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We have completed another week of MLB action, making it time to make more waiver wire moves. With more and more injuries and players slumping, it is time to start making some changes to our rosters. I want to emphasize that it is still not time to panic about your core players. Do not go dropping early picks that are just slumping out the gate. If they are still struggling in a few weeks, we can look at the underlying metrics to see if a drop is in play.
Early in the season, we are interested in players that are off to hot starts and, more importantly, show sustainable improvements from last season. With the early injuries, we are also looking into players that may be receiving more playing time. Some of the lower rostered players, or some not mentioned here, are on the solid side of platoons, so make sure you are not adding them if they have a negative schedule. Lastly, the names in the article are in order of percentage rostered, not so much in my preference of adding to your roster. This article will discuss fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for the outfield in Week 7, May 23 through May 29.
In the first few weeks, rostered percentages can change quickly. So be quick to check your leagues for their availability. When you want to chat it up regarding outfielders, prospects, or dynasty leagues, message me directly on Twitter at @bdentrek. Key points - this list will focus on rostered players in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues.
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Tommy Pham, Cincinnati Reds
46% Rostered
Pham is not dominating baseball this season, but he is still an excellent fantasy contributor. On the season, he has four home runs with three stolen bases. Besides a bit of power and speed, Pham is doing what he does best, walking 14.6% of the time. When digging deeper into Pham, he has been quite unlucky. He is barreling the ball 9.7% of the time to go with a career-best 54.8% hard-hit rate and a .291 xBA (.233 BA). Pham is due for some big weeks and should be rostered in most formats. It is also nice that the Reds play seven games next week, and they are all at Great American Small Park.
Alek Thomas, Arizona Diamondbacks
34% Rostered
Heading into Saturday, Thomass has hit safely in nine of his first 13 games in the bigs. He has seven extra-base hits, including three home runs over his hot start. Thomas is striking out 20.9% of the time with a 33.3% O-swing and 12.9% SwStr, which are not ideal, but so far, so good for the young DBacks outfielder. There will likely be some regression for Thomas as he won't sustain a .333 batting average, but a solid season, playing every day for the DBacks should be in play. Thomas should be added in most 12-team and deeper leagues.
Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins
33% Rostered
Kepler is having a solid season for the Twins. He entered Saturday hitting .252 with five home runs and a stolen base. Well, he had another steal on Saturday. Kepler is barreling the ball 10.2% of the time with a 40.8% hard-hit rate. Kepler is showcasing some power and excellent contact quality, but he is also showcasing excellent plate discipline. So far this season, Kepler is walking 12.1% of the time with a 16.3% strikeout rate. Kepler plays nearly every day for the Twins and should be on your radar in deeper leagues as he can bring some power and speed to your teams. He's a must-add in OBP leagues.
Anthony Santander, Baltimore Orioles
19% Rostered
If you are home run hunting and looking for a boom or bust bat, then Santander is your guy. He has hit safely in four of his last eight games for a .206 average, but he has a 147 wRC+ which shows how good he has been. Santander has six extra-base hits, including four home runs over this stretch. He is barreling the ball 18.5% of the time to go with a 37% hard-hit rate. Santander walks nearly 13% of the season, which is much better than his usual 5-6% walk rate. I am a Santander believer, and I believe there are even better days ahead. Look to add Santander in deeper leagues.
Hunter Dozier, Kansas City Royals
17% Rostered
Dozier is on fire right now. He has hit safely in six of his last eight games for a .394 average. Dozier has three extra-base hits with a 183 wRC+ and an impressive 11.8% strikeout rate. Dozier's contact quality has been outstanding, with a 13.8% barrel rate and 48.3% hard-hit rate. Dozier has been hitting fourth or fifth for the Royals, which increases his fantasy upside. He brings excellent positional flexibility, and if he can even steal a few bags, he would become a must-add in most formats. For now, leave for some 12-team and deeper leagues.
Look back at some previous waiver wire articles as some players like Mike Yastrzemski and Josh Rojas are still less than 50% rostered and were discussed last week.
Deeper League Waiver Wire
You can check out my NFBC deeper league waiver wire article, which comes out every Saturday, looking at deeper-league waiver wire options at various positions.
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