FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
Luke Keaschall (2B Twins): Rostered in 11% of Yahoo leagues
After nearly three months off due to a fractured forearm suffered on a HBP, Keaschall is back playing baseball again and will resume partaking in official games as he kicks off a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Friday. Most likely, he’ll stay there at least a week. If it doesn’t look like he’s missed a beat, he could rejoin the Twins afterwards. If he’s slow out of the gate, then maybe he’ll be optioned to the minors for a spell. Still, we’re going to hope here for the former scenario.
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It wasn’t perfectly clear that Keachall was ready for the majors when he got the call just three weeks into the season, but he certainly looked the part, opening up on a six-game hitting streak before getting hurt in his seventh game. Most impressive was that he walked five times and struck out just twice in 26 plate appearances. He was 5-for-5 stealing bases. He went without a homer, but he had two barrels and five other hard-hit balls among his 17 balls in play. Just those seven games still place him seventh in WAR among the Twins’ 18 position players with at least 20 plate appearances this season.
And that’s why he really ought to get another chance quickly. Give him the spot of Brooks Lee or Ty France or Trevor Larnach and let him go. He’s not going to be a big power hitter just yet, but he can certainly help a team currently ranked 21st in the majors in OBP and 26th in steals. It’ll be some time before it pays off, but he should be stashed now.
Dylan Lee (RP Braves): Rostered in 8% of Yahoo leagues
Which reliever not currently closing has the best chance of sliding into the closer’s role because of a trade deadline move? Let’s throw out some names:
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Angels: Reid Detmers
Athletics: Elvis Alvarado?
Guardians: Cade Smith
Orioles: Yennier Cano (assuming Seranthony DomÃnguez is gone)
Rays: Edwin Uceta, Kevin Kelly, eventually Drew Ramsussen?
Red Sox: Jordan Hicks
Royals: Lucas Erceg
Twins: Griffin Jax
Braves: Dylan Lee
Cardinals: JoJo Romero, Riley O’Brien (Phil Maton goes, too, if Ryan Helsley goes)
D-backs: Shelby Miller or Ryan Thompson if they eventually come back healthy
Marlins: Calvin Faucher (if Ronny HenrÃquez and Anthony Bender are both traded)
Nationals: Brad Lord
Pirates: Carmen Mlodzinksi, Braxton Ashcraft (Dennis Santana is a goner)
Reds: Tony Santillan, Scott Barlow (also both trade candidates)
Of everyone here, I’d say Lee is the best bet. Raisel Iglesias seems much more likely to be traded than Aroldis Chapman, Emmanuel Clase or Ryan Helsley, and unlike some other guys here, Lee is a clear No. 2 on the depth chart. Lord is also rather interesting, since Kyle Finnegan is very likely to be dealt, but I think he’s a breakdown candidate after a heavy first-half workload in his first stint as a reliever. Jax, along with Smith, probably has the most upside of the group, but I don’t think the Twins will wind up selling. Erceg is also intriguing, but the Royals will probably keep Carlos Estévez and try to hang in the race unless these next 10 days go badly.
Jordan Lawlar (SS Diamondbacks): Rostered in 7% of Yahoo leagues
That Lawlar hasn’t already been picked up in more leagues is an obvious reaction to his latest injury, a Grade 1 hamstring strain that has had him on the shelf for Triple-A Reno since June 26. There haven’t really been any updates on his status since, but players typically return from Grade 1 strains within a month, meaning Lawlar should be about ready to join the Diamondbacks infield right around the trade deadline, when the team is nearly certain to ship out free agent-to-be Eugenio Suárez.
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Lawlar’s first major league stint this season saw him go hitless in 19 at-bats, but that was in a bit role. He’ll play regularly next time around, and he’ll show off the power-speed combination that has allowed him to amass 17 homers and 22 steals to go along with a .334/.420/.590 line in 81 career Triple-A games. The durability concerns are real and might need to be factored into his long-term dynasty value, but if he’s up on Aug. 1 as hoped, he could be good for around eight homers and a dozen steals over the final third of the season.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
– The Rockies’ Ezequiel Tovar is only 46% rostered in Yahoo leagues as he returns from his second IL stint of the year. That’s above my threshold for being featured in this column, but he needs to be picked up in leagues in which he’s available. He’s been somewhat disappointing in his 32 games while healthy, but he was plenty useful last year and he really should be better now; his strikeout rate is just 22%, compared to 29% last year, and his hard-hit rate has jumped from 40% to 44%. Statcast gives him an xBA of .303 and an xSLG of .500.
– I featured Shane Bieber seven weeks ago before his setback in his return from Tommy John, so I won’t do it again now. However, he’s back on a rehab assignment, having thrown two scoreless innings Tuesday, and he’s currently available in 64% of Yahoo leagues. He could turn out to be pretty helpful during the final two months.
