If you're looking for commentary on Paul Skenes, who we learned Wednesday will be making major-league debut Saturday, I'm sorry to tell you that you've come to the wrong place.
This is a Waiver Wire article, homie. The focus is on players who are actually available in CBS Sports leagues. And part of what Skenes such a rarity among prospect call-ups is that he was already stashed everywhere, as in 90 percent of CBS Sports leagues, at the time of his promotion. The discussion for him isn't whether to add but whether to sell high, and I address that topic here.
The players to consider adding aren't quite as exciting, but they're led by a former must-start outfielder fresh off the IL, a slugger on a serious hot streak and a pitcher who just registered double-digit strikeouts. Let's get into them now.
Possible waiver wire pickups
TJ Friedl ranked 20th among outfielders in categories leagues last year and 24th in points leagues. He was a must-start player, in other words, offering decent power and even better speed. However did we forget when he fractured his wrist in spring training? To be fair, there was always some skepticism over the performance -- namely the power given his bottom-of-the-scale exit velocity readings -- but he's clearly the Reds' starting center fielder, even getting to play against a lefty in his second game back Wednesday (and going 2 for 4). The speed alone should make Friedl startable across the board, and seeing as he plays his home games in the majors' most homer-friendly park, it may turn out that his 2023 home run total wasn't such a fluke.
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You read that correctly: Brent Rooker has a .998 OPS on the year, which is really something considering he was batting .206 at the end of April. All he's done since then is hit .462 (12 for 26) with four homers, and he was one of the standouts in a doubleheader against the Rangers Wednesday, going 5 for 9 with a homer and two doubles. His strikeout rate, which exceeds 30 percent and always has, will surely lead to some correction in the batting average department, but it's fair to say now that his 30-homer season last year likely won't be his last. What may be most impressive is that he actually missed a 10-game stretch earlier this season with a rib injury, and yet he's still on pace for 35 homers and 91 RBI. Power isn't so readily available that you can dismiss Rooker in a categories league, and he's at least a hot-hand play in a points league.
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Frankie Montas didn't do anything of significance in five starts prior to taking a liner off the forearm and seemed like a lost cause for Fantasy. But his return from the IL two weeks later brought with it a 1.5 mph increase on all of his pitches, which led to his best start of the season so far. Montas' explanation is that he "let it eat" for the first time since having shoulder surgery early in 2023, his fastball peaking at 99 mph. There weren't many swinging strikes, which would suggest that his secondary arsenal is still a work in progress, but when he gets his splitter and slider working in tandem, the results can be ace-like. I'd say he's worth a second look if you have a spot to play with.
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Taj Bradley (pectoral) was basically untouchable on his rehab assignment, which itself should prompt a certain level enthusiasm for his return Friday against the Yankees. But given the level of bench crowding from all the starting pitchers to emerge off the waiver wire already, it may be hard to look past his 5.59 ERA as a rookie last year. By the looks of the minor-league data, though, Bradley has a new splitter that he's throwing 20 percent of the time. The splitter has become a popular finishing pitch for talented pitchers who've struggled to get over the hump (with Bryce Miller being a prime example), and it may explain Bradley's minor-league dominance. Granted, he pitched well in the minors previously -- he was a top prospect, after all -- but the strikeouts in particular are next-level.
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Color me confused on this one. I had hope for Chris Paddack coming back from Tommy John surgery, but his return to the starting rotation this year had been mostly a failure until May 3, when he two-hit the Red Sox over six innings. He upped his slider usage considerably in that start, throwing it 35 percent of the time, and I figured that would be a key to his success moving forward. But he threw it only 20 percent of the time in this latest effort. Instead, the fastball was responsible for 11 of his 19 swinging strikes, which is even harder to figure. It may be unfair, though, to reduce Paddack's success to his last two starts. He also struck out 10 over seven shutout innings April 22, which means he has a 1.93 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 in his last four. It's clear improvement for a talented pitcher, and maybe that's enough.
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Patrick Sandoval still has a 4.85 ERA, a 1.49 WHIP and a history of fakeouts, but if you've paid attention to his pitch usage in recent starts, you might be tempted to think he's turned over a new leaf. He's all but abandoned his four-seamer, heretofore his most-thrown pitch, in favor of more changeups and sliders, which are much more effective pitches overall. It's a three-start trend, and the last two of those starts were absolute gems -- a 10-strikeout effort followed by Tuesday's seven shutout innings. If that's not enough, Sandoval also has a 2.89 FIP and 3.41 xFIP on the year. Maybe he's just faking us out again, but I would classify my interest in him as higher than my interest in Frankie Montas or Chris Paddack.
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With Willson Contreras suffering a fractured forearm Tuesday, you may be in need of a new catcher, and while Contreras' replacement in St. Louis, Ivan Herrera, makes for a compelling possibility, Shea Langeliers does even more so. His two home runs in Tuesday's doubleheader give him nine total, which ties him with Cal Raleigh for the most among catchers, but we already knew he had power from his 22 homers last year. What's changed in his second full season is the strikeout rate, which has gone from a suffocating 29 percent to a manageable 22 percent. There's actually hope for him being a plus offensive contributor with that second number, and indeed, his .247 xBA ranks in the top half of the league. Hopefully, his performance in Tuesday's doubleheader is the first step toward bringing his actual .209 batting average in line with the expected mark.
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