NL-Only and AL-Only Waiver Wire for Week 10

June 2, 2021

Matt Wallach outlines his favorite week 10 waiver wire pickups and adds for deep leagues, and AL-only or NL-only fantasy baseball leagues for the 2021 MLB season.

Welcome back to the NL-only and AL-only pickups column. Each week, I'll look at five players who are under 15% rostered in Yahoo! leagues and who can be considered as options to add in deep-league formats, such as 15-teamers or AL or NL-only leagues.

I'll also include a recommendation for what to do with each player on your roster. And lastly, I'll take a look at some of my picks from the previous week to see how they're performing.

Without further ado, let's get into it.

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Ji-Man Choi - 1B, Rays

9% rostered
Recommended move: Add for the long haul

It's not the perfect situation with Choi, as his playing time is likely going to be limited. He won't be facing left-handed pitchers very much, which does limit his value for fantasy purposes, but offense is at a shortage right now, and when Choi is in there, he is playing extremely well.

Since coming off the injured list, Choi has been crushing the ball to a tune of a .342/.479/.605 slash line with two home runs and ten RBI in just 12 games as he has been one of the anchors of the Rays' hot streak. Now, he's not likely to keep this pace up, but Choi has long been a solid offensive contributor. In 2019, for instance, he hit 19 home runs in 127 games on the back of a solid .261/.363/.459 slash line. If he can match that type of production over the remainder of the season, Choi would have paid off massively for fantasy managers. His early-season Statcast metrics should be taken with a grain of salt, but his early results do match up to his expected ones, on the back of a ridiculous 54.5% hard-hit rate, and a 18.2% barrel rate, and helped out by an equally ridiculous 50% line-drive rate. Again, it's not likely to stick, but it does show that his early success is not such a fluke.

It is surprising considering how well he's been playing that he's still rostered in under 10% of leagues. His first base only eligibility and platoon status do limit his fantasy potential, but the results so far speak for themselves. For deep leagues, Choi may be as good an option as any currently sitting on the waiver wire.

Brendan Rodgers - SS, Rockies

6% rostered
Recommended move: Add and stash for a few weeks

After Rodgers suffered an injury in Spring Training, he was likely dropped by whoever ended up drafting him, as IL spots are tight these days with all of the injuries plaguing Major League teams. He has since returned from that injury, but has not played well since coming back, going just 5 for his first 26 in eight games since returning from the IL. The injury combined with the poor results may have caused some managers to forget about him, but he probably should be rostered at a greater rate right now.

That's not to say that his performance is screaming "must add" or anything like that, but it does make sense that it would take Rodgers, a former top prospect, some time to get back up to speed after a long layoff. Of course, Rodgers is still pretty much unknown at the Major League level, with just a little over 40 games played for the Rockies across parts of three seasons, so there really isn't much of a track record to go off of, except for the fact he was a top prospect, and plays the majority of his games in Colorado--which always generates attention in fantasy circles.

It's pretty much useless to evaluate Rodgers' stats with just nine games played this season, but he should not be as bad as his current .192/.276/.192 triple slash over the course of a full season. For right now, Rodgers can be added and stashed on the bench if you can afford to do that, or simply started during a stretch of games at Colorado to get a more beneficial offensive environment. For what it's worth, the Rockies have two series at home this week--one against the Rangers and the other against the Athletics--so Rodgers could see a spike in his offensive numbers this week. Either way, as a wait-and-see option or as a home-streamer, Rodgers could pay off nicely if he starts to hit as his scouting reports and projections once suggested.

Trevor Larnach - OF, Twins

4% rostered
Recommended move: Add for the long haul. 

I'm a little surprised to see Larnach rostered at such a low rate, considering that his prospect pedigree, and the fact that he is generally playing well on top of it. He is in a platoon, which like the aforementioned Choi, limits his fantasy value, but he is legitimately performing well with a .228/.389/.456 slash line (142 wRC+), as he is providing good power (.228 ISO) and plate discipline (16.7% walk rate).

The Statcast metrics look good here too, with a much better looking .252 expected batting average, a .537 expected slugging, and a .406 expected wOBA. This is one the back of a low 39.5% groundball rate, a super-strong 18.4% barrel rate, and a well-above-average 44.7%. He's pulling a lot of balls at a whopping 68.4% clip, which could limit just how high of an average he hits for, but I doubt the pull rate stays that high going forward, considering he didn't pull the ball all that much in the minor leagues. An elevated pull rate would suggest some good power though, and could be something to monitor going forward.

Overall though, there is a lot to like about what Larnach has done at the plate so far. He won't play against lefties all that much, but with injuries aplenty in the Twins' outfield right now, he'll definitely be in there against every righty starter, especially if he continues to play well. To me, Larnach should be rostered at a much higher rate, and the opportunity is still there for those in deep leagues to get in and enjoy what should be good results.

