Catcher
Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays
Five months into the 2021 baseball season, Kirk only had 97 at-bats (.278 with three home runs and 15 RBI). He came into the year as an upside C2 in deep leagues, with his best asset being his ability to control the strike zone with his bat. Kirk did miss two and a half months earlier in the year with a hip flexor injury. Entering this weekend, he has a five-game hitting streak (6-for-17) with a run and two RBI. The Blue Jays had him in their starting lineup in four of their five games, pointing to Kirk offering more fantasy value down the stretch. He remains in the free-agent pool in 44 percent of the leagues in the 12-team high-stakes market. I expect a bump in power with help in batting average in September.
First Base
Conner Joe, Colorado Rockies
In shallow formats, Joe remains a waiver-wire option in over 50 percent of leagues. Over the past week or so, the Rockies placed Raisel Tapia and Yonathan Daza on the injured list, clearing the way for him to see more playing time. Joe hit .325 over his last 80 at-bats with 14 runs, seven home runs, and 22 RBI while showcasing more success at home (.348 with five home runs and 17 RBI over 69 at-bats) in his limited major league career. Colorado plays three games in Texas next week, followed by seven games at home (ATL and SF). Joe should be rostered in all formats.
Second Base
Nick Solak, Texas Rangers
Despite playing well the first six weeks of the season (.271 with 29 runs, seven home runs, 19 RBI, and two steals over 155 at-bats), Solak hit his way back to the minors after struggling in his next 51 games (.184 with two home runs and 15 RBI). He gained his form at AAA (.353 with one home run and six RBI over 85 at-bats). Texas gave him starting at-bats in four of their past five matchups, leading to six hits in 18 at-bats with one home run and three RBI. Solak has some underlying speed with enough power to hit over 20 home runs with an entire season of at-bats. He faces three low-ranking pitching staffs (COL, LAA, and ARI) starting next week.
Shortstop
Ramon Urias, Baltimore Orioles
Over the previous week, Urias went 11-for-26 with six runs, two home runs, and nine RBI, helping believers up the standings. Baltimore has had him in their starting lineup over the past 11 games. He has a journeyman resume in the minors (.268 with 29 home runs and 160 RBI over 1,055 at-bats covering five seasons). Urias has the feel of a bridge player while he is hot. His best success came in 2017 (.340/91/19/79/12 over 388 at-bats) in Mexico.
Third Base
Andy Ibanez, Texas Rangers
There has been fire in the bat of Ibanez over his 10-game hitting streak (19-for-38), but his production (five runs, one home run, and five RBI) over this span won’t excite many fantasy owners. He remains in the free-agent pool in 99 percent of 12-team leagues in the high-stakes market. Ibanez played well over three AAA seasons (.298 with 38 home runs, 145 RBI, and nine steals over 1,035), giving him the resume to push higher in power in 2021.
Outfield
Eddie Rosario, Atlanta Braves
The Braves should call up Rosario this weekend after spending the past 13 games at AAA (.196 over 51 at-bats with four home runs and 16 RBI) in his rehab assignment. He played much better over the previous week (9-for-31 with seven runs, four home runs, and 14 RBI), signaling Atlanta that he is ready for the majors. Rosario failed to match his previous power in his first season with Cleveland (.254 with seven home runs and 46 RBI over 283 at-bats) in 2021 before suffering an abdomen injury.
Yoshi Tsutsugo, Pittsburgh Pirates
The major leagues haven’t treated Tsutsugo well in batting average (.192) over his first 281 at-bats, but his production (39 runs, 12 home runs, and 37 RBI) came in better than expected, considering his struggles to make contact (94 strikeouts over 325 at-bats). So after failing in Tampa and Los Angeles in 2021, the Pirates took a shot on him in July. Despite making only two starts over the last week, Tsutsugo flashed his missing power (5-for-13 with four runs, four home runs, and six RBI). However, he remains only a bench dart in deep leagues until his playing time improves.
Brad Miller, Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia lost Rhys Hoskins for the season with an abdominal injury that required surgery. His issue opens up a window for Miller to start almost every day in September. His swing offers power (12 home runs and 34 RBI over 244 at-bats), but Miller does bring batting average risk due to his high number of strikeouts (89 over 276 plate appearances – 32.2 percent). In addition, he tends to be streaky, highlighted by his struggles over his past 15 games (5-for-41 with three runs, two home runs, and four RBI). As a result, Miller makes the most sense in deep formats for someone looking for at-bats and a potential bump in home runs.
Starting Pitching
Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins
After two-plus months on the injured list at AAA with a biceps injury, Cabrera hit his stride in late July over five starts (2.73 ERA and 46 strikeouts over 26.1 innings). He allowed three runs, seven baserunners, and two home runs over 6.1 innings with two strikeouts in his major league debut. Cabrera should be a hot commodity this week on the waiver wire. Over his previous 32 games in the minors, he posted a 2.51 ERA and 208 strikeouts over 158 innings. His average fastball came in at 97.1 mph in his first start for Miami.
Chris Archer, Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays continue to churn pitchers due to many injuries. Chris Archer had his best success with Tampa from 2013 to 2015 (3.26 ERA and 526 strikeouts over 535.1 innings). After two down seasons and a trade to the Pirates, he struggled to regain his form. The Rays signed Archer to a $6.5 million deal in early February, but a forearm injury derailed his push back to the majors until mid-July. Archer pitched well over six minor league games (3.52 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 15.1 innings), leading to his call-up. In his last appearance with Tampa, Archer tossed two shutout innings with four strikeouts. Based on his final appearance at AAA (4.2 innings), he looks capable of pitching at least five innings for the Rays. However, Archer is more of a flier until he shows more depth in his starts.
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