X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

2B and SS Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 7

Brady Grove's fantasy baseball middle infield targets for Week 7. Second basemen (2B) and shortstops (SS), for fantasy baseball owners to consider adding to their rosters to kick-off the 2019 MLB campaign.

It has been a particularly interesting week in terms of attention-grabbing storylines, to say the least. Addison Russell made a controversial return to the Cubs lineup to a crowd of mixed feelings, Mike Fiers embarrassed the Cincinnati Reds with his second-career no-hitter, and another MLB game was curiously delayed due to a massive swarm of bees. It can be difficult to stay fully tuned in to the baseball season as the beginning of the summer months arrives, especially with the NBA and NHL playoffs heating up; luckily, plenty of players are making ample noise. It's already been a 2019 campaign of surprising starts, shifting lineups, coming-out parties, and widespread offensive explosion that makes you question what's in the water. The moving pieces may add a degree of challenge, but we can all likely agree that it adds all the more fun to the equation.

As always, the second base and shortstop positions are notoriously lacking in waiver wire depth and are therefore quite fickle to navigate. Each week of the season, we are going to be taking a look at a slew middle infielders who are worthy of acquisition (or strong consideration at the very least), and are owned in less than 50% of Yahoo Leagues. Staying on top of the injury, roster, and statistical trends regarding the middle infield positions will ensure that your team has year-long robust depth and is ready if a crisis situation were to arise.

With that, let's have at it and take a look at a fresh batch of second base and shortstop waiver wire targets for Week 7.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Chris Taylor (2B/SS/OF, LAD)

39% Owned

Chris Taylor has been a big part of several Dodgers postseason runs, and established himself as a power/speed force to be reckoned with over the last two seasons with 38 home runs and 26 stolen bases, as well as OPS of .850 and .775. That couldn't prevent him from getting off to an ugly start for the 2019 regular season, producing a sub-par slash of .171/.263/.257 in 70 AB through the month of April. It was just about time for people to consider adding Taylor to the droppable-list when he began to flourish at the plate and exhibit his familiar power/speed skill set to the tune of two homers, two swiped bags, and a slash of .303/.343/.606 in 33 May AB.

While Taylor is walking slightly less at a clip of 8.7%, he has limited his strikeout rate from 29.5% to 24.3%. That is a vital shift to consider when taking into account the fact that he led the league in total strikeouts last season with a disappointing 178. There is also the issue of Taylor's suspect batted ball contact-quality. While his GB/FB ratio of 1.06 is something to work with, he is pulling the ball at a rate of just 31.6% with just 25% hard contact (down from 38.4% in 2018). However, that risk is diminished by Taylor's low rate of soft contact (14.5%) and the fact that his speed has traditionally proven capable of getting him to base and sustaining a high BABIP at 28.8 feet per second.

Taylor's utility role sees him making starts all over the field, and the Dodgers prefer to use him against LHP; against whom Taylor has produced all three of his HR and a .831 OPS in 49 AB this year. Getting into the lineup is already a huge victory when you play for a Los Angeles squad putting up a team OPS of .801 with an MLB second-best 221 runs to this point. With the tide starting to turn for Taylor with the added benefit of improving plate discipline, he should start to rake in home runs and steals at his usual pace.

 

Derek Dietrich (1B/2B/OF, CIN)

38% Owned

Prior to the 2019 MLB campaign, the Cincinnati Reds signed Derek Dietrich and Jose Iglesias as backups in the infield, just in case. After Scooter Gennett was transferred to the 60-day IL, those signings became key assets for the remainder of the season (good health allowing) and we can now find peace in the fact that Dietrich's spot in the lineup won't be challenged anytime soon, especially with the Herculean start he's having. In his first 83 AB of the year, he has already blasted ten home runs and produced a .241/.360/.639 slash. While there has been plenty of talk surrounding Dietrich's explosive start, few should be too surprised, and few should be surprised if his fantastic work on offensive continues.

If you take a look into Dietrich's past, you may notice that he has finished every season with OPS between .751 and .802 since 2015, also accumulating 46 HR across varied AB totals during that period. This year, he has handily improved several areas of weakness while adapting smoothly to his new environment of Cincinnati. His plate discipline got marginally better as evidenced by his 10% walk rate and 18% strikeout rate (down from 25.4% in 2018). He also has been knocking pitches into the air far more often as illustrated by his 0.62 GB/FB ratio, which has helped propel balls out of Great American Ball Park in conjunction with a 45.5% pull rate and career-high hard contact clip of 37.9%.

