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We're barreling toward the halfway point of the 2021 season, and with the onslaught of injuries showing no signs of stopping, diligence on the waiver wire is as crucial as ever.
Most of the players who will be written up in this feature won't be the next breakout star. Some may only be useful for a brief period. A few might not provide any value at all. It's the nature of the beast; if these players were slam dunks, they wouldn't be widely available for free. We're looking for plausible upside with naught but opportunity cost. By considering a wide swath of factors including but not limited to evidence of a change in approach, favorable upcoming schedules, and plain ol' potential, the goal is simply to find as much marginal value as possible.
As a reminder, we'll be looking at pickups for shallow leagues (30-49% rostered) and deeper formats (10-29%), as well as highlighting players in the single-digits who deserve a spot on your watch list at the very least. These are your second base and shortstop waiver wire pickups for Week 13 - June 21 through June 27.
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Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Josh Rojas, 2B/SS/OF, Arizona Diamondbacks (49% rostered)
Eligible at three positions and locked in as the Diamondbacks' leadoff hitter, it's somewhat surprising to see Rojas squeeze in just under the 50% cutoff. The 27-year-old struggled in the early part of the year, but in the last two months he's hit .295/.357/.521 with nine home runs, three stolen bases, and 55 R+BI in 53 games. The Snakes may be awful this year, but Rojas has been one of the few bright spots in the desert and should be rostered in many more leagues.
Ty France, 1B/2B/3B, Seattle Mariners (36% rostered)
France's hot start fizzled out in part due to a nagging wrist issue that ultimately landed him on the injured list. Since returning to action on May 24, the infielder has slashed .323/.390/.484 with a pair of homers and 24 R+BI in 25 games. He probably shouldn't be hitting cleanup for a Major League team, but he is, and that means the run production will continue if he keeps swinging the bat like this. You'll find no steals here, but France does qualify at three positions, making him an excellent option for your bench.
Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Cesar Hernandez, 2B, Cleveland (18% rostered)
Who says an old dog can't learn new tricks? In his age-31 season, Hernandez has suddenly turned into something resembling a slugger. His career high in homers is 15, but he's already got 11 in just 65 games this year. As the Cleveland leadoff hitter, he's also scored 43 runs despite hitting nearly 50 points below his career .273 mark. The stolen bases have dried up - after averaging 16 thefts per season in his time with the Phillies, Hernandez hasn't even attempted to swipe a bag since joining Cleveland - but there's still value here in plenty of formats, especially since the batting average is likely to rise.
J.P. Crawford, SS, Seattle Mariners (18% rostered)
A former teammate of Hernandez in Philadelphia, Crawford appears to have taken a step forward at the plate in 2021. The 26-year-old entered the year with a career .683 OPS, but after a home run on Saturday, his line currently stands at a much stronger .283/.345/.409. His sizzling June is partly the product of a .453 BABIP, but Crawford also has four homers in his last 21 contests after going deep just once in his first 50.
Myles Straw, SS/OF, Houston Astros (14% rostered)
Straw's overall numbers still don't look great, but since May 26, he's hit .310/.375/.423 with four stolen bases and his first homer of the year. He doesn't offer much help in the other counting stats, but that combo of average and speed can be quite useful with both in short supply in the current environment.
The Watch List
Tony Kemp, 2B/OF, Oakland Athletics (4% rostered)
Kemp homered in consecutive games on Friday and Saturday, giving him four in the past month. During that stretch, he's hit .324 with 19 runs and 16 RBI, making him a surprise top-70 player in 5x5, and for the year he's at .276/.391/.457.
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