Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Josiah Gray on Track to Fill-In for Clayton Kershaw
Catcher
Joey Bart
With Buster Posey nicked up before the All-Star break, the Giants gave Bart one game (2-for-5 with a run and RBI) of action before sending him back to AAA. Over his past 33 games in the minors, he hit .336 with 22 runs, seven home runs, and 31 RBI. Bart falls into the buy-and-hold category while not having a clear path to at-bats even if the Giants call him back up. His ceiling in power is high once he controls the strike zone better.
First Base
Chris Gittens
The Yankees placed Luke Voit on the injured list with a bone bruise on his left knee, creating a possible starting window for Gittens. In his first opportunity in the majors in June, he only had two hits over 21 at-bats with one home run, four RBI, and nine strikeouts. Gittens played well this season at AAA (.359 with seven home runs and 23 RBI over 78 at-bats) after flashing power at AA in 2019 (.281 with 23 home runs and 77 RBI over 398 at-bats). He is worth a short-term flier in deep formats if New York starts him at least twice this weekend.
Second Base
Christian Arroyo
Since returning from the injured list, Arroyo made seven straight starts, leading to eight hits over 27 at-bats with four runs, two home runs, and five RBI. His bat played well over his past 24 games (.278 with six home runs and 19 RBI over 79 at-bats). The Red Sox continue to score runs, giving Arroyo bridge value in deep formats.
Shortstop
Bobby Witt
With the tradeline a couple of weeks ago, Witt looks to be on a fast track to the majors. Heading into Saturday night over his past 37 games, he hit .340 with 31 runs, 12 home runs, 39 RBI, and eight steals at AA. In addition, his strikeout rate settled in at 24.0 percent in 2021 while improving over his previous hot streak (20.1 percent).
Third Base
Brian Anderson
The Marlins hope to have Anderson back in about a week after spending 53 days on the injured list with a shoulder injury. In his first rehab game on July 16th, he went 0-for-2 with an RBI and two strikeouts. The free-agent pool in 12-team leagues or larger remains weak at third base.
Outfield
Jarren Duran
Boston called up Duran after the All-Star break after an excellent start to his year at AAA (.270 over 189 at-bats with 37 runs, 15 home runs, 32 RBI, and 12 stolen bases). The centerfield job will be his for the Red Sox. As a result, Duran will be a popular player in all formats this week.
Sam Hilliard
The Rockies called up Hilliard this week after spending 52 games at AAA (.237 with 30 runs, 14 home runs, 36 RBI, and five steals over 186 at-bats). However, his swing and miss approach (61 strikeouts over 211 plate appearance) does invite failure in the majors. Hilliard played well over his last 19 games at AAA (18-for-63 with 18 runs, 10 home runs, 25 RBI, and three steals), creating a buying opportunity over the short term in deep leagues.
Jarred Kelenic
After six weeks back at AAA, Seattle recalled Kelenic after the All-Star break. Over his last 22 games in the minors, he hit .333 over 90 at-bats with 23 runs, seven home runs, 22 RBI, and four steals. The best part of his growth came in his approach (13 walks and 13 strikeouts over 105 plate appearances) over this span. I’m sure Kelenic is owned in almost all 12 and 15 team leagues. He should be picked up in all formats.
Starting Pitching
Touki Toussaint
The Braves lost another starting pitcher this week to the injured list, opening up a window for Toussaint to be called up after missing the first two and a half months with a right shoulder injury. After battling his command over his first four appearances in the minors (10 walks over 11.1 innings, leading to a 7.15 ERA), Toussaint looked sharp over his previous two starts (two runs over 12 innings with four walks and 18 strikeouts). Only risk/reward arm until he proves his worth in the majors.
Josiah Gray
Gray missed almost all of the first half of the AAA season with a right shoulder injury. He made three appearances in the minors in July (three runs, five hits, no walks, and 12 strikeouts over 10.2 innings), putting him on track to replace Clayton Kershaw in the starting lineup. Gray has a 2.41 ERA and 228 strikeouts over 198 innings in his minor league career.
Tanner Houck
After the All-Star break, the Red Sox added Houck after making five appearances at AAA (4.50 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 18 innings). He battled a right elbow injury earlier in the year, leading to six weeks on the injured list in the minors. Over his seven career games in Boston, he has a 1.78 ERA and 36 strikeouts over 30.1 innings. The Red Sox should move him into their starting rotation in the next week or so.
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