It’s that time again! Time to get those waiver wire claims in to start the week. Whether your team simply needs an injury replacement or a full overhaul, we’ve got you covered. I’ve got a little bit of everything in this week’s edition, so keep scrolling to find that perfect waiver-wire pickup based on your needs.
All players listed are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues and can help you in at least one of the major categories. Many of them will help in a variety of ways, but their main contributions should come under the heading they are listed. Like most weeks, many of these players won’t long, so it’s best to make haste when adding these studs.
Without further ado, here are this week’s top waiver wire adds based on category.
- Weekly Trade Advice
- Weekly Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Baseball Content
- MLB Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
Batting Average
Mike Tauchman (OF – CHC): 45%
I’ve been hesitant to add Tauchman for weeks but the man just keeps on producing. Leading off against righties for the Cubs, Tauchman is hitting .283 on the season but .387 in August. He’s also a walk machine working the base on balls over 13 percent of the time. His OBP in August is over .500 and he even stole two bases and hit two dingers. As long as he can keep up this level of production, he deserves a roster spot in all but the shallowest of leagues.
RBI
Joey Votto (1B – CIN): 23%
Votto is healthy and raking like he’s 27 again. Over the last two weeks, the borderline Hall-of-Famer has knocked in nine RBIs while registering a 1.070 OPS. The 39-year-old slugger has four homers since August 2nd and is coming off a three-hit game. Votto is locked into the five-hole on a productive Reds team and can be counted on to deliver more RBIs this week and for the rest of the season. He is surprisingly available in 3/4 of leagues.
Home Runs
Max Kepler (OF – MIN): 18%
Kepler’s hardly been a steady contributor this season but has been locked in lately. He’s pulling the ball with authority, registering a 52% hard-hit rate and 44% fly-ball rate for the month. His K’s are down to 18.9% in August, and he’s slugging .618. Kepler’s .353 ISO is beyond impressive, and he’s even hitting lefties well. The 30-year-old outfielder has launched four homers in the last 10 games and is up to 19 on the season. Kepler won’t steal any bases and as a fly-ball hitter, his average won’t be great, but he can boost your power numbers and will knock in a decent amount of runs.
Runs
Maikel Garcia (3B, SS – KC): 36%
Garcia is leading off and scoring almost daily. The Royals’ latest catalyst has registered a hit in 20 out of the last 21 games and has scored 14 times over that span. He’s been touching home even more lately, scoring nine times already this month. He’s also incredibly fast on the base paths having collected 18 steals in just over half a season of action. His .286 average is also sustainable considering he hits the ball to all fields and has a modest strikeout rate of 20%. Garcia is an excellent replacement at MI, especially for those in need of runs or steals.
Stolen Bases
Brice Turang (2B, SS – MIL): 13%
Finally living up to his potential, Turang has been a star this month for the Brewers. The 23-year-old has been doing a bit of everything in August, racking up two homers, three steals, seven RBIs, and eight runs. He’s hitting .344 for the month and is now up to 14 swipes on the season. It was only a matter of time until his breakout considering his BABIP is only .271 and his strikeouts are better average.
While his whiffs were decent, he’s been even better of late. The Brewers’ second baseman has only struck out three times all month and has significantly increased his line drive and hard-hit rate.
Turang stole 32 bases on 34 attempts last year in Triple-A, so expect the young rookie to continue to run now that he’s reaching base more often. Add Turang now for steals, batting average, or to replace your slumping middle infielder.
Wins
Chase Silseth (SP, RP – LAA): 31%
Chase Silseth and his slider are trying to will his team into the playoffs. The Angels are likely out of it, but don’t tell Mr. Silseth. Since his latest promotion, he has dominated three above-average teams. First was the Yankees, who struck out 10 times against him while scoring just one run over 5.2 innings. He then quieted the team with the best record in baseball (Atlanta) by limiting them to just three baserunners (and one run) over another five innings of work. In his latest start, Silseth struck out a whopping 12 batters over seven exceptional innings against the Mariners. He also earned the victory in that game allowing just four hits, two runs, and one walk.
Silseth had some trouble in the past controlling his off-speed pitches in the Show but the upside was always apparent after two lights-out seasons in the Minors (2.28 ERA – 2022, 2.79 ERA – 2023). Today he’ll once again face off with a tough opponent (at Houston), but if he does well again or is even passable, he’s worthy of an add in all leagues.
ERA
Pablo Sandoval (SP – LAA): 45%
Sticking with the Angels, our old friend Patrick Sandoval has re-emerged as a worthy fantasy option. After a disappointing first half, the 26-year-old lefty has turned in five, two-run or fewer outings in a row. His walks remain a bit high but he is coming off of a 6.2-inning affair with just one free pass allowed. Sandoval is a streaky pitcher but as long as his changeup is missing bats, he’ll continue to have value. He finished with an ERA below 3.00 last season and seems to be on a steady path now in the second half. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues.
Strikeouts
Cole Ragans (SP, RP – KC): 37%
The former first-rounder was thrust into the Royals’ starting rotation and has been thriving ever since. The southpaw out of Crawfordville, Florida has thrown 22.2 innings in four starts and yielded just three earned runs. He struck out 11 in his latest outing and eight in the contest before. Ragans changeup and curveball have both been filthy racking up 20 K’s already with a wOBA under .175. He’s set to take on the Cardinals as I write this and even if they get to him a bit (they hit lefties well), Ragans is still worth a flier in most leagues. He’s set to face the Cubs later this week.
WHIP
Emerson Hancock (SP – SEA): 11%
Emerson Hancock made his debut on Wednesday holding the Padres to just one run on two hits over five innings. The big right-hander and former sixth overall pick is widely considered the Mariners’ top pitching prospect. The 24-year-old induces plenty of ground balls while working with a solid four-pitch mix. He can suffer control issues at times but keeps the ball in the yard and off the opponent’s barrel. Hancock is lined up to take on KC next and should be rostered in more than 10% of leagues.
Saves
Gregory Santos (RP – CWS): 19%
Not much has changed in terms of closers since the trade deadline, so I’ll take this time to remind everyone about Gregory Santos. I featured Santos on this list three weeks ago when I saw him blowing 100-mile-per-hour sinkers by hitters and then finishing them off with low-90s sliders. Santos is the real deal and with Liam Hendriks out for the year with Tommy John (what a year this poor guy’s had), he should be the one called upon more often than not in Chicago.
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Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.