It may be time for the MLB All-Star break, but we still have work to do on the fantasy baseball waiver wire.

The few days off we get for the mid-summer classic is when the casual fantasy player breathes a sigh of relief and tries to sit back, relax and forget about the grind that is a full baseball season. The savvy fantasy player, also known as your impending league champion, is still very much hard at work looking for any possible edge. They’re going through the latest MLB injuries, figuring out which roster holes need a patch-job and which categories should be focused on for that second-half push. They don’t take a day off and neither do we at Fantasy Alarm.

 

 

Not that a reminder is needed, but always check in with the previous week’s waiver column and the most recent Fantasy Baseball Stock Watch. You should also check the most-recent Streaming Starters piece as well. We may not have any two-start pitchers this week, but there are definitely some arms available to stream.

**Please keep in mind, these FAAB bids are a guideline, not the gospel. You should be keeping track of how everyone in your league is bidding, so you understand that if you really need the player, you should raise your bid accordingly.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Catchers

Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds

You always wonder what sparks a player who suddenly sees everything clicking for him and Stephenson is the perfect example. He’s spent the majority of the first half struggling with his consistency at the plate, but looks like he’s heading into the break with the perfect mindset as he’s now hit safely in six of his last seven games and looks dialed-in for each at-bat. Through this recent tear, Stephenson is batting .333 (10-for-30) with three multi-hit performances, three doubles, four home runs and eight RBI. Obviously, this pace won’t be kept up, but the power behind the plate is always needed. FAAB: 3-5%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: First Basemen

Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs

He’s streaky, for sure, but if you’re looking to strike while the iron is hot, Busch is in a great spot for you right now, especially if you’re looking for cheap power. Owned in fewer than 30-percent of leagues on ESPN and Yahoo, Busch has now hit safely in nine of his last 11 games, batting .362 (17-for-47) with five multi-hit games, six doubles, two home runs and six RBI. Best of all, the Cubs open the second half with a six-game homestand at Wrigley and then have a three-game set at Great American Smallpark with a stop in Kansas City in between. No real travel coming up which is always a bonus for the players. FAAB: 4-6%

Spencer Horwitz, Toronto Blue Jays

The overall production is middle-of-the-road, at best, but if you’re looking for someone who is receiving every-day at-bats and can give you a little boost in batting average, Horwitz plays. He also qualifies at second base, so he’s got both middle and corner infield eligibility. Over the last 12 games, he’s hit safely in nine and is batting .349 (15-for-43) with three doubles, two home runs and five RBI. He’ll remain an active part of this lineup as the second half opens and is rostered in fewer than 10-percent of leagues. FAAB: 3-5%

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Second Basemen

Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers

Always nice to see a guy you drafted as a late-round bargain turn out a strong effort, even if it comes at the tail-end of the first half. The Tigers aren’t going to the playoffs so there’s no reason not to play Keith even through some of the slumps. But right now, he is far from slumping, hitting safely in nine of his last 11 games and coming off a nice eight-game hit streak. Over these last 11, Keith is batting .410 (16-for-39) with six multi-hit performances, one double, five home runs and 13 RBI. He even kicked in a stolen base. Wildly under-owned across the board, he also has third-base eligibility, so he also helps your roster flexibility. FAAB: 4-6%

Luis Garcia Jr., Washington Nationals

We’ve had Garcia in and out of this column throughout the first half and we’ll let him open the second with some notoriety as he is rostered in fewer than 20-percent of leagues still. Garcia is heading into Sunday’s action riding a five-game hit streak and has now hit safely in nine of his last 10 games. Through this stretch, he is batting .459 (17-for-37) with three doubles, four home runs, nine RBI and one stolen base. The overall production this season has been way better than expected, particularly the .281 batting average, so look for hm to open the second half strong. FAAB: 3-5%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Third Basemen

Deyvison De Los Santos, Arizona Diamondbacks

We always like to give you a stash play and here it is before the rest of the mainstream figures it out from the upcoming Futures Game. The 21-year-old has been splitting him time between first and third base, so he should have eligibility in both spots upon his eventual call-up. He opened the season at Double-A Amarillo, hit .372 with 14 home runs and 37 RBI over 38 games and was promptly promoted to Triple-A Reno where the hitting hasn’t stopped. You always have to take PCL stats with a grain of salt as virtually every ballpark is a hitter’s paradise, but you still can’t ignore the .340 OBP that has come with 13 homers and 45 RBI over 44 games. Strikeouts will be an early issue, so keep things sensible, but you’re going to want to add him when he gets the call, so you may as well be proactive and stash him now. FAAB: 5-7%

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Shortstops

Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals

Wildly underrated as evidenced by his 15-percent rostership across ESPN and Yahoo leagues, Winn continues to be a productive asset for a Cardinals team that has pushed itself right back into the race for the NL Central title. His July has been as solid as the rest of his first half, batting .300 with one home run, five RBI, 10 runs scored and a stolen base over 12 games and he continues to find his way to the top of the St. Louis lineup. Sure, he doesn’t have the power we’ve seen at the position this year, but the consistency with which he is producing is huge, particularly in head-to-head formats. FAAB: 6-8%

