Waiver Wired: Redemption Time?
One of the most popular adds in mixed leagues over the past two weeks has been Marlins shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria. He's all the way up to 70 percent owned in Yahoo leagues, higher than the likes of new teammate Martin Prado, Erick Aybar, and even last week's waiver wire sensation Addison Russell. Early-season small samples are a heck of a thing. Check out my thoughts on him as well as Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana in this week's "Buy, Sell, or Hold" video:
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MIXED LEAGUES
Rusney Castillo OF, Red Sox (Yahoo: 44 percent owned)
Castillo began the season with Triple-A Pawtucket after missing a bunch of time during spring training with an oblique injury, but he only played three games before jamming his right shoulder while attempting to make a diving catch. However, he's back to full health now and returned to action Wednesday with the PawSox as the designated hitter. The 27-year-old just needs to get some regular playing time right now, so I don't think the Red Sox are in a rush to bring him back to the majors, but he still has the chance to be an impact performer this season and should be owned if you have the roster flexibility. Shane Victorino figures to return from his right hamstring strain soon, but I wouldn't count on him to stay healthy or produce enough to get in Castillo's way.
John Axford RP, Rockies (Yahoo: 46 percent owned)
Adam Ottavino's first stint as closer proved to be short-lived, but it had nothing to do with his performance. He was placed on the disabled list this week with right triceps inflammation and an elbow injury. The timeline for his return is up in the air, but Axford will handle save chances for now. The veteran right-hander has enjoyed success in the role in the past and already has three saves this season to go along with six strikeouts over five scoreless innings. Home runs have hurt him in a big way over the past two seasons, which is a bit scary with the backdrop of Coors Field, but he needs to be owned in all formats as long as he has the job.
Josh Hamilton OF, Rangers (Yahoo: 31 percent owned)
Hamilton's tenure with the Angels ended in awkward and ugly fashion after his relapse, but his return to Texas will hopefully be a good thing for him personally as well as on the field. While his contract with the Angels was viewed as a bust even before the drama surrounding his relapse, he amassed a 110 OPS+ from 2013-2014, so he was still an above-average hitter. It's worth noting that he had an .814 OPS on the road during that time compared to a .661 OPS at home, so I'm optimistic that he'll put up some good numbers now that he'll be back in his old hitter-friendly ballpark. He turns 34 in May and is working his way back from shoulder surgery, so it's no sure thing obviously, but he's a fine pickup as far as DL-stashes go. The Rangers believe that he'll be ready by mid-to-late May.
Andrelton Simmons SS, Braves (Yahoo: 19 percent owned)
After smacking 17 home runs during his first full season in 2013, Simmons was a popular breakout pick last spring. It didn't really work out that way, as the 25-year-old took a step back by batting just .244 with seven home runs and .617 OPS. He continued to dazzle with the glove, but that didn't help fantasy owners. I get why those in mixed leagues have shied away from him this year, but I still see the ingredients of a useful player. His contact rate is well above the league average, hinting as some untapped batting average upside. We probably won't see 17 home runs again as long as his ground ball rate remains above 50 percent, but reaching double-digits would still help in deeper formats. He has batted second in five straight games, which greatly improves his ability to amass counting stats.
Andre Ethier OF, Dodgers (Yahoo: 11 percent owned)
With the recent injuries to Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford, Ethier is part of the starting lineup for the Dodgers once again. While the 33-year-old is coming off the worst year of his career, he's batting .304/.400/.587 with three home runs and eight RBI across his first 19 games this season. His playing time might be compromised when Puig comes back, as Dodgers manager Don Mattingly will also likely try to find at-bats for Alex Guerrero (Yahoo: 48 percent owned) and Scott Van Slyke (I'll get to him below), but he's worth playing in deeper formats when a right-hander is on the mound.
Yimi Garcia RP, Dodgers (Yahoo: 39 percent owned)
Kenley Jansen is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment on Friday as he works his way back from foot surgery and should join the Dodgers by mid-May if there are no setbacks, but Garcia appears to be the best arm to own in this bullpen in the short-term now that Joel Peralta is on the disabled list. Armed with a low-to-mid 90s fastball and an improved (and nasty) slider, the 24-year-old right-hander has an 0.77 ERA and 19/3 K/BB ratio over 11 2/3 innings this season. He notched his first career save last week and could get another couple of chances before Jansen returns.
Jimmy Paredes 3B, Orioles (Yahoo: 27 percent owned)
Last year it was Steve Pearce who provided an unexpected breakout with Baltimore. Could it be Paredes' turn this year? It looks like we'll at least get the opportunity to find out, as the the playing time will be there with J.J. Hardy and Jonathan Schoop both sidelined. The 26-year-old has struggled in sporadic playing time in the majors dating back to 2011, but he offers an intriguing combo of speed and pop and has been batting near the top of Buck Showalter's lineup.
Josh Reddick OF, Athletics (Yahoo: 22 percent owned)
Reddick has been on fire since getting a late start on the season due to an oblique strain, batting .358 (19-for-53) with six extra-base hits (including two home runs), 12 RBI, and two stolen bases across 15 games. While strikeouts were a big issue for him early on in his career, he has made sizable improvements in that area in recent seasons and isn't as big of a batting average risk as he once was. It's tough to count on him to stay healthy, but there's some nice power upside here and he's also capable of stealing a few bags.
