RADIO
Welcome RotoBallers to our catcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 4 (April 15 - April 21). The hardest position to manage in fantasy baseball throughout the season will be the catcher position. There are only a couple of elite options who went at the top of fantasy drafts like Adley Rutschman, William Contreras, Will Smith, and J.T. Realmuto. Even Yainer Diaz is off to a great start in 2024.
However, outside of those elite options, it might be a struggle to get consistent production from the catcher spot in your fantasy lineup. If you want to upgrade that position or just want to stream the position altogether, this article can be a great help for you this season.
This piece will look at four catchers that fantasy managers should be looking to add before Week 4 begins. All four catchers on this list are rostered in under 52% of Yahoo Leagues. So, let's dive in and find out which catchers you should add in fantasy.
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Catcher Waiver Wire Adds
Keibert Ruiz, Washington Nationals (51% Rostered)
Washington Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz has seen his rostership significantly decline over the past two weeks. He started Week 2 with a 60% rostership on Yahoo, but since then, that has dropped to 51%. It makes sense why fantasy managers are growing impatient with the young catcher. Ruiz has sat out three of the past four games -- two of which because of an illness -- and he's just 2-for-24 at the plate in his last six games.
However, if you don't roster one of the elite catcher options, Ruiz is someone you should be looking to take a chance on in fantasy. Despite getting off to a slow start in 2024, the 25-year-old showed last year that he could be a solid catcher option. He hit .260 with 18 home runs, 67 RBI, and 24 doubles while striking out just 58 times in 2023.
FOOOOOOOOOOOOOREEEEE
the tie pic.twitter.com/sYVoJzJzcT
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) March 30, 2024
Ruiz won't produce eye-popping stats across the board, but he can be a useful catcher in most 12-team leagues. The potential is also there for the Venezuelan native to have some great days at the plate. Back on March 30, the 25-year-old went 3-for-4 at the plate with one home run and three RBI. He should be rostered in more leagues, especially coming off a solid campaign in 2023. If he's available in your league, he's worth a pickup.
Elias Diaz, Colorado Rockies (19% Rostered)
Simply put, Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz should be rostered in more leagues. He was a borderline starter in leagues last year after hitting .267 at the plate with 14 HRs, 72 RBI, and 25 doubles. Diaz also has an everyday role in the Rockies' lineup and plays at the most hitter-friendly ballparks at Coors Field. As a result, seeing his rostership at just 19% in Yahoo leagues was a bit of a surprise.
If you lost Sean Murphy (oblique) early in the season or just completely punted the position in the draft, take a look at Diaz. He has an RBI in five straight games (April 5 to April 9) and has three multi-hit games during that span. The 33-year-old catcher is also off to a solid start for Colorado, hitting .324 at the plate with one home run and six RBI.
Diaz has been a consistent fantasy option for managers who picked him up early in the season. He has a hit in eight of the 10 games he has appeared in, and he's an impressive 8-for-17 in five games at Coors Field to begin the year. The veteran can produce solid numbers, both at home and on the road, which makes him an interesting add in 12-plus team leagues moving forward. He is a high-floor, low-ceiling option heading into Week 4 of the fantasy season.
Travis d'Arnaud, Atlanta Braves (10% Rostered)
If you are looking for a catcher stream over the next few weeks, look no further than Atlanta Braves back-stopper Travis d'Arnaud. With Murphy still not running yet or doing any baseball activities, d'Arnaud will continue to get the large portion of starts behind the dish for the foreseeable future. That should at least make him a solid add in deeper formats.
d'Arnaud is off to a slow start in 2024, as he is hitting just .214 with three doubles and four RBI. However, he does have a hit in three of the past four games and can turn it around at any point. While he isn't a long-term option with Murphy eventually coming back, he can be a solid stream until he returns.
TRAVIS D'ARNAUD WALKS IT OFF🗣️
BRAVES WIN‼️ pic.twitter.com/uiCioTG4k5
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) April 6, 2024
One of the biggest reasons to stream d'Arnaud is because of his potential to drive in runs in one of the best offenses in baseball. He should continue to see those opportunities every game. Just be weary, though, of his playing time. It seems like the Braves start him for two straight games and then sit him for one. So, in a seven-game week, he might only play five times.
Ivan Herrera, St. Louis Cardinals (8% Rostered)
St. Louis Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera might be my favorite catcher to add on this list. His rostership has gone up 7% over the past five days, and he's absolutely on fire at the plate. Despite playing just one game over the first five contests of the season, Herrera has seen more playing time over the past week due to the injury of Willson Contreras (hand).
Contreras is back now after missing four straight games, but during that stretch, Herrera showed that he deserves more playing time. In four games as the Cardinals starter, he was 5-for-16 at the plate with two HRs and four RBI. If you include his stats from April 3 to April 10, the 23-year-old catcher is 9-for-28 with three HRs and five RBI.
Cardinals catcher Ivan Herrera is in the top 97% of Barrel-rates, xwOBA, 93% in xSLG! pic.twitter.com/RH9NEnU9DY
— Discuss Baseball (@discussbaseball) April 11, 2024
Even with Contreras back in the lineup, the Cardinals are still finding ways to get Herrera more reps at the plate. He has been in the lineup in seven straight games and continues to hit the ball well. If his playing time continues, we will likely see his rostership climb. So, you should grab Herrera now before your league mates do.
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