Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Christian Moore is up, can you trust Samad Taylor?

Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, our weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire guide. We’ll be doing things a little differently this season, with Eric Samulski publishing the initial waiver-wire article on Friday afternoon. Then James Schiano updates it every Sunday to make sure you get the most up-to-date information.

The premise of the article is pretty straightforward. We’ll give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When we list a player, we’ll list the category where we think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. We hope this helps you determine whether the player fits your team’s needs. Not every “trending” player will be a good addition for your specific roster.

To qualify for this list, a player needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. We understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and we can’t help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they’re available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types.

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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters

Paul Goldschmidt – 1B, NYY (35% rostered)

(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, HOT STREAK)

Goldschmidt’s roster rate has been soaring upwards, but it’s still under 40%, so he can stay here. In 38 games since May 1st, the veteran is hitting .324/.378/.577 with 10 home runs, 32 RBI, and a 9.5% barrell rate. He is playing much every day at first base or DH and will continue to get extra playing time with Aaron Judge sidelined for the next 6-8 weeks and the Yankees having fewer outfield spots to juggle. He hits near the top of the Yankees’ lineup, which is good for run production. He needs to be added most everywhere now. Josh Bell – 1B, MIN (10% rostered) is another veteran who is remaining fantasy relevant. As Bell has aged, he has become more dependent on pulled fly balls for production, which has led to a streaky season from him. We’re in the middle of a hot stretch now, but expect a cold stretch to come soon as well.

Kody Clemens – 1B/2B/OF, MIN (30% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

Clemens’ roster rate has climbed 9% this week, but he’s still qualified for this list. Over his last 30 games, Clemens has been the best hitter on the Twins not named Byron Buxton. He’s batting .271/.301/.551 with seven home runs, 18 runs scored, 18 RBI, and one steal. Clemens also has a career high 13.3% barrel rate and a solid 44% hard-hit rate this season. Some of that success has come from dialing back how often he was looking to pull the ball in the air. Even though his overall pull rate is similar to last year, his Pull Air% has fallen from 23.2% to 19.3%, and his opposite field rate has gone from 17% to 27.1%. Clemens has also shortened his swing from 7.3 feet to 7.1 feet. While that’s not a major difference, it may be helping him against four-seam fastballs. Last year, he had a -16 Run Value against four-seamers, hitting .158 with a .289 slugging percentage. This year, he has a Run Value of 1 and is hitting .246 on fastballs with a .475 slugging percentage. Much of this production looks real.

Dominic Canzone – OF, SEA (26% rostered)

(HOT STRETCH, POWER UPSIDE)

We had Canzone here last week, and the roster rate has climbed from 16% to 26%, so he’s still eligible. He hits the ball hard, so he’s always going to find stretches where he’s producing and needs to be added in a lot of places. Over his last 30 games, he’s hitting .325/.404/.663 with seven home runs, 15 runs scored, and 13 RBI. He will sit against lefties, so that’s something to factor into the math, but he’s slated to face only one lefty next week, which is good news. We were infatuated with Garrett Mitchell – OF, MIL (6% rostered) earlier in the season, but there were some major contact concerns. While much of that is still present, he is on a hot streak, hitting .325 over 10 games in the last two weeks with two home runs, eight runs scored, and six RBI. He has the plus raw tools to take a gamble on.

Andrew Vaughn – 1B, MIL (26% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE)

Vaughn’s roster rate has dropped this week, likely because he isn’t playing every day. Still, he has started three of the last four games and five of the last seven. If he were a left-handed hitter, nobody would blink at him sitting against lefty starters and playing 75% of games. Over the last two weeks, he’s gone 12-for-29 (.414) with one home run, five runs scored, and nine RBI. Yes, the power may take some time to come back, but a hitter swinging the bat like that is going to force his way into the lineup.