J.A. Happ SP, Mariners (Yahoo: 14 percent owned)
Happ had some momentum as a deep sleeper after a strong finish last year and he has validated that sentiment with his new team, posting a stingy 2.30 ERA and 18/3 K/BB ratio in 27 1/3 innings across four starts. He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in all of them. The southpaw is not someone I'd trust every time out just yet, but he's very appealing as a widely available matchup play. I like him for a start on Sunday against the Astros, even though it's on the road.
A.J. Ramos RP, Marlins (Yahoo: 12 percent owned)
As I said in this week's Rotoworld Mailbag, I have concerns about Marlins closer Steve Cishek at the moment. The average velocity of his fastball and slider are down about two MPH from where he was last season. He went through a similar thing last April only to get his velocity back as the year went along, so perhaps we'll see the same thing this year, but there's no guarantee that will happen again. With that in mind, it makes sense to speculative on the alternatives. Ramos owns a 2.66 ERA with 10.3 K/9 in the majors, so he would be my top choice in this bullpen even with his control issues. Bryan Morris (Yahoo: 2 percent owned) is the other obvious stash as we wait this situation out.
Jarred Cosart SP, Marlins (Yahoo: 11 percent owned)
I'm still waiting for Cosart to miss some bats, but he owns a 2.42 ERA across his first 14 starts with the Marlins, including a 2.49 ERA through four starts this season. The 24-year-old has averaged just 5.4 K/9 so far in the majors, but his control has improved and his ground ball rate is well above 50 percent. He has allowed just 11 home runs in 205 2/3 innings dating back to the start of last season, so there's a good chance he'll keep the ball in the ballpark. He makes sense as a streaming option for a start against the Phillies at home this weekend.
Shopping at the five-and-dime:
(Players owned in under 10 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Scott Van Slyke 1B/OF, Dodgers (Yahoo: 2 percent owned)
Similar to the situation with Andre Ethier mentioned above, Van Slyke should benefit due to the injuries to Yasiel Puig and Carl Crawford. The 28-year-old slugged 11 homers in just 246 plate appearances last season and is off to another strong start this season. Fantasy owners will have to watch Don Mattingly's lineup card carefully, as Alex Guerrero also figures to get some at-bats, but Van Slyke has plenty of appeal in leagues which allow for daily lineup changes. This especially goes for when a left-hander is on the mound.
Maikel Franco 3B, Phillies (Yahoo: 2 percent owned)
Cody Asche has resumed taking balls in left field, so it's just a matter of time before Franco makes his way back to the majors as the regular third baseman. Just when that will occur is unclear, but Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com notes that it likely won't be until after May 15 due to service time considerations. So you have some time to wait here. The 22-year-old didn't do much during his first stint with the big club last September and there are questions about his plate discipline, but his pop could make him relevant as a CI (corner infielder) right away. Stay tuned.
AL ONLY
Marwin Gonzalez 2B/3B/SS, Astros (Yahoo: 0 percent owned)
Jed Lowrie was off to a great start after returning to the Astros on a three-year, $23 million contract, but he suffered a ligament tear in his thumb on Tuesday and will be sidelined until after the All-Star break. Jonathan Villar was called up to take his place on the roster and has some serious speed, but Gonzalez might have the edge with playing time at shortstop. The 26-year-old hit .277 with six homers and a .727 OPS in 103 games last season and has multi-position eligibility going for him, so he's a solid pickup.
Chase Whitley SP/RP, Yankees (Yahoo: 1 percent owned)
Whitley showed some good potential as a starter with the Yankees last season and he'll get another crack at it now that Masahiro Tanaka is sidelined with wrist tendinitis and a forearm strain. The 25-year-old pitched well in his season debut on Tuesday against the Rays, allowing one run over five innings while striking five and walking just one. His next start will be against the Blue Jays, which isn't the most promising matchup, but he should have value as long as he holds down a rotation spot.
NL ONLY
Tim Cooney SP, Cardinals (Yahoo: N/A)
The Cardinals were dealt a brutal blow on Saturday, as ace Adam Wainwright suffered a torn Achilles and will miss the rest of the season. Jaime Garcia and Marco Gonzales are both rehabbing shoulder injuries right now, so Cooney will get the first crack at replacing him in the starting rotation. A third-round pick from 2012, the 24-year-old owns a 3.50 ERA in the minors with 7.6 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9. He should be owned in all NL-only leagues as long as he has a spot and could even have some matchup appeal in mixed formats.
Mike Foltynewicz RP, Braves (Yahoo: 0 percent owned)
The Braves used Trevor Cahill out of the bullpen on Wednesday, so the speculation is that Foltynewicz could be called up to start Friday against the Reds. Acquired from the Astros in the Evan Gattis deal over the winter, the hard-throwing 23-year-old has posted a 2.08 ERA and 30/10 K/BB ratio in 21 2/3 innings across his first four starts with Triple-A Gwinnett this season. Control is a big issue for him, so there is serious blow-up potential here, but he's an exciting arm.
