Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: With Andrés Muñoz down, Matt Brash is among priority pickups
The following players are widely available in Yahoo Fantasy Baseball formats and might be worth grabbing, depending on your league’s depth.
Francisco Álvarez, New York Mets (35% rostered)
New York’s top prospect was called up over the weekend, with Omar Narváez out at least the next two months due to a calf strain. Álvarez will split work behind the plate with Tomas Nido and see time at DH, so it will take some patience before he’s catcher-eligible. Álvarez is likely to hit toward the bottom of the lineup, and New York is one of MLB’s best pitcher’s parks, so he’s a better option for two-catcher and/or deeper fantasy leagues. But Álvarez has “70” grade power, and catcher is by far the thinnest fantasy position, so there’s also real upside here. Álvarez smacked 27 homers across Double and Triple-A last season over just 411 at-bats, and THE BAT X is projecting a 115 wRC+ the rest of the season.
Myles Straw, Cleveland Guardians (last call — 58%)
Straw was one of fantasy’s bigger busts last season, but he's now looking like the player many expected him to be in 2022. He offers zero power and is clearly playing over his head right now, but Straw has struck out as often as he has walked, and his BB rate is in the top 6% of the league. His strong defense (and contract) has led to him starting every game so far, and he once stole 70-plus bags in the minors. With steals way up across the league, fantasy managers need more of them to compete in the category; Straw is on pace to swipe 97 bags this year.
Josh Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays (4%)
Lowe struggled mightily at the plate last season after he was a popular waiver wire add when called up to Tampa Bay. But with Kevin Kiermaier gone, he’s getting regular playing time against right-handers to open 2023, and he has looked far better at the plate (including a 12.5 K%). It’s obviously a tiny sample, but Lowe is a former first-round pick with real power/speed potential. Batting average remains a risk, and he’s likely to sit against most lefties for now, but Lowe has 25/25 upside and is available in more than 95% of Yahoo leagues.
Orlando Arcia, Atlanta Braves (last call — 51%)
Arcia’s strong start has him locked in as Atlanta’s new starting shortstop. He’ll regress some, but Arcia is hitting the ball harder and will continue to benefit from the Braves' lineup; he has scored nine runs in just 10 games this year, despite hitting eighth. Eligible at 2B, SS and OF, Arcia remains available in nearly half of Yahoo leagues.
Matt Brash, Seattle Mariners (5%)
Brash blew Sunday’s save, but he’s fully on the fantasy radar with Andrés Muñoz going on the IL due to a shoulder strain. Paul Sewald becomes the favorite to close in Seattle, but Brash is right there as well. He’s sporting a whopping 44% K%, and a 0.96 FIP accompanies his 5.06 ERA. Brash needs to be added in deeper formats by fantasy managers searching for saves.
Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox (10%)
If all goes well during Monday’s rehab start, Bello could join Boston’s rotation this weekend. He posted a highly intriguing combination of a 12.4 K/9 with a 3.4 GB/FB rate in Triple-A last season and has a chance to emerge as one of Boston’s best starters in 2023. Bello is available in 90% of Yahoo leagues but should quickly become a popular add.
