RADIO
At the risk of stating the obvious, time is running out on the 2018 fantasy baseball season. Some head-to-head leagues that end early are already about to begin their postseasons, and most only have a few weeks of regular play remaining. Regardless of format, trade deadlines are likely coming soon if they haven’t already, which means the waiver wire is your sole source of talent infusion from here on out.
Every Sunday until the end of the season, we'll look at the best middle infielders available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. These are based on standard 5x5 scoring; adjust accordingly for your specific setup.
Let’s get to it. Below are your second base and shortstop waiver wire targets for Week 20.
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Week 20 Middle Infield (MI) Waiver Wire Targets
Ketel Marte, 2B/SS, Arizona Diamondbacks (22% owned)
With the news that Jake Lamb will require season-ending surgery, trade deadline acquisition Eduardo Escobar slots in as the everyday third baseman in Phoenix. That means that Marte should remain the regular starter at second base moving forward, a designation he’s absolutely earned with recent performance. Marte has batted .294/.376/.552 since the start of June, with nine home runs, three stolen bases, and quality run production. He’s also walked nearly as often as he’s struck out in that time, and is hitting .344 since the All-Star break.
Aledmys Diaz, SS, Toronto Blue Jays (20% owned)
Diaz makes his second straight appearance in this space because he remains available in four out of every five leagues even with his ownership rate literally increasing tenfold since last weekend. A slow start and some missed time due to injury have kept his overall numbers suppressed, but Diaz is hitting .293/.319/.502 with 10 home runs in his last 216 plate appearances.
Tim Beckham, 2B/3B/SS, Baltimore Orioles (13% owned)
Beckham certainly hasn’t lived up to the stretch run performance a year ago that had fantasy owners taking a flier on him late in drafts this spring. That said, he looks to be putting together another late-season surge. He’s gone deep in three of his last five games and logged multiple hits seven times in the last three weeks, during which time he has slashed .306/.386/.528 with 25 R+BI in 18 games. Locked into the top of the Orioles’ order, Beckham should have ample opportunity to maintain that run production.
Jorge Polanco, SS, Minnesota Twins (9% owned)
It took a while after his return from suspension, but Polanco finally launched his first home run of the year a few days ago. Getting hits and walks hasn’t been a problem thus far, as he’s hit .287/.357/.403 in 34 games while also stealing four bags in six tries. Polanco has recently been slotted into the three-hole in the Twins’ lineup, so if he can send a few more balls over the fence, he’ll be a sneaky multi-cat contributor down the stretch.
Joey Wendle, 2B/3B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays (9% owned)
Wendle has appeared in this column a handful of times this season, and if memory serves his ownership rate has never climbed out of the single digits. It’s as close to doing so now as it can possibly be, because he has been red hot lately. With another multi-hit performance on Saturday, Wendle has recorded multiple base knocks in 26 of his 89 starts this season, a big reason why he’s one of only 29 batters with an average of .295 or above. He only has six home runs on the year, but four of them have come in his last 23 games. Wendle also recently gained eligibility at third base.
