In weekly FAAB leagues, your waiver wire claims have likely already been processed. Our FAAB Insights articles are great sources for finding targets ahead of weekly waiver deadlines.
Here, you will find players you can pick up if you have daily waiver claims or if you are able to pick up players throughout the week.
These are players you should consider adding from the waiver wire for matchup number seven who are available in 60% or fewer of ESPN leagues.
Catcher
Yasmani Grandal (C – CWS) 9.1% Rostered
Yasmani Grandal suffered a hamstring injury but has managed to play through it for the most part. Even still, the veteran catcher has been productive after a down year in 2022.
In 129 PAs, he has three home runs, 11 runs, and 11 RBI while hitting .270. Fantasy managers should expect some regression to his AVG with a high BABIP, but with the catcher position being so thin, Grandal still holds value.
He has a chance to hit more home runs, as his HR/FB rate is half of his career rate and a barrel rate that is an improvement over last season. His ISO score has also improved over last season.
Keep an eye on his injury status in the week ahead, but if you need some help at the catcher position, Grandal is worth consideration off waivers.
Honorable Mention: Eric Haase (2%), Connor Wong (1.6%), Cal Raleigh (26.9%), Elias Díaz (32.2.%), Francisco Álvarez (5.3%), Matt Thaiss (.1%)
Corner Infield
Spencer Torkelson (1B – DET) 8.1% Rostered
Spencer Torkelson still is not having the season that most expected, but it is an improvement on last year, and he has shown flashes of the talent that made him a top prospect.
He has made improvements in plate discipline over his 2022 debut, including his K% and overall contact%. A large part of this is due to Torkelson’s ability to make smart decisions at the plate. His decision value PLV chart shows how good he has been this season:
His strikezone judgment has also been impressive this season:
Torkelson also improved both his barrel rate and HardHit rates to 8.8% and 47.8% respectively, while adding more loft, yet he has just a 6% HR/FB rate on a 44.2% FB rate. The home runs will come, and with a 23% LD rate and a 44% pull rate combined with his hard contact, the average should come up as well.
Now is the time to jump on the Torkelson train and add him from waivers before he gets hot.
Honorable Mention: Ezequiel Duran (10.3%), Matt Mervis (8.3%), Josh Jung (31.4%), Casey Schmitt (6.3%), Miguel Vargas (23.7%), Nick Pratto (2.9%), Spencer Steer (3.8%), Anthony Rendon (45.7%), Isaac Paredes (30.6%)
Middle Infield
Hanser Alberto (2B/3B – CWS) 2% Rostered
With Elvis Andrus and Eloy Jiménez on the shelf, Hanser Alberto has been rotated into the lineup more and is taking advantage of his added playing time.
His calling card is his discipline, as he has just a 14.8% strikeout rate, which would rank 25th best in baseball if he qualified. He is extremely aggressive at the plate and it pays off for him – he has an 82.6% contact rate.
Despite his excellent contact ability, he has just a .255 AVG thanks to a low .250 BABIP, which is nearly 50 points lower than his career BABIP. Plus, he has a 24% LD rate and 56% pull rate, which support a higher BABIP and suggest that his batting average should climb. Alberto also has a career-high (but still below average) 6.3% barrel rate, which also helps his case for having a higher average.
That higher barrel rate and his aggressive tendencies at the plate have led him to three homers on the season, his highest total since 2020. Here’s his most recent one:
Hanser Alberto. AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/d8GkIlvnSu
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) May 7, 2023
With so many injured players, Alberto is worth consideration from the waiver wire.
Honorable Mention: Taylor Walls (33.3%), Elly De La Cruz (2.9%), Royce Lewis (1.9%), Luis García (10%), Javier Báez (20.2%), Geraldo Perdomo (12.4%), CJ Abrams (11%)
Outfield
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (OF – ARI) 31.2% Rostered
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has had an epic month of May at the plate, going 13-for-30 (.433) with four home runs, 11 runs, and seven RBI.