Harold Ramirez - OF, Cleveland

2% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks

Cleveland suffered yet another injury to one of their better offensive players last week. First it was Franmil Reyes (leg), and this time it was Jordan Luplow (ankle). Things are looking even thinner for the team now, and as it turns out, Ramirez may be one of their best hitters now in such a depleted lineup.

With Luplow out, Ramirez moves into an everyday role. He's been starting everyday for the team in center field as of late, and in the middle of their order, frequently hitting fourth or fifth for them. It's not exactly undeserved either, as Ramirez has generally been playing well. It's not going to be the most impressive performance, but he has hit for an above-average 105 wRC+ in the last week or so, and he's been roughly average for the season as a whole with a 97 wRC+, which is right along the lines of where he was the last time he had any type of fantasy relevance, which came with the Marlins back in 2019.

Even more encouraging, is that his Statcast metrics have been excellent, which suggests that he could reach another level with more playing time. His 114.5 miles-per-hour max exit velocity places him inside the 94th percentile. To go along with that, Ramirez has a 54.5% hard-hit rate, which combined with a 25.8% line-drive rate, has his expected slugging at a much better .520. It remains to be seen if Ramirez will continue to hit the ball with such authority going forward, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a hitter with such outstanding Statcast metrics sitting as freely available on the waiver wire as Ramirez is. Considering he's rostered at just two percent, he's certainly worth a flier in deep formats.

Guillermo Heredia - OF, Braves

2% rostered
Recommended move: Add for a few weeks 

Heredia was recommended last week, and unfortunately, it was kind of a dud, as bad weather across the east coast cost the Braves three games last week. Not much is all that different for Heredia as it was in the write-up last week. His overall .293/.384/.520 slash line is super encouraging, and while it may not be supported by many Statcast metrics, he still looks worthy of a pickup in deep leagues where outfield options are slim, to see if he can ride this hot streak for a while longer.

And he'll likely have a long leash with the Braves to see for himself too. Cristian Pache (hamstring) is still on the injured list, and while he is starting a rehab assignment soon and could be back relatively soon, and the situation with Marcell Ozuna will likely keep Heredia relevant in the lineup for the while, barring some sort of outfield addition in the near future.

Heredia isn't the most glamorous option available, but he should be good enough to the point where he doesn't hurt in any one category. Considering the state of offense around the league, a hitter who is at least competent enough will have some good value in deeper leagues, especially if it comes with a good batting average, which Heredia currently features. He's worthy of a pickup to see if he continue to outperform expectations.

Reviewing Last Week's Picks

At the end of each week's post, I'll review what happened with last week's picks and offer a suggestion for them in the future.

Josh Naylor (1B/OF, CLE)

Last week: 6% rostered. This week: 4% rostered. 

Naylor isn't blowing anyone away with his performance, but he did post a 101 wRC+ in that span, with a home run. It's a shame that it was with just one RBI and three runs scored, but Naylor isn't hurting your team right now. He had a 108 wRC+ in May after a bad April. He should remain solid and relevant in the Cleveland lineup going forward. Hold him for now.

Current recommendation: Hold. 

Jose Iglesias (SS, LAA) 

Last week: 5% rostered. This week: 4% rostered. 

Iglesias was playing well, especially last week with a .417/.533/.715 slash line, but alas, he ended up on the injured list late in the week with a darn hamstring strain. He'll probably be out for a few weeks at least. He should continue to be a good batting average option upon return, but with crowded IL space, he's likely heading back to the wire, albeit not based on his performance. Injuries just stink.

Current recommendation: Drop/Hold on IL 

Brad Miller (1B/2B/3B/OF, PHI)

Last week: 4% rostered. This week: 38% rostered. 

Miller saw his roster rate spike in the past week, as he continues to play well. He even gained first base eligibility recently, making him quadruple-eligible in Yahoo, which makes him a great plug-and-play option for fantasy managers who may be feeling the impact of early-season injuries. Ideally, you'd bench him against lefty starters, and only start him against righties, but you may need him in your lineup every day. Either way, it's hard to be disappointed with Miller right now.

Current recommendation: Hold. 

Harold Castro (1B/2B/3B/OF, DET)

Last week: 2% rostered. This week: 3% rostered. 

Castro did not play all that well last week with a 46 wRC+ in five games last week, but he may have been a little bit unlucky. He hit hard at 57.1%, which is better than his 43.2% season mark, he just didn't have them turn to hits at a great rate. Castro is still an interesting player--especially so considering his quadruple-eligibility--but he'll only be starting against righty starters. The Tigers are scheduled to face just one in their series against the White Sox later this week, but they will see tough pitchers, so Castro may not have the most success. Following the White Sox series, the Tigers face the Mariners. That should be a better matchup, but right now the schedule shapes up so that they'll maybe see two lefties, which likely means no Castro. It's a tough decision, but with a tough opponent and poor matchups ahead, this one leans towards a drop. Keep him in mind though for later down the road.

Current recommendation: Drop. 

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