Outfield Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 12 (2024)

June 9, 2024

Kevin Hickey's fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for outfielders for Week 12 of the 2024 MLB season. Consider adding and streaming these free-agent hitters.

Welcome back RotoBallers! This article will discuss our fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for the outfield in Week 12 -- June 10 through June 16. The time has come to start making those tough roster decisions and potentially cut ties with some of the struggling players who excited you on draft day. Trading in some of these early busts for players with more promising ceilings can be crucial to fantasy baseball success in the long run.

With the sample size becoming more substantial, we can start making better-informed decisions on the legitimacy of 2024 player performance. This article will highlight the guys who are trending upward and those whose standing with their team has changed significantly for one reason or another. At this stage, plenty remains speculative, but it's better to get out in front of the trends.

The names in this article are in order of rostered percentage and are not indicative of a confidence ranking. In the first few weeks, rostered percentages can change quickly, so be quick to check your leagues for availability.

Outfield Waiver Wire Adds - Standard Leagues

Bryan De La Cruz, Miami Marlins (47% Rostered)

Bryan De La Cruz has been one of the most consistent producers in the Miami Marlins lineup. Through 62 games, the 27-year-old owns a solid .733 OPS with a team-best 11 home runs. Additionally, De La Cruz has been particularly hot lately, generating an impressive 175 wRC+ since the end of May.

Looking under the hood, De La Cruz possesses some encouraging underlying numbers. While his 24.6% strikeout rate is far from ideal, the 27-year-old has demonstrated results when he does manage to put the ball in play. Those numbers include a .489 xSLG, 10.4% barrel rate, and a .273 xBA. De La Cruz may be an underrated candidate for positive regression.

Alec Burleson, St. Louis Cardinals (44% Rostered)

Alec Burleson has been a key component of the St. Louis Cardinals' recent offensive resurgence. He's hit safely in six consecutive contests to begin June, including launching three home runs during that span. Overall, Burleson is up to a .278/.311/.444 slash line with eight home runs and a 117 wRC+. The strong performance has earned the 25-year-old an everyday spot in the Cardinals lineup. 

Burleson's underlying metrics go a long way toward legitimizing his recent success. He has produced an outstanding .285 xBA, alongside similarly strong numbers, like a .456 xSLG, 90.5 MPH average exit velocity, and a 42.5% hard-hit rate. Perhaps most impressive of all is Burleson's elite 13.7% strikeout rate. Good things happen when you put the ball in play. 

Heliot Ramos, San Francisco Giants (29% Rostered)

Heliot Ramos was featured here last week, and he has been one of the fastest risers in fantasy baseball since. The 24-year-old has registered four multi-hit efforts in his last five contests, smashing three home runs in the process. Overall, he is up to a .320/.416/.515 slash line with five home runs and a 170 wRC+. In the absence of LaMonte Wade Jr. and Luis Matos, Ramos has etched out an everyday role in the top half of the San Francisco Giants batting order.

Heliot Ramos two-run blast for the lead! pic.twitter.com/MxQqImm5gT

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 5, 2024

Although Ramos' prospect hype has worn off considerably since his first major league call-up in 2022, he is still young enough to realize his ceiling. The underlying numbers suggest he is doing just that. Ramos has generated a fantastic .495 xSLG, 14.3% barrel rate, 57.1% hard-hit rate, 93.5 MPH average exit velocity, and a .371 xwOBA.

Ryan O'Hearn, Baltimore Orioles (24% Rostered)

Ryan O'Hearn has been a mainstay on this list all season long, and while his roster percentage does not fluctuate much, he remains a worthwhile fantasy asset. Through 49 games played, he sports a fantastic .280/.341/.472 slash line with eight home runs and a 132 wRC+. The only major knock against O'Hearn is that he rarely sees at-bats against left-handed pitching, though that arrangement still leaves him with the strong side of the platoon.

