RADIO
Despite there having been enough injuries for an entire season at this point - or at least it feels that way - we're still only about a eighth of the way through the 2019 campaign. Knowing full well that I am in broken-record territory at this point, you are nevertheless encouraged to avoid extreme measures at this juncture.
Of course, that isn't to say you should do nothing. There's always room for improvement. Whether you're patching up leaks on the boat or just looking to make gains on the margins, you've come to the right place.
As a reminder, our focus here is on players who are below 50% owned in Yahoo leagues, and standard 5x5 scoring. Your mileage may vary, in terms of availability or league settings. Using that cutoff point for ownership rate, however, these are your corner infield waiver wire targets and adds for Week 4 of the 2019 fantasy baseball season.
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Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Jeff McNeil (2B/3B, NYM) — 47% Owned
Whether it's the concerns around his playing time as injured teammates near returns, the lack of pop, or whatever else, there's no reason a guy who is flirting with .400 and also offers multi-positional eligibility should be sitting on the wire in this many leagues. McNeil hit .329 as a rookie last year in 248 plate appearances, so it seems likely he'll remain a major asset in that category. He's seen some opportunities out of the leadoff spot recently, so you'd figure the Mets will find ways to get him into the lineup.
Niko Goodrum (1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, DET) — 44% Owned
Goodrum notched his first stolen base of the season last week, as well as his second home run. He's been hovering around this mark for a few weeks now, so we've already covered how he put up 16 homers and 12 steals in fewer than 500 plate appearances as a rookie last year, that he's nearly doubled his walk rate while striking out less so far in 2019, and how he's hitting cleanup for the Tigers. Add to that his nutso ineligibility and you've got a pretty ideal bench bat at minimum.
Yandy Diaz (1B/3B, TB) — 44% Owned
Last call to board the Yandy Express. It sure seems like the Rays have been able to help Diaz increase his launch angle to some degree, and if that's true, he's got the contact ability and plate approach to be one of 2019's breakout performers. A two-hit game on Sunday brought the beefy-armed infielder up to a .288/.404/.548 line with five homers and nearly as many walks as strikeouts.
Hunter Dozier (1B/3B, KC) — 42% Owned
Dozier has been just as good as Diaz in the early going. He's slashing .310/.410/.623 after a two-hit Sunday that included his sixth home run of the year, five of which have come since April 10. The Royals' third baseman typically carried large strikeout rates in the minor leagues, but he may be in the midst of an improvement in his approach, both chasing fewer pitches out of the zone and making more contact on those within it.
Pickups for Deeper Leagues
C.J. Cron (1B, MIN) — 22% Owned
Did you know before reading this sentence that Cron was one of just 26 batters to hit 30 home runs last season? It's true! He got off to a slow start with the Twins this spring, but the 29-year-old has three homers and eight RBI in his last six games. He's primarily hit fifth in a frisky Minnesota lineup so far.
Jed Lowrie (2B/3B, NYM) — 21% Owned
This is recommendation #2 from the jumbled Mets infield, and we're not done with them yet. Lowrie has finally started a minor league rehab assignment, so now may need to be the time if you want to ensure he lands on your roster. The veteran's late-career renaissance continued apace in 2018 with the best of his 11 MLB seasons, hitting .267/.353/.448 with 23 homers and 99 RBI. He'll split time between second and third, with potentially a large majority of time at the former if Robinson Cano's hand injury is serious.
For Your Radar
Michael Chavis (3B, BOS) — 9% Owned
With injuries decimating their middle infield depth, the Red Sox may call upon Chavis to hold down the fort at the keystone. That's where the former first-round pick's first MLB start came on Sunday, despite the team claiming he would not see much time there. Chavis is, of course, naturally a third baseman, and if he performs well in triage then it isn't crazy that he might begin to siphon at-bats from the scuffling Rafael Devers. Ah, position-less baseball. Ain't it grand?
J.D. Davis (1B/3B, NYM) — 4% Owned
Davis will reportedly see some time in left field, which gives him another avenue to playing time in the confounding pastiche that is the Mets' roster. There are only so many at-bats to go around, so it's hard to tout Davis as more than a follow at this point in all but the deepest formats.
Rowdy Tellez (1B, TOR) — 2% Owned
Great: His name, his power. Not great: The plate approach, the inability to hit lefties. Still, he's likely to get the lion's share of the at-bats at designated hitter for Toronto.
More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers
Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!
