As we enter the dog days of August, here are five players to seek on your fantasy baseball waiver wire heading into the coming week.
5.-Tampa Bay Rays IF Brad Miller
Miller hit a home run in three straight games last week, giving him 20 for the season, and he’s got a five-game hitting streak going entering Sunday (7-for-19 with six RBI and six runs scored over that span). Miller’s power surge looks like an outlier based on the rest of his career, but fantasy owners can take advantage of it and multi-position eligibility (second base, shortstop, outfield and possibly first base soon) makes him a solid asset.
Yahoo! Ownership: 41%
4-Washington Nationals IF Trea Turner
Turner has multiple hits in three of his last five games, and he’s posted a .318/.356/.529 slash-line with 12 RBI, 13 runs scored and eight stolen bases in 21 games (85 at-bats) for the Nationals thus far. His place in Washington’s lineup looks secure, between second base and center field, so fantasy owners can add Turner with some confidence.
Yahoo! Ownership: 51%
3-Arizona Diamondbacks RP Jake Barrett
Pitching for a bad team limits save opportunities, but Barrett is now the closer for the Diamondbacks with Brad Ziegler and Tyler Clippard gone via trades. It’s easy to forget about players on bad teams at this point in the season, but Barrett is worth adding in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues as a potential factor down the stretch.
Yahoo! Ownership: 27%
2-Colorado Rockies OF David Dahl
Dahl has hit the ground running upon arriving in the big leagues, with a .380/.404/.620 slash-line, three home runs, seven RBI and 12 runs scored over 12 games. Some good luck (.500 BABIP) is in line for a correction, but Dahl clearly belongs and he’s in line to help fantasy owners win leagues from here on out.
Yahoo! Ownership: 46%
1-Seattle Mariners RP Edwin Diaz
Steve Cishek’s removal as Seattle’s closer, with a hip injury possibly playing a role in his struggles, has but Diaz into the role. He’s 4-for-4 in save opportunities already this month, with seven strikeouts and one walk in those outings, and a strikeout rate that is beyond elite (56 strikeouts over 29 innings this season) proves he’s a closer that simply needed a chance. Acting fast is required, with a fast rising ownership rate, but Diaz is well worth it.
Yahoo! Ownership: 63%