Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season.
The premise is pretty straightforward. I’ll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I’ll list the category where I think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. I hope it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs.
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For a player to qualify for this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and I can’t help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they’re available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types.
MLB: Tampa Bay Rays at Arizona Diamondbacks
Jac Caglianone, Camilo Doval and Addison Barger surge in the June 2 rankings update.
Waiver Wire Hitters
Miguel Vargas – 1B/3B/OF, CWS: 39% rostered
(POST HYPE PROSPECT, EMERGING POWER)
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Earlier this season, Vargas appeared in my article on hitters to add based on their plate discipline and contact rates. Vargas is chasing at a super low rate, making 85% contact overall and rarely swinging and missing. He’s pulling the ball slightly less this season and has focused less on lifting the ball, which is a good change. He doesn’t smoke the ball, but a 90 mph average exit velocity is pretty good, and he’s playing every day in Chicago. He had a really strong month of May and while he has struggled a bit to start June, his plate discipline remains really strong, and so I expect another hot stretch to come.
Tyler Stephenson – C, CIN: 36% rostered
(HOT STREAK, POWER UPSIDE)
Stephenson didn’t exactly hit the ground running when he was activated off the IL, but he seems to be turning it on of late, hitting .308./373/.596 over his last 15 games with four home runs and 11 RBIs. I would consider him in one-catcher formats if you don’t have the Contreras brothers, Cal Raleigh, Will Smith, Hunter Goodman, Logan O’Hoppe, or Adley Rutschman. If you’re looking for an option in a two-catcher format, you can go with Carlos Narvaez – C, BOS (7% rostered). It seems as though Narvaez has emerged as the starting catcher and one of the better rookies in the AL. He was known primarily for…