Thursday's Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire List Includes Giancarlo Stanton, Marcelo Mayer and More

It's time to go over our fourth set of fantasy baseball waiver wire options of the week.

We'll cover pitchers and hitters in this one article today. We won't cover any players discussed earlier in the week (pitchers: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; hitters: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday). We'll also skip any streaming options from Thursday's article.

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

Should You Add Giancarlo Stanton?

Stanton was added in 2.02% of leagues, bringing his overall mark up to 23.3%.

He's been on the injured list all season, but has begun rehab games, so he should be back in the big leagues soon. Stanton is 3-for-7 with a double, walk and strikeout among eight plate appearances so far in Double-A. He also has four RBIs.

Stanton had a .233 average and .298 on-base percentage across 114 games and 459 plate appearances last year for the Yankees. He had 27 homers and 20 doubles among his 97 total knocks. Stanton also had 38 walks, 49 runs scored and 143 strikeouts.

He's past his prime, but those big power numbers are still beneficial to fantasy owners. Stanton strikes out a ton too and probably is only eligible to play at designated hitter/utility in fantasy, so that holds him back as a fantasy asset.

His big name is going to have him rostered in more leagues than he should be. Stanton does enough to roster in deeper fantasy leagues though, and he's a standard league streaming option when he's in a groove at the plate.

It shouldn't take Stanton much longer to be ready to be called up, so adding him in some deeper leagues now makes sense. Keep a close eye on his status, because his own percentage is going to rise significantly when he's activated from the IL.

Should You Add Michael Soroka?

Soroka is the lone pitcher who will appear in today's waiver story. He's a streaming option and is rostered in 16.71% of leagues after a 4.77% increase.

He will face the Mets on Thursday. That's not a very favorable matchup on paper, but on a lighter schedule day, Soroka is one of the available options. He hasn't faced the Mets yet this season.

Soroka has made seven starts, with the Nationals going 3-4 in those games. He's 3-3 with a 4.86 earned run average over 37 innings. Soroka has allowed 20 runs on 34 hits and seven walks, while striking out 35 batters.

His ERA isn't the best, but his WHIP is pretty solid. Soroka's strikeout numbers are also respectable, giving him some fantasy upside, even in a tougher matchup.

Soroka is coming off his best start of the season. He tossed six scoreless innings against Texas on June 6, allowing two hits and a walk, while striking out seven.

He's won three of his past four starts, but had allowed three or four runs in the three games before his last appearance. Soroka has 20 strikeouts in that span, but 15 of those came in two starts.

Soroka has been inconsistent with his performances, but he's at least ate some innings, covering at least 5 1/3 frames in four straight appearances. 

I don't mind streaming Soroka in deeper leagues today, but I wouldn't call him a must-start pitcher in those leagues. I'd do my best to avoid starting Soroka in deeper setups.

Soroka is a pitcher to watch today at the very least. If he looks good, he could be a streaming option in all leagues for his next start, which is tentatively lined up against the Rockies, and the game isn't in Colorado.

Should You Add Willy Adames?

Adames is up 1.91% and sits at 70.8% overall.

Adames has had an awful start to his San Francisco tenure, but he's been good over the past couple days. He has five hits over the past two games, and two homers and a double among those knocks. Adames has five RBIs and runs scored, a walk and a strikeout over that short span.

He's played in 67 games and gotten 289 plate appearances so far. Adames has a .203 average and .288 OBP, along with 31 RBIs, three stolen bases, 36 runs scored, 31 walks and 76 strikeouts. Among his 51 total hits, Adames has 11 doubles, a triple and seven home runs.

He's a career .245 hitter with a .319 OBP, so he was always due for some improvement. Adames hit .251 and got on base at a .331 clip last season, so his start to the season was really underwhelming, and is why his own percentage has fallen so far.

He was a drop candidate of late, but is back on the rise. Adames should still be rostered in all deeper leagues, and I'd think that remains true all season.

When he's in a groove at the plate, Adames is worth a roster spot in standard leagues. If you don't have a locked-in fantasy shortstop, then adding Adames now makes a lot of sense. If you just need an extra hitter in general, then Adames is also a good add. He could be a daily starter for most of the rest of the season, and you're getting a big-time fantasy asset for free.

Adames isn't a must-add player, but there's plenty of reasons to take the gamble on him bouncing back.

Should You Add Marcelo Mayer?

Mayer had the first big game of his young career on Wednesday, so he's up to 28% rostered now.

He hit two home runs against the Rays on Wednesday - they both were solo shots. The only negative from Wednesday was that Mayer also struck out twice.

Mayer has now played in 15 games - he's gotten 48 plate appearances so far. He has three doubles and homers among his 11 total knocks so far, and he's also drawn four walks to have a .313 OBP. Mayer has four RBIs, nine runs scored and 13 strikeouts as well.

Mayer has been solid in his first taste of the big leagues. He's a highly-regarded prospect and I'm a bit surprised his own percentage isn't any higher.

Sure, I'd like to see him producing more at the plate, but he's playing regularly and performed fairly well so far. He should be on the rise now after his two-homer game, and there's a chance he becomes a daily fantasy asset.

I like the idea of adding him in deeper redraft leagues, even if you don't want to start him yet. He could be a great fantasy asset in time, and could change your fantasy season. Mayer is worth watching in all leagues in case his two-homer game is the start of his MLB breakout.

Should You Add Willi Castro?

Castro is rostered in 52% of leagues after a little hitting streak.

Over his past four games and 17 plate appearances, Castro has seven hits, including a triple, and two walks. He has two RBIs, three runs scored and six strikeouts in that short stretch.

He has a .275 average and .359 OBP across 47 games and 181 plate appearances this season. Castro has nine doubles, a triple and six home runs among his 44 total hits, along with 15 RBIs, three stolen bases, 28 runs scored, 17 walks and 44 strikeouts.

The numbers are OK, but his fantasy outlook is boosted by his defensive versatility. He's played second and third base, shortstop and all three outfield spots this season. Check to see where Castro is playable in your league.

That versatility boosts his own percentage in fantasy leagues as well. He's a good deep-league fantasy asset, and can be utilized in standard leagues when he's going well at the plate, like he is now.

I'd only want to add Castro in standard leagues if I had a roster spot to play with, but he can fill a short-term need at several spots.