We have officially reached that time of year in which it becomes harder and harder to pick up quality bats on the waiver wire in fantasy baseball leagues. Injuries have begun to pile up for several teams and waiver wire adds in deeper leagues have really thinned out as a result.
Luckily, I am here to tell you that not all hope is lost. There are still decent hitters out there who can supply your team with some pop as the second half gets underway.
Below are players who are still available in 80% of Yahoo! leagues. Consider picking these guys up to give your team a boost down the stretch.
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Deeper Waiver Wire Pickups (10-30% Rostered)
Triston Casas, 1B, Boston Red Sox (21% rostered)
Triston Casas has really turned the corner coming out of the All-Star break for the Red Sox, hence why he finds himself on our rookie hitter rankings. The 23-year-old first baseman has batted .455 alongside a whopping 1.811 OPS, with a home run in three straight games during their series with the Cubs and five RBI. Boston will have one more game in Oakland with the A's on Wednesday before heading home to face the Mets for three games.
Adam Frazier, 2B/OF, Baltimore Orioles (19% rostered)
Prior to Monday, the Orioles had won eight straight games, inching closer and closer to the division lead in the AL East. However, the Dodgers put an end to that streak on Tuesday. Fortunately, Adam Frazier has started to break through following a lackluster first half. He's slashed .286/.333/.714 with a pair of home runs and five RBI in the five games that followed the All-Star break.
Chas McCormick, OF, Houston Astros (16% rostered)
Simply put: Chas McCormick has been on another planet for the Astros since the second half got underway. When he gets playing time, that is. In three games, he's belted three homers and driven in five runs. The 28-year-old has also mashed lefties this year, hitting .321/.400/.604 in 26 games against southpaws. This makes it a bit puzzling why he hasn't found himself in the everyday lineup.
Kerry Carpenter, OF, Detroit Tigers (11% rostered)
Kerry Carpenter, a former 19th-round draft pick, was activated from the injured list on June 9 for the Tigers. Since then, the 25-year-old has blasted 11 home runs and knocked in 28 runs. He's especially kicked it into gear following the All-Star break, hitting three long balls while adding seven RBI in five games.
Will Benson, OF, Cincinnati Reds (11% rostered)
Oh, you know, just another Cincinnati Red having a solid season. Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit his first major league home run and Will Benson added a two-run blast in a tough-to-swallow 11-10 loss to the Giants on Tuesday. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old cannot hit lefties. But he has decent numbers against righties, slashing .299/.401/.513 across 47 games. In fact, all five of Benson's home runs this season have come off of right-handers.
Even Deeper Waiver Wire Options (Under 10% Rostered)
Stone Garrett, OF, Washington Nationals (1% rostered)
Stone Garrett is among a handful of Nationals quietly having a good season. In four second-half games, the 27-year-old has batted .333 and slugged .500 with four hits, two doubles, and two runs scored. Overall, the second-year outfielder has an OPS of .760 (including a .848 OPS against lefties), six home runs, and 24 RBI across 185 plate appearances for Washington. Plus, his name is Stone Garrett, which is an elite baseball name.
Mike Moustakas, 3B, Los Angeles Angels (2% rostered)
After an Angels rout of the Rockies on June 24, Colorado's Mike Moustakas was dealt to Los Angeles the following day. The veteran's arrival has been largely underwhelming, but he has put up some solid numbers post-All-Star break. He's reached base at a .316 clip and slugged .588 with two home runs and four RBI in four games. Still, it hasn't been enough for the struggling Angels, who are 3-7 in their last 10 games.
Travis Jankowski, OF, Texas Rangers (4% rostered)
The Rangers' offense has been a force all season long, even being supplied with production from utility guys like Travis Jankowski. Since the All-Star break, the 32-year-old has an OPS of 1.000 along with a double and two RBI in five games. Jankowski has only gone deep once this season, but the speedy outfielder boasts a .331 batting average and .423 OBP on the year.
Mike Ford, 1B, Seattle Mariners (7% rostered)
If you've kept up with our 1B/3B waiver wire adds column this year, then Mike Ford may be a name you're familiar with. Ford posted fantastic numbers in July, but he's somewhat tapered off since his hot start to the month. Still, he's slugging .538 with a homer, double, and walk for Seattle in the last five games.
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