Angel Martinez, Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians brought Martinez up in late-June and the versatile fielder has found his way into the lineup on a regular basis here in July. There is nothing eye-popping about the .256 average with two homers and four RBI, but that .373 OBP he’s provided over just 12 games is super-helpful in most formats. While he’s listed here as a shortstop, Martinez should qualify all over the infield which means you have yourself a solid stopgap for all over your roster. If you’re just looking to fill a hole while you await a star to come off the injured list, Matinez fits the bill. FAAB: 3-5%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Outfielders

Rece Hinds, Cincinnati Reds

I’ve been using Hinds primarily in MLB DFS right now, but he does go in and out of my starting lineup in a couple of deeper leagues. Coming into Sunday’s action, Hinds has hit safely in all six games he’s played and is slashing an unheard of .500/.542/1.409 with five home runs, 11 RBI, seven runs scored and two stolen bases. Granted, all of this comes with a strikeout rate close to 30-percent, but so long as he’s riding this wave, you need to keep rolling with him. We’ll see how the outfield shales out once TJ Friedl and Stuart Fairchild come back, but it’s going to be tough to sit this bat right now. FAAB: 8-10%

Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia Phillies

Why wouldn’t you want the Phillies starting leftfielder? The team is the hottest in baseball right now an they’re looking to maintain this level of dominance the moment the second half opens. Marsh can be streaky and there may be a time or two when he sits against a tough lefty, but we know there’s solid power to be had and he hustles a ton which even gives him some stolen base potential. The two homers and two steals over his last six games will show you that. FAAB: 5-7% 

Masataka Yoshida, Boston Red Sox

We can’t really get category-specific with Yoshida at this point – maybe some runs scored and a little bit of batting average help, but what I like about Yoshida is the regular playing time. The Red Sox like his defense and if he’s in the lineup every day, he’s going to provide some help. At-bats equal opportunity – it’s the easiest equation in baseball. The Red Sox open the second half with a west coast trip that starts in Los Angeles where he will reunite with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto and then it’s off to hitter-friendly Coors Field before a return home to rehash the rivalry with the Yankees. FAAB: 4-6%

Matt Wallner, Minnesota Twins

Since being called back up after the Fourth of July, Wallner has hit safely in five-straight games, batting .421 (8-for-19) with two doubles, two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored. He’s not a high-average guy, but there is definite power to be had, so if you’re looking in that direction, Wallner seems very undervalued. While the Twins are dealing with a rash of injuries, Wallner should stay and get some at-bats at DH and in the outfield as a lefty bat off the bench. FAAB: 3-5%

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Starting Pitchers

Reese Olson, Detroit Tigers

Another guy who’s been in and out of this column all season. Wildly underrated, Olson continues to pitch well, following his early-June hiccup. He has four quality starts over his last five outings and the one that didn’t register as a QS, he allowed just one run over 5.2 innings. He’s added three wins over this five-game run and has an ERA of 2.40 with 31 strikeouts over 30 innings. The Tigers haven’t set their second-half rotation yet, but a start in either Toronto or Cleveland should yield similar results to what we’ve witnessed all season long. FAAB: 6-8%

Jameson Taillon, Chicago Cubs

While I’ve never been a huge Taillon fan, you can’t argue with the recent results at all. He’s tossed six-straight quality starts with an ERA of 2.37 and 37 strikeouts over 38 innings. The Cubs open up with a six-game homestand where Taillon has a 2.91 ERA on the season and then it’s off to Kansas City so he’s likely to squeeze in two solid starts for you when things start back up. FAAB: 6-8%

Sean Manaea, New York Mets

Whether you like the player or not, you can’t argue against the recent results. The Mets southpaw has posted three-straight quality starts with a 1.80 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 20 innings. Granted, the three teams he’s faced were the Nationals, Pirates and Rockies (in New York), but he’s going to open up the second half against Miami and then faces a Braves team that has really stumbled heading into the All-Star break. That Miami start alone should be worth the price of admission. FAAB: 4-6%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Closers/Relief Pitchers

Alex Vesia, Los Angeles Dodgers

Maybe it’s because he popped up on the Fantasy Alarm Closer Grid or maybe it’s because I’m dealing with a rash of bullpen issues in one of my “saves plus holds” leagues, but Vesia has provided nine-straight innings with just one run allowed, two saves and a strikeout per inning since I grabbed him in late-June. He’s not exactly racking up the holds right now, but there is definite promise for that in the future. What I also like is the help he provides over a week’s time as he’s making fairly regular appearances. Should anything happen to Evan Phillips, Vesia will likely step in and share the workload with Daniel Hudon. FAAB: 2-4%