Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Rockies continue to offer useful hitters to stream going into the second half
There is a logjam of quality hitters who need to see their roster rate skyrocket. Some of the batters covered in this week’s edition have been mentioned before, as their roster rate should be at least 25% higher than its current mark.
Fantasy baseball managers can also keep an eye out for an article next Tuesday that will cover some big-name players who can be dropped in favor of the hitters mentioned here. Things are less exciting on the pitching side, which means that wise managers could consider trading hitters for pitchers, and then find their hitting replacements on the waiver wire.
Hitters to add
Kyle Karros, 3B, Rockies, 31%: Karros arrived at the All-Star break on a heater, having hit .330 with six homers and a 1.030 OPS across 32 games since June 1. The good news is that the surge came from skill gains than good luck, as Karros lowered his strikeout rate and raised his launch angle in recent weeks. With the Rockies set to open the second half with a six-game homestand, this is the perfect time to put Karros into your starting lineup while determining if his improvements are sustainable.
Cole Carrigg, OF, Rockies, 29%: I’ll try again with Carrigg, who didn’t gain much traction after being the headliner of last week’s article. The speedster has been terrific in July, collecting six extra-base hits in 10 games despite playing the majority of the contests away from hitter-friendly Coors Field. As is the case with Karros, this is the perfect time to add Carrigg, as he could really take off during Colorado’s upcoming homestand. And of course, any positive work at the dish will likely lead to an impactful steals total from someone who stole 30 bases in 57 Triple-A games at the outset of this season.
Sam Antonacci, 2B/3B/OF, White Sox, 46%: Antonacci continues to be an ideal table-setter for an improved White Sox lineup. After holding his own while getting his feet wet during April and May, the sparkplug was outstanding in June (.920 OPS) and had already collected two homers and a pair of steals in 10 July games when the All-Star break arrived. Since May 1, Antonacci ranks eighth in baseball in runs scored, ninth in stolen bases and 19th in batting average. With tri-position eiligibility, Antonacci is the perfect utility player in 10-team leagues.
Curtis Mead, 3B, Nationals, 31%: The regular No. 3 hitter on a team that is tied for the top spot in runs scored, Mead is a former notable prospect with the Rays who took longer than expected to develop, but is now a prominent power hitter. The 25-year-old has gone deep nine times since June 1, and after struggling to collect singles last month, he has opened July by batting .400 with a stellar 5:6 BB:K ratio. He should be rostered in every 12-team league.
A.J. Ewing, OF, Mets, 36%: The latest leadoff hitter in a disappointing Mets offense is none other than the 21-year-old Ewing, who opened the season in Triple-A. But the speedster’s position atop the lineup is well-deserved, as Ewing’s .784 OPS ranks second on the team behind superstar Juan Soto. Ewing has thus far succeeded as the leadoff man, batting .289 with an .851 OPS in 40 plate appearances atop the lineup. He has shown more power than expected with seven homers in 57 games, and he still has plenty of room to improve as a base-stealer, given his 95th percentile sprint speed and sizable minor-league steals totals (70 in 2025).
Pitchers to add
Andre Pallante, SP, Cardinals, 32%: The starting pitchers on the waiver wire are a weak group right now, as few skilled minor leaguers have been promoted in recent weeks. Choosing from a group of reliable veterans will be the only option for most managers. Pallante fits that bill, having posted respectable ratios (3.96 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) while compiling 100 innings and ranking fifth in baseball with 10 wins. The groundball-heavy righty will always be at the whim of batted-ball luck, but he has fared well since the calendar flipped to June (5-2, 3.64 ERA, 1.14 WHIP). Hopefully someone more exciting emerges in the coming days.
Yoendrys Gómez, RP, Twins, 29%: Gómez is far from a dominant closer, having produced middling results (3.50 ERA, 1.26 WHIP) this season while logging a 38:20 K:BB ratio. But he is a closer nonetheless, having earned nine of the Twins’ past 11 saves. Only seven pitchers have produced more saves than Gómez (8) since June 1, making him a viable option in deeper category formats.
Hitters with favorable weekend matchups
Mickey Moniak, OF, Rockies, 41%: Over the past two seasons, Moniak has taken advantage of the hitter-friendly nature of Coors Field to a greater degree than any of his teammates, posting a .991 OPS at home and a .676 mark on the road. The 28-year-old also has wide splits against pitchers, having logged an .893 OPS against righties and a .594 mark vs. southpaws as a member of the Rockies. Fortunately, he will spend this weekend at home against three right-handed Cincinnati starters.
Ryan Vilade, OF, Rays, 0%: This pick is for the deep-league crowd, as Vilade could be a valuable weekend streamer in leagues with 12 teams or more. The right-handed slugger has been one of the Rays’ best against lefties this season, posting an .816 OPS in those matchups. Tampa and Boston will hook up for four games this weekend, with the Red Sox starting southpaws in three of the contests.
Pitchers to stream this weekend (ranked in order of preference)
Andre Pallante @ ARI (Sunday, 32%)
Michael McGreevy @ ARI (Friday, 34%)
Zebby Matthews @CHC (Sunday, 17%)
Shane Drohan vs. MIA (Saturday, 32%)
Dean Kremer @ HOU (Friday, 14%)
Grant Holmes vs. TEX (Sunday, 21%)
Anthony Kay @ TOR (Friday, 10%)
Bailey Ober @ CHC (Friday, 19%)
Cade Cavalli @ ATH (Friday, 38%)
Seth Lugo vs. SD (Friday, 26%)
Noah Cameron vs. SD (Sunday, 23%)
