Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Five Best Lineup Additions For Week 13
The fantasy baseball waiver wire is a useful tool for picking up players who are swinging a hot bat or rolling on the mound.
But those types of players aren’t the only guys worth targeting. Value also can be found in recently promoted prospects who are destined for greatness or injured everyday starters coming off the disabled list who still aren’t on the radar of other owners.
This week’s crop of waiver-wire adds features a little bit of everything mentioned above. So, do yourself a favor and get ahead of the game by checking out our top five waiver-wire pickups.
Wilson Ramos, C, Tampa Bay Rays (41 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
If you’re like 90 percent of fantasy owners and are getting mediocre production at catcher, Ramos is here to save the day. The veteran backstop made his 2017 debut Saturday after beginning the season on the disabled list, and he immediately slots in as Tampa Bay’s No. 1 catcher. This is a guy who hit .307 with 22 home runs and 80 RBIs in 131 games last season. Grab him now.
Carlos Rodon, SP, Chicago White Sox (43 percent owned)
Speaking of players coming off the DL, Rodon is expected to return to Chicago’s rotation sometime this week after missing the start of the year with biceps tendinitis. The 24-year-old left-hander was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft and has tons of upside, so he’s worth taking a flyer on.
Franklin Barreto, SS, Oakland Athletics (15 percent owned)
It often pays to get creative in fantasy baseball, especially at a shallow position like shortstop. Enter Barreto. Oakland’s No. 1 prospect was called up to the big leagues this weekend, and the 21-year-old responded with a two-run bomb in his MLB debut. Once again, upside is the play here, and the dividends could be high.
Mallex Smith, OF, Rays (33 percent owned)
If you’re in the market for runs and steals, Mallex is your man. The 24-year-old is Tampa Bay’s new leadoff hitter with Kevin Kiermaier on the shelf, and he’s been putting up strong leadoff hitter numbers: 16 runs, nine steals and 28 hits in 24 games played. He won’t give you much pop, but he’s been pretty consistent in the other categories.
Nick Pivetta, SP, Philadelphia Phillies (7 percent owned)
If your league rewards strikeouts, you should take a serious look at Pivetta. His 4.46 ERA is nothing to write home about, but the right-hander has racked up 19 strikeouts in his last two outings and has fanned at least five batters in six of his eight starts this season.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
