Fantasy Baseball Week 16 Mid-Week Waiver Wire Pickups: Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Chas McCormick and More!
There’s a lot that goes on between our weekly Monday Waiver column, so we thought we should probably do a quick pass through the waiver wire later in the week and make sure we’re not missing anyone important.
With that, let’s dive in and see who’s popped up as a mid-week waiver add!
As always, check out the fantasy assistant for personalized waiver wire recommendations and team analysis. Make moves based on projections, strengths and weaknesses, waiver alerts, and lots more.
Top Fantasy Baseball Mid-Week Waiver Wire Adds
(ownership percentages are based on ESPN leagues)
Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 3B, Cincinnati Reds (20.7%)
This is the best reason we do a mid-week waiver article -- sometimes the timing of articles misses big call-ups! The Reds are growing prospects on trees at this point, and Encarnacion-Strand is just the latest to be called up. The 23-year-old has some developing to do, but he’s fared well thus far in hitting .304 with three runs, one home run, and four RBI in 13 big league at-bats. While it’s not a sure thing CES will stay in the big leagues all season, he has a ton of potential and is an absolute must-add if he’s sitting on your league’s waiver wire.
Chas McCormick, OF, Houston Astros (15.7%)
McCormick has never been a great fantasy asset, but he’s shown glimpses over the past two seasons. He’s finally delivering on those glimpses and is hitting .286 with 30 runs, 12 home runs, 35 RBI, and 10 steals on the year. He’s been on fire lately hitting .524 with nine runs, four home runs, eight RBI, and a steal over the past week as he seems to have solidified his spot in the Astros lineup. McCormick obviously won’t hit at a .524 clip for the rest of the year, but he’s worth an add as a short-term boost at the minimum.
Ha-Seong Kim, SS/3B/2B, San Diego Padres (37.0%)
I think this is the second or third time I’ve written about Kim, but he’s still woefully under rostered for some reason. The multi-position eligibility alone should have him at like 50%, but even moreso, he’s hitting .266 with 49 runs, 11 home runs, 34 RBI, and 18 steals. That’s REALLY good. And he’s also been hot lately with a .310 average, five runs, one home run, two RBI, and two steals over the past week. Let’s get Kim to 75% (which is where he should AT LEAST be) so I can stop writing about him!
Mickey Moniak, OF, Los Angeles Angels (15.6%)
Moniak has stepped into an everyday role in replacing Mike Trout and has broken out in a big way. In just 157 at-bats this year, the 25-year-old is hitting .325 with 24 runs, 11 home runs, 33 RBI, and three steals. He’s in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak and is hitting .444 with three runs, one home run, five RBI, and one steal over the past week. Trout’s season is in jeopardy at this point, so Moniak should get a chance to play for the rest of the year. He won’t hit .444 for the rest of the way, but he’s most definitely worth an add if he’s hanging out on your waiver wire.
Aroldis Chapman, P, Texas Rangers (22.8%)
Chapman will appear in this week’s Closer Report, but it’s worth calling him out here as he has stepped into a committee with Will Smith according to Rangers manager Bruce Bochy. While Bochy said the usage between Smith and Chapman will be matchup dependent, both pitchers are lefties so won’t come into play. Smith was used to set up Chapman the other night, so I’m going to put my chips in the Chapman corner for now as he’s the more proven commodity. This could get messy, but Chapman needs to be added if he’s available in your league.
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