Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Eloy Jimenez, Logan Gilbert bringing big upside for the second half
Two potential difference-makers could be available in your league.
By
Chris Towers
•
2 min read
When we're going through the top players to add to your Fantasy baseball roster on the waiver wire, we don't always have potential impact players. A lot of the time, it's players who, if things break right, can be a low-end starter or provide some useful depth. There's value in that, but it's not going to win you your league.
But there are two players who are, if not widely available, certainly more available than they should be given their potential to make a huge impact down the stretch: Eloy Jimenez and Logan Gilbert.
We'll start with Jimenez, who you might be surprised to see mentioned here if you remember the pectoral injury he suffered in spring training. At the time, it seemed like the injury might cost him the season, but Jimenez has worked his way back quicker than expected and will begin his rehab assignment at High-A Friday. He will likely need the full 20 days to get back up to speed after missing so much time, but that could still put him on path to return to the majors by the end of the month.
Jimenez was being drafted as a top-15 outfielder coming into the season, and while I didn't love him at that price, it's hard to argue with the price when he's free on waivers. Jimenez has the potential to be an impact three-category bat, providing plus batting averages with huge power and RBI numbers. He could perform like a top-40 bat as soon as he gets to the majors.
As for Gilbert, he just isn't getting the respect he deserves at this point. He was excellent Thursday against the Yankees, holding them to just one hit over seven shutout innings while striking out eight, and he did it almost exclusively on the strength of his fastball and slider. That's noteworthy because he tossed 5.2 innings with two earned runs allowed and six strikeouts in his previous start against the Rangers while using his changeup as his primary non-fastball pitch.
Gilbert got off to a disappointing start after he got called up, which has likely colored the perception of him and led to his relatively low roster rate, but he's now sitting on a 3.51 ERA through his first 10 major-league starts with a 3.19 FIP, 9.8 K/9, and 1.85 BB/9. Gilbert looks as good as advertised, and he's worth adding in all leagues where available.
Here's who else we're looking at on waivers heading into the weekend:
Possible waiver wire pickups
Skubal's final line from Thursday may not be terribly impressive -- 6 IP, 3 ER (5 R), 1 BB, 5 K, but he was pitching very well before coming back out for the seventh after nearly 90 pitches. He's been pitching quite well since the start of May, sporting a 3.78 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 66.2 innings of work, and that's coincided with some real changes to his pitch mix -- primarily dropping his splitter for his changeup and increasing his sinker usage. Skubal is a talented pitcher with a feel for a lot of different pitches, and I'm viewing him as close to a top-50 starting pitcher moving forward.
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If you check out Urias' batted-ball stats, you might not be terribly impressed. He ranks in the 21st percentile in average exit velocity and 40th percentile in hard-hit rate, so you might be skeptical of his chances of sustaining his recent power surge that has seen him hit seven homers since June 1 -- a 34-homer pace. However, he's become a much more pull-heavy hitter this season, which is one way to get the most of a middling power tool. Urias makes consistent contact and has been hitting near the top of the Brewers lineup, and he gets to call Miller Park home, which isn't bad either. Add in the odd stolen base as he did Thursday, and it's actually a pretty interesting profile all of a sudden, especially with second, third and shortstop eligibility.
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Gregorius is a pretty non-sexy player, so it's not surprising that you all aren't climbing over each other to get him. After all, shortstop is so stacked with potential superstars that it almost feels like a waste not to take a big swing. But, going back to 2016, Gregorius is averaging 29 homers, 100 RBI, and 88 runs per-162 games, and he has three homers in six games since coming back from the IL after hitting another one Thursday. If one of your big swings at the position has missed, Gregorius is an underrated fallback.
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Haase just continues to homer, and he hit another one Thursday night, his 13th in 41 games. And it's not totally out of nowhere -- he hit 49 homers in 229 career games at the Triple-A level, after all. And he's not fluking his way into these -- his 52.1% hard-hit rate and 92.1 mph average exit velocity are legit. Whether he can keep it up moving forward with his poor plate discipline is another story, but it's easier to live with that from a catcher anyway. There's no reason not to add him at this point.
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To close out the waiver-wire column, here are three potential impact bats who are getting close to returning from injuries:
Reyes was hitting very well before his oblique injury, sporting a .257/.316/.576 line with 11 homers in 40 games. He's played four games at Triple-A and should be back with Cleveland this weekend. He's not widely available, but if he happens to be on the wire in your league and you've got a need at DH, Reyes is a must-add.
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It's been a rough season for Calhoun, who played in just 13 games between a knee injury in spring training and a hamstring that has kept him out since late April. Calhoun began his minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Reno Monday, and he could be back sometime this week. Batting average will always be a problem for Kalhoun, but he can provide home runs and RBI, and is a solid top-50 OF if healthy.
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Huff doesn't have the track record of the other two guys here, and he's probably a bit further away from having the chance to make it to the majors from his knee injury. However, Huff did impress in his brief taste of the majors last season, homering three times in 10 games while hitting .355 -- and that was after he hit .278/.335/.509 as a 21-year-old catcher in 2019. He could be a rare power source at the catcher position, and if you've got unlimited IL spots, consider using one on Huff as a second-half breakout candidate.
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