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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to Week 25 of the MLB season and the final edition of our first base and third base waiver wire pickups.
We're approaching the final week and a half of fantasy baseball, and the waiver wire could be your best chance to improve your roster for a championship title.
Let’s keep rolling along with some names to consider as fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for this upcoming week of the MLB and fantasy baseball season – September 26th through October 5th.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues (40-59% rostered)
Luis Rengifo, 2B/3B/SS/OF. Los Angeles Angels (56% rostered)
Rengifo made the waiver wire article a few weeks ago and is locked in at the plate over his last 10 games, slashing .293/.326/.610 with four home runs, seven RBI, six runs, and a walk over 43 plate appearances. He has collected a hit in seven of his last 10 contests, including multi-homer efforts in two of those games. The 25-year-old is slashing .273/.303/.443 with 15 home runs, 47 RBI, 42 runs, and six stolen bases over 460 plate appearances in 116 games.
Rengifo qualifies for four positions and should have an everyday role with the Angels in the season's final week and a half. Nothing stands out on the statcast data for Rengifo, but the utility infielder is having a career year and should be added in all league formats while he's wielding a hot bat. The Angels have nine games remaining in 2022, and all are plus matchups against the Oakland Athletics (6) and Texas Rangers (3). Fantasy managers can plug and play Rengifo into their lineups, which is the top recommended 1B/3B for the year's final week.
Yoan Moncada, 3B, Chicago White Sox (43% rostered)
Moncada makes my 1B/3B waiver wire pickups article for the first time this season. He sustained a left hamstring strain in late August and was activated from the 10-day injured list on September 5. Moncada has been on a tear since being activated from the injured list, slashing .279/.310/.515 with four home runs, eight RBI, 10 runs, and two stolen bases over 71 plate appearances in 15 games.
Moncada has been limited to 95 games due to hamstring/foot injuries in 2022. The 27-year-old has had a disappointing season, hitting .213 with 11 home runs, 48 RBI, 38 runs, and two stolen bases over 396 plate appearances. He has caught fire at the right time and has racked up five multi-hit efforts across his last 15 contests. Moncada has struggled this year but could provide a massive boost for fantasy managers in homers, RBI, and runs if he can close out the season strong.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues (20-39% rostered)
Josh Naylor, 1B/OF, Cleveland Guardians (39% rostered)
Naylor has been on a tear recently, slashing .444/.565/.944 with two homers, seven RBI, five runs, and a stolen bases over 23 plate appearances in his last five games. He is on a five-game hitting streak, including three multi-hit efforts. Overall, the 25-year-old is slashing .261/.323/.457 with 19 home runs, 73 RBI, 44 runs, and six stolen bases over 115 games in 2022.
Naylor is eligible at first base and outfield, hitting cleanup for the Guardians. His statcast data is excellent in xBA (76 percentile), xWOBA (68 percentile), and xSLG (73 percentile). The Guardians have nine games next week and a half against the Royals (6) and Rays (3), where the only tough matchups will be against Jeffrey Springs and Brady Singer. Fantasy managers can plug him right into their lineups for Week 25. Naylor is heating up at the right time and should contribute in homers, RBI, and runs in the season's final week and a half.
Rodolfo Castro, 2B/3B/SS Pittsburgh Pirates (27% rostered)
Castro has been one of the few bright spots for the Pirates. He is hitting .237 with five home runs, three doubles, one triple, 12 RBI, nine runs, and a stolen base over his last 14 games. The 23-year-old was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on August 9th after being demoted in early June. Since being recalled, Castro is slashing .252/.307/.523 with 10 home runs, 20 RBI, 16 runs, and three stolen bases over 163 plate appearances in 40 games.
Castro is striking out a whopping 27% this season but is making a case to be an everyday starter for the Pirates in 2023. He has recorded multi-hit efforts in four of his last eight games. His max exit velocity is in the 78th percentile with a .216 ISO. Castro should contribute in homers, RBI, and speed as the regular season closes. The Pirates have nine games remaining in 2022, three against the Reds and six versus the Cardinals. Castro qualifies at three positions and could provide managers that extra boost to close out a fantasy title.
Others to Consider
- Carlos Santana, 1B, Seattle Mariners (14% rostered)
- Nate Eaton, 3B, Kansas City Royals (7% rostered)
- Dylan Moore 2B/3B/SS/OF Seattle Mariners (3% rostered)
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