RADIO
It’s September, which means that children are back in school where they belong, football is back (yawn), and both the summer and the fantasy baseball season are winding down. With trade deadlines in the rearview mirror, the waiver wire is your only mechanism for improvement as we move into the home stretch and/or playoffs.
Every Sunday until the end of the season, we'll look at the best middle infielders available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. These are based on standard 5x5 scoring; adjust accordingly for your specific setup.
Let’s get to it. Below are your second base and shortstop waiver wire targets for Week 23.
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Week 23 Middle Infield (MI) Waiver Wire Targets
Johan Camargo, 2B/3B/SS, Atlanta Braves (38% owned)
Since August 10, Camargo has played in 22 games. He’s tallied multiple hits in exactly half of them and has failed to reach base only twice. During this stretch, he boasts a slash line of .367/.422/.537 with solid run production. He only has two home runs in that time, but both have come in the last few days. After entering the season with an uncertain role, Camargo finds himself hitting fifth every day in a top-10 lineup. With eligibility at three positions, he’s plenty useful in many fantasy formats.
Amed Rosario, SS, New York Mets (30% owned)
A glance at his overall line suggests that Rosario hasn’t really improved after looking overmatched as a rookie last season. While it’s true that the 22-year-old has struggled mightily at the plate for most of the year, he has made some strides in his discipline and approach. For fantasy purposes, though, the most important adjustment he has made has been on the base paths. After stealing just six bases in 11 attempts during the first half, Rosario is 10-for-15 in 37 games since the break. He’s also hitting leadoff for the Mets (who have quietly been scoring a ton of runs lately), allowing him to cross the plate 21 times in 26 August contests.
Joey Wendle, 2B/3B/OF, Tampa Bay (23% owned)
Since June 28, Wendle has failed to record a hit in just eight of 50 games played, and one of those was just a pinch-hit appearance. A two-hit night on Saturday gave him 19 such efforts during the same span, and extended his current hitting streak to seven games. His counting stats this season have been modest, but Wendle has also been running more lately, with four steals in his last six games.
Adalberto Mondesi, 2B/SS, Kansas City Royals (14% owned)
An 0-for-4 performance brought an end to a four-game multi-hit streak for Mondesi. He blasted a pair of homers and stole two bases during that time, while scoring five runs and driving in five more. All of which is to say that while Mondesi’s primary value comes from his speed (18 steals in 172 plate appearances), he can contribute in the other categories as well. The plate approach leaves plenty to be desired, but a .266 average is perfectly fine in the current environment, and the 23-year-old also has six homers and respectable run production on his ledger.
Adam Frazier, 2B/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (3% owned)
The Pirates have fallen out of the playoff race in recent weeks, but it’s not for lack of effort or results from Frazier. The utility man has found his way to regular at-bats and is making the most of them. Demoted to the minor leagues in June, Frazier has hit a scorching .344/.404/.602 with four homers and 32 R+BI since returning to the big club on July 25. He’s easily worth owning in deep and NL-only leagues, and will merit consideration in shallower formats if this surge persists.