One issue is an unusually high soft contact rate of 27.3% which could easily explain his difficult BABIP of .179. Though with an ISO of .398, that seems more like an issue in the rear view mirror instead of an obstacle up ahead that would cause one to slam on the brakes. With such sturdy work, Derek Dietrich has transformed his stat-line to that of a dynamic, well-rounded batter with power upside. With the window of opportunity finally allowing him a full helping of plate appearances for a season, the Cleveland native looks like a rock-solid candidate to grace your infield moving forward.

 

Tommy La Stella (2B/3B, LAA)

13% Owned

The Cubbies can always get use out of a good utility-man, but Tommy La Stella has really blossomed in his first season for a more in-need club in the Los Angeles Angels. In only 96 AB for the 2019 season, the man nicknamed "3 A.M." has already blown past his previous career-high with nine home runs and a fantastic line of .260/.360/.563. He hasn't slowed down of late either even though his playing time has seen some deviations, with two dingers and a 1.036 OPS over the last two weeks. Thankfully, his work at the plate has gotten better for a plethora of reasons other than a suspicious upswing in power.

La Stella continues to pull the ball at an encouraging rate of 42.7%, while his plate discipline has been tightened up to an eye-popping extent as his walk rate jumped to 10.5% from 8.9% last season and his strikeout rate has fallen a full 8% from 14.1% to 6.1%. He has also made significant shifts in his GB/FB tendencies, dropping his ratio from a grounder-heavy 2.27 in 2018 to a much more manageable figure of 1.00 this year. What stands out the most is his improvement in the area of batted ball contact-quality, going from a hard/soft contact split of 31%/20.4% last season to a potent 43.8%/15.7% to kick off this campaign, pairing with his increased volume of flyers to culminate in a career-high .302 ISO.

Tommy La Stella hits just as good on the road (.924 OPS) as he does at home in Los Angeles (.921 OPS) for an Angels squad that has proven adequately competent at scoring runs thus far. His difference in performance against RHP as opposed to LHP may be what continues to limit his time on the field, as he has taken just 15 AB in 2019 against southpaws for a .714 OPS while he has racked up eight bombs and a .960 OPS in 81 AB when facing the former. Don't let that be the cause of missing out on this chance with La Stella, he is making by far the best quality of contact for his career while striking out so scarcely that his effectiveness is maximized.

 

Ronny Rodriguez (1B/2B/3B/SS, DET)

11% Owned

It seems like the Detroit Tigers are always looking for another defensively versatile asset to come in and stroke fire at the plate for extended stretches, and Ronny Rodriguez appears to be filling the void in his 66 AB to start 2019. "El Felino" (which I believe translates to: the feline) has been swinging for five HR, one SB, and a slash of .303/.347/.697. Despite mixed results across professional levels and organizations throughout his career, the 27-year-old always projected as a viable power/speed threat and demonstrated this ability with 36 dingers and 32 swipes in 1,190 Triple-A AB.

As of now, his only apparent issue seems to be his plate discipline, which has been lacking with an uneven 6.9% walk rate and 20.8% strikeout rate. In terms of contact-quality, Rodriguez is literally and figuratively knocking it out of the park. He has been producing above-average figures for exit velocity (89.6 MPH), average HR distance (407-feet, including a 454-foot smash), and launch angle (18.1 degrees). While his sprinting speed of 27.1 feet per second is a stone's throw away from elite, it is enough physical ability to support any future attempts to run the base-paths and stretch base-hits as far as they'll go, and his pull rate of 63.5% is a helping hand in finding the stands in Comerica Park (which scores middle of the road in hitter-friendliness).

With a hard contact rate of 48.1% applied to a 0.70 GB/FB ratio, it is easy to connect the dots to how Rodriguez has put up an ISO of .394. Now that he is seeing near-daily starts (mostly at shortstop, but at second and first base also), Rodriguez will have the chance to unleash his wrath with a much greater yield of reward for fantasy baseball managers quick enough to roll the dice early on him. We may have to hamper expectations for base stealing at this time while he's hitting for power, but that's a sacrifice we should be more than willing to make.

 

For the Sneaky and Savvy

Wilmer Flores (1B/2B/3B, ARI)

9% Owned

There are plenty of Arizona infielders we can speak well of, but Wilmer Flores wasn't one until rather recently. After a rough start, the 27-year-old Venezuelan finished the last two weeks with two home runs and a slash of .389/.421/.639. While his power may seem like nothing to brag about at this point in the season, his hard contact rate of 35.7% would currently stand as his career-high, while his soft contact rate of 20.4% is actually a 3.7% improvement from last season with the Mets.

This also carries more weight when considering that the defensively versatile Flores is hitting for 58.2% combined fly balls and line drives in hitter-friendly Chase Field. For a guy with a reputation as a streaky batter with consistent power totals, ride the wave if Wilmer Flores insists on going on a torrid month-long stretch.

