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One month down, five more to go. The fantasy baseball season is a marathon and not a sprint, though hopefully your squads have gotten off to a fast start anyway. No matter what your situation, it's always a good idea to stay on top of the state of your league's waiver wire.
Most of the players who will be written up in this feature won't be the next breakout star. Some may only be useful for a brief period. A few might not provide any value at all. It's the nature of the beast; if these players were slam dunks, they wouldn't be widely available for free. We're looking for plausible upside with naught but opportunity cost. By considering a wide swath of factors including but not limited to evidence of a change in approach, favorable upcoming schedules, and plain ol' potential, the goal is simply to find as much marginal value as possible.
As a reminder, we'll be looking at pickups for shallow leagues (30 -49% rostered) and deeper formats (10-29%), as well as highlighting players in the single digits who deserve a spot on your watch list at the very least. These are your second base and shortstop waiver wire pickups for Week 6 - May 3 through May 9.
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Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Gavin Lux, 2B, Los Angeles Dodgers (47% rostered)
Lux has just one hit in five games since returning from the injured list, which has led to his rostered rate dipping below 50% for the first time this year. While he hasn't given fantasy managers much to be excited about so far, the 23-year-old was an elite prospect for a reason and a slow start doesn't mean he can't be an asset moving forward.
Jorge Polanco, 2B/SS, Minnesota Twins (37% rostered)
Though Polanco stumbled out of the gate, he has been better recently, hitting safely in four of his last five games. His Statcast data also suggests his results have been much worse than deserved; compare his .275 xBA and .471 xSLG with his actual marks, .207 and .287 respectively. The Twins' second baseman struggled last year but put up big numbers (.295, 22 HR, 186 R+BI) in 2019.
Wander Franco, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (36% rostered)
The Rays announced last week that Franco will begin the season at Triple-A Durham, which bodes well for his chances of debuting in the Majors this season. While Tampa is typically quite patient with their farmhands, Franco is one of their best prospects in recent memory and they're going to challenge him. It could still be a while before we see him, but his rostered rate shows that fantasy managers are happy to spend a roster spot to stash him. And if Willy Adames continues to scuffle, that might incentivize Tampa to give Franco his shot sooner.
Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Jurickson Profar, 2B/OF, San Diego Padres (23% rostered)
Profar only hit his first home run of the year on Saturday as a pinch hitter, which explains why his OPS sat at an underwhelming .652 entering that game. But the veteran is still getting on base at a good clip thanks to his 14.3% walk rate, and he's already stolen five bases. When the pop comes around - and given the fact that Profar has maintained a consistent 20 HR pace since 2018, it should - he'll deserve a roster spot in plenty of formats.
Nico Hoerner, 2B/3B/SS, Chicago Cubs (17% rostered)
Hoerner is off to a red-hot start after making his 2021 debut just over a week ago. A three-hit game on Saturday put his slash line at a cool .375/.487/.531 and included his second stolen base in just 10 games. He also has more walks (seven) than strikeouts (six). Hoerner's brief time in the minors showcased a high-contact profile and great plate approach, and that's been evident so far in 2021. If he continues to get the green light to use his above-average speed, there's a lot to like here.
Josh Rojas, 2B/SS/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks (10% rostered)
Rojas opened the season with just two hits in his first 31 at-bats, but since then he's hit .394/.455/.818 with four homers and a stolen base, including three homers in his last three games. He flashed the always intriguing pop and speed combo in the high minors, and while his limited MLB sample hasn't yielded terrific results, his double-digit walk rates as a prospect have carried over.
The Watch List
Jose Iglesias, SS, Los Angeles Angels (6% rostered)
The overall numbers don't jump off the page, but Iglesias has hit .310 with a pair of homers and a stolen base over the past three weeks. He swiped 15 bags in 2018, hit .288 with 11 home runs in 2019, and posted a .956 OPS in 39 games last year.
Rougned Odor, 2B, New York Yankees (3% rostered)
Odor will be pushed to the bench once Luke Voit (knee) returns next week, but he does have four home runs and 18 R+BI in his 17 games with the Yanks. There's some AL-only utility here as long as he's playing.
Brad Miller, 2B/3B/OF, Philadelphia Phillies (3% rostered)
Since the start of the 2019 season, Miller has hit .255/.345/.508 with 22 homers in just 380 plate appearances, and he hit 30 bombs the last time he got a full season's worth of PA back in 2016 with Tampa.
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