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Going by the calendar, summer officially begins on June 21. Unofficially, Memorial Day weekend feels like the true start of the season. In most of the country, the weather’s nice enough to fire up the grill, have family and friends over, and gorge on meat and beer like a true ‘Murrican. And the baseball season’s in full swing. Does it get any better?
That depends. Could your fantasy team get any better? For most of us, the answer is yes. Fortunately, there’s a lot of race left to run. The players listed below can help you, and they’re available on the waiver wire in the majority of Yahoo leagues. Let’s hit it.
Editor’s Note: To read about even more waiver wire options for the outfield, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.
Week 8 Outfield Waiver Wire Adds
Rusney Castillo, Boston Red Sox (49 percent)
Though Sox manager John Farrell insists that a promotion is not imminent, Boston’s gotten bubkes from a motley crew in right field to this point. Their collective .492 OPS from that position is easily the worst of any team in the majors. They’ve also struggled against southpaws, with only two teams coming in lower than their .617 OPS. Castillo has battled injuries to his shoulder and ankle, so he hasn’t played much at Triple-A. When he has, though, he’s performed nicely. In 18 games, he’s hit .293/.341/.440 with a pair of homers and six stolen bases. Throw in the fact that he’s on a $72 million contract, and you have to figure that he’ll get his shot sooner rather than later. He’s in Miami for the birth of his child right now, but don’t be surprised if the Sox brass tells him to ship out to Boston rather than go back to Pawtucket.
Nori Aoki, San Francisco Giants (37 percent)
This is Aoki’s third appearance on this list and his ownership has actually dropped since we discussed him in Week 6, despite a .861 OPS in that time. Overall, Aoki is hitting .297/.374/.381 with 10 steals from his perch atop the Giants order. With the hitters behind him finally showing signs of life, the veteran should see a boost in runs scored, making him a solid three-cat contributor. It’s time to quit sleeping on him.
Andre Ethier, Los Angeles Dodgers (31 percent)
Ethier is overpaid, a liability in the field, and one of many players fighting for at-bats in a deep and talented Dodgers lineup. But after a disastrous season in 2014, Ethier has set about reminding us that he can still hit. He’s currently slashing .304/.405/.529 with five homers, making it difficult for Don Mattingly to keep him off the field. The roster crunch in L.A. isn’t going away, so Ethier may be a high maintenance fantasy asset moving forward. As long as he keeps this up, though, he’ll be worth your time.
Gerardo Parra, Milwaukee Brewers (6 percent)
Another player who was on the outside looking in when the season started, Parra has likewise forced his way into more consistent playing time. It’s helped his cause that his teammates have largely been awful. Parra has always been valued more for his glove than his bat, but he’s hit with authority so far and has 10/15 upside. In deep leagues, he’s certainly earned consideration.
David DeJesus, Tampa Rays (3 percent)
Though he’s bounced around with four teams in the five season since he left Kansas City, DeJesus has had a solid career. However, he’s rarely been a great fantasy option. He only has gap power, and he’s barely above a 50 percent success rate stealing bases in his career. He’s having a nice little renaissance this year for the Rays, though, with a triple slash of .324/.367/.500 and four homers so far. As you can tell from his ownership rate, hardly anyone has noticed. You’ve heard before that boring vets win fantasy leagues. They don’t get much more boring than DeJesus.
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