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Finding players is getting tougher and tougher as the weeks roll by, but hopefully you've been following along and building your watch list into a black book of sorts. Need help in the power department? Have a spot to fill due to injury? Bring up your watch list and don't miss a beat.
Highlighted by a reclamation project and some left-for-dead bats, you'll find a wide variety of targets in this week's installment.
Without further ado, here is this week’s waiver wire watch list update:
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Players to watch in 10-team leagues
Clay Buchholz (SP, ARI) - 32% owned
Helium alert! Buchholz has come out of obscurity to post four consecutive solid outings for the D’Backs. On Wednesday, Buchholz struck out seven over six innings of one-run ball against the Giants, which followed a dominant seven innings against the Marlins on June 1st in which he struck out nine. It seems like forever ago since Buchholz was fantasy relavant, but he’s worthy of a look in all formats right now while he’s hot. Be wary of that 94.9% strand rate and .215 BABIP, however.
Carlos Gonzalez (OF, COL) - 35% owned
Continuing the throwback trend, Gonzalez is heating up: 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7 R, 1 SB and a .405 average over the last 14 days. He’s not someone you can trust as an everyday player but we’ve seen stretches of lights-out hitting from him in the past, so we know he’s capable. He’s not hitting the ball as hard consistently as he used to, but his fly ball rate is inching towards 40% and the mercury has started to rise as we head into the summer months. He’s rosterable in deeper leagues right now, and he could be find himself in that category in shallower leagues soon, too.
Max Muncy (1B/3B/OF, LAD) - 26% owned
Muncy continues to see playing time as the Dodgers get back to full health and his power stroke has continued (2 HR, 4 RBI in the last week, although that did come in one game). Fantasy players have taken notice, as his ownership has risen almost 20 percentage points in the last week. He’s a viable option in most leagues and one to keep watching in shallow formats, especially with Justin Turner still not 100% and Cody Bellinger slumping.
Jurickson Profar (SS/LF, TEX) - 19% owned
With the dearth of talent past the top few shortstops, Profar is becoming a legitimate option in most formats. He’ll obviously move off the position once Elvis Andrus returns but the Rangers won’t be able to take his bat out of the lineup if he continues to produce (19 R, 5 HR, 20 RBI in the last 30 days).
Players to watch in 12-team leagues
Steven Wright (SP, BOS) - 21% owned
Wright started in place of Drew Pomeranz Tuesday and was stellar after a shaky first, scattering two hits and three walks over seven innings with six punchouts. The knuckleballer’s last dance with fantasy relevance was in 2016 when he went 13-6 with a 3.33 ERA and 1.24 WHIP, and he’s likely to lose his spot once Pomeranz returns, but there’s a good chance he reappears at some point.
Franmil Reyes (OF, SD) - 18% owned
This marks three weeks in a row for Reyes being featured in the watch list column, as all he does in continue to hit homers. Reyes has recorded a hit in seven of his last eight games and has homered five times over the last 14 days. He won’t help your batting average but the power is legit.
Derek Dietrich (1B/2B/3B/LF, MIA) - 18% owned
Dietrich’s ownership percentage is surprisingly high given his modest power and lack of a track record. At 28 though, a breakout is still possible. He’s sporting a solid 38.5% hard hit rate and qualifies at a multitude of positions, so he could be roster worthy in a pinch.
Jalen Beeks (SP, BOS) - 24% owned
The fast-rising prospect appears likely to be sent back down after his Thursday start no matter the outcome, but the Triple-A breakout is worth following closely: his K/9 has jumped from 9.13 in 2017 to 12.78. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff but he clearly knows how to put hitters away.
Jung-Ho Kang (3B/SS PIT) - 12% owned
What’s the likelihood that Kang has an impact in the major leagues this season? The jury is still out, but at least he’s back in North America. Kang was a valuable asset in 2016 with 21 HR and a an .867 OPS. The fact he’s still SS eligible in some leagues is a bonus. Monitor his progress as he embarks on a minor league assignment.
Zach Wheeler (SP, NYM) - 11% owned
Now that’s the Wheeler we’ve been waiting for. The former top prospect went seven scoreless Wednesday against the Orioles, limiting them to three hits and one walk with five strikeouts. The 28-year-old’s velocity is up, and he’s recorded quality starts in three of his last four outings. The 4.57 ERA doesn’t look pretty but a 4.03 xFIP is somewhat encouraging. At 8.86 K/9, he’s close to becoming an asset in the strikeout department as well.
Players to watch in deeper leagues (14-team or AL/NL only)
Jake Bauers (1B, TB) - 3% owned
Bauers is not your prototypical first baseman in that he doesn’t hit for a much power but he has some speed to his game (40 SB in the minors dating back to 2016). He may see some time in the outfield, too, which increases his value. The 22-year-old prospect was summoned by the Rays Thursday, but it could end up being a short stay, as evidenced by Willy Adames’ brief trial. Though his ceiling isn’t high, we’ve seen minor leaguers lacking pop suddenly explode at the major league level recently, so he’s one to watch for now.
Sam Gaviglio (SP, TOR) - 4% owned
Gaviglio was added to the watch list a few weeks ago as a deep league monitor and he’s done nothing to be removed in that time. In fact, he’s been one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise dreary stretch for the Blue Jays. Gaviglio threw seven shutout innings against the Yankees Wednesday, allowing only six baserunners and striking out four. His xFIP (3.61) and SIERA (3.54) are a run higher than his ERA, but even with some regression there’s definitely some mixed league value hidden in there. Toronto’s rotation has underperformed, so as long as he keeps pitching like this he’ll get the ball every fifth game.
Joc Pederson (OF, LAD) - 4% owned
Is this the new and improved Pederson? The power was dormant until the past two weeks, but he’s homered five times and driven in 10 while scoring 10 runs during that span. What’s more promising is his hard hit rate is up, his fly ball rate is back in line with 2015 levels, and he’s chopped his strikeouts down to a career-best 14.4%. Still just 26 years old, don’t sleep on Joc.
