Waiver Wired: Happy Days

If you are reading this column at this point of the season, it likely means that you still have a chance to win your respective league(s). If so, great job for staying in the mix. But we still have some work to do in order to finish the season strong. You'll likely see this column change a bit in the coming weeks, with more focus on streaming recommendations. I had two last week (Joe Kelly and Steven Matz) and you'll find two more at the bottom of this column after my usual recommendations.

Have specific questions about your roster? Ask @djshort on Twitter.

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MIXED LEAGUES

Eduardo Escobar SS/2B/3B/OF, Twins (Yahoo: 31 percent owned)

On the surface, Escobar isn't all that interesting. He doesn't hit for a high average, doesn't walk much, and doesn't run. However, he has shown some sneaky pop this season, with nine homers, 26 doubles, and three triples. His .440 slugging percentage is higher than other high-profile shortstops Troy Tulowitzki, Jhonny Peralta, Xander Bogaerts, and Ian Desmond. As I said in the video above, what I like best about Escobar is his versatility. At this point in the season, having a player who qualifies at four different positions can be extremely valuable.

J.A. Happ SP/RP, Pirates (Yahoo: 38 percent owned)

Since coming over to the Pirates in an under-the-radar trade on July 31, Happ owns a 1.79 ERA and 42/7 K/BB ratio in 40 1/3 innings over seven starts. He fanned a season-high 10 batters Wednesday against the Reds and has allowed a combined four runs over his last six outings. Ray Searage is a wizard, I'll tell you. Bill Baer discussed some of the mechanical changes in today's Daily Dose. The schedule gets a bit rougher for Happ from here, as he has upcoming starts against the Cubs at home and against the Rockies on the road. I'd skip the Coors Field start unless I was really desperate, but it's worth rolling with him next time out.

Sean Doolittle RP, Athletics (Yahoo: 39 percent owned)

Last week I wondered if Drew Pomeranz might be the A's primary closer for the remainder of the year, but Doolittle has been quick to flip the script. After looking shaky out of the gate upon his return from the disabled list, the southpaw has made four straight scoreless appearances while notching seven strikeouts against no walks. He converted his first save in almost one year on Monday against the Astros. The most encouraging thing is that his velocity is beginning to tick up again. I doubt the A's will ride him hard the rest of the way, but I'm rooting for a strong finish to what has been a trying season for him.

Jedd Gyorko 2B/SS, Padres (Yahoo: 16 percent owned)

Gyorko's star has faded since his impressive rookie season in 2013, but he's finishing this season with a flurry. The 26-year-old has gone deep four times in his last seven games and owns a .295/.338/.521 batting line with nine home runs and 31 RBI over his last 38 games dating back to late July. I wouldn't expect the batting average to continue at this pace, but the power is legitimate and he's more interesting in fantasy leagues now that he's shortstop-eligible.

Patrick Corbin SP, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 26 percent owned)

Considering that Corbin was an All-Star in 2013, there has been surprisingly little discussion about his return from Tommy John surgery. Not that I'm complaining or anything. Savvy fantasy owners are taking advantage of it. The 26-year-old southpaw fired six scoreless inning against the fading Giants on Monday and now owns a 3.32 ERA and 61/13 K/BB ratio in 62 1/3 innings over 12 starts since his return in June. He's still getting plenty of swings and misses and his fastball velocity is actually higher than it was before the surgery. The Diamondbacks plan to use a six-man rotation the rest of the way, but Corbin deserves to be owned in all leagues.

Corey Seager SS, Dodgers (Yahoo: 33 percent owned)

At the beginning of this column last week, word had just circulated that Seager was being called up from the minors. I downplayed the urgency to pick him up off the waiver wire, as it didn't look like he would play that much. While some of it was circumstantial, I was wrong about that one. The sweet-swinging 21-year-old has made four starts at shortstop and two at third base while going 9-for-25 (.360) with four doubles and four RBI. You still need to watch the lineup card here, but the top prospect is a fine pickup as a middle infielder (MI) option the rest of the way.

Kevin Kiermaier OF, Rays (Yahoo: 10 percent owned)

Kiermaier has made highlight show after highlight show with his amazing defense in center field, but he has also been useful for fantasy owners. After a surprising 2014 season, the 25-year-old has 41 extra-base hits (including eight home runs) over 132 games this season. He has been in a real groove at the plate dating back to the start of August. While Kiermaier only swiped five bases in 108 games last season, he's 16-for-20 in stolen base attempts this season. He's an appealing target in deeper formats if you need some speed over the final month.

