Fantasy Baseball Week 22 Waiver Wire Adds: Michael Kopech, Max Muncy, Brandon Lowe, Keibert Ruiz and More

The 22nd week of the fantasy baseball season is here, so it’s time for another batch of waiver wire options.

These players are all taken from the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups page. We will avoid any starting pitchers because Daniel Hepner covers a lot of those guys in streaming articles.

Let’s dive into eight players.

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Michael Kopech Fantasy Outlook

Kopech earned two saves over the weekend, so it’s no surprise to see his own percentage on the rise. He’s now rostered in 40% of leagues.

In nine games and 9 1/3 innings since being traded to the Dodgers, Kopech is 1-0 and hasn’t allowed a run. In fact, Kopech has only allowed one hit and one walk, while striking out 13 batters.

Along with his two saves over the weekend, Kopech has four holds with the Dodgers.

He’s a good source of strikeouts, which made Kopech a decent fantasy relief option in deep leagues. Now that he’s earned a couple saves, he becomes a fantasy option in all league types. He’s worth taking a chance on, but if the Dodgers don’t give him every save opportunity, then he’s probably only worth rostering in deeper leagues.

Jake McCarthy Fantasy Outlook

McCarthy has been a part of these waiver wire stories a few times in a row now. He’s rostered in 70% of fantasy leagues.

August 4 is the date I keep referring back to with him, so let’s do it again. In 14 games and 13 starts since that day, McCarthy has 21 total hits, including three homers, a double and a triple. He drove in 17 runs, scored nine times, walked on four occasions and struck out just eight times.

McCarthy continues to hit in the top part of the batting order, which is making him a good fantasy asset. He’s not a huge power guy, but his high average, RBIs and runs scored marks make him a good fantasy option in any league type. 

The last couple waiver wire stories, I’ve mentioned that fantasy owners should be targeting the hottest hitters for the stretch run of the season. McCarthy is one of those players, and even though there’s a ton of outfielders to choose from, McCarthy has done enough recently to roster and play for the time being.

Joey Bart Fantasy Outlook

Bart is back on the waiver wire story after more strong production at the plate. He’s up to 24% owned now.

Going back to July 30 (15 starts), Bart has 21 total knocks. He’s got six homers and three doubles over that span, along with 14 RBIs, 13 runs scored, three walks and 15 strikeouts.

Bart has been hitting third or fourth for Pittsburgh, which is obviously a great spot for a fantasy hitter to be in. At a weaker fantasy catcher spot, Bart is a lot better option than his own percentage suggests. He’s a guy who should be added and started in all deeper leagues, and really could be an option for standard league owners for the time being too. Don’t let your big-name fantasy catcher who isn’t producing much keep starting - add Bart and get some real production out of the position.

Max Muncy Fantasy Outlook

Muncy hasn’t played since May 15, but is nearing a return to the field, so his own percentage is on the rise. He’s available in just under 30% of leagues right now.

Muncy is a great source of power (especially homers), along with RBIs and runs. He had eight doubles and nine homers among his 31 hits in his first 40 games this season. Muncy also has 28 RBIs, 24 runs scored, 21 walks and 50 strikeouts.

It’s not often you can add a top-end fantasy power threat like Muncy at this critical point of the fantasy season, but a decent amount of you have the opportunity right now. Don’t let it pass, add Muncy and get a fantasy starter for the remainder of the season.

Seranthony Dominguez Fantasy Outlook

Dominguez earned another save over the weekend, so his own percentage continues to rise. He’s rostered in 32% of leagues.

Since joining the Phillies at the trade deadline, Dominguez has a 1.74 ERA, three saves and one hold. He’s allowed two runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out 13 batters in 10 1/3 innings.

Dominguez is another fantasy closer option available right now. It looks like Dominguez has taken over the Orioles’ closer, but the save situations haven’t been too frequent. Baltimore is a good team, so in time, more opportunities should be there for Dominguez.

I like him a touch more than Kopech at this point as a fantasy option, but that could change if the Dodgers’ reliever earns another save or two soon. Add Dominguez if you need some fantasy relief help in deeper or standard leagues, but keep close tabs on him in case the job isn’t entirely his.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa Fantasy Outlook

Kiner-Falefa had a nice weekend at the plate (five hits), so his own percentage is rising again. He’s up to 29% rostered.

In 14 games with the Pirates, Kiner-Falefa has a .281 average and .317 on-base percentage. He had three doubles, two triples and one homer among his 16 total hits in those contests, along with five RBIs and runs scored, three stolen bases, one walk and 11 strikeouts.

What I like most about Kiner-Falefa is that he’s eligible to play at several fantasy positions. If you aren’t necessarily looking for an everyday starter and instead are just looking for some fantasy depth, he’s a great option. 

He can be added and started in deeper leagues right now, while also being a bench option in standard leagues. If he cools off at the plate, then only roster him in deeper leagues.

Brandon Lowe Fantasy Outlook

Lowe hit two home runs over the weekend, so his own percentage is moving up. He’s at 46% rostered right now.

Since August 3, Lowe has started 13 games, collecting 14 hits over that time. Four hits have been homers, while another four have been doubles. He’s also got 13 RBIs, nine runs scored, four walks and 14 strikeouts over that span.

He primarily plays second, which is not the best fantasy position out there. With that in mind, Lowe could not only be a player to add and play in deeper leagues, but someone who could be played in standard leagues too. 

See if his couple weekend homers are the start of a hot streak and add Lowe before he cools off. Give it a couple days of hitless or poor performances before moving on from him.

Keibert Ruiz Fantasy Outlook

Ruiz is hot at the plate right now, so he’s seen an increase in his own percentage. He’s up to 35% rostered right now.

Ruiz has a five-game hitting streak and has 15 hits in 14 August games (13 starts). He has four homers and two doubles among his hits, along with nine RBIs, eight runs scored, two walks and three strikeouts.

I already mentioned in the Bart writeup that the fantasy catcher position is weak, so taking advantage of a hot hitter like Ruiz makes sense in all league formats if you don’t already have one of the top options. 

Ruiz has had a rough year compared to past seasons, but maybe a little late season surge can get him back to his career averages. Take advantage of it and utilize Ruiz (at least until he cools off).