Here are five guys to check for on your fantasy baseball waiver wire heading into the Fourth of July holiday and the first full week of July.
5. Minnesota Twins OF Max Kepler
Kepler hit two home runs with seven RBI during Minnesota’s 17-run outburst on Saturday, and over his last 21 games he’s now hitting .295 with five home runs and 20 RBI. Kepler should be a mainstay in the Twins lineup from here on out, so fantasy owners in AL-only and deep mixed leagues should be paying attention to him.
Yahoo! Ownership: 5%
4. San Diego Padres RP Brandon Maurer
The trade of Fernando Rodney to the Miami Marlins opened up the ninth inning for the Padres, and Maurer picked up a save Friday night. A 5.82 ERA entering Saturday is not ideal, but Maurer does have 47 strikeouts and 18 walks over 38.2 innings and as a new closer he’s worth adding in fantasy leagues.
Yahoo! Ownership: 21%
3. Los Angeles Dodgers SP Bud Norris
Norris had a very nice Dodgers’ debut Friday night, and dating back to his return to the Atlanta Braves‘ starting rotation on June 4 he has a 1.78 ERA with a 37:9 K/9 ratio over his last six starts. Pitching for a better team should be good news, and Norris is mixed league relevant for those that need pitching help.
Yahoo! Ownership: 27%
2. Washington Nationals SS Danny Espinosa
Espinosa had a great month of June, with a .309/.418/.704 slash-line, nine home runs and 21 RBI over 99 plate appearances. It’s a fair question if he can maintain anything close to that going forward, but with reasonable power numbers Espinosa can still be a mixed league asset from here on out.
Yahoo! Ownership: 46%
1. St. Louis Cardinals OF/1B Brandon Moss
Moss is crushing right-handed pitching this season (1.051 OPS entering Saturday), and most (17 home runs and 33 RBI) of his overall production (17 home runs and 39 RBI) has come against right-handers. Add in multi-position eligibility, at first base and in the outfield, and Moss should be owned far more.
Yahoo! Ownership: 41%