Carson Kelly (C, ARI) - Week 21 Waiver Wire Pickups

Carson Kelly is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup for Week 21 of the 2021 MLB season. Consider adding the C if he's a free agent in your leagues.

BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 12+ teams

ROSTERED IN: 21% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Kelly was a hot commodity at the start of the season as he got off to a blazing start. He hit .338/.491/.613 with six home runs and 19 RBI over the first 28 games of the year before fracturing his toe in mid-May. He was activated in late May and struggled at the dish (.519 OPS over 77 plate appearances) before hitting the injured list again with a fractured wrist. He returned from that injury in late July and got off to a sluggish start but has hit .381/.435/.524 with three RBI over the last seven contests. Overall, the 27-year-old backstop is slashing .261/.386/.440 with eight home runs, 29 RBI, and 28 runs scored over 184 at-bats. He's been slow to regain his footing after missing so much time but he could get back on track next week.

The D-backs host the Phillies for three games before heading to the friendly confines of Coors Field for a three-game set. They'll face a few tough pitchers in Zack Wheeler and Ranger Suarez but Kyle Gibson shouldn't be too difficult of a matchup. Kelly has a .327 OBP with three home runs and 12 RBI against righties this season but he's excelled against left-handers. He's slashing .328/.474/.655 with five homers and 15 RBI over 76 plate appearances vs. southpaws. He gets a bump in OBP leagues but the Rockies series should be good for Kelly as he's shown career success against both Kyle Freeland (two home runs in nine at-bats) and Jon Gray (.286 BA/.375 OBP in seven at-bats). Despite his recent struggles, Kelly has a .259 xBA, .374 xwOBA, and .455 xSLG. He's also sporting a career-best 15.7% Walk Rate and 9.5% Barrel rate. He has a low floor but the catcher options on the waiver wire are pretty limited this time of year. You could do much worse.

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