Catcher
Dustin Garneau, Detroit Tigers
Over the past week, Garneau made five starts for the Tigers. All three of his hits left the ballpark while adding four RBI. His bat was unimpressive over his 32 games in the minors (.219 with five home runs and 17 RBI over 96 at-bats). He only works as a one-week gamble on power at the catcher position in deep formats.
Nick Fortes, Miami Marlins
This week, the Marlins called up Fortes after playing 95 games between AA and AAA (.245 with seven home runs and 44 RBI over 330 at-bats). His bats shined over his first five games in the majors (6-for-10 with four runs, three home runs, and five RBI). His resume doesn’t support long-term success, but he looks to be the best looking free-agent catcher heading into the season's final week.
MORE: Last week's waiver wire
First Base
Lewin Diaz, Miami Marlins
Diaz has a six-game hitting streak (8-for-23) with four runs, one home run, and three RBI. Over his past 10 games, he hit .342 with three home runs and five RBI after struggling to start his major league career (.125 over 48 at-bats). Diaz hit .248 this season at AAA over 278 at-bats with two home runs and 51 RBI. I expect him to play well down the stretch.
Second Base
Nick Gordon, Minnesota Twins
Minnesota gave Gordon starts in their previous five games, leading to nine hits over 19 at-bats with two home runs and eight RBI. Over his three seasons at AAA, he hit .252 with 100 runs, nine home runs, 78 RBI, and 34 stolen bases over 745 at-bats. His speed grades better than his power, but his overall play is trending up.
Third Base
Andy Ibanez, Texas Rangers
After spending three weeks on the injured list with a hamstring issue, Ibanez has seven hits over 22 at-bats with one run. His bat showed growth over 11 games over the second half of August (21-for-43 with six runs, two home runs, and six RBI). He hit .297 over 1,004 at-bats at AAA between 2018 and 2021 with 174 runs, 39 home runs, 147 RBI, and nine steals. A late bloomer with the swing to help fantasy teams down the stretch.
Shortstop
Jack Mayfield, Los Angeles Angels
Despite hitting only .206 over 228 at-bats with the Angels, Mayfield finds a way to be productive. Over his previous 80 at-bats, he scored 12 runs with three home runs and 16 RBI. Mayfield hit .277 with 172 runs, 48 home runs, and 168 RBI over 967 at-bats from 2017 to 2019 at AAA. He makes sense in deep formats on teams with batting average protection.
Outfield
Victor Reyes, Detroit Tigers
Reyes went 4-for-4 on Tuesday night with a run, two RBI, and a steal, which may be a sign of starting at-bats over the final 10 days for the Tigers. Over 17 games in September, he hit .311 over 45 at-bats with six runs, one home run, nine RBI, and two stolen bases. Reyes also played well at AAA (.385 with 13 runs, one home run, 10 RBI, and five steals) over limited at-bats (78).
Hunter Dozier, Kansas City Royals
In September, Dozier played his way into the free-agent pool after a poor run over 136 at-bats (.206 with two home runs and 11 RBI). However, he regained his rhythm over his previous 13 games (14-for-42 with nine runs, five home runs, and 10 RBI). Dozier is available in one-third of leagues in the 12-team high-stakes market.
Starting Pitching
Chris Bassitt, Oakland A’s
After missing five weeks after getting hit in the face by a line drive in mid-August, Bassitt returned to Oakland’s starting rotation on Thursday night. He tossed three shutout innings with four strikeouts. The A’s have him lined up to pitch next Tuesday, giving him a chance at double starts over the final week.
Jack Flaherty, St Louis Cardinals
Flaherty has been dumped back into the free-agent pool after missing a month with a right shoulder issue in most formats. A 12-game winning streak by the Cardinals has them almost locked into a wild card spot in the playoffs. He’ll be on a pitch count in his start on Friday night. St. Louis needs him to make a deep run into the postseason, but his innings will be limited for fantasy teams next week.
Miguel Yajure, Pittsburgh Pirates
This weekend, the Pirates should call up Yajure after pitching well over his last six starts at AAA (2.70 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts over 26.2 innings). He missed two and half months of the season with a right forearm issue. His start next week comes at home against the Cubs.
More MLB Coverage:
Reds Star Finds Satisfaction in Abandoning PerfectionIs the AL MVP Race Actually Up for Debate?Are the Mariners For Real?Blue Jays Livid After Kevin Kiermaier Takes Card With Team's Pitching Plan
