It's been a while since we've taken stock of the waiver wire, what with the All-Star break and all. Between breakout lefties (Reid Detmers, Braxton Garrett), rehabilitating strikeout artists (Jesus Luzardo, Dustin May) and recent call-ups (Nick Pratto, J.J. Bleday), there's no shortage of exciting possibilities.
Let's examine 10 of them:
Possible waiver wire pickups
Following a so-so start to the season, Renfroe has been on fire since returning from an ankle injury a little before the All-Star break, homering in three straight and hitting safely in seven straight. It has his batting average and OPS (.257 and .827, respectively) back to right about where they were last year (.259, .816), when he was the 19th-best outfielder in 5x5 leagues and the 21st-best in points. He won't finish that high this year, factoring in the time he missed, but with quality outfielders being in short supply, I'm certain there's someone who could use him in just about every league where he's available.
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Out since early May with a forearm strain, Luzardo is ramping up for a rotation that could desperately use him, especially after losing fellow phenom Max Meyer to a sprained elbow. He stretched out to four innings in his latest rehab start and has now allowed just two hits in seven innings combined. His velocity in those seven innings has come closer to last year's than the ridiculous readings he was getting earlier this year, but for him, it's mostly about the secondary arsenal anyway. He likely has just one rehab start left before getting back to what was shaping up to be a breakout season.
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Making his third start back from a bout with shoulder inflammation, Stroman finally took on a legitimate starter's workload Saturday, allowing just one run over six innings. Even though the first two outings were on the shorter side, he now has a 1.26 ERA since returning, lowering his season mark to 4.38. You say that's too high for a so-so strikeout pitcher with a poor supporting cast? Maybe so, but consider that Stroman's 3.26 xFIP is his lowest since his rookie season. Consider also that his ERA would be right in line (3.28) if not for the ugly outing that immediately preceded his IL stint.
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Taveras was one of those prospects who rated better in real life than in Fantasy given that his standout tool is defense, but we've seen him factor as a base-stealer in previous major-league stints. He entered this year with 18 steals in 82 career games. What we haven't seen him do is hit, not even a little, so it's nothing short of startling to see him sporting a .340 batting average after a 3-for-5 performance Sunday. That number is obviously unsustainable, but the underlying ones do show genuine improvement, namely in terms of strikeout rate (down from 32.4 to 24.1 percent) and average exit velocity (up from 87.2 to 91.5 mph). Randy Arozarena-like numbers may not be out of reach.
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Given how much of the past two seasons Lewis has lost to injuries (this year's include a torn meniscus and, more recently, a concussion), there's no telling what to expect from the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year. He's 1 for 7 with three walks and one strikeout since returning to the lineup Friday, and it's that newfound plate discipline that bears watching. Even though he took home the hardware in 2020, he stumbled down the stretch thanks to a strikeout rate near 30 percent, but he may have refined his approach during his time on the sidelines. Between two separate rehab assignments, his 11 walks vs. 12 strikeouts really stood out, and he also homered eight times in just 71 plate appearances.
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You'd be forgiven for forgetting just how overpowering May was in his five starts early last year, combining premium velocity with Bugs Bunny movement for a 2.74 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 13.7 K/9. He had seemingly figured out how to miss bats after already establishing himself as a ground-ball specialist, his 98-mph sinker proving impossible to square up. Well, now he's recovered from Tommy John surgery and working his way back to the big leagues, having made a pair of two-inning starts already, his sinker peaking at 99. It's going to take a couple more turns for him to build up, but stashing him now is the wise move.
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It's becoming all the more clear that Detmers is a changed pitcher since rediscovering his slider in the minors. It was up again 2.3 mph during his latest start Sunday in which he shut out the Braves over five innings. In three starts since returning, he has a 1.06 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 as compared to 4.66, 1.10 and 6.8 before then. The one drawback is that he plays for the team most committed to a six-man rotation, which means he'll rarely be a two-start possibility for you.
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One of the most unexpected pitching performances of the season came just before the All-Star break, when Garrett struck out 11 on 23 swinging strikes against the Pirates. He allowed two hits over six innings in that contest and followed it up with another six-inning, two-hit performance Friday, also against the Pirates. Now, you may be saying "it's the Pirates," and I hear you, but Garrett now boasts an impressive 12.5 percent swinging-strike rate for the year with a FIP, xFIP and xERA (3.45, 3.46, 3.68) all in line with his 3.42 ERA. The velocity on all of his pitches is up over a mile per hour from last year, so there may be something here.
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Pratto initially came up for the Royals' all-hands-on-deck situation just before the All-Star break, when 10 players were ruled ineligible for a series in Toronto because of their vaccination status. He was sent down only briefly and may be back for good now. If it's seemed like a long time coming given how he was regarded at the start of the year, note that he got off to a miserable start at Triple-A and ultimately struck out more than 30 percent of the time there. He righted the ship over his final 22 games, though, batting .301 with six homers, three steals and a .448 on-base percentage and offers an interesting skill set at first base that includes significant power and moderate speed.
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Like fellow call-up Nick Pratto, Bleday's Triple-A batting average won't inspire much confidence, but also like Pratto, he's been better in recent weeks, batting .269 with 10 homers and a .942 OPS over his past 33 games. The power production is nothing to sneeze at, and because of his patient approach, he could probably get away with a batting average in the low .200s. If he doesn't hit the ground running, though, he may be only a short term fill-in for Jorge Soler (back spasms), so you can save Bleday for deeper five-outfielder leagues right now. He did go 2 for 4 with a double and a stolen base in his first start Sunday, a promising sign.
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