BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 10+ teams
ROSTERED IN: 47% of leagues
ANALYSIS: After several years of struggling with the Mets, Flexen finally seems to be figuring things out this year with the Mariners after spending 2020 in the KBO. Over 19 starts this year, he has gone 9-5 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.252 WHIP over 108 2/3 innings of work, although he's provided minimal strikeout value as he owns a 15.5 percent strikeout rate. He'll be on the road for both starts this week, which could spell trouble as he has pitched worse on the road (5.92 ERA, 1.605 WHIP) than at home (2.67 ERA, 1.061 WHIP) this season.
He'll start things off with a difficult matchup against a hot Rays team that is slashing .256/.323/.474 and averaging 5.8 runs per game over their last 10 games. Flexen won't get any benefit from the Rays' lefty-righty splits, but he could get a slight boost as the Rays are hitting worse this season in Tampa Bay (.230/.321/.391) than on the road (.235/.311/.415). While Flexen isn't getting many strikeouts this year, he should still manage to pick up a few against the Rays, who have the second-highest strikeout rate in the majors at 26.2 percent.
Flexen will wrap up his two-game road trip in New York against the Yankees, who have slashed .235/.335/.401 and averaged 4.2 runs per game over their last 10 games. This looks on paper to be a solid matchup for Flexen, as not only are the Yankees hitting worse against right-handers (.225/.315/.394) than against lefties this season (.256/.341/.432), but they are also hitting slightly worse at home (.228/.325/.394) than on the road (.241/.321/.393). Plus, the Yankees own the eighth-highest strikeout rate in the majors at 24.6 percent.
He may not put up huge numbers this week, but he should still put up solid performances against a pair of AL East opponents. This will likely be his best week of the season when it comes to strikeouts, and while there is a fair amount of risk in starting him, he has a good shot at providing solid value in most formats.
More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Gregory Soto - Closers and Saves Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 2% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Gregory Soto picked up the save this past Wednesday in a 2-1 victory over the Angels, which was his second save of the year. Notably, Jose Alvarado pitched the eighth inning, giving way to Soto in the ninth. Technically speaking, Alvarado's task was... Read More
Shane Baz - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 7)
BALLER MOVE: Stash in Deeper Leagues CALL-UP ETA: June ANALYSIS: One of our favorite pitching prospects is Shane Baz. Depending on where you look, Baz has graduated off lists that use service time, but he's still under the 50-inning threshold and worthy of discussing in an article such as this. After missing all of 2023 due... Read More
Alex Lange - Closers and Saves Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds
BALLER MOVE: Add in 14+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 44% of Leagues ANALYSIS: After recording 26 saves for the Detroit Tigers in 2023 as the team's primary closer, Alex Lange was expected to be the team's closer heading into 2024. A somewhat rough spring for Lange prompted manager A.J. Hinch to use Jason Foley in the... Read More
Joe Kelly - Closers and Saves Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Analysis (Week 7)
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-14+ Team Leagues / NL-Only Leagues ROSTERED IN: 3% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Los Angeles Dodgers closer Evan Phillips (hamstring) was placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday with a Grade 1 hamstring injury. Although Phillips is expected to remain sidelined only for a minimum stint, several save opportunities will now be... Read More
Paul Skenes - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Analysis (Week 7)
PROSPECT: Paul Skenes, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates ERIC CROSS' LATEST PROSPECT STASH RANKING: #3 CALL-UP ETA: May ANALYSIS: Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitching prospect Paul Skenes has been lighting up Triple-A and is on the verge of making his major league debut. The former number-one overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft has posted an incredible 0.39... Read More
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!