Welcome back, RotoBallers, to Week 22 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 – September 5th through September 11th.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues (40-59% rostered)
Yandy Diaz, 1B/3B Tampa Bay Rays (53% rostered)
I mentioned Diaz in last week's 1B/3B waiver wire pickups article. His fantasy stock continues to rise and is a popular addition in all league formats. The 31-year-old continues to deliver for fantasy managers. He has collected a hit in seven of his last 10 contests, including five multi-hit efforts. Diaz is slashing .368/.478/.579 with one homer, five doubles, four RBI, eight walks, and 10 runs across 46 plate appearances during that 10-game span.
Diaz is an on-base machine and is locked in as Tampa Bay's primary leadoff hitter. His statcast data is off the charts in xWOBA (93rd percentile), xBA (96 percentile), max exit velocity (95 percentile), and BB% (97 percentile). If Diaz is available in your league, he's a must-add at this point in any format as he continues to wield a hot bat heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Harold Ramirez, 1B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays (40% rostered)
Another Tampa Bay Ray I mentioned last week in the 1B/3B waiver wire pickups article. Ramirez has racked up multi-hit efforts in four straight games and has been on absolute fire since returning from the injured list on August 19th. The 27-year-old is slashing .362/.356/.431 with 12 RBI over his last 13 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 been hitting clean-up for the Rays recently and is an excellent addition in all league formats, especially for managers searching for help in RBIs.
He continues to drive in runs and should have plenty of opportunities to rack up RBIs with on-base machine Yandy Diaz leading off. Ramirez can pitch in most categories and is must add to any fantasy roster as we close out the regular season.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues (20-39% rostered)
Joey Meneses, 1B/OF, Washington Nationals (38% rostered)
Meneses has been on an absolute tear over his 13 games. He slashed .380/.415/.600 with two home runs, eight RBI, 10 runs, and two walks across 53 plate appearances during that span. Since being recalled from Triple-A Rochester on August 2nd, Meneses has produced a .350/.385/.612 line across 104 plate appearances in 26 games.
He is eligible at first base and outfield, hitting second for Nationals' batting order. Washington owns a 45-87 record; Meneses will continue to play every day as the Nationals look to see what they have in the 30-year-old. Meneses won't help in the stolen base category as his sprint speed is in the 20th percentile, but he should be able to contribute homers, runs, and RBI, making him a solid addition in all league formats.
Brendan Donovan, 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, St. Louis Cardinals (37% rostered)
Donovan has played all over the infield and outfield, collecting a hit in nine of his last 11 contests. The 25-year-old is slashing .340/.397/.396 with seven RBI and 11 runs scored across 58 plate appearances in his last 13 games. His statcast data is off the charts in xBA (80 percentile) and BB% (91 percentile).
He qualifies everywhere with the exception of catcher and is an excellent bench piece in all leagues, especially in formats that do not have an IL spot. Donovan will contribute a little bit of everything. Fantasy managers can plug and start him in their lineups mostly anywhere due to his multi-eligibility, making him a solid pick-up in all league formats.
Others to Consider
- Jeimer Candelario, 3B, Detroit Tigers (9% rostered)
- Nick Pratto, 1B, Kansas City Royals (8% rostered)
- Triston Casas, 1B, Boston Red Sox (8% rostered)
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