RADIO
Welcome to the All-Star Break, after the games on Sunday, the All-Stars will head to Los Angeles, other players will head home, and those of us managing multiple fantasy teams will enjoy a well-deserved break. We at RotoBaller hope our tools have helped find success in the first half, but there's still time to make a second-half push.
None of the players here are All-Stars, but we've got several names that could have a big second half to help your fantasy squad climb the roto ranks or gear up for the playoffs.
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 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 15 – July 18th through July 24th.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Luis Urias, 2B/SS/3B, Milwaukee Brewers (46% rostered)
Urias had a miserable June as he hit just .183, but his bat began to heat up since the start of July as he's got six runs scored and five RBI through 12 games. Urias is coming off a 2021 season where he set career-bests in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage and he's only improved his underlying metrics in 2022. T
he 25-year-old has a career-high 35.4 sweet spot percentage, 16.9-degree launch angle, and his strikeout and walk rates are both better than league average. Moving forward, Urias should resemble the fantasy asset he was in 2021, rather than the player who suffered through an extended slump a month ago.
Esteury Ruiz, 2B San Diego Padres (44% rostered)
A major talking point coming into this fantasy baseball season was the lack of stolen bases across the league. If your fantasy team is struggling in stolen bases, might I suggest adding Esteury Ruiz right now. The 23-year-old Padre prospect can flat-out run, as evidenced by his 60 stolen bases in 77 games between Double-A and Triple-A this season.
The best part of Ruiz's game is he's not exclusively speed, a la Billy Hamilton. Ruiz popped 13 homers in the minors this year so he can hold his own with the lumber. If Ruiz continues to get regular at-bats in San Diego, he can be a category-winner in fantasy.
Honorable Mention: Nico Hoerner, 2B/SS Chicago Cubs (40% rostered)
Hoerner has appeared in this column many times this season so it's nice to get fresh names in here every now and again. However, I'd be remiss not to mention Hoerner after he registered a hit in every game played last week, raising his batting average to .308. He remains under-rostered in fantasy and is a solid option in most formats.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Bryson Stott, 2B/SS, Philadelphia Phillies (4% rostered)
Stott's overall numbers still look bad, but he's been much better since being recalled from Triple-A (where he slugged .611 in nine games). Perhaps going back down gave him confidence again as he hit all six of his homers since being recalled at the end of May. The problem for Stott has been bad luck on balls in play as his BABIP sits at an unfortunate .207, but there's still time for his luck to turn.
The top prospect for the Phillies has a K-rate under 20 percent and was a .300-plus hitter in Double-A and Triple-A. He's not a must-add, but in deeper leagues, he can be an asset down the stretch as the future looks brighter than the past for Stott.
Jose Iglesias, 2B/SS, Colorado Rockies (10% rostered)
Iglesias has a long track record of being an underwhelming fantasy option, but he did post a six-RBI game last week which caught the attention of many fantasy baseball players. He's mostly empty batting average, but that average is sitting at .304 and he'll continue to play half his games in Coors Field.
When the Rockies are at home, Iglesias is a decent middle infield option in deeper leagues.
Waiver Wire Watch List
C.J. Abrams, 2B/SS, San Diego Padres (10% Rostered)
Like Stott, Abrams has been much better after spending some time in Triple-A. Since Abrams was recalled on June 20, he is batting .279 while posting a K-rate under 20 percent. The issue with Abrams is he's still not running as he's got just one stolen base this season, despite 80-grade speed.
Furthermore, Fernando Tatis Jr. (wrist) is nearing a return, so playing time for Abrams could be compromised. He's got a solid prospect pedigree and will be a fantasy asset if the Friars turn him loose on the base paths.
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