Do not be afraid of the .343 BABIP – he should be able to maintain it with a 22% LD rate and 42% pull rate while hammering the ball. His barrel rate is 8.4% and his HardHit rate is 48.6%, which are both improvements on last season. His career BABIP is just 15 points lower than his current BABIP and his line drive rate is nearly identical to his career rate, making the high BABIP and .310 AVG legit. Plus, his plate discipline numbers are improved nearly across the board:
His ability to make contact has been elite this season. His pace of home runs should continue as well – his HR/FB rate is nearly identical to his career rate.
Gurriel should be rostered in every league, no matter the format. Add him from waivers now if he is still available.
Also, he maybe has the best hair in the game:
lourdes gurriel jr and dominic fletcher this was cute pic.twitter.com/NKS5aRNGjF
— audra (@rosestreakks) May 14, 2023
Honorable Mention: LaMonte Wade Jr. (11.6%), Luke Raley (2.2%), Nick Senzel (9.3%), Christopher Morel (8.9%), Harrison Bader (29.9%), Jarren Duran (19.4%), JJ Bleday (3.6%), Riley Greene (15.9%), Lane Thomas (5.7%), Lars Nootbaar (21.9%), Randal Grichuk (4.1%), Leody Taveras (1.4%), Josh Lowe (48%)
Starting Pitcher
Bailey Ober (SP – MIN) 25.3% Rostered
Of course, you should add Eury Pérez, who should be priority number one as a pitcher waiver add this week. However, if you miss out on Ober, are unwilling to spend the FAAB budget, or use your waiver priority, Bailey Ober is a great fallback option.
With Kenta Maeda, and now Tyler Mahle, on the shelf, Ober should see consistent playing time as a regular in the Twins’ rotation.
So far this season, he has 24.1 IP, with an 8.1 K/9 rate, an 88.5% LOB, and a 1.85 ERA. Of course, the ERA should regress, especially with a low .226 BABIP and 5.6% HR/FB rate, but Ober has good stuff and commands it well. He has a career 1.8 BB/9 rate, impressive for a young pitcher.
Ober’s fastball, slider, and curveball each have batting averages against under .200, with his slider arguably being his best pitch. It has a 39.1% whiff rate and a 25% putaway rate. Just check it out:
Bailey Ober, Wicked Sliders. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/bndaOLYwJy
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 6, 2023
But our PLV metric grades his changeup as his best pitch, a quality pitch:
His teammate, Louie Varland, is a hotter name in the fantasy baseball world, but Ober is definitely worth adding if you need solid pitching depth and miss out on Eury Pérez on waivers.
Honorable Mention: Eury Pérez (21.3%), Bryce Miller (41.9%), Domingo Germán (22.2%), Drew Smyly (39.3%), Hayden Wesneski (10.4%), Dane Dunning (6.4%), MacKenzie Gore (26.2%), Josiah Gray (15.7%), Martín Pérez (38.8%), Logan Allen (17.5%), James Paxton (2.7%), Ranger Suárez (25.7%)
Relief Pitcher
Will Smith (RP – TEX) 11.6% rostered
Will Smith has gotten jiggy with it this season, picking up seven saves with a 3.14 ERA in 14.1 IP.
He has an 11.3 K/9 rate and has improved his BB/9 rate to its best point since 2020. He has gotten away with a crazy high 58% FB rate compared to just a 23.5% GB rate, but if he continues leaning on his curveball and slider, that should change.
His slider has a .100 BAA, 43.6% whiff rate, and 31.9% putaway rate. His curveball has yet to be hit, while inducing a 62.5% whiff rate, and a 25% putaway rate.
He has been overlooked, perhaps due to three subpar years from 2020-2022, but should not be overlooked any longer. If you need saves, he is worth adding from waivers.
Honorable Mention: Yennier Cano (31.5%), Jason Adam (22.3%), Alex Lange (22.4%), Evan Phillips (25.4%), Alexis Díaz (42.9%), Michael King (13.2%), Jhoan Duran (44.9%)