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We're officially in the dog days of August which means two things; fantasy football prep has begun, and it's time to lock down a fantasy baseball championship. Here at RotoBaller, we can help with both, but in this space, we're obviously focusing on the latter with a fresh batch of 2B and SS options to improve your fantasy baseball roster.
The MLB trade deadline is in the rear-view mirror which means player roles, lineup slots, and fantasy values got a major shakeup. Additionally, many fantasy-league trade deadlines are passed as well, meaning the waiver wire is your best bet to shore up your roster for the stretch run.
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 18 – August 8th through August 14th.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Jorge Mateo, 2B/SS/OF, Baltimore Orioles (49% rostered)
Mateo's 99th percentile sprint speed, league-leading 26 stolen bases, and .214 season-long batting average may paint him as a speed specialist, but he's been so much more.
Over the last month, Mateo is batting a crisp .284 to go along with a .897 OPS. On the season, Mateo has 10 homers and since July 1st is slugging .517. That's not just good for a speed specialist, that's a good slugging percentage period.
Mateo has thrived in his first season as an everyday player and is a must-roster player in any category-based fantasy league, with strong appeal in point-based fantasy leagues too.
Nico Hoerner, 2B/SS, Chicago Cubs (47% rostered)
After a one-week absence due to being above the 50% rostered threshold, Hoerner is back in the 2B/SS waiver column and if he's available in your league, he's still a recommended pickup.
The 25-year-old has had a fine season thus far as he's batting .292 with six homers, 12 steals, 33 runs, and 34 RBI through 91 games. His Statcast numbers back this up as Hoerner ranks in the 91st percentile in xBA and his 11.4 percent K-rate is among the best in the league.
Hoerner is finally living up to the prospect-pedigree he once had and is getting everyday at-bats on a rebuilding Cubs team.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Jose Iglesias, 2B/SS, Colorado Rockies (19% rostered)
Iglesias is mostly empty batting average as he's got just three homers and two steals on the season. However, those seeking help in batting average should go grab Iglesias ahead of a seven-game week at Coors Field.
The veteran shortstop is batting .313 on the season and though his splits actually suggest he's been better on the road, it's still a small sample and starting players in Colorado is generally good strategy.
Batting average help is usually scarce on the waiver wire, but if your team needs help climbing the roto standings in BA, Iglesias can help.
Luis Rengifo, 2B/SS/3B/OF, Los Angeles Angels (20% rostered)
In the intro, we teased players whose fantasy stock is up since the trade deadline. Well, with the Angels out of contention, their new three-hole hitter is Rengifo. The 25-year-old batting .339 since the start of July and should get more run and RBI opportunities now that he's moved up in the batting order.
Rengifo has a career best 36 percent hard-hit rate this season and he barely whiffs, with a K-rate of just 16.5 percent. That'll play.
Waiver Wire Watch List
Luis Garcia, 2B/SS, Washington Nationals (6% Rostered)
Things have gotten rough in Washington lately as the roster was stripped to it's core and handed to the next generation to rebuild. If all goes well, part of the next core will include Garcia, who's really cooled off after showing promising signs when he was initially called up from Triple-A.
Since the Nats dealt Juan Soto, Garcia is back to the number two spot in the batting order and has three multi-hit games in his last five. He's got deep-league value if he keeps pulling himself out of his slump.
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