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With a 60-game slate, diligent work on the waiver wire is even more critical than it is in a full season. Injuries and ineffectiveness will be that much more challenging to overcome, so every decision takes on greater import.
As in prior seasons, our focus will be on those players who are rostered in under 50% of Yahoo leagues. Your mileage may vary depending on a variety of factors specific to your league. We'll run down options for various league depths in an effort to provide as many fantasy baseball managers as possible with viable pickup options. Despite best efforts and intentions, however, it really do be like that sometimes.
Without further ado, here are your waiver wire targets for the middle infield in week 5.
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Shallow Leagues (50-30% Rostered)
Nick Solak (2B/3B/OF, TEX) — 33% rostered
Friday night saw an atypical contest at Coors Field - there were only three extra-base hits. Solak was responsible for all of them, doubling twice and launching a solo home run. It was his second three-hit game of the week, after knocking in three of the Rangers' four runs in a win over the Mariners last Tuesday. The versatile 25-year-old is hitting .299/.373/.418 and has swiped three bags in as many attempts. He has been in the starting lineup for all but two games thus far, so playing time doesn't appear to be a concern at this point.
Deeper Leagues (30-10% Rostered)
Robinson Cano (2B, NYM) — 21% rostered
Cano hit just 13 home runs and posted a .736 OPS last year at age 36, leading many to conclude he had little left in the tank. He's looked good in 2020, however, with another two-hit effort on Sunday pushing his season line to a spicy .383/.423/.574. Obviously you can expect some batting average regression, but it's encouraging that after spiking to a career worst last season, Cano's swinging strike rate at its lowest in six years. He's also making good enough contact that Statcast pegs his expected results as better than what he's actually done.
Wilmer Flores (1B/2B, SFG) — 12% rostered
Flores went hitless on Sunday, but that came after tallying six hits in his previous two games. Another multi-position player who occupies a prominent place in his team's lineup, the 29-year-old is slashing .291/.313/.468 with four home runs and 18 R+BI in 83 plate appearances. Keep an eye on trade rumors, as he's a prime candidate to be moved with the Giants quickly falling out of the race. For now, though, start with confidence.
Super Deep Leagues (< 10% Rostered)
Nick Ahmed (SS, ARI) — 9% rostered
A hitless performance on Sunday dropped Ahmed's season line to an uninspiring .233/.300/.342. So why recommend him? Because despite his middling triple slash and his spot in the Diamondbacks' batting order (ninth), he's been a solid contributor in the counting stats with 13 runs, 11 RBI, and two homers and steals apiece. It was a similar story in 2019, when Ahmed managed only a .753 OPS but put up 79 R, 19 HR, 82 RBI and 8 SB. His work to this point in 2020 has him just outside the top 100 in Yahoo's 5x5 rankings. In deep leagues, you could do a good bit worse.
The Watch List
Mike Brosseau (2B/3B/OF, TBR) — 3% rostered
Another week, another Tampa Swiss Army knife for the watch list. That's part of the issue, of course, as the Rays' depth allows them to cycle through a number of solid players at almost every position on the diamond. Brousseau flashed some intriguing potential as a rookie last year (.781 OPS), and has hit .367/.400/.786 in limited time, with six of his 11 hits being either doubles or home runs. Despite the fact that he hasn't been playing every day, he's mostly been at the top or in the middle of the lineup when he has been penciled into it.
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