FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
Noelvi Marte (3B/OF Reds): Rostered in 30 percent of Yahoo leagues
He’s back. Two months after the Reds stunningly tried to turn Marte into a platoon starter against lefties and then sent him down after 30 poor at-bats, the 24-year-old was recalled as a replacement for TJ Friedl on Wednesday. Ideally, it’ll be to play regularly this time. Marte hit .369/.409/.575 with eight homers and nine steals in his 40 games in Triple-A.
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The Reds almost certainly would have been better off with Marte as their starting right fielder this whole time. However, he’s mostly played center field of late in Triple-A, as the Reds wanted to see if he would be an option to supplant the struggling Friedl. It seems he was decent enough to warrant an opportunity. Even if that doesn’t work out, right field should still be open, too. Reds right fielders have hit .206/.279/.284 this year. Their center fielders have come in at .209/.312/.312.
Marte was an excellent fantasy outfielder in his 90 games for the Reds last season, hitting .263 with 14 homers, 51 RBI and 10 steals in 90 games at age 23. Subpar plate discipline holds back his real-world value, but he certainly projected as one of the Reds’ three best outfielders coming into the year and still does now. The decision to platoon him against lefties initially was truly bizarre, since he’d posted a .562 OPS against southpaws and an .821 OPS versus righties last year. If Terry Francona is ready to go back to playing him regularly now, he has a real chance of becoming a top-30 fantasy outfielder the rest of the way. And while he doesn’t figure to see any time at third base, he still has eligibility there from last year.
Edwin Arroyo (SS Reds): Rostered in 14 percent of Yahoo leagues
Another newly promoted Red, Edwin Arroyo was called up to make his major league debut Monday as a result of Elly De La Cruz’s hamstring injury. Before that, some thought he should have gotten a look in second baseman Matt McLain’s place anyway. At age 22, he was batting .323/.383/.562 with 11 homers and nine steals in 53 games as Marte’s teammate in Louisville.
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The Reds actually acquired Arroyo and Marte in the same deal when they sent Luis Castillo to the Mariners in 2022. Arroyo’s stock had declined since, as he missed all of 2024 following shoulder surgery and then was pretty average in Double-A last year. However, things are looking up again lately. Rather interesting is that the Reds have used him at second base and played McLain at shortstop in both games since De La Cruz went on the IL. Arroyo started 31 games of his 53 games in Triple-A at shortstop, even though that spot looks like it’s going to be blocked off for several more years in Cincinnati. He definitely has a better chance of breaking through at second base in light of McLain’s continued struggles. He would seem to have a chance to remain a starter over McLain if he thrives during De La Cruz’s absence. Maybe the Reds will finally give McLain a crash course in the outfield in that event.
There’s enough upside here to make Arroyo worth stashing. Part of it is that Great American Ballpark is just such a terrific place for hitters. Arroyo doesn’t have a ton of bat speed, but he pulls enough flyballs to become a 20-homer guy in Cincinnati. Throw in some steals and eligibility at both middle infield spots, and there’s the potential for real value if he can convince the team that he deserves to be up for good.
Troy Melton (SP Tigers): Rostered in 21 percent of Yahoo leagues
Impressive in four starts and 12 relief appearances during his 2025 audition, Melton would have entered 2026 as a sleeper, except for that he came down with a sore arm early in spring training and opened up on the 60-day IL. Fortunately, he was ready to go as soon as his 60 days were up, and he’s started off with a 1.74 ERA in three starts for Detroit.
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Melton has a six-pitch arsenal, but he’s been throwing 94-97 mph four-seamers and sliders a combined 70 percent of the time in his major league starts. His 87-90 mph splitter is pretty interesting, but he doesn’t much trust it against right-handers. He’s totaled just nine strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings for the Tigers through his three starts, which is definitely a concern. Still, strikeouts have never been an issue for him previously. He had 16 in 11 2/3 innings during his rehab starts last month. His strikeout rate was 32 percent between Double- and Triple-A last year.
For the long haul, Melton is probably a No. 4 starter for Detroit. However, that’s a good situation for pitchers, and Melton is a guy who should have a little extra fantasy value due to a low walk rate and strong WHIPs. Just as long as his arm proves sound, he figures to be worth using in mixed leagues.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
– It’s still pretty absurd to me that Christian Scott is rostered in only 18 percent of Yahoo leagues. He should have been NL Rookie of the Month for May after posting a 2.79 ERA and striking out 37 batters in 29 innings.
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– Lucas Erceg has blown two more saves since Daniel Lynch IV was recommended in this space last week. Lynch is still only five percent rostered. If Erceg gets the Royals’ next save chance, it really ought to lead to someone being fired.