Is Tony Gonsolin Worth a Fantasy Baseball Roster Spot in His Return to the Field?

There's not a huge number of fantasy baseball waiver wire options for Wednesday, April 30, so we'll combine hitting and pitching options into one story.

Also be sure to check out Monday's waiver story, along with Tuesday's two articles (pitchers and hitters). We also won't cover anyone who appeared in the daily streaming story for Wednesday.

Check out the top fantasy baseball waiver wire options everyday on FantasySP. 

Should You Add Tony Gonsolin?

Gonsolin is the No. 1 fantasy baseball waiver pickup on FantasySP at the time of publication. He's up 8.88% and now is rostered in 36.52% of leagues.

Gonsolin is a streaming option for Wednesday, but also is making his season debut, so he's also being added for that reason.

Gonsolin last pitched in 2023, making 20 starts for the Dodgers. He went 8-5 with a 4.98 earned run average. Gonsolin allowed 61 runs (57 earned) on 86 hits and 40 walks, while striking out 82 batters over 103 innings.

He has a career 3.19 ERA across 71 MLB starts and 79 appearances. Gonsolin has 349 strikeouts over 375 2/3 total innings.

The 2023 season was a pretty big outlier for Gonsolin. It's never easy to project how a pitcher is going to look after returning from an extended absence, but given some of his career marks and the team he's pitching on, Gonsolin is worth considering, not just as a streaming option, but a keeper.

Going into his first start of the season, I'd say Gonsolin is a deep-league redraft option to keep and stream. He takes on the Marlins on Wednesday, which is a very favorable matchup. Gonsolin could even be streamed in standard leagues, although I'd say that's a gamble coming off a long layoff.

In four starts in Triple-A this season, Gonsolin only covered 14 innings, so he'll be pretty limited in that respect. I'd wait until he puts a good start under his belt before utilizing him in standard redraft leagues.

I'd still be fine giving him a roster/streaming spot in deeper leagues. The matchup is right, and he's delivered solid enough numbers in his career to trust to get through a few innings with minimal runs allowed.

Should You Add Gavin Lux?

Lux is up 3.68% today, bringing his overall mark to 55.44%.

Lux has been great in his first season with the Reds. In 27 games and 105 plate appearances, he has a .352 average and .438 on-base percentage. Lux also has eight doubles and a homer among his 32 total knocks, along with 14 RBIs and walks, 13 runs scored and 26 strikeouts.

Lux has been red-hot at the plate of late, collecting 22 hits during a 12-game hitting streak. He has five doubles and a homer in that span, along with nine RBIs, a stolen base, seven walks, 11 runs scored and eight strikeouts.

He's not going to hit over .500 for the remainder of the season, but his extremely hot bat is one to utilize in all fantasy leagues, or at least to heavily consider using him. He's not producing much power, but his run production, average and OBP are all so good that it makes him a good fantasy asset in all formats.

Lux is only starting against right-handed pitchers, but he's been batting fifth in the lineup. His fantasy ceiling is capped a bit knowing he's not playing everyday, but the numbers speak for themselves at this point.

Lux should be rostered and utilized in all deeper leagues right now. I wouldn't mind adding Lux in a standard league if I had a roster spot to play with - I wouldn't call him a must-add waiver bat, because I think he's going to fizzle out soon.

Another thing working in Lux's favor is that he might be eligible to start at several fantasy positions. If he is, he's got a bit more fantasy value, and could be worth adding and holding in any format until his bat cools off considerably.

Should You Add Reese Olson?

Olson was a streaming option on Tuesday, so that should tell you he pitched pretty well if he is on the waiver list again the following day. He's now rostered in 65.33% of leagues after a 6.54% increase.

He took the loss against the Astros on Tuesday after working 5 2/3 innings. Olson allowed three runs on four hits and three walks, while striking out seven batters.

That was his sixth start of the season, and he's now got a 3-2 record and 3.55 ERA. Olson has allowed 13 runs on 27 hits and 14 walks, while striking out 32 batters.

He's pitching well enough to roster and hold in all deeper formats, then be a standard league streaming option when he's got favorable matchups. His next two starts are likely to come against the Angels and Rangers, so Olson could be a stash and hold player for at least those two favorable outings.

I'd be willing to add and hold Olson in standard leagues to take advantage of those two outings. It's possible he will remain a standard league option all season too, so that's another reason why I'm in favor of adding him in those leagues.

Olson needs to be rostered and held all season in deeper fantasy setups. He's also a pretty good dynasty/keeper option as just a 25-year old.

Should You Add Eugenio Suarez?

Suarez is up 1.76% and is now owned in 86.18% of leagues. Not many of you can add Suarez, but I still want to talk about him a bit.

His season-long numbers are really unique. He has just a .198 average, but a .302 OBP. Suarez has 20 total hits, but 14 are extra-base knocks, including 10 long balls already. He has 20 RBIs, a stolen base, 12 walks and 18 runs as well.

Suarez was red-hot at the start of the season, posting five of his homers in the opening five games. He had just one homer over his next 21 games before a four-homer contest on Saturday.

Suarez offers a ton of power for some fantasy upside, but a low average and high strikeout totals (32 so far) make it harder to justify holding him. His OBP is still strong though.

Suarez needs to be rostered in all deeper redraft leagues, and that should remain true all season if he stays healthy. In standard redraft leagues where OBP is rewarded, I don't mind rostering Suarez as well. He's not a full-time starter, but can be started when he's hot at the plate.

I'd personally try to trade Suarez and look for a more permanent fantasy asset.

Should You Add Jake Irvin?

Irvin starts on Wednesday, so he's another streaming option. He's up 4.94% and is sitting at 55.44% overall now.

Irvin takes on the Phillies, who aren't the best of matchups for a pitcher. He faced Philly in his first start of the season, allowing two runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings, while striking out just two.

Over his six total starts, Irvin is 2-0 with a 3.19 ERA over 36 2/3 innings. He has 31 strikeouts, while allowing 13 runs on 29 hits and eight walks.

His last three starts have been good, going 2-0 against the Pirates, Rockies and Mets. Irvin has allowed three runs on 11 hits and two walks over 20 2/3 innings in those starts, while striking out 19 batters.

Philly is a tougher matchup, but after posting decent results to start the season, and looking at some of his recent marks, I wouldn't mind utilizing Irvin in any fantasy format. He's a better deep-league option today, but in a pinch, I could justify starting Irvin in standard leagues.