Dalton Rushing – C, LAD (24% rostered)

(BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

Will Smith is not yet ready to come off the IL with his neck inflammation, so we may get another week of Rushing as the Dodgers’ starting catcher. He may have cooled down from his torrid start to the season, but he’s hitting .286/.388/.429 with one home run, six runs scored, and four RBI over his last 15 games. That, and his presence in this lineup, makes him worth rostering in one-catcher leagues while Will Smith is out. Joe Mack- C, WAS (2% rostered) has also been producing lately, hitting 9-for-27 over his last nine games with two home runs and seven runs scored. He’s still more of a defensive catcher, but the bat isn’t nothing, and Endy Rodriguez – C, PIT (2% rostered) is starting to grab more playing time away from Henry Davis. Rodriguez has gone 7-for-25 (.280) over his last 10 games with two home runs and three RBI. He was a former top prospect before two years of injuries and could be worth a gamble.

Joshua Baez – OF, STL (15% rostered)

(POTENTIAL CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE)

We like to get ahead of prospect stashes on the waiver wire, and it might be time for Baez to wind up as your stash. He had a four-home run game earlier this week and then crushed his 24th home run of the season on Thursday. The 22-year-old leads the entire International League with 24 big flys in 64 games. That also comes with 12 stolen bases to create a nice power/speed combo. There are some lingering concerns about his contact since he’s struck out nearly 31 percent of the time at the Triple-A level this season, but when you have that kind of power and speed, you can still produce fantasy goodness. You could look to stash Yohandy Morales – 1B/3B, WAS (2% rostered), who is now up to 15 home runs and 45 RBI on the season to go along with a .325 batting average and a .962 OPS in 63 Triple-A games. He’s ready for a chance at big league pitching, but with Curtis Mead playing well at third base, the Nationals will need to use Morales as a DH or a first baseman.

Jasson Dominguez – OF, NYY (14% rostered)

(REGULAR PLAYING TIME, POST HYPE UPSIDE)

It’s been a slow start for Dominguez since coming off the IL, going 3-for-17, and also having to get a tooth pulled. However, we know the type of talent that he has, and all three of those hits were for extra bases, including a home run. He’s going to play regularly with both Aaron Judge and Trent Grisham sidelined, so don’t be scared off by the slow week.

Jordan Lawlar – OF, ARI (13% rostered)

(OFF THE IL, UPSIDE POTENTIAL)

Jordan Lawlar is back from the 60-day IL after fracturing his wrist and got right back in the starting lineup. Much like Dominguez, it’s been a slow week, with Lawlar going 4-for-20 with three runs scored and two RBI. However, he has just a 3/2 K/BB ratio and has stolen three bases in five games, so there is still production coming. Expect his bat to heat up soon too.

Nasim Nunez – 2B/SS, WAS (12 % rostered)

(STOLEN BASE UPSIDE, HOT STREAK)

We expected Nunez to be a burner who gave you little else, but he’s now hitting .280/.325/.360 over his last 25 games. That comes with just 12 runs scored and nine RBI, but also seven steals. If he’s going to hit for this kind of batting average, or really even like a .250 average, then his stolen bases are going to be really valuable in fantasy formats.

Blaze Alexander – 2B/3B/SS/OF, BAL (11% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, STATCAST DARLING)

It seems that Blaze Alexander may have finally won himself a starting role. After putting up strong production in a part-time role, Alexander has started five straight games for the Orioles and seems to have supplanted Coby Mayo at third base. He appeared in Eric’s article last week on hitters to target based on their May resultsbecause, since May 1st, he’s been the best hitter on the Orioles, slashing .384/.426/.545 with 18 RBI, 12 runs scored, two home runs, and five steals in 110 plate appearances. He’s making better-than-league-average contact in the zone with a better hard-hit percentage than league average as well. There is an intriguing profile here, but it’s more of a deep league add right now until playing time emerges.

Samad Taylor – 2B/OF, SD (10% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, STOLEN BASE UPSIDE)

Samad Taylor was called up from Triple-A when Nick Castellanos was designated for assignment and has hit the ground running (literally), going 12-for-33 (.364) with eight runs scored, eight RBI, one home run, and four steals in nine games. Those stats are great, but he also had just a 27% hard-hit rate in Triple-A and a league-average 85% zone contact rate. He’s hitting the ball on the ground 60% of the time with the Padres and has the speed to beat out infield singles, so the batting average and stolen bases could be there, but he’s a career .250/.313/.327 hitter in 118 MLB plate appearances, so don’t expect him to keep producing at this level. Tyler Callihan – 2B/OF, PIT (2% rostered) would be another option for deeper formats since he has earned regular playing time with the Pirates. He’s hitting .313/.436/.625 in 14 games with two home runs and six RBI. Keep in mind, he was hitting just .223 with a 27% strikeout rate in Triple-A this year, but he has been a productive hitter in the Reds’ minor league system before, so we’ll add in deeper formats and see how long he can produce.

