Joey Wendle (2B/OF, TB) - Week 16 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 4% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Tampa Bay Rays second baseman/outfielder Joey Wendle was very happy to see June end, as he had a .192 batting average last month. July has been a different story, however, as Wendle pushed his July batting average up over .400 (.405) with a two-hit effort on Saturday. That was his second consecutive multi-hit game, and fifth in the last two weeks.

Even with a rough June factored in, Wendle only has a 14.3% soft hit ball rate since June 1 and 34.5% hard hit ball rate. He has hit 50% ground balls, but has also hit 20.2% line drives, a number that has jumped to 32.3% since the beginning of July. Wendle has a 48.4% hard hit ball rate since the beginning of July, showing that his .448 BABIP may not be all that lucky.

Fantasy owners will get a batting average boost from the Rays’ rookie and not much else (save for the occasional stolen base), but he is a viable option for AL-only owners who could use a lift in average. Those in deeper formats should like him as well, as he has eligibility in the infield and outfield.