Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Five corner infielders to consider adding
The following corner infielders are widely available in Yahoo formats and may be worth adding, depending on your fantasy baseball league’s depth.
Edwin Rios, 1B/3B, Los Angeles Dodgers (11% rostered)
There was spring training buzz about a healthy Rios looking much better at the plate, and he’s now looking at more playing time with Max Muncy going to the IL. Thanks to the DH, Rios has suddenly started 10 straight games, and he’s slugged five homers over just 66 ABs against right-handers this season. Rios has potential to rack up counting stats to go along with providing power while hitting in the middle of a Dodgers lineup that easily leads MLB in wRC+ and has Mookie Betts on pace to score 170 runs this season. Muncy has been slowed all season by his ongoing elbow injury and is without a timetable to return, so Rios’ new everyday role could last indefinitely.
Evan Longoria, 3B, San Francisco Giants (9%)
Longoria got off to a slow start after returning from finger surgery in May, which wasn’t exactly surprising after missing spring training. He’s heated up since, swatting four homers with eight RBI over the last four games. Longoria was in the top 1% of the league in average exit velocity last year, when he hit 13 homers with 45 runs scored and 46 RBI over exactly half a season. With Anthony Rendon, Kris Bryant, Max Muncy and Josh Donaldson recently joining Adalberto Mondesi on the IL, an already weak third base position has become even thinner. Longoria is unlikely to stay healthy himself over the rest of the season, but he’s worth adding even in shallower leagues while healthy.
The sample is small in 2022, but Oracle Park in San Francisco has also played incredibly hitter-friendly for right-handed batters so far (they introduced a humidor for the first time, which likely has a favorable effect on hitting given the climate in the Bay).
Keston Hiura, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers (2%)
After a brief five-game stint in Triple-A in which Hiura posted a 266 wRC+ with a .421/.522/.895 line, Hiura has homered three times over seven starts since getting recalled by the Brewers. He’s always going to be a batting average risk given his strikeout rate, but Hiura was a top-10 pick once viewed as a legit prospect, so there’s upside if he’s figured it out (a new batting stance had many optimistic entering 2022). Hiura has the second-highest average exit velocity over the last month and has been miscast as a platoon guy, as he quietly entered Monday with the highest OPS and wRC+ against right-handed pitchers this season. It’s a tiny sample, but he’s also been far better against them with pronounced reverse splits throughout his career. Hopefully manager Craig Counsell starts using him correctly moving forward.
[Play in one of Yahoo's MLB DFS contests]
Garrett Cooper, 1B/OF, Miami Marlins (5%)
Cooper has been one of baseball’s best hitters recently yet remains widely available in fantasy leagues despite an under the radar batted ball profile that features a .286 expected batting average (the league is collectively hitting an all-time low .239 this season) and an expected wOBA in the 84th percentile. With Miami going from MLB’s most extreme pitcher’s park last season to a hitter-friendly venue this year (including being favorable for right-handed power) and batting second behind one of the hottest hitters in baseball in Jorge Soler, Cooper’s situation isn’t so bad either.
Hunter Dozier, 1B/3B/OF, Kansas City Royals (32%)
Continuing to show an improved strikeout rate, Dozier is batting .309/.375/.457 in May and sports a 126 wRC+ this season that ranks top-50 among all hitters. He’s two years removed from swatting 26 homers with 84 RBI in fewer than 140 games and capable of adding a handful of steals. The three position multi-eligibility is a nice bonus for Dozier as well, making him another strong add for those searching for corner infield help.
