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We have completed another week of MLB action, and we have experienced more injuries, and most teams need more and more replacements. When injuries occur, that opens the door for some new faces to get some regular playing time and become fantasy-relevant. At the same time, some regulars are starting to heat up at the plate or even returned from the IL that makes them worth a look on your waiver wires. Each week brings on new challenges, and this week is no different. Lastly, if you have room to store some players, Eloy Jimenez is beginning a rehab assignment, Luis Robert has played three rehab games, and Kyle Schwarber is way ahead of schedule, already taking batting practice.
Some outfielders would be better suited to stream for a hot bat. Others need to be replaced just because they are no longer on the field (IL). Unfortunately, that is a situation that affects many managers. You can do nothing except finding a suitable replacement as quickly as possible or risk losing valuable counting stats. This week's article will focus more on deeper league adds or even players to take fliers on as we head into the second half of the season. If you have questions about other players, always feel free to ask me on Twitter. This article will discuss waiver wire targets for the outfield in Week 18, July 26 through August 1.
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 @bdentrek. Key points - this list will focus on players who are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues.
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Jorge Soler, Kansas City Royals
38% Rostered
Soler is one of the more frustrating players this season. He is hitting for a horrible average, not a ton of consistent power, basically a waste in fantasy. Due to this, he has been dropped in many leagues. So now is the time to keep an eye on Soler, especially if you need power as things appear to be changing for the fantasy good.
Over his last nine games, he has hit safely in five of nine games, good for only a .179 average, so yes, the average still stinks. The good part, though, Soler is flexing his muscle. He has three home runs out of his five total hits and has also scored seven runs. His plate discipline has improved, and he is only striking out 15.2% of the time while walking 15.2% of the time. When Soler is making contact late, he is barreling the ball 17.4% of the time with a 69.6% hard-hit rate.
Soler's approach at the plate is much improved from the start of the season, and a strong end of the season, at least from the power department, could be in play. All of Soler's xStats point to some serious positive regression coming his way. Again, if you need batting average help or can't afford a hit in average, then Soler is not your guy. For those teams that are desperate for power, though, Soler is on the radar and maybe in play for your fantasy teams. He is not a must-add, but more a team needs to add and someone to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.
Justin Upton, Los Angeles Angels
32% Rostered
Upton is back from the IL and has been reinserted into the middle of the Halo's lineup. He only has one hit in his first three games, but it is more about what Upton was doing before the injury. Upton was leading off for the Angels and was a fantasy machine. He likely won't lead off any time soon with the way David Fletcher is playing, but Upton can still be quite productive in the middle of the lineup with Shohei Ohtani, Jared Walsh, and soon Mike Trout hitting around him.
On the season, Upton is hitting .239 with 14 home runs. He has a .226 ISO, a .794 OPS, and a 119 wRC+. For the 17 games before Upton got hurt, basically the month of June, he hit .344 with four home runs, 19 runs scored, and 11 RBI. He was contributing to almost all fantasy stats and contributing in a big way.
Can Upton return to those June numbers? Not likely. Can Upton be a solid fantasy asset the rest of the season? Most definitely. The rest of season projections have Upton hitting another 12-14 home runs, scoring and driving in another 30+ each, and even stealing a few bags. Those numbers make for a phenomenal fantasy add and asset down the stretch. I would add Upton in all 12-team leagues and deeper while keeping an eye on him in shallower leagues.
Hunter Dozier, Kansas City Royals
15% Rostered
It may finally be happening. My die-hard love for Dozier as a fantasy asset may be coming true. Dozier appeared to be heating up entering the All-Star break, and he has been raking since the return from break. Dozier has hit safely in six of seven games, with three multi-hit games and a .478 average. Dozier has three extra-base hits over the streak with a .174 ISO and a 1.238 OPS. The most impressive turnaround during the streak is the improvement of Dozier's plate discipline, as he is walking 17.2% of the time while only striking out 13.8% of the time.
Dozier's rest of season projections are just slightly lower than Upton's. He is projected for 8-10 more home runs, around 30 runs scored and batted in, while hitting .235. Dozier appears to be in store for a very nice end to the baseball season and could benefit from a Royals team that appears to be heating up as a whole. Whit Merrifield and Salvador Perez will always hit, but Soler, Carlos Santana, and others appear to be heating up as well.
Adalberto Mondesi could be back in the coming weeks, which will help Dozier's surround cast as well. Upton's projections scream louder, but the difference between the two is the positional flexibility Dozier brings to the table. He is third base and outfield eligible, and that can loom large with all the injuries throughout your rosters. Dozier is a must-add in all 12-team or deeper leagues and is on the shallower leagues' watchlist.
Daulton Varsho, Arizona Diamondbacks
13% Rostered
Many of us fantasy players were all aboard the Varsho train during draft season. Many of us also know that did not pan out all that well. But, it appears we may get a second or third chance to enjoy some Varsho in our lives. The DBacks catching prospect turned outfielder is absolutely raking at the plate right now and will be one of the more popular adds this week.
Varsho has hit safely in five of his last six games and carries a four-game hitting streak into Sunday's game versus the Cubs. In the four-game streak, he has two hits in each game and has homered in three straight. Over the six-game sample, Varsho is hitting .450 with five extra-base hits and two stolen bases. He is stuffing the stat sheet from all angles.
For the rest of the season, projection does not know what to do with Varsho as he obviously won't stay this red-hot, but he should play better than projections. Additionally, he brings the option to roster him at catcher, which is phenomenal with all the catching injuries these days. Varsho will likely be the most added hitter this weekend and should be a popular target for your teams if you need outfield or even catching help. I like Upton and Dozier long-term as an outfield target, but nothing wrong with rolling with Varsho while he is white-hot.
Derek Hill, Detroit Tigers
0% Rostered
ZERO PERCENT ROSTERED!!!!! Well, those of you in deeper leagues need to keep your eyes open on what Hill is doing. Hil has hit safely in three of his last five games with a stolen base and an outstanding 16.7% walk rate. He will not bring a ton of power to your team but should be able to hit for average and rack up the steals.
So far, on his two stints with the Tigers, he is hitting .281 with six steals, and in the minors was hitting .320 with four home runs and four steals. He hits near the bottom of the Tigers lineup, which could work out well in the runs scored department as well with Akil Baddoo and others raking.
Hill is not a must-add but is worth keeping an eye on. If your team could use some batting average help, runs scored, and steals, then he could be in play for you. Similar adds are listed below with Reyes and Allen. In addition, there are some sneaky adds in deeper leagues that don't make you feel warm and fuzzy but could help for a few weeks and be the difference in your end-of-season rankings.
More Deeper League Options
Here are a couple of other really nice deep league adds or players to keep an eye on - Victor Reyes (DET, 11%), Greg Allen (NYY, 9%),
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