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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to Week 21 of the MLB season and another edition of our first base and third base waiver wire pickups.
We're approaching the home stretch of fantasy baseball, and the waiver wire could be your best chance to improve your roster for a championship push.
Let’s keep rolling along with some names to consider as fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for this upcoming week of the MLB and fantasy baseball season – August 29th through September 4th.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues (40-59% rostered)
Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals (47% rostered)
Pujols has turned back the clock and is on an incredible run over his last 11 games. He is slashing .455/.500/.1.061 with six home runs, 12 RBI, and six runs across 36 plate appearances during that 11-game span.
Pujols is St. Louis' primary designated hitter and is hitting in the heart of the order for the Cardinals with superstars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. The future Hall-of-Famer is seven homers away from reaching 700 in his career and could easily reach that goal soon with the way he's swinging the bat as of late. Fantasy managers searching for power on the waiver wire should look to add Pujols in all league formats.
Harold Ramirez, 1B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays (40% rostered)
Ramirez (thumb) was activated from the injured list on August 16th after being sidelined for nearly a month due to a right thumb fracture. Since returning to action, the 27-year-old is on a 10-game hitting streak, slashing .333/.326/.452 with one homer, 10 RBI, and seven runs across 43 plate appearances in 1o games.
He is locked in as Tampa Bay's starting designated hitter with dual eligibility at first base and outfield. Ramirez's max exit velocity is in the 92nd percentile, while his sprint speed is 74th percentile, potentially providing fantasy managers both power and speed for the stretch run. Ramirez has posted a strong .330/.373/.448 line across 303 plate appearances on the season and an excellent fantasy asset for managers to have for the stretch run.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues (20-39% rostered)
Luis Rengifo, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Los Angeles Angels (37% rostered)
Rengifo has collected a hit in 15 of his last 17 games and is locked in as the Angels' cleanup hitter. The 25-year-old has been solid this season, slashing .266/.299/.420 with nine home runs, 35 RBI, 30 runs, and five stolen bases across 355 plate appearances in 91 games.
He is eligible at four positions and is in a prime spot in the Angels' batting order to drive in runs hitting behind superstars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. His statcast doesn't jump off the page; Rengifo contributes enough in each category to be a solid addition with multiple eligibility n all league formats while he keeps racking up hits in August.
Yandy Diaz, 1B/3B, Tampa Bay Rays (36% rostered)
Diaz has been on a roll as of late. He is 15-for-42 (.357) with two home runs, 11 RBI, and nine runs over his last 11 games, including multi-hit efforts in six of those 11 contests. The 31-year-old has been an on-base machine (.389 OBP) and is Tampa Bay's primary leadoff hitter. His statcast data is off the charts in xWOBA (89th percentile), xBA (91 percentile), max exit velocity (95 percentile), and BB% (96 percentile).
While Diaz has been locked in at the plate recently, overall, he is slashing .289/.389/.412 with eight home runs, 47 RBI, 59 runs, and two stolen bases over 465 plate appearances in 112 games in 2022. He is a must roster in OBP formats and should produce in most categories to be added in all league formats as we approach the fantasy baseball playoffs.
Others to Consider
- Brett Baty, 3B, New York Mets (26% rostered)
- Elehuris Montero, 1B, Colorado Rockies (9% rostered)
- Evan Longoria, 3B, San Francisco Giants (7% rostered)
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