Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Spencer Schwellenbach, Yusei Kikuchi make their case for must-roster status

If you’re looking for some difference making pitching for the stretch run in Fantasy Baseball, you may just be in luck on the waiver this week, because there were three big pitching performances this weekend by pitchers available in 20% or more of CBS Sports leagues who absolutely should be rostered in all formats. 

So, before we get to the rest of this week’s top waiver-wire targets at each position – including some more widely available pitchers later on, I promise – let’s take a look at what we saw from Spencer Schwellenbach, Yusei Kikuchi, and Shane Baz, all of whom should be added in every league after this weekend:

1. Spencer Schwellenbach, Braves (82%) – Schwellenbach’s on an incredible run, with 29 strikeouts and no walks over his past three starts. Friday against the Marlins he generated 17 swinging strikes, including six on his curveball and five on his splitter, as he continues to show off a consistent six-pitch mix with several viable swing-and-miss pitches. He isn’t perfect, of course – he has allowed five homers in that three-game stretch – but he’s managing to combine excellent command with a ton of swings and misses, which is the combination we’re looking for. His 4.04 ERA is solid, but his 3.19 xERA shows that he might just be a burgeoning ace, and would be my top priority on waivers anywhere he is available.
2. Yusei Kikuchi, Astros () – Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: A talented but frustrating pitcher goes to a smart organization, makes a few small tweaks, and immediately looks like a much-improved pitcher. Kikuchi got to the Astros, immediately ditched his curveball (.303 xwOBA, 27.4% whiff rate) for his changeup (.209 xwOBA, 38.1% whiff rate) and turned in arguably his best start of the season, striking out 11 batters against the Rays with just two runs allowed over 5.2 innings of work. It’s too early to say that this one trick can fix all of Kikuchi’s troubles, but this was a pretty convincing performance. We’ve known Kikuchi has upside for years, but consistency has been the biggest issue. If this change can help him find that, he could absolutely be a must-start pitcher the rest of the way. 
3. Shane Baz, Rays (70%) – Baz was on the other side of that Kikuchi performance, and while he wasn’t quite as good, he might have an even higher ceiling. He generated 15 swinging strikes, led by seven with his slider and ended up with five strikeouts in 5.1 innings of work with two runs allowed. He still struggled with hard contact (94.9 mph average exit velocity on 17 balls in play) and his curveball still isn’t generating whiffs or called strikes, which remains an issue. But it’s not hard to see how Baz could just take off very quickly if he puts it all together. I have less confidence in him than Schwellenbach or Kikuchi right now, but if Baz rediscovers that curveball and can turn it into another swing-and-miss weapon, he still has ace upside that I’m not sure either Kikuchi or Schwellenbach can compare to. 

Here’s who else we’re looking to add on waivers this week:

Catchers

Austin Wells, Yankees (36%) – Even with Giancarlo Stanton back from the IL< Wells has remained the cleanup hitter for the Yankees, batting behind Juan Soto and Aaron Judge, which is how he has 15 RBI since the start of July. It’s that lineup position that makes Wells worth adding ahead of someone like Tyler Stephenson of the Reds, who I also like quite a bit. Wells has been putting up strong underlying numbers all season and is starting to live up to them, even going 5 for 11 with a couple of walks this weekend, too.  

Deep-league target: Joey Bart, Pirates (5%) – Bart started showing some signs of improving his plate discipline last season, but he’s really been impressive in his time with the Pirates, cutting his strikeout rate to 26.4% while walking 10.8% of the time, the best marks of his MLB career. He homered Saturday and is hitting .279 with four homers and 15 RBI since the start of July. That’s strong No. 2 catcher production.

First Base

Josh Bell, Diamondbacks (51%) – When Bell was traded at the deadline, I noted the similarities to last year when he broke out post-trade, and it looks like it’s happening yet again. Well, technically, Bell’s breakout happened at the All-Star break, but he homered twice in his first game with the Diamondbacks and is now hitting .300 with seven homers in 13 games since the break. When he’s locked in, Bell is a terrific source of power, and he sure looks locked in right now. 