Henry Bolte – OF, ATH (8% rostered)

(RECENT HOT STRETCH, POWER UPSIDE)

It took a little while for Bolte to get going at the MLB level, but over the last two weeks, he’s hitting 14-for-42 (.333) with two home runs, two steals, and six runs scored. Of course, the Athletics have played in either Sacramento or Las Vegas for every game since June 7th, so that’s certainly something to keep in mind. However, Bolte had improved his contact rates in the minors this season, and that seems to be carrying over. There is swing and miss in his game, so this may not be the smoothest ride, but it’s fun right now. You could also add Cole Carrigg – OF, COL (17% rostered), who has produced power with three home runs in his nine MLB games, but has gone just 7-for-33 otherwise. The Rockies have three games at home this upcoming week and then all seven games at home the week after, so that could lead to decent power production.

Lars Nootbaar – OF, STL (5% rostered)

(OFF THE TIL, STATCAST DARLING

Nootbaar is another boring outfielder who is set to come off the injured list following offseason surgery on both of his heels. We know that you’ve been waiting for that Nootbaar breakout for a long time, but he remains a solid/productive player who should be in an everyday role on a solid Cardinals team. In 12 games since coming off the injured list, he’s hitting .268 with two home runs, seven runs scored, and six RBI. He’s a productive player and will continue to settle in. Speaking of boring outfielders, Lane Thomas – OF, KC (1% rostered) is getting more playing time thanks to Jac Caglianone moving to first base with Vinnie Pasquantino hurt. Thomas has three home runs in his last 12 games and has been a player to get hot in the second half before. He could be worth a gamble in deeper formats.

Christian Moore – 2B, LAA (1% rostered)

(PROSPECT HYPE, RECENT CALL-UP)

Christian Moore got the call on Thursday with Mike Trout landing on the injured list. He weirdly played left field, which doesn’t make much sense since he was playing mostly third base in the minors. The 23-year-old had made some real adjustments at the plate in Triple-A, making more contact and better contact, and was slashing .333/.468/.585 with nine homers, 45 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 252 plate appearances. We’re not sure why the Angels would throw a new defensive position at him along with a call-up. Still, this is a highly talented young hitter who’s getting another shot. We should probably give him one too.

Kyle Karros – 3B, COL (1% rostered)

(EVERY DAY PLAYER, GOOD SCHEDULE)

Karros has been quietly productive over the last month, hitting .303 in 26 games with three home runs, 15 runs scored, and 10 RBI. As the son of an MLB player, he has a good understanding of the strike zone and a disciplined approach at the plate. The power isn’t tremendous, but the batting average could be pretty good in Coors Field. However, this is also an add for schedule. The Rockies play three games at home this upcoming week, but then all seven games at home next week. It could be a good time to add Rockies players to get ahead of that.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Stephen Kolek – SP, KCR (36% rostered)

Kolek has been on a good run of late, so this is just a situation where you’re going to keep riding it until the wheels fall off, which they likely will. Kolek isn’t overpowering, but he wins with command and limiting hard contact with a deep pitch mix that includes six pitches he’ll throw at least 10% of the time. You can feel comfortable using him when he’s rolling like this, and we’d start him against the White Sox next week, but just be sure to jump off the ride if it starts to wobble.

Gage Jump – SP, ATH (35% rostered)

Man, we wished he pitched in a different ballpark. Jump has pitched to a 2.37 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 30.1 innings since being called up. His fastball, which dominated in the minors, hasn’t missed the same kind of bats at the MLB level, so his strikeout rate is down a bit, but he has plus raw stuff and is pitching well, so we’re happy to keep rolling him out there next week in San Francisco.

Griffin Jax – SP/RP, TB (34% rostered)

We’re just going to keep banging the drum for Jax. We don’t love that short leash, but it had never been that short before, so maybe the Rays are just being cautious for a short stretch, like they did with Drew Rasmussen last summer, when he had like four straight starts where they pulled him at four innings. Jax has a deep pitch mix and has managed to maintain velocity even when moving out of the bullpen. This is the profile of a pitcher who should deliver for your fantasy teams, and he gets the Royals for his next start, and we’re going to keep believing.