O'Hearn's advanced metrics are criminally underrated. He ranks in the 94th percentile or better with each of his .556 xSLG, .300 xBA, and .386 xwOBA. Further, O'Hearn has demonstrated fantastic plate discipline, chasing on only 24.2% of pitches outside of the strike zone and striking out at just a 10.2% rate. There is no reason to suspect O'Hearn won't keep producing.

Outfield Waiver Wire Adds - Deeper Leagues

Adam Duvall, Atlanta Braves (6% Rostered)

With Ronald Acuna Jr. out for the season with a torn ACL, Adam Duvall now steps into an everyday role in the Atlanta Braves outfield. The results have been disappointing so far, generating a .189/.275/.369 slash line with six home runs. That said, it is hard to believe that Duvall has lost his ability to hit overnight, considering he slugged .531 with 21 home runs across just 92 games played in 2023.

Adam Duvall to the moon‼️

His sixth of the season!#ProCards
pic.twitter.com/Kb7NjaaAhq

— Louisville Baseball Alumni Report (@Lvillebsblalum) June 7, 2024

At age 35, it's reasonable to expect that some of Duvall's struggles could be part of a new normal. Still, the underlying numbers suggest he is due for remarkable positive regression. Duvall is crushing the ball this season, producing a .461 xSLG and a 12.5% barrel rate while whiffing at only a 21.5% rate. There should be better days ahead for Duvall.

Joey Loperfido, Houston Astros (4% Rostered)

Playing time was never consistent enough for Joey Loperfido to break through during his initial major-league stint. Despite the Astros' reluctance to stick Loperfido in the lineup every day, he was successful in limited action. Across 14 games played, the 25-year-old slashed .333/.381/.436 with a 138 wRC+. However, with Kyle Tucker recently added to the injured list, Loperfido may be granted a real opportunity to make an impression after being recalled by the Houston Astros this week.

Joey Loperfido is the fifth-ranked prospect in the Astros farm system, per MLB Pipeline. His offensive profile features above-average 50-grade power and 55-grade running ability, which translated into a 25-home run and 27-stolen base season in the minor leagues in 2023. Loperfido picked up where he left off, smashing 13 home runs and swiping eight bags across 34 games in Triple-A to begin the 2024 campaign.

Trevor Larnach, Minnesota Twins (1% Rostered)

Trevor Larnach is flying under the radar this season. Across 34 games played, he sports a .264/.333/.455 slash line with six home runs and a 127 wRC+. His playing time suffers from a strict strong-side platoon designation, but Larnach is in the lineup more often than not, and the results are absolutely worthwhile.

As encouraging as Larnach's surface numbers are, his underlying metrics suggest he has a far more spectacular ceiling. Larnach is crushing opposing pitchers to the tune of a .541 xSLG, .303 xBA, 51.2% hard-hit rate, 93.4 MPH average exit velocity, and a 10.5% barrel rate. Excluding a moderately subpar 28.1% whiff rate, there are no outstanding concerns in Larnach's hitting profile. It may only be a matter of time before the word gets out on the 27-year-old.

More Players to Consider

• Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels (34% rostered)
• Kevin Pillar, Los Angeles Angels (32% rostered)
• Michael Conforto, San Francisco Giants (31% rostered)
• Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins (30% rostered)
• Jacob Young, Washington Nationals (21% rostered)
• Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers (21% rostered)
• JJ Bleday, Oakland Athletics (20% rostered)
• Joc Pederson, Arizona Diamondbacks (11% rostered)

More Deep-League Players to Consider

• Nelson Velazquez, Kansas City Royals (8% rostered)
• Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs (5% rostered)
• Harrison Bader, New York Mets (4% rostered)
• Justyn-Henry Malloy, Detroit Tigers (3% rostered)
• Jake McCarthy, Arizona Diamondbacks (2% rostered)
• Corey Julks, Chicago White Sox (1% rostered)

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers