Add Ivan Herrera and Ezequiel Tovar off the Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Before it's too Late

Tuesday has arrived, which means it's time for the week's second round of fantasy baseball waiver wire stories.

We'll check out some hitting options in this article, and then look at pitchers separately. We won't include any hitters who appeared in Monday's story.

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

Should You Add Matt Shaw?

Shaw is up 2.89% today, bringing his overall mark to 33.58%.

Shaw was called back up on Monday, and looked solid in his first game that night. He had two hits, including a double, among four at-bats. Shaw drove in a run, stole a base and struck out once as well.

Shaw seems to have righted the ship after a stint in Triple-A. He had a .286 average and .409 on-base percentage across 24 games and 110 plate appearances after an early-season demotion.

Now across 19 games and 72 plate appearances at the big league level, Shaw has a .194 average and .306 OBP. He has two doubles and a homer among his 12 knocks, along with four RBIs, a stolen base, 11 runs scored, 10 walks and 19 punchouts.

Shaw started at third base on Monday, but batted ninth for the Cubs. Chicago has a loaded lineup, so any hitter in that lineup can be a decent fantasy asset. Shaw might not have a ton of chances to drive in runs from that spot in the lineup, but if he continues to get on base, he should be able to score plenty.

He was rostered in 26% of leagues when I wrote yesterday's prospect story, so you can see he's rising pretty steadily. His own percentage should continue to grow, especially if he keeps delivering at the plate.

I'd give Shaw an add in deeper redraft leagues for now. Standard redraft owners need to keep an eye on him in case he keeps producing, because he'll be rapidly added with such a high upside and potential.

Should You Add Taylor Ward?

Ward has ugly numbers for the season, but has performed pretty well of late. He's now owned in 64.54% of leagues after a 2.65% increase today.

Ward is on a five-game hitting streak, and has collected 10 knocks over his past seven games. He has five homers and two doubles among those hits, along with 11 RBIs, seven runs scored, three walks and 10 strikeouts.

He owns a .198 average and .246 OBP across 45 games and 191 plate appearances this season - I said the numbers were ugly. He has 13 homers and seven doubles among his 35 total knocks. Ward also has 27 RBIs, 23 runs scored, 12 walks and 52 strikeouts.

Ward is starting every game for a not-so-great Angels' lineup. While that doesn't do the outfielder any favors, him hitting between third-fifth in the lineup does. Any hitter can be fantasy relevant if they are hitting in those spots daily.

His ADP before the season was 169.77, which means most fantasy owners viewed him as an end-of-the-fantasy-roster player who could either be an extra outfield option, or serve as an extra hitter in general.

For the most part, Ward has underwhelmed, but of late, he looks like the player he was originally drafted to be. He has a career .248 average and .323 OBP, and is just 31 years old, so his season-long numbers so far were due for some improvement.

I view Ward as a better deep-league option, but he's also someone to utilize in standard leagues when he's right at the plate. One of those times is now, so if you need an extra outfielder or bat, Ward is a fine option for the time being.

Ward should probably be held in all deeper redraft leagues all season. Just bench him if he's cold at the plate, because his hotter stretches make him a pretty good option in those leagues.

Should You Add Ezequiel Tovar?

Tovar is up 1.97% and he's now rostered in 52.59% of leagues. 

He missed about a month of games, and just returned to the field on May 16. In three games since returning, the shortstop has eight hits, including a triple and two homers, four RBIs, three runs scored, no walks and a strikeout.

I'm really surprised Tovar isn't being picked up in more leagues. He was taken at pick 160.43 on average this season, and he's posted solid fantasy totals in the past. Don't overlook him just because he's on a bad team and offense.

He's played in just 19 games and gotten 84 plate appearances so far. Tovar has a .275 average and .310 OBP. He's collected four doubles and two triples and homers among his 22 total knocks, along with eight RBIs, two stolen bases, seven runs scored, three walks and 14 strikeouts.

Tovar has a .261 average and .291 OBP for his four-year career. His 162-game averages are: 21 homers, 42 doubles, five triples, 77 RBIs, nine stolen bases, 82 runs scored, 25 walks and 186 strikeouts.

His OBP is not great because he doesn't walk much, but those other numbers are really solid. Tovar also isn't helped out by playing at a loaded fantasy position, but I truly think Tovar is overlooked and undervalued as a fantasy asset.

Tovar should be rostered and started daily in all deeper redraft leagues. The 23-year-old should be rostered in a good amount of standard redraft leagues too, just not all of them. He was a top-15 fantasy shortstop last season, and could play to that level, or higher, the rest of this season.

Especially with how he's looked since returning to the field, I'd definitely give Tovar an add in some standard leagues right now. Roll with him until he cools off at the plate. 

Should You Add Austin Hays?

Hays is back on the rise after some better results at the plate again. He's owned in 35% of leagues right now. Hays was around 65% in late April and was nearing 30% four days ago.

Hays is on a six-game hitting streak, collecting nine knocks in that span. He has three doubles and a homer among his hits, along with six RBIs, a stolen base, two runs scored, a walk and six punchouts.

He has a .330 average and .375 OBP across 23 games and 96 plate appearances this season. Hays has six doubles and homers among his 29 total knocks. He also has 19 RBIs, two stolen bases, 17 runs scored, seven walks and 25 strikeouts as well.

Hays is the team's cleanup hitter and is getting starts in left field and at designated hitter this season. The Reds might not be the best lineup, but that's a favorable spot for a fantasy hitter to be in.

Hays still has good season-long numbers, and even though they are bound to regress over time, I'm still a fan of rostering him in most deeper redraft leagues. If he gets red hot at the plate, like he was earlier in the season, then Hays could be a standard league option.

Like Tovar, I think Hays is undervalued and overlooked right now. 

Should You Add Ivan Herrera?

We'll end with Herrera, who is rostered in 70% of leagues. After an injury early in the season, he returned to the field on May 9 - his own percentage at that point was 50%.

Herrera has a hit in all nine games since he returned from his injury. He has 15 total knocks in that span, including a homer and four doubles.

For the season, Herrera has played in 16 games and gotten 62 plate appearances. He has a .426 average and .484 OBP. Herrera also has five homers, six doubles, 23 total hits, 20 RBIs, 15 runs scored, five walks and 10 strikeouts.

I honestly have no clue why Herrera isn't owned in more leagues. He's been absolutely raking all season, and is at a difficult fantasy position to find consistent options. He's started the team's last six contests at catcher or designated hitter, so a lack of playing time isn't the issue.

He's just outside the top 10 in scoring amongst fantasy catchers, and remember, he missed a month or so of play. Herrera should be added and started in all league types immediately. At least pick him up and roll with him until he cools off.

He's a career .311 hitter with a .384 OBP across 112 MLB games, so there's a chance he remains an above-average fantasy catcher all season, and maybe a daily starter as well. Take the gamble on him before it's too late.