RADIO
Happy September, everyone! Flipping the calendar to this, the final month of the season, always ramps up the pressure on every lineup decision. Time is running out to project a player's long-term upside, and we need players hitting right now. There is no more tomorrow, especially in those head-to-head leagues that have playoff matchups in full swing.
With that being said, we need to look back on the past couple of weeks and identify hot hitters who could continue to produce for our fantasy teams through the remainder of the season. Every fantasy decision feels magnified, so you've come to the right place if your squad is in need of assistance filling out the middle infield slots.
As a reminder, we'll be looking at pickups for shallow leagues (30-49% rostered) and deeper formats (10-29%), as well as highlighting players in the single digits who deserve a spot on your watch list at the very least. These are your second base and shortstop fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 24 -- September 2 through September 8.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Masyn Winn, SS, St. Louis Cardinals (43% rostered)
We've reached the point in the season where Masyn Winn is being featured in this column weekly, but his roster rate remains stagnant, likely due to the fact some fantasy managers have tuned out for 2024 combined with the fact he's likely already rostered in deeper formats and those that use a middle infield slot.
However, if Winn is available in your league, it may be time to take a closer look to see if he represents an upgrade for your team at shortstop. The sophomore has had a breakout season this year as he's slashing a healthy .287/.335/.430 and has reached double-digit homers and steals, with 12 and 10, respectively.
More importantly, he's red hot at the dish right now; he was among the league leaders at shortstop in several relevant offensive categories for August:
As we can see, Winn ranked fourth among SS with a .314 batting average in August. He also launched five of his 12 homers on the season this past month, which led to a top-seven ranking or better in slugging percentage, OPS, and wRC+. The breakout is happening for the 22-year-old and he's worth starting in most fantasy leagues.
Connor Norby, 2B/3B, Miami Marlins (43% rostered)
Well, that escalated quickly. Connor Norby has been a regular in the "Watch List" section of this column dating back to his days as a top prospect for the Orioles. Now, he's among the most added players in fantasy after a monster week in which he batted .370 with two homers, 10 runs scored, and two stolen bases.
Playing four games at Colorado certainly helped Norby deliver those eye-popping numbers, but this is still an ultra-talented young player, now getting a chance to play every day at the MLB level after he was traded to the rebuilding Marlins. Norby posted a .908 OPS this season in Triple-A and flashed both power and speed to the tune of 16 homers and 13 steals.
The 24-year-old Norby has as much upside as anyone on waivers and -- given how hot he's been combined with his high-end prospect pedigree -- this may be the last chance to acquire his services in most fantasy leagues.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Brendan Rodgers, 2B, Colorado Rockies (19% rostered)
Brendan Rodgers is always a good start in fantasy when the Rockies are at home, however, he's worth a look even on the road given how well he's produced at the plate lately. In August, Rodgers batted .316 with five homers and his .900 OPS ranked second among all qualified second basemen.
More importantly, Rodgers has made improvements this season in his batted-ball profile. His 89.2 MPH average exit velocity, 44.5% hard-hit rate, and .369 xwOBA on contact all rank better than the league average. Given his impressive batted-ball data and the massive month he just had, it's reasonable to keep Rodgers in your fantasy lineup, even away from Coors Field.
| Brendan Rodgers | Games | BA | SLG | HR | Runs | RBI | OPS |
| August | 24 | .316 | 0.547 | 5 | 16 | 14 | .900 |
Ernie Clement, 2B/SS/3B, Toronto Blue Jays (23% rostered)
Ernie Clement seems to have found a home in Toronto, as the 28-year-old has been producing for the Blue Jays given his chance, finally, to be an everyday player. This is the first season in Clement's four-year career in which he's played over 70 MLB games, and he's made the most of it with a .262 batting average, a .420 slugging percentage, 10 homers, and 10 steals over 113 games played.
The one drawback with Clement is the Blue Jays only play five games this upcoming week, so use caution if you're in a playoff matchup. Rest-of-season, however, Clement should continue to play every day and his elite plate discipline combined with triple-eligibility on the infield should make him a worthy starter in deeper fantasy leagues.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Watch List
Whit Merrifield, 2B, Atlanta Braves (17% rostered)
Once a fantasy standout, Merrifield has bounced around from team to team over the past couple of seasons. The lack of consistent playing time virtually killed his fantasy value, but he seems to have found some playing time since signing with the Braves as he's manned second base for Atlanta in the absence of Ozzie Albies (hand).
In 28 games with Atlanta, Merrifield is batting over .300, which includes a 5-for-5 performance last week. He's still got good speed, as evidenced by his 16 steals on the season and he seems to be locked into at-bats for the Braves. He remains strictly a deep-league option, but Merrifield can offer stability for those in need of someone getting consistent playing time in a good lineup.
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