Harrison Bader Fantasy Baseball Updates - Ben Rosener’s MLB Beat

This column aims to cover any fantasy baseball news, big or small, and how it pertains to your fantasy team. Has a player who's usually been hitting in the middle of a lineup suddenly batting eighth or ninth for an extended period? The fantasy implications will be covered here.

The same goes for injuries and injured list placements and whether or not you should consider picking up a player who was recently called up. Basically, any kernel of fantasy news and its relevance to fantasy managers could be covered here.

Today, the news of the day is the fantasy impact of the Cincinnati Reds claiming outfielder Harrison Bader off waivers from the New York Yankees.

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Fantasy Baseball Impact Of The Cincinnati Reds Claiming Harrison Bader Off Waivers From The New York Yankees

The Cincinnati Reds have reportedly claimed outfielder Harrison Bader off waivers, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Thursday morning.

Passan tweeted the following:

The Reds later announced the move in a tweet from the National League Central club’s official Twitter account:

Bader has spent the year to date with the New York Yankees, hitting .240 with a .278 on-base percentage, seven home runs, and 17 stolen bases in 310 plate appearances.

The stolen base production has certainly been beneficial from a fantasy standpoint. The 29-year-old continues to strike out at a low rate, with just an 18.1% strikeout rate despite a 36.5% chase rate and a 26.3% whiff rate.

A switch to Cincinnati's home stadium (Great American Ball Park), where Bader’s expected home run metric would be 13 this season, could certainly help from a power standpoint. However, that being said, the veteran hasn’t done too much in terms of making consistent, loud contact. He was logging just a 5.9% barrel rate and a .299 xwOBA on the season.

With so many other outfield options currently on the team's roster, it’s hard to see Bader playing regularly enough to warrant a roster spot in most standard-sized fantasy leagues. In addition to incumbent outfield options TJ Friedl, Will Benson, Stuart Fairchild, T.J. Hopkins, and Nick Martini, the Reds also claimed Hunter Renfroe off waivers from the Los Angeles Angels.

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