Andre Pallante – SP, STL (26% rostered)

We’ve had Pallante in this article a few times because his velocity is up, he has more vertical movement on his four-seamer, and he has always had a good slider. Now he gets a solid two-start week against Arizona and Miami. This is not likely to be an add for the rest of the season (unless you’re in deeper formats), but he’s commanding the ball well now and has a good schedule, so let’s let it ride.

Troy Melton – SP, DET (24% rostered)

Melton has not had the strikeout numbers that we hoped to see when he came off the injured list, and he was recently scratched with lower back soreness, but it appears he’ll make a start this weekend. He has a 2.81 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in his first four starts, which he has done with great control of a solid 97 mph four-seamer, plus a good slider and cutter. He also pairs that with a sinker, curveball, and splitter to give him a deep arsenal that we can dream on. If he comes out of this weekend’s start healthy, you can look to add him where he’s available.

Grant Taylor – RP/SP, CWS (23% rostered)

Taylor had a mediocre outing against the Dodgers this past week, which has inflated some recent stats, but he has looked really good all season. We know you only want to add him if he’s the White Sox closer, but he has more value to their team as a high-leverage reliever. That still makes him a great add for ratios and the stray win or save here and there.

Javier Assad – SP, CHC (22% rostered)

Assad is pitching pretty well right now and gets the Mets next week. That’s about it. He threw seven pitches in his last start against the Rockies and got just two whiffs. His command has been fairly mediocre in his last few outings, and he doesn’t have overpowering stuff, so we don’t love this play, but if you’re in a deeper formats, these are the plays you kind of need to gamble on.

Yoendrys Gomez – SP/RP, MIN (22% rostered)

Gomez has been really good since joining the Twins and has emerged as their clear closer. Eric recorded a video with some detailed thoughts this week.

Mick Abel – SP, MIN (19% rostered)

Mick Abel struck out five while allowing one earned run over five innings on Tuesday in his final rehab start for Triple-A St. Paul. He threw 44 of 61 pitches for strikes and seems set to come off the injured list this weekend. We still have some concerns about his health, but he was so good before getting hurt that we’d rather have those concerns with him on our bench.

Sean Manaea – SP/RP, NYM (19% rostered)

It’s your yearly stretch of Manaea being fantasy-relevant. He’s throwing around 92 mph with his four-seamer again, which is usually when his results click in. If he has that velocity and keeps the fastball up with the sweeper low in the zone, he’s going to be effective. It’s not a great start against the Cubs, but they’ve been scuffling a bit, and Manaea has had long stretches of production before, so we might be in one.

Elvis Alvarado – RP, ATH (15% rostered)

Alvarado has two of the last four saves for the Athletics and seems to have emerged as the right-handed closer to be paired with Hogan Harris. Alvarado has a fastball that can touch 103 mph and looks the part of a dominant closer when he’s on. There have been some command issues in the past, but he took steps forward last year as well, so we don’t mind this as a spec save gamble.

Anthony Kay – SP, CWS (11% rostered)

We know the recent stretch hasn’t been kind to Anthony Kay, but he just faced the Phillies, Dodgers, and Yankees in consecutive starts, which is pretty brutal. Over that stretch, his ERA jumped from 3.77 on June 1st to 4.61 now. We’re choosing to blame the schedule more than anything. He gets a two-start week this week against the Guardians and Royals, which are two offenses we don’t really fear. We’d prefer this in deeper formats, but we could see it working out in 12-team leagues as well.

Ian Seymour – SP, TB (7% rostered)

This remains a bet for the future. This offseason, Eric wrote about Seymour as one of his favorite late-round starting pitcher targets,which you can read here for full thoughts on his arsenal, and then he went ahead and lost a rotation spot to both Steven Matz and Nick Martinez. After getting blitzed out of the bullpen in the first game of the season, Seymour has been good for the Rays, and is now getting a chance to start again. The stuff hasn’t looked as crisp, as Eric wrote about in his streaming starting pitcher article, but there is upside here.