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As we roll into May its important to remember the season is still less than a month old. The standings and stat lines are still a far cry from what we'll see at the end of the season and there's still plenty of time to make up ground if your fantasy team got off to a slow start.
Still, nearly a month into the season, we're starting to get some concrete data we can use to evaluate players and now may be the time to pull the plug on that struggling late-round pick we had high hopes for (see: Rodgers, Brendan).
As a reminder, we'll be looking at pickups for shallow leagues (30-49% rostered) and deeper formats (10-29%), as well as highlighting players in the single-digits who deserve a spot on your watch list at the very least. These are your second base and shortstop fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 4 - May 2nd through May 8th.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Kike Hernandez, 2B/OF, Boston Red Sox (35% rostered)
Hernandez has been playing much better than his stats indicate and he's been one of few Red Sox producing early in the season. His .197 batting average is still being dragged down by an 0-for-19 start to the season as we're still dealing with a relatively small sample size. Since that rough start, Hernandez has a .310 on-base percentage with a .429 slugging percentage and 11 runs and 11 RBI across 15 games. He's either been leading off or hitting fifth for a Red Sox lineup that should produce more than it has to this point, meaning Hernandez should continue to produce both runs and RBI.
Joey Wendle, 2B/SS/3B, Miami Marlins (51% rostered)
Wendle has been around for a while and hasn't been much of a fantasy asset in his time as a platoon player with the Rays. This season, however, he's getting a chance at everyday at-bats with the Marlins and has forced himself into the fantasy conversation. Through 17 games Wendle is slashing a cool .304/.371/.446 while sporting the best strikeout and walk rates of his career. With triple-eligibility, there's likely a fantasy team in most leagues that could use Wendle's services.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Ha-Seong Kim, 2B/SS/3B, San Diego Padres (8% rostered)
Kim is in the deep-league section, but any fantasy manager looking for a scorching-hot bat could consider picking up the Korean sensation. Perhaps Kim just needed a year to get adjusted to life in the States? He looks like a completely different player than the one who struggled to a .202 batting average in 2021. Through 15 games, Kim is sporting an 11.5% barrel rate and is in the 92nd percentile in expected wOBA while slugging a whopping .568. Those numbers are likely unsustainable for the full year, but Kim is forcing his way into the Padres lineup thanks to improvement in every skill-based metric in year two with San Diego. With Fernando Tatis Jr (wrist) still sidelined for at least another month, there's plenty of at-bats to be had for Kim.
Nico Hoerner, 2B/SS, Chicago Cubs (24% rostered)
He's not getting the hype Kim is getting, but Hoerner has quietly gotten off to a nice start to the season for the Chicago Cubs. At just 24-years-old, Hoerner fits the bill of the "post-hype sleeper" that came up with some prospect pedigree, but struggled early in his career. Hoerner is a contact machine ranking in the 92nd percentile in whiff rate and xBA, which is currently a handsome .323. Combine that contact ability with 91st percentile sprint speed, and you've got the rare player on waivers that can help in both batting average and stolen bases.
The Waiver Wire Watch List
Tyler Wade, 2B/SS/3B/OF, Los Angeles Angels (7% rostered)
If it's speed you need, then keep an eye on Wade who has been playing well in his first season with the Angels. The 27-year-old utility man never got a chance at full-time at-bats with the Yankees as he was primarily a pinch runner and defensive specialist. He won't provide power, but Wade is hitting .273 with two stolen bases already. If he keeps his strikeout rate under 20 percent, Wade should get on base enough to post a healthy stolen base total.
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