Is Tyler Mahle a Must-Add Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Option?
Looking at a few waiver wire hitters and pitchers to consider adding in fantasy baseball leagues.
It's time for another round of fantasy baseball waiver wire stories.
With a lack of new waiver wire options from Monday and Tuesday, we'll combine the waiver wire hitters and pitchers into one story today. Let's dive right in!
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Should You Add Austin Hays?
Hays was activated from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, and immediately made an impact for the big league team in his first game of the season.
Hays hit a three-run home run and drove in four runs total on two hits. He also struck out once across four plate appearances.
Hays is on his third team in the past year, but playing for the Reds probably gives Hays the best chance to start most days and maybe be a fantasy asset. He's a deep-league option at this point, but could absolutely work himself into standard leagues if he keeps producing at the plate.
He is up 2.06% today, bringing his total to 5%. That's not that surprising a figure considering yesterday was his first MLB game of the season.
Hays is a career .262 hitter, and has a 313 on-base percentage. He had between 16-22 homers a season from 2021-23 before only homering five times across 85 games between the Orioles and Phillies last season. He won't steal many bases, but he can provide fantasy value with a solid average and OBP, and some RBIs and runs scored.
Honestly, his most important fantasy asset will be playing time. He needs that consistently before he can maybe become a daily asset to some of you.
For now, I'd consider adding Hays in some deeper leagues. I'd definitely make the move if I was lacking in the outfield and wanted a player who could play often. Hays will need to deliver good results at the plate for a couple weeks before he'd become a standard league waiver wire option, but he's one to watch at the very least.
Should You Add Logan Henderson?
Henderson was called up by the Brewers on Tuesday. He's also owned in only 5% of fantasy leagues, so almost everyone could pick him up if they wanted to.
He is the No. 12 prospect of the team, and he will be making his MLB debut whenever he appears in a game. Henderson has a career 3.12 earned run average across 187 2/3 minor league innings, along with a .198 average against him, 57 walks and 257 punchouts.
Henderson is not part of the team's probable pitchers over the next several days, so it's possible that he's going to be the team's long reliever, and then maybe could start a game if he's not used before then.
Until we have a better idea on what role Henderson will have, he's just an option in the deepest of leagues. He has the most value in dynasty/keeper leagues being a young pitcher.
For those of you that don't want to add Henderson in your leagues, he's still one to keep tabs on. You just never know how a prospect is going to fare in the big leagues, and you don't want to miss out on him if he excels early on.
Should You Add Matt Mervis?
Mervis got a 2.34% bump today, and is now rostered in 12% of leagues overall.
Mervis is getting his first crack at regular playing time with the Marlins. He spent his past with the Cubs, but appeared in just 36 MLB games over the past two seasons.
Mervis has a .270 average and .333 OBP early in the season. Across 12 games and 42 plate appearances, Mervis has 10 hits, including five home runs. He also has 11 RBIs, four walks, six runs scored and 17 strikeouts.
He's hitting cleanup while in the lineup, but also hasn't been starting against left-handed starting pitchers. That limits his fantasy value quite a bit, and playing on a bad team doesn't help him either.
Mervis is hot at the plate right now, so he does have some fantasy appeal. He didn't have a hit on Tuesday, but homered in his three games before that. He totaled four hits, seven RBIs, a walk and four punchouts in that three-game span.
We don't have much history to go on with Mervis, so it's hard to say if his numbers are sustainable or not. He's not going to keep homering at a near-12% clip, which is nearly what he's at now.
But if he's hitting cleanup and playing against every right-handed starter, there's enough fantasy value there to utilize Mervis in some deep leagues, even if it's just for a short timeframe.
Assess your team situation and react accordingly with Mervis. I think he's going to top out as a deep-league option, but he's definitely also worth keeping an eye on just in case he erupts in a full-time role.
Should You Add Tyler Mahle?
Mahle is up 6.95% and is now owned in 50% of leagues. He has been fantastic across his first four starts.
Mahle is now 3-0 with a 0.92 ERA. He's worked 19 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and nine walks, while striking out 21 batters.
He opened the season with a 1 2/3-inning start against Boston. He allowed a run on two hits and four walks, while striking out three. Mahle had five punchouts over five scoreless innings against Tampa Bay in start No. 2 - he allowed two walks and one hit.
Mahle then faced the Cubs, giving up a run on two hits and a walk over seven frames, while punching out six. He shut out the Angels over six innings on Tuesday, giving up three hits and two walks, but striking out nine.
Mahle has won three consecutive starts, and has lowered his walks from the four-walk first outing. He's been pretty unhittable, and has been flashing some strikeout potential too.
He hasn't made more than five starts in a season since 2022, so he's kind of been forgotten. Mahle is thriving early for Texas, and he's now entering standard league keeper status.
Mahle should be rostered and held in deeper leagues for now, and kept until his production drops over multiple starts. He's a good streaming option every time he takes the mound, even if the matchups aren't always super favorable.
His next matchup could come against the Dodgers, which is definitely not a great matchup, at least on paper. Mahle has pitched well enough this season to still be trusted in deeper leagues, and some standard league owners in a pinch might also give Mahle a streaming start.
If he excels against LA, Mahle's own percentage is going to skyrocket, so keep close tabs on him.
Should You Add Dylan Moore?
Moore is rostered in 26% of fantasy leagues at the time of publication.
Across 14 games and 40 plate appearances, Moore has a .306 average and .375 OBP. He has four home runs among his 11 hits, along with six RBIs, two stolen bases, four walks, eight runs scored and nine strikeouts.
His strong start is a pretty big surprise, as he's a career .209 hitter with a .318 OBP, and is on the wrong side of 30 now, which is usually when hitters decline.
What's great about Moore is that he plays all over the field, so the team can get him in the lineup when he's in a groove, like he is now. He's just a deep-league option in my eyes because of what he's done in the past and me not expecting this to continue for too long, but Moore deserves to be a bit more rostered because of his position versatility and overall fantasy value right now.
He's not a must-add player, but more a guy to target if you need some depth, or a potential starter for a few games.