 

Giovanny Urshela (SS/3B, NYY)

8% Owned

If you had asked a few weeks ago, Gio Urshela seemed like a flash in the pan, one-trick pony who would be gone as soon as one of the many guys out from the Yankees lineup with injury issues could replace him. Now, it doesn't look so simple, and Urshela has mostly complicated matters with a bat that won't slow down. He has hit for two HR, one SB, and a .349/.409/.518 slash across 83 AB, and his 12.9% strikeout rate conveys a refined image of plate discipline.

He has been hitting for high-quality contact on batted balls as evidenced by his fantastic hard/soft contact split of 44.4%/8.3%, and while his 26.4% fly ball rate explains the low home run total, his 29.2% line drive rate helps support the sustainability of his .386 BABIP. However, if he starts to hit more fly balls, his exit velocity of 90.2 MPH and his average HR distance of 415-feet in hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium suggests that he is capable of even more.

 

Jose Iglesias (SS, CIN)

3% Owned

While "Candelita" is primarily known for his absurdity on defense at the shortstop position, the Reds have needed him to step up in a big way next to fellow infielders Jose Peraza and Derek Dietrich in the wake of Scooter Gennett hitting the 60-day IL, and Iglesias has delivered in a much-appreciated way. He has managed two home runs, a swiped bag, and a .282/.323/.410 slash in 117 AB while continuing to treat Reds fans to his dazzling glove-work, and he has done it off the back of some impressive peripherals.

He still strikes out with relative infrequency at 14.5%; and if you can believe it, his hard contact (29.3%), soft contact (20.2%) and ISO (.128) figures are all currently career-bests. He is producing a maintainable BABIP of .320 off of this improved batted ball contact-quality and a 27.3% line drive rate in spacious GABP. With playing time aplenty in the middle of the Cincy infield, Jose Iglesias is keeping himself on everyone's mind with his defense while making annual strides at the plate.

 

Just Checking In...

  • Ketel Marte continues to do his thing for the Arizona Diamondbacks, hitting for three homers, a stolen base, and a .286 BA over the last two weeks, causing his ownership percentage to reach an exclusive 81%. With the ability to run at lightning speed in conjunction with his high-quality contact, Marte is making everyone wish they had seized the opportunity when they had the chance.
  • While New York Mets surprising success Jeff McNeil continues to struggle to hit for consistent power, he remains among the top hitters in baseball at this point in time with a .346 BA over the last two weeks. Now that his spot appears to be secure and his skill set has been identified, his ownership has shot to 55% since we last discussed him.
  • It turns out that the return of Jed Lowrie may not shake things up in the Mets lineup as drastically as we previously thought, which is good news for defensive ace and one of the fastest men in the MLB, Amed Rosario. Despite a .313 BA with a dinger and two steals in the last two weeks, Rosario remains static with a 46% ownership rate across all leagues.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers


Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

New York Knicks

Trey Jemison III Joins Knicks on Two-Way Contract
Kevin McCullar Jr.

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Knicks
Matt Ryan

Returns to Knicks on Exhibit 10 Contract
New York Knicks

Alex Len Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks
Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Expected to Take on Larger Offensive Role With Hawks
Thomas Sorber

Undergoes Surgery
Dominic Canzone

Has Five-Hit, Three-Homer Game Tuesday
Cal Raleigh

Sets Single-Season Home Run Record for a Switch-Hitter
Jayden Reed

Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
Bo Bichette

to Miss Rest of Regular Season
Zach Neto

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Hand Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
CFB

Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
CFB

Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Aaron Jones Sr.

Injures Hamstring During Sunday Night Football
Darren Waller

Not Expected to Play in Week 3
Garrett Crochet

Punches Out 12 in Win
Cole Ragans

to Return on Wednesday
Jameson Williams

Records Long Touchdown in Week 2, Still Limited to Downfield Role?
George Kirby

Strikes Out 14 in Win
Jayden Daniels

Considered "Day-to-Day" with Knee Injury
Carlos Estévez

Carlos Estevez Exits with Back Tightness
Jonathan Taylor

Tops 200 Yards From Scrimmage in Week 2 Win
Joe Burrow

Could Miss Three Months if he Requires Toe Surgery
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
Luis Arraez

Takes a Seat on Sunday With Head Injury
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Activated, Starting on Sunday
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
Bryan Woo

Records Career-High 13 Strikeouts
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
CFB

David Sanders Jr. Won't Play Against Georgia
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks
CFB

Dylan Edwards Slated to Return on Friday
Adam Lowry

Aims for Early-Season Return
P.J. Washington

Officially Signs Contract Extension

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP