Catcher
Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins
Late in the fantasy baseball season, the grind has every contending owner scratching to find any player to help them move up the standings. Jeffers flashed on Tuesday night when he went 3-for-3 with two runs, a home run, and four RBI. His home run (13) and RBI (34) grade well this season over 241 at-bats, but Jeffers only hit .167 over his previous 84 at-bats with three home runs and four RBI. At best, he is a one-week filler for a team looking for power at catcher.
MORE: Last week's waiver wire
First Base
Gavin Sheets, Chicago White Sox
With Andrew Vaughn placed on the injured list with a lower back issue, Sheets earned a bump in playing time this week (4-for-10 with two runs, one home run, and four RBI). Since returning to the majors on September 1st, he has hit .257 over 35 at-bats with three home runs and 10 RBI. Sheets played well this year at AAA (.295/36/11/46 over 227 at-bats). His bat is trending up with the most value coming in deep formats.
Second Base
Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres
Profar has been a bust for over five months this year. His lack of production (four home runs and 31 RBI over 320 at-bats) led to him losing playing time after the All-Star break. The Padres hit him first in the lineup this week, and he has a mini three-game hitting streak (4-for-14 with four runs, one home run, and two RBI). If he builds off his recent success with everyday at-bats, I will take a flier on him this weekend on the waiver wire.
Third Base
Colton Welker, Colorado Rockies
Over the past week, Welker picked up four starts in six games, but he hit .222 over 18 at-bats with five runs and one RBI. His season at AAA started with an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. He hit .337 over his first 918 at-bats in the minors with 24 home runs, 151 RBI, and 16 steals. In 2021 at AAA, Welker posted a .286 batting average with three home runs and 18 RBI over 86 at-bats. His intrigue for me is the Rockies set to begin a nine-game stretch at home next week.
Shortstop
Elvis Andrus, Oakland A’s
The bat of Andrus lacked juice this season, leading to only three home runs and 36 RBI over 474 at-bats. Over his previous nine starts, he went 13-for-28 with eight runs and six RBI to raise his season average to .241. His only possible help looks to be runs and steals, but Andrus is playing much better in the middle of September.
Outfield
Jose Siri, Houston Astros
I had Siri on a couple of my high-stakes threads last week after seeing Michael Brantley was battling a knee issue. Unfortunately, I failed to roster him. On Monday night, Siri delivered a big game (4-for-5 with three runs, two home runs, and five RBI) after Houston placed Brantley on the injured list. His bat shined at AAA (.318 with 16 home runs, 72 RBI, and 24 steals over 362 at-bats). Siri already has three steals over 16 at-bats with the Astros. He should be a good pickup over the final two weeks of the season.
Bryan De La Cruz, Miami Marlins
I’m still surprised that De La Cruz remains in the free-agent pool in 78 percent of 12-team leagues in the high-stakes market. Over his past 11 games, he hit .350 with eight runs, three home runs, and seven RBI. He batted .328 with 62 runs, 17 home runs, and 67 RBI over 415 at-bats between AAA and the majors.
Kyle Isbel, Kansas City Royals
For a fantasy team looking for a balanced player down the stretch, Isbel delivered a productive season at AAA (.264 with 62 runs, 16 home runs, 55 RBI, and 21 stolen bases over 394 at-bats). This week, Kansas City gave him three starts over four games (4-for-12 with three runs, one home run, and three RBI). Isbel fits more for a roster looking for a possible speed out with any other production being a bonus.
Starting Pitching
Shane Bieber, Cleveland Guardians
On Tuesday, Bieber made his way through 2.2 innings at AAA, leading to a run, three hits, and three strikeouts. His progression gives him a chance to be in the majors over the final two weeks of the season, but it would be difficult for him to pitch more than five innings in a game. At best, Bieber will get two starts to end the year with Cleveland.
Dietrich Enns, Tampa Bay Rays
After a slow start to his major league career over four games (six runs and five baserunners over nine innings with 10 strikeouts) in 2021, Enns pitched at a high level over his previous three appearances (2-0 with one run over 11 innings and a dozen strikeouts). His left arm dominated over 17 games at AAA (2.53 ERA and 84 strikeouts over 67.2 innings), which came after struggling over two seasons in the minors (5.68 ERA and 211 strikeouts over 266 innings). The Rays have used him after an opener in back-to-back outings, increasing his chance of winning games. As a result, Enns should be fantasy-relevant over the final two weeks of the season.
Shane Baz, Tampa Bay Rays
The elite pitching train to Tampa continues to bring elite arms. The Rays had Baz as a possible starting option this week, but a back issue clouds his debut date. Over his 17 starts between AA and AAA, he posted a 2.06 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 113 strikeouts over 78.2 innings. For now, put him on your player watch if he does get a chance to start for Tampa next week.
Alex Cobb, Los Angeles Angels
After missing almost two months with a wrist issue, Cobb returned to the Angels starting rotation this week. What looked to be a poor matchup against the White Sox ended with a win and five shutout innings with five strikeouts. Over his last five games, Cobb has a 0.91 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 29.2 innings. I expect him to have three more starts to end the season.
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