With a week of games in the books, it’s time to start thinking about the waiver wire.
Of course, fantasy baseball is a marathon and not a sprint, but it could be wise to freshen up your bench from what you drafted a few weeks ago. We are already seeing certain players excel with the new limitations on the shift as well as a spike in stolen bases.
Plenty of rookies have been off to hot starts, too, and you’ll want to think about grabbing them now for your keeper leagues.
Here are a few players to consider adding at each position:
Joey Gallo has been one of the early beneficiaries of rules limiting the shift.
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Joey Gallo, 1B (MIN)
Joey Gallo looks to be one of the main beneficiaries of the new limits on the shift. He’s hitting .250 with three homers, seven RBI and an OPS of 1.169. His max exit velocity is in the 95th percentile of the league and more of those hard hits should be dropping in this season.
Nolan Gorman, 2B (STL)
The St. Louis Cardinals are off to a hot start with the bats, averaging .344 as a team! Gorman has mostly been playing DH since it’s crowded in St. Louis, but he’s eligible at 2B and that’s what really matters. He’s batting .438 with two homers and six RBIs across five games played this year.
Brice Turang, SS/2B (MLW)
The rookie SS hit his first career homer this week vs. the Mets, and it was a grand slam that broke the game open for the Brew Crew. He was a first-round pick for the Brewers in 2018, and his hot start to the season includes a .357 batting average and a pair of stolen bases as well. He doesn’t strike out, he takes his walks and he’s speedy. Turang is picking up eligibility at 2B soon, too, so put your bids in.
Yoan Moncada, 3B (CHW)
Moncada has started hot for the White Sox, hitting .440 with two home runs. His average exit velocity is in the 97th percentile of the league, and he’s widely available at a thin 3B position. Get your claims in.
Logan O’Hoppe, C (LAA)
The rookie backstop has a hit in four of the five games he has started, including a three-run HR last Sunday and another HR on Wednesday. He’s getting plenty of playing time, too.
Mitch Garver, UT/C (TEX)
Not only is Garver off to a good start this season with a two-homer and six-RBI game in his season debut, he’s going to become eligible at catcher soon. If fully healthy, the upside for Garver is 25 HR with a .270 BA. That’s more than what you need at the thin catcher position.
Adam Duvall, OF (BOS)
The veteran slugger looks better than ever, currently leading all of MLB with 12 RBIs. He’s swatted three homers and he’s hitting an astounding .438. Duvall has never finished a season with a BA of better than .249 and it’s usually closer to the .220 mark, so grab him now while he is hot and take advantage of free power that isn’t going to ding your BA.
James Outman cracked the Dodgers’ opening day roster, and his speed should keep him there.
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James Outman, OF (LAD)
Outman cracked the opening day roster for the Dodgers, and he’s fighting as hard as he can to keep his spot. He’s putting on a good campaign, too, as so far he is hitting .286 with two triples and a home run. It’s a dangerous lineup and Outman has speed in the 99th percentile of the league, so there could be plenty of extra-base hits and stolen bases.
TJ Friedl, OF (CIN)
Friedl has already cracked two home runs and he’s hitting .353 across five games played. He could be worth using while he is hot, just bear in mind Friedl is also known for his skill at bunting -- not exactly the kind of skill that fantasy managers will tout.
Kenta Maeda, SP (MIN)
Maeda looked sharp in his first game back from Tommy John surgery, striking out nine batters across five innings of one-run baseball vs. the Marlins. There was concern as he left the game shaking his arm, but it’s since been confirmed he was removed only due to fatigue. Maeda is widely available and should be added in most fantasy baseball leagues.
Reid Detmers, SP (LAA)
Detmers struck out seven Mariners on Monday and allowed only two runs, though he didn’t quite make it a full five innings. Still, the velocity was up on all his pitches, and Detmers finished with a 3.77 ERA in 2022. He plays for a team that should give him run support, and he’s worth rostering in most fantasy baseball leagues.
Grayson Rodriguez, SP (BAL)
The long-awaited debut of Grayson Rodriguez, the best pitching prospect in baseball, happened on Wednesday afternoon. Rodriguez was solid in his first start (which was vs. Jacob deGrom), allowing just two earned runs while striking out five across five innings pitched. It wasn’t enough to get the Orioles the win, but it did look promising. Rodriguez should be added in most fantasy baseball leagues.
Pierce Johnson, RP (COL)
Johnson looks like the frontrunner for saves in Colorado for as long as Daniel Bard is out. We have yet to see him pitch at Coors, but he has good strikeout ability, and if you are streaming saves, Johnson should be a target. He notched his first save for the Rockies Friday night vs. the Padres in San Diego.
Liam Hendriks, RP (CHW)
We got great news regarding Liam Hendriks this week – he has successfully completed his final round of chemotherapy and as the Sox did not put him on the 60-day IL, he could return to the club sooner than later. That’s great news for the White Sox bullpen, which has struggled so far this season with an ERA of 8.82 -- the second worst in the league. If you are able to stash Hendricks, now is the time.
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