Deep-league target: Nolan Schanuel, Angels (44%) – There really aren’t any good options in the true deep league range, so we’ll just highlight Schanuel here since he’s starting to show some upside. He hit .316/.455/.494 in July and continues to have terrific plate discipline, with 20 walks to just 17 strikeouts since the start of July. In OBP leagues, he might be a must-start option even with mediocre power, though I’ll note that even that is starting to turn around – his average exit velocity since July 1 is 89.6 mph and his average launch angle is up to 14 degrees, significantly improved from his career baseline prior. Schanuel with even average power would be a potential difference maker.

Second base

Luis Garcia, Nationals (63%) – The fact that he’s a platoon player has held Garcia’s ceiling down, but the way he’s hitting right now it may not matter. After hitting .333/.375/.573 in the month of July he has opened his August by going 8 for 12 with two HR and a double, plus a couple steals. With double eligibility (plus the MI position), you can probably find a spot for Garcia in your lineup in any league type right now. 

Deep-league target: Miguel Vargas, White Sox (12%) – It’s fair to wonder if Vargas is ever going to hit enough to be a viable major-leaguer – he struck out seven times in 14 plate appearances this weekend, for example – but I’m still going to give him a chance. He hit his first homer with the White Sox Friday and is getting the opportunity play everyday, so let’s see if he can turn that into something resembling his consistently excellent minor-league production.

Third base

Jake Burger, Marlins (60%) – When you’ve got power like Burger does, all it takes is getting locked in, and he’s exactly that right now. He homered yet again Friday and Saturday and now has seven homers in 16 games since the All-Star break. It’s been a frustration season for Burger, but the power still plays. 

Deep-league target: Jonah Bride, Marlins (1%) – Bride is 28 and has little in the way of prospect pedigree, but he’s playing regularly for the rebuilding Marlins and homered twice this weekend and three times in his past five games since the trade deadline. He’s probably not much more than a bench piece even in an NL-only league, but he also does have a decent track record in the upper minors, so maybe he can stay hot with a regular role.

Shortstop

Masyn Winn, Cardinals (66%) – Winn will probably never be a big power hitter, but he’s approaching every at-bat like he is one right now, and it’s led to three homers in his past nine games. And it’s not just a coincidence, as Winn admitted to reporters this weekend that he’s trying to “let my anger out” on the baseball since – and I really love this detail – “I can’t play football anymore and hit people.” Incredible stuff. The best part of it is that Winn has struck out just four times in that span, so there’s no apparent tradeoff going on. I’d like to see Winn run more, but I’m a big fan of his bat as it is, and I believe he can be a starting caliber MI option in all leagues. 

Deep-league target: Marco Luciano, Giants (14%) – With Jorge Soler moved ahead of the deadline, Luciano is going to get a chance to play down the stretch, it looks like. The long-time top prospect has kind of fizzled out in the high minors, hitting .236/.372/.380 with a 29% strikeout rate in Triple-A, but let’s see if he can unlock something here.

Outfield

Juan Yepez, Nationals (51%) – Yepez has slowed down a bit over the past five games, but I remain very intrigued by what he’s shown this season. He’s playing basically everyday for the Nationals and is still hitting .330/.380/.515 over 108 plate appearances, with just a 15% strikeout rate and solid underlying numbers. I think he’s probably going to be a solid source of average and RBI moving forward if nothing else. 

Joshua Lowe, Rays (67%) – Lowe has been one of the biggest disappointments in the league this season, but he’s showing signs of figuring things out lately, with eight hits over his past five games, including four (and a couple of homers!) Saturday against the Astros. He’s unlikely to be the star you hoped he would be, but I do expect better from Lowe than we’ve seen so far. 

Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox (50%) – Abreu basically never plays against lefties (five starts against them all season), so there’s a ceiling on how valuable he can be for Fantasy. But he’s been reminding us lately that he can still be pretty useful, with four homers over his past six games, including two Sunday against the Rangers. He’s basically stopped running since the early part of the season, which limits his appeal, but Abreu can still be very useful, especially in daily lineup leagues. 

Parker Meadows, Tigers (14%) – Meadows was a popular breakout pick in Fantasy circles coming into the season, and then he was so disastrously bad he earned a demotion back to Triple-A at the beginning of May. He was excellent down there, hitting eight homers and stealing 19 bases in 51 games before getting promoted again in early July … before injuring his hamstring in his third game back. This is still a promising young outfielder with five-category potential, and I’m betting on the upside in all categories leagues. 

