What's up RotoBallers. Welcome to Week 22 of the fantasy baseball season, as we approach the home stretch and win some leagues.
Just as we did last week, in today's column we'll focus on players with eligibility at multiple positions. Additionally, with the exception of the first player we'll discuss, all of these players are available in at least three-quarters of fantasy leagues. Get ready.
Editor’s Note: to read about even more waiver wire options for first base and third base, be sure to check out our famous waiver wire pickups list which is a running list that is updated daily.
First Base / Third Base Waiver Wire for Week 22
Brett Lawrie (2B/3B, OAK) - 48 percent owned
I've stumped hard for Jung Ho Kang in this space lately, and he'd still be my preferred add in the under 50% crowd (he's at the very edge with a 49% ownership rate). But in the interest of not sounding like a broken record, let's talk about another guy hovering around the cutoff point that can be plugged into the middle infield when needed. In his first season with the Athletics, Lawrie's managed to avoid the disabled list for the first time since his rookie year. Overall, he has had a useful, if not particularly exciting, season. He's sporting a .729 OPS with a dozen homers, five steals, and 95 R+RBI. He did miss a few games last week with a balky back, but since returning he's hit a blistering .478/.538/.739.
Yangervis Solarte (1B/2B/3B, SD) - 21 percent
After back to back months of sub-.600 OPS hitting in the first half, Solarte was essentially forgotten in all formats. Since the calendar turned to July, however, he's been among the most productive hitters in baseball. The Padres infielder is hitting .291/.346/.514 with eight homers and 53 R+RBI over the last eight weeks and is starting to draw some overdue attention from fantasy owners. That said, he's still available in four of every five leagues, so chances are you can grab him in yours.
Jonathan Schoop (2B/3B, BAL) - 11 percent
With 27 homers in 653 career at-bats (including 10 dingers in just 184 turns this season), Schoop's power has always been readily apparent. His atrocious plate discipline, on the other hand, raised serious concerns about his ability to stick with the Orioles. He's still barely walking, but has cut down on the whiffs and is making a lot of quality contact. If he can continue to hit for a solid average, the 23-year-old could be a serious asset down the stretch in almost any format. Even if not, his power will play from either second or third base in your lineup.
Mark Canha (1B/OF, OAK) - 11 percent
In and out of the lineup for most of the season, Canha's gotten more consistent playing time in August and has taken advantage. He's posted an excellent .325/.350/.532 slash line. Though he's only hit two homers in that span, he does have eight doubles as well. Canha's knocked in 15 runs and scored a dozen of his own this month, making him a solid three category contributor. Keep a close eye on his playing time as rosters expand next week, but it'll be hard to keep him off the lineup card if he keeps hitting this well.
Eduardo Escobar (2B/3B/SS/OF, MIN) - 4 percent
Escobar hit .254/.285/.403 in the first half of the season, pretty much in line with his career .256/.299/.384 mark. Over the last few weeks, though, he's killing it. Escobar's running a fantastic .963 OPS this month, including four homers. That's as many as he hit in the first half. It's unlikely that he's suddenly become a star, but the former utility man does have the Twins' starting shortstop gig in his pocket and is worth a look in deep leagues for as long as he's hot. Being able to plug him in anywhere but first base and catcher certainly doesn't hurt.
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