FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
Dylan Beavers (OF Orioles): Rostered in 2% of Yahoo leagues
This has to be the time. With just 45 days left in the season as of Friday, the Orioles can now safely promote Beavers and keep him Rookie of the Year eligible in 2026. The move should have happened the day after Ramón Laureano was traded, and Beavers being trapped in Triple-A has only become more ridiculous with Tyler O’Neill and Colton Cowser landing on the IL. The Orioles have used Dylan Carlson, Daniel Johnson, Greg Allen, Ryan Noda and Jeremiah Jackson to cover the outfield in recent days, even as Beavers has hit .305/.420/.518 with 18 homers and 23 steals for Triple-A Norfolk.
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The 33rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, Beavers has taken a major step forward this year in simultaneously adding power and cutting back on his strikeouts. He fanned 23.5% of the time in a 2024 campaign spent mostly in Double-A. This year, he’s at just 17.9% and has barely more strikeouts (74) than walks (67) in 413 plate appearances. His power potential is still in question. He’s big-time flyball hitter with pretty average exit velocity numbers and only an average pull rate. Yanking more of his 360-foot flies down the right field line is going to be a must for him in the majors. Fortunately, Camden Yards is kind to left-handed power.
Beavers might not be someone who succeeds right away. His patience at the plate has been greatly rewarded with the tight, ABS-controlled strike zone in Triple-A, and he’ll be seeing pitchers with better stuff get strike calls off the corners in the majors. Hitting for average probably won’t happen immediately. Still, he’s been ready for his first look for weeks now, and even if he doesn’t thrive immediately, his basestealing ability could help him amass some mixed-league value.
Landen Roupp (SP Giants): Rostered in 29% of Yahoo leagues
Roupp missed most of 2023 and spent much of 2024 in the bullpen, throwing just 76 2/3 innings, making one wonder how he was going to hold up as a full-time starter for the Giants this season. He was already up to 101 1/3 innings — just six off his career high from 2022 — when he went on the IL last month with elbow inflammation. That’s not great, of course, but it did give him the break he probably needed to help remain strong into September.
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The 26-year-old Roupp has impressed for the most part in his return to the rotation. He had a 4.73 ERA in his first eight starts, but his…