Welcome RotoBallers to our catcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 7 (May 6 - May 12). Unless you roster catchers like William Contreras, J.T. Realmuto, Will Smith, or Adley Rutschman, this article could be a big help for you, especially if you lost a catcher to injury recently or have one who is struggling at the plate.
Sean Murphy (oblique) is still on the 10-day injured list, and Francisco Alvarez (thumb) is set to miss the next six to eight weeks. Those two catchers continue to be dropped in leagues. Even other options like Gabriel Moreno, Luis Campusano, and MJ Melendez -- who has catcher eligibility in Yahoo leagues -- aren't looking too hot at the plate right now.
Moreno is just 4-for-23 at the plate over his last eight games, while Campusano and Melendez have a combined one hit over their last 35 at-bats. With those catchers struggling on offense, we will look at three options that fantasy managers could pick up and start instead. All three of these catchers below are rostered in less than 40% of Yahoo leagues.
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Catcher Waiver Wire Adds
Elias Diaz, Colorado Rockies (35% Rostered)
Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz is on this list for the second consecutive week, and he is someone fantasy managers should be looking to pick up. Diaz is only rostered in 35% of Yahoo leagues, which seems a bit low for a player who continues to get on base and hit the ball well.
The veteran catcher entered Friday's weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a .292 batting average, two home runs, 15 RBI, and four doubles. Diaz has also gotten on base in seven straight contests and 12 of the past 13 games. Those are surely impressive numbers for any catcher, especially one available in 65% of Yahoo leagues.
Díaz to the fountains! pic.twitter.com/NQYaIvuFJe
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) April 25, 2024
Of course, playing for the Rockies does slightly lower Diaz's fantasy value. He won't see as many opportunities to drive in runs compared to other catchers. However, with Colorado beginning a six-game homestand on Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants, the All-Star is certainly worth a look in Week 7. He is hitting .354 with one home run and 11 RBI in 14 home games this season.
Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox (26% Rostered)
Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong has seen his rostership jump 14% over the past week. That made Wong one of the most added catchers in Week 6 -- only behind Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins. The 27-year-old is also deserving of a fantasy roster spot as he continues to put up solid numbers.
Wong is currently hitting .351 with five HRs, three doubles, and 14 RBI through 22 games. It's been quite a surprise to see the Red Sox catcher hitting the ball this well in the early going. Just one year ago, he finished with a .235 average, nine HRs, and 36 RBI. However, you can't ignore his numbers in the first month of the season. That's why he is someone fantasy managers should be looking to pick up.
CONNOR WONG SENDS THAT ALL THE WAY OUT! pic.twitter.com/UPoKXXdHzJ
— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 12, 2024
The only downside of picking up Wong in Week 7 is the fact that Boston only has five games on the schedule this upcoming week. That surely does not bode well for the 27-year-old catcher. Nonetheless, he's gotten on base in nine straight starts and his expected slugging (.442) ranks in the top half of the league.
Diaz might be the better option of the two in Week 7, considering he plays six games at the most hitter-friendly ballpark at Coors Field. Wong still has some real upside in an offense that has scored at least four runs in 11 of the past 15 games.
Danny Jansen, Toronto Blue Jays (5% Rostered)
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen is an interesting waiver wire add heading into Week 7. He does not play very often, which certainly hurts his fantasy value. Jansen has only started back-to-back games twice this season because of Alejandro Kirk's presence. However, when given the opportunity, the 29-year-old catcher has produced at the plate.
Jansen is hitting .267 at the plate with three HRs, three RBI, and three doubles in his first 10 games of the year. It's a small sample size for the Blue Jays catcher since he got a late start to the season due to a wrist injury. Nevertheless, he has gotten on base in nine of those 10 games in 2024.
IT’S ONLY RIGHT FOR DANNY JANSEN NIGHT! 🤓
The @BlueJays hit back-to-back homers in Toronto. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/dpStGxF4Ai
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 30, 2024
It's hard to fully rely on Jansen in fantasy right now, but he is someone to keep an eye on. He has homered in back-to-back games and in three of the past four contests he has appeared in. If something were to ever happen to Kirk, the 29-year-old would be a strong add in most formats. For now, though, he's a speculative add in deeper formats.
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