Shopping at the five-and-dime:

(Players owned in under 10 percent of Yahoo leagues)

Jed Lowrie 3B/SS, Astros (Yahoo: 9 percent owned)

Lowrie got off to an awesome start this season prior to undergoing surgery in late April to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. The injury eventually opened the door for top prospect Carlos Correa to take over at shortstop, but Lowrie has served as the regular third baseman since his return to the Astros at the end of July. The 31-year-old had a pretty miserable August, but he has amassed three home runs and four doubles over his last nine games. Signs of life? I'll take it. With his dual-eligibility, Lowrie could be a useful roster piece the rest of the way.

Eugenio Suarez SS, Reds (Yahoo: 8 percent owned)

The Reds acquired Suarez from the Tigers as part of the Alfredo Simon deal over the winter and it's looking like a potential steal. Filling in at shortstop with Zack Cozart done for the year due to a knee injury, the 24-year-old is batting .286 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI over just 75 games. His .792 OPS is 10th among shortstop-eligible players (min. 200 plate appearances) in Yahoo. Suarez never hit for power quite like this in the minors, but he plays half of his games in a very favorable stadium. With Cozart expected to be healthy for the start of 2016, it will be very interesting to see how the Reds handle things. However, he deserves more respect from fantasy owners in the short-term.

Aaron Hicks OF, Twins (Yahoo: 7 percent owned)

Hicks looked like he was finally figuring things out at the plate before he landed on the disabled list last month with a left hamstring strain. He has been dropped in a lot of leagues since, but it's about time to pay attention to him again. The 25-year-old offers pop and speed and has been hitting leadoff in the Twins' lineup, which makes for a pretty appealing combination in fantasy leagues. There's a bit of a logjam in the Twins' outfield right now, but Hicks' playing time should be safe.

Suitable Streamers:

Dan Haren SP, Cubs (Yahoo: 45 percent owned)

Haren hasn't been all that great since coming over to the Cubs, but he's coming off seven scoreless innings against the first-place Cardinals on Monday and lines up for a favorable start against the last-place Phillies on Saturday. The veteran right-hander has allowed 30 home runs in 166 2/3 innings this season -- the most of any qualified starter -- so there is some blowup potential here. But I'll take that risk with this matchup.

Logan Verrett RP, Mets (Yahoo: 0 percent owned)

Here's an option for next week. Nothing is official yet, but with Matt Harvey set to be skipped again in the Mets' rotation, Verrett currently lines up for a start against the Marlins next Monday. The 25-year-old right-hander was awesome in a spot start against the Rockies late last month and owns a 3.06 ERA and 26/9 K/BB ratio in 32 1/3 innings on the year. With the Mets offense rolling of late, this looks like a good chance for a win.

AL ONLY

Vidal Nuno SP/RP, Mariners (Yahoo: 2 percent owned)

Pretty bold choice here, huh? Nuno was awesome against the Rangers on Wednesday, allowing just one hit over seven scoreless innings while striking out 10 batters and walking a pair. The win was his first in his last 44 appearances (including 20 starts) dating all the way back to last June 27 against the Yankees. While James Paxton is expected to rejoin the rotation on Sunday, Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said after the game that it's unlikely Nuno will get the boot. He's worth a stash, though Adam Warren (Yahoo: 5 percent owned) should also be picked back up if he was dropped.

Mike Olt 1B/3B, White Sox (Yahoo: 0 percent owned)

Olt was claimed off waivers from the Cubs last weekend and is expected to see a bunch of playing time the rest of the way. The former top prospect turned 27 last month and owns a miserable .158/.245/.326 batting line over 327 plate appearances in the majors, so he's running out of chances here, but there's opportunity at third base with the White Sox. I'm not expecting much, but he could be a decent power source. Olt's teammate Micah Johnson (Yahoo: 7 percent owned) is another interesting option if he's still out there.

NL ONLY

Peter O'Brien C, Diamondbacks (Yahoo: 1 percent owned)

O'Brien got his first call-up to the majors this week after batting .284/.332/.551 with 26 home runs and 107 RBI over 131 games this season with Triple-A Reno. The 25-year-old is done as a catcher, so Diamondbacks manager Chip Hale will have to find spots to use him in the outfield down the stretch. I'm not sure how much that will happen, but he has power and still qualifies at catcher for the time being. Not a bad lottery ticket.

Scott Schebler OF, Dodgers (Yahoo: 0 percent owned)

Everybody knows about Corey Seager, but Schebler is really sneaking up on people. The 24-year-old has homered twice in the past week and has also stolen two bases. He even got the start out of the leadoff spot on Wednesday against the Angels. Schebler batted just .241/.322/.410 over 121 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, so the small sample success probably isn't built to last, but he has pop and speed. With Crawford and Yasiel Puig both sidelined, he could get more chances to show it.