J.A. Happ (SP, STL) - Week 20 Waiver Wire Pickups

J.A. Happ is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup for Week 20 of the 2021 MLB season. Consider adding the SP if he's free agent in your leagues.

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 14+ teams

ROSTERED IN: 7% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Happ is 5-6 on the year with a 6.62 ERA, 1.568 WHIP and 17.4 percent strikeout rate. But managers should bank on a turnaround for Happ now that he's with St. Louis, especially after his Cardinals debut this past week in which he allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four over five innings of work.

He'll open up the week against a scuffling Pirates team that is averaging 3.3 runs per game and slashing .206/.288/.298 over their last 10 games. There won't be much benefit to be found in the splits, as Pittsburgh has virtually identical numbers against right-handers and left-handers, and they are hitting better at home this year with a .238/.317/.371 triple-slash line. He'll then face another struggling offense in Kansas City, as they are also averaging 3.3 runs per game over their last 10 games while slashing .206/.256/.384. Happ faced them three times this year with Minnesota, and he'll hope for numbers closer to his first outing against them (5 IP, 2 ER, 5 K) than what he put up his last two times out (9 1/3 IP, 10 ER, 6 K).

Happ is somewhat of a risky play this week — especially given his struggles against Kansas City the last two times he faced them — but with both the Pirates and Royals in the midst of slumps right now, this is probably the best opportunity managers will have to use Happ this season.

More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

Andrew Painter - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Pickups, Stashes (Week 14)

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-team leagues CALL-UP ETA: July ANALYSIS: Philadelphia Phillies top pitching prospect Andrew Painter missed the entirety of the 2023 and 2024 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery. However, the budding ace made his Triple-A debut earlier this season and is quickly approaching his MLB debut. Painter began the season with Low-A, […]

RotoBaller June 29, 2025

Logan Henderson - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Pickups, Stashes (Week 14)

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues CALL-UP ETA: July ANALYSIS: Milwaukee Brewers right-handed pitching prospect Logan Henderson made his MLB debut earlier this season and was quite dominant, tossing 21 innings to the tune of a 1.71 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. During this stint, Henderson struck out 29 batters and posted a strong 7.4% […]

RotoBaller June 28, 2025

Jordan Lawlar - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Pickups, Stashes (Week 14)

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues CALL-UP ETA: July ANALYSIS: Arizona Diamondbacks top prospect Jordan Lawlar received his second taste of the majors earlier this season but was unable to produce. Across eight games in Arizona, Lawlar did not tally a hit and held a 9:3 K:BB. During the 2023 season, Lawlar made his MLB […]

RotoBaller June 28, 2025

Chase Burns - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 14)

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues ROSTERED IN: 50% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Cincinnati Reds right-handed pitching prospect Chase Burns joined the list of several 2024 draft picks who made their MLB debut during the first half of the 20205 campaign. On Tuesday evening, the former second overall pick got the call to face the New York […]

RotoBaller June 28, 2025

Bubba Chandler - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Pickups, Stashes (Week 14)

BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues CALL-UP ETA: June ANALYSIS: After a few rough outings, the No. 2-ranked prospect in the sport bounced back in a big way on June 17. In this outing, the right-hander tossed four innings of two-run ball (one earned run) and allowed five hits and one walk. He struck out three. […]

RotoBaller June 28, 2025

Download Our Free Waiver Wire App

Like what you see? You can download our free fantasy baseball mobile app for iPhone and Android which includes more waiver wire recommendations at every position, 24x7 player news, notifications, injury alerts & daily articles.