Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Week 2
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Week 2
We are less than two weeks into the 2024 Fantasy Baseball season, but the injury bug is already biting all across the league. Do you have any of Gerrit Cole, Eury Perez, Matt McLain, Royce Lewis, Paul Sewald, or a whole host of other injured stars? Chances are you do, and you will be looking to fill those gaps somehow this weekend when waivers run. Who are the players who can adequately give you some level of production while you wait for your studs to return? That's what we will focus on in this piece today.
This weekly piece will look at five options under 50% rostered on Yahoo Fantasy for 12- and 14-team leagues that are worthy of waiver bids or claims. As the third week of the season gets underway, we are getting a larger sample of data from which to conclude. With still more than five months left in the fantasy baseball season, let's figure out who to target to help our fantasy rosters.
Waiver Options For 12-Team Leagues
Brice Turang, 2B/SS, Milwaukee Brewers (41% rostered) - After not playing on Opening Day, Brice Turang has started four straight games and has turned it into a .438 average and six steals already. He is tied with Jarren Duran for the early Major League lead, and it's clear that the Brewers are going to give him a green light anytime he is on base this season. And he has been on base a lot so far. Turang has a .444 on-base percentage through five games and has chipped in with a couple of runs and a couple of RBI in addition to his steals. He is getting picked up quickly, but if your team already looks like it is going to need help to compete in the steals category, Turang is likely the best option available.
Charlie Blackmon, OF, Colorado Rockies (10% rostered) - Without even playing a game in Coors Field before Friday night, Charlie Blackmon has started the season hot. Firmly planted in the leadoff spot and the DH role this season, Blackmon has a .417/.440/.625 line with five RBI and a steal so far. He hasn't homered yet, but he still has 81 games left at Coors to keep fantasy managers happy. Perhaps most promising, he has not struck out a single time so far this season, meaning his bat speed and discipline haven't lost a step as he plays in his age 37 season. The batting average is inflated somewhat by a .417 BABIP so far this year, but for a player who was basically undrafted and still OF-eligible in Yahoo leagues, there are a lot worse options available on the wire.
Jose Siri, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (38% rostered) - Some of Jose Siri's old problems are already creeping up in the first week of the season. He is striking out WAY too much (40%), and only walking 3% of the time. But he still has a .250 average to go along with a home run and two steals through seven games. He bats near the end of the order, but still should be able to contribute in homers, steals, and runs if he can get on base for hitters like Yandy Diaz back at the top of the order. Siri has not sat out a game yet and actually hit in the seventh spot in five of seven games so far.
Brady Singer, SP, Kansas City Royals (49% rostered) - Brady Singer got some attention in the spring for talking about two new pitches he was working on for the 2024 season. The first was a flaming four-seam fastball, and the second was a sweeper pitch that is a variation of his slider. He added the pitches because he was "sucking" last year, to use his words. In his first outing, they debuted to tremendous success. Singer struck out 10 batters in seven shutout innings while throwing the fastball 18% of the time (2% last year) and his two sliders a total of 54% (42% last year). He ditched his sinker for the most part (23% compared to 43% last season) and so far, so good for the new-look repertoire. Singer is somewhere in between the 5.52 ERA of 2023 and the 0.00 ERA of his first start, but he has a chance to cut that ERA in half from last season if things break his way.
Kyle Finnegan, RP, Washington Nationals (59% rostered) - The ERA over 10 in his first three outings does not look great (that's understating things), but Finnegan does have two saves in the first week of the season to go along with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. The Nationals won't be a good team by any means, but every squad is going to win at least 55 games, and Finnegan seems to have a hold on the closer role. Hunter Harvey is going into games in whatever spot they need him most between the sixth and eighth innings. Finnegan racked up 28 saves with a 3.76 ERA last year in this role and he is available in almost half of Yahoo leagues.
Waiver Options for 14-Team Leagues
Nick Martini, OF, Cincinnati Reds (13% rostered) - The role for Nick Martini on the Reds is already known through their first six games. Four games against righties: batting eighth and playing DH. Two games against lefties: on the bench. If you're in a daily league or Martini is facing a long stretch of right-handers, he is worth picking up because of his big power and hot start to the season. Martini already has two bombs and nine RBI, as he gets to call one of the best hitters' ballparks home and he bats behind the white-hot Spencer Steer and Elly De La Cruz. There is room for improvement because he currently has a 42% groundball rate and 33% flyball rate. Those could easily swap, meaning more homers against righties could be on the way.
Brandon Marsh, OF, Philadelphia Phillies (5% rostered) - If we play the game of who has the prime breakout age plus whose stats have been improving every year in the league, Brandon Marsh would be the winner of this list. At age 26, the breakout age for hitters, he has started hot with a .333 average, a couple of home runs, and a steal while still batting near the bottom of the Philadelphia Phillies' lineup. Marsh has improved his strikeout rate and walk rate every year in the big leagues, so I have every reason to believe his 44% strikeout rate in the early season will course-correct soon. HIs increase in flyball rate each of those three years has also corresponded to a better HR/FB rate every year. For a player who barely finds himself on any rosters, the signs for a breakout are here.
José Caballero, 2B/SS, Tampa Bay Rays (5% rostered) - Caballero has been a part of a Major League club for eight years, but is still just 27 years old, and finally has a secure, everyday role with the Rays. Taking over shortstop after the horrible situation that unfolded with Wander Franco, Caballero has a chance to be one of several speedsters at the end of the Rays' lineup, and he hasn't disappointed so far. He has three steals through six games, and most projection systems put him in the 20-25 range for the year. His .316 batting average is likely not sustainable, and he won't hit for much power, but if you need steals and help at the tough middle-infield spots, Caballero is widely available.
Spencer Turnbull, SP, Philadelphia Phillies (2% rostered) - Much like Brady Singer, Spencer Turnbull was in desperate need of a change coming off of 2023. He had not made more than 11 starts since 2019 and suffered through an excruciating 7.26 ERA in 2023. Turnbull pumped up his slider and cutter usage in his first start to tremendous results (5 innings, no runs allowed, 7 strikeouts, and no walks. That came against a tough Cincinnati lineup, so the hope is that Turnbull can take this fifth spot in the Phillies rotation and lock it down. He will have to do some battle with Taijuan Walker when Walker comes back from injury, but Walker is suffering from shoulder problems, so Turnbull managers could be prepared to have him for a large chunk of the season. Almost completely unrostered, Turnbull deserves when he makes two starts next week against the Cardinals and Pirates.
Ryne Stanek, RP, Seattle Mariners (1% rostered) - Ryne Stanek jumped across the division this offseason, joining the Seattle Mariners after several seasons with the Houston Astros. It was thought that he would exclusively be a setup man to Andres Munoz, who was the named closer. While it looks like that will mostly be true, the Mariners have already deployed Munoz once in the eighth inning against a tougher part of the Cleveland Guardians' lineup, which left the ninth inning for Stanek. He locked down the save, and it's like he gets 6-8 more before the season is over. If you're in a deep, highly competitive league where every save matters, Stanek is likely available on the waiver wire for this weekend. For his career, he does strike out 10.5 batters per nine innings and has impeccable health since 2017.
Ryan Kirksey
Ryan is a 20-year veteran of fantasy baseball, football, and basketball leagues. He has been writing about fantasy sports, sports betting, and DFS since 2018 and is a member of the FSWA and IBWAA. A native of Houston, he is a die-hard fan of the Astros, Rockets, and - reluctantly - the Texans. When he is not buried under sports analysis and TV show recaps, he works full-time in higher education and can be found pursuing his other passions: drinking coffee and writing about comic book investment and speculation.