts this season. I’ll admit that there’s some blow-up potential here, but I think he makes for an interesting streaming option against the scuffling Phillies on Friday.
Pedro Alvarez 1B/3B, Orioles (Yahoo: 8 percent owned)
After two awful months, Alvarez is finally coming around at the plate. The 29-year-old slugger batted just .194 with three homers and a .644 OPS through the end of May, but he’s hitting .314 with six homers and a 1.032 OPS this month. We know the batting average isn’t meant to last. Alvarez is a .236 career hitter and he’s still striking out a bunch. But you can’t question the power. He’s just a year removed from 27 homers. I targeted Alvarez late in multiple leagues this spring because I was excited about the possibility of him mashing in hitter-friendly Camden Yards. I understand if you got frustrated and eventually dropped him. Heck, I did too. But if you need power, it’s time to give him another chance.
Steven Moya OF, Tigers (Yahoo: 6 percent owned)
J.D. Martinez is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a fracture in the back of his elbow, so Moya is back in the big leagues and should see regular at-bats in the Tigers’ outfield for now. The biggest reason to pay attention to him? His power. The 6-foot-7, 260-pounder socked 13 homers in 50 games this year in Triple-A and has slugged as many as 35 homers in a season before in the minors. I get that the plate discipline is bad. He had a 46/8 K/BB ratio through 215 plate appearances in Triple-A this year and owns a 15/1 K/BB ratio in the majors this season. I’m not looking for much in the way of batting average here, but he’s clearly capable of hitting a few homers over the next month or so. Worth a look if you need pop in deeper formats.
Wilmer Flores 2B/3B/SS, Mets (Yahoo: 3 percent owned)
The Mets are understandably looking around for an upgrade at third base, with recent reports linking them to the likes of Yulieski Gurriel, Jose Reyes, and Danny Valencia, but Flores has been pretty good as a stopgap option this month. After getting off to a slow start in a utility role, the 24-year-old is hitting .296 (16-for-54) with two homers, three doubles, and eight RBI through 19 games in June. He socked 16 homers last season, which is useful power from a middle infield spot. The multi-position eligibility is enough to justify consideration as a bench player in deeper formats.
