RADIO
Nicky Lopez is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup for Week 22 of the 2021 MLB season. Consider adding the 2B/SS if he's a free agent in your leagues.
BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 14+ teams
ROSTERED IN: 6% of leagues
ANALYSIS: Lopez has put together a solid season at the dish but due to his lack of power--he hit his first home run of the season on Thursday--he's drawn little attention. The 26-year-old infielder is slashing .277/.347/.354 with 12 doubles, five triples, one home run, 30 RBI, 49 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases over 328 at-bats. While he's not as dynamic as the injured Adalberto Mondesi, he's filled in quite nicely for him this year and is a perfect 15-for-15 on stolen base attempts. The Royals are one of the five teams to play seven games next week and Lopez should see some favorable pitching matchups against the Astros and the Mariners. As an added bonus, he'll get to face Luis Garcia again, whom he homered off of on Thursday.
Plate discipline is Lopez's greatest strength as his 13.5% Strikeout Rate (95th percentile) and 9.2 Walk Rate practically cancel each other out. He's also sporting an impressive 14.7% Whiff Rate (96th percentile) and 90.3% Z-Contact Rate. His sprint speed ranks in the 79th percentile and his recent bump to second in the batting order should lead to more run-scoring opportunities.
The Royals are slated to face four right-handers and three left-handed starters next week and while Lopez performs better against righties (.280/.361/.341 over 246 at-bats) he's not a liability vs. lefties (.260/.302/.354 in 79 at-bats). Zack Greinke, Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr., and Logan Gilbert all look like plus matchups for the 26-year-old infielder. He should be a useful asset in OBP leagues and can provide help with runs and stolen bases.
More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Deyvison De Los Santos - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 1)
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues CALL-UP ETA: Now ANALYSIS: Following their Opening Day victory over the Colorado Rockies, the Miami Marlins promoted first base prospect Deyvison De Los Santos to the major-league roster. De Los Santos spent nearly the entire 2025 season at our Triple-A level and was knocking on the MLB door for most […]
Konnor Griffin - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 1)
BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues CALL-UP ETA: April ANALYSIS: Shortly before the regular season began, the Pirates opted to send Griffin to Triple-A Indianapolis. Griffin remained on the roster throughout most of spring training and was one of the final cuts, suggesting he made a serious push to crack the Opening Day roster. However, the […]
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, […]
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% […]
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 […]
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.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!
