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We're not even two full weeks into the season and the injury bug has already been quite busy across the league. This, of course, includes second basemen and shortstops as several teams have already placed their starters on the injured list This, in turn, has fantasy managers scrambling for a replacement, too.
However, as the old saying goes, when one door closes another one opens, and we've got no choice but to look for the next man up. In several cases, buzz-worthy prospects are getting a chance to shine and some of these young players are quite interesting waiver wire adds.
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 3 – April 8 through April 14.
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Brice Turang, 2B/SS, Milwaukee Brewers (48% rostered)
The Brewers entered the season with questions up the middle and, so far, Brice Turang has jumped at the chance to seize the everyday job at second base. More specifically, he's sprinted to the opportunity as the 24-year-old can flat-out fly. Turang already has six stolen bases this season without being caught and his 29.4 mph sprint speed ranks in the 95th percentile, according to Statcast.
Of course, we knew Turang could run as he swiped 26 bases last season. The issue was those thefts came with an anemic .218 batting average and a sub-.300 on-base percentage. Through an admittedly small sample this season, Turang is hitting much better. He's 7-for-19 (.368) so far on the young season and has a track record of hitting well in the minors as he posted a .298 BA his final year in Triple-A. If Turang's bat comes around in his sophomore season, he's got 30-plus stolen base upside.
Brice Turang is off to a blazing start 🔥#Brewers // #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/sYP5DEMY6m
— Bally Sports Wisconsin (@BallySportWI) April 5, 2024
Brandon Lowe, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays (38% rostered)
The slugging second baseman for Tampa Bay dealt with a side injury most of last week, but he avoided an IL stint and was able to pinch hit in the Rays' loss to the Rockies on Friday. Funny how a series in Colorado can help heal a hitter, isn't it? Anyway, Lowe is back in the lineup Saturday and as long as he's in Tampa's lineup, he belongs in fantasy lineups as his power is elite for a second baseman.
Last season, Lowe swatted 21 homers in only 109 games and he slugged .514 or better in every season from 2019 through 2021. Throw in the fact he ranks in the top-fifth of the league in average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and walk rate and you've got a criminally underrated player for fantasy batting in the heart of a good Rays lineup.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Colt Keith, 2B/3B, Detroit Tigers (25% rostered)
The No. 2 ranked prospect for the Tigers got off to a slow start to the season, but he went 3-for-8 in the doubleheader vs. the Mets last Thursday and is already flashing the upside that made him such a highly regarded prospect. Keith has already logged a batted ball of 107 mph and his plate discipline is elite. Last season in Triple-A, he posted a fantastic 11.6% walk rate while striking out under 20% of the time. Through seven MLB games, he's got four walks against only three strikeouts.
The reason Keith isn't more highly rostered in fantasy is playing time. The 22-year-old tends to sit against left-handed pitching as the Tigers seem more comfortable platooning the lefty-swinging Keith. That being said, Keith has proved to be very good versus right-handed pitching and his combination of speed, on-base ability, and prospect pedigree makes him worth taking a flier on in deeper fantasy leagues.
Blaze Alexander, 2B/SS, Arizona Diamondbacks (3% rostered)
Last week in this space, we highlighted Geraldo Perdomo as a player who would see an increase in at-bats in the absence of Jordan Lawlar (thumb). Well, now Perdomo (knee) is dealing with an injury, thus opening the door for Blaze Alexander, who homered in his first start of the season at second base.
Alexander was never a high-end prospect in the Arizona system, but he put himself on the map last season by slashing .291/.408/.457 with eight homers, 45 runs, and 52 RBI in 73 games at Triple-A. Furthermore, Alexander has already displayed a skill few middle infielders possess; he hit a ball over 110 mph. The sample size this season is still too small to conclude anything on his batted ball metrics, but posting a max exit velocity of 110.6 is a fine start.
110.6 MPH off the bat for Blaze Alexander's first career home run! pic.twitter.com/bQ7zrDvPuR
— MLB (@MLB) April 3, 2024
Waiver Wire Watch List
Vaughn Grissom, SS, Boston Red Sox (25% rostered)
Normally in this section, we highlight a minor leaguer tearing it up, but the minor league season is younger than the MLB season at this point and everyone is already rostering Jackson Holliday (77% rostered). So, let's examine an injury stash this week, Vaughn Grissom (groin), who was expected to start up the middle for Boston before an injury during spring training derailed those plans.
Well, Grissom is closing in on a rehab assignment, so now is a good time to bring up the fact he slashed .330/.419/.501 in 102 games at Triple-A last season as a 22-year-old. He was the centerpiece of Boston's return from the Braves in the Chris Sale trade and now may be the time to go grab Grissom ahead of his activation from the IL.
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