Eloy Jimenez, Orioles (48%) – The Orioles acquisition of Jimenez was one of the more curious outcomes of the trade deadline, because a DH-only plodder hardly seemed like a high priority for that specific team. But what it actually was was a very cheap bet on a player with a lot of pedigree finding himself outside of an absolutely miserable situation in Chicago, with a reasonable team option for 2025 they could exercise if he rediscovered himself. Well, Jimenez is 5 for 9 since joining the Orioles, so maybe there’s something there. He’s DH only in Fantasy, but I’m listing him here in case you want to take a flier as well. 

Harold Ramirez, Nationals (5%) – I love what the Nationals are doing over the past couple of seasons, targeting players who have shown interesting skills on other teams but have been overlooked for more projectable options. Yepez is one such example, and Ramirez is the latest. He’s put up some really interesting batted ball numbers in the past with solid contact skills, and now it looks like he’s going to play everyday for the Nationals. He’s 10 for 28 with nine RBI in nine games since the All-Star break and is worth a look in NL-only leagues, at least. 

Starting pitcher

Edward Cabrera, Marlins (22%) – At this point, I’m betting that Cabrera never really figures it out, at least not as a member of the rotation. But I’m also going to pay attention when he shows signs, and with 15 strikeouts to just four walks in 10 innings over his past two starts, we’re seeing signs. If he just manages to have plain old bad control, he could be a must-start Fantasy option, ala Luis Gil. Maybe he’s about to go on a run? 

Cody Bradford, Rangers (32%) – Bradford hasn’t been great since his return from the IL, allowing eight runs in 5.2 innings of work. Hopefully that’s just him shaking off the rust, because he looked like one of the best breakout pitchers in the league early on, allowing just four runs in his first three starts before going on the IL with a back injury. His RP eligibility should at least make him a must-roster player in all points leagues. 

Spencer Arrighetti, Astros (26%) – We’ve seen flashes from Arrighetti at various points this season, and this is now his second double-digit strikeout effort as a rookie. Consistency of course remains a big issue, but if you’re chasing upside and don’t necessarily need someone to start right now, I remain very intrigued by Arrighetti’s swing-and-miss potential – he had 20 whiffs in Sunday’s start against the Rays, featuring at least two on every one of his five pitches. 

Martin Perez, Padres (14%) – Even at his best, Perez is rarely much better than “useful” in Fantasy, but the Padres did have him make some changes to his approach in his first start since the trade deadline, fading his fastballs and prioritizing his curveball and changeup, his two best swing-and-miss pitches. He took advantage of the lowly Rockies away from Coors for seven strikeouts in six innings, with his curveball and changeup generating 12 of his 15 swinging strikes. Maybe he can be useful in his new home. 

Relief pitcher

Hunter Harvey, Royals (17%) – Watching Harvey blow his first save opportunity for the Royals Saturday was pretty frustrating, as he allowed two runs on three hits including a homer Saturday against the Tigers. But you know what was beautiful to see? The faith the team had in him to go right back to him Sunday to close out a one-run win over the Tigers. Is that proof that he’s the closer moving forward? Not necessarily, but it’s pretty compelling evidence – especially since James McArthur went out after Harvey Saturday and blew a save of his own to cost them the game. 

Ryan Thompson, Diamondbacks (10%) – With Paul Sewald out as the D-Backs closer, Thompson got his third save opportunity in a row Sunday after closing out wins Wednesday and Friday. The third time didn’t go quite as well, he had to be bailed out after recording just one out Sunday, which may leave the door open for someone like Kevin Ginkel or A.J. Puk – who slammed the door for the save in relief of Thompson Sunday – to step through. But based on what we’ve seen, Thompson seems like the top choice with Sewald out of the picture for now. 

Calvin Faucher, Marlins (4%) – The Marlins won a series on the road against the Braves this weekend, though they had just one save opportunity in the series, so we don’t know much more about the post-Tanner Scott state of the bullpen than we did before. But, with a one-run lead to preserve Saturday, Anthony Bender worked the seventh inning, Andrew Nardi got the eighth, and it was Faucher who worked a scoreless ninth for the save. Faucher had, quietly, been working as the team’s primary setup option before the trade, so it looks like he’s climbed one rung on the ladder. There won’t be a ton of saves here, and Faucher is hardly a dominant pitcher, but he could be solid enough to get a handful of saves the rest of the way.