Brice Matthews and Drake Baldwin Among Wednesday's Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Options

It's time for the third fantasy baseball waiver wire story of the week.

We won't cover anyone who appeared in stories on Monday or Tuesday. We also will avoid anyone who showed up in Wednesday's streaming article.

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

Should You Add Brice Matthews?

Matthews is rostered in just 11% of leagues right now, but is on the rise.

Over his past two games, Matthews has three home runs, seven RBIs and three runs scored. The rookie also has a walk and three strikeouts over that small stretch.

He's played in just six games so far, getting 24 plate appearances. Matthews has four hits, a single and the three homers. He also has seven RBIs, five runs scored, two walks and nine strikeouts.

It's been a great start to the MLB career of Matthews, even though his .200 average is weak. He's shown he can deliver pop at the plate, and in time, his average should increase. Strikeouts might be an issue, but they'll matter less if he can keep homering.

He is a highly-regarded prospect, so him finding MLB success shouldn't surprise too many people. He's unlikely to keep homering at this rate, but again, he can make up for less homers with more hits, or less strikeouts.

Matthews has mostly played second base, while appearing at third base once as well. Him getting dual position availability would be massive for his fantasy outlook. 

He's hitting near the bottom of the lineup for now, which is a knock against him. I'd expect him to move up the order after popping his three home runs of late. That would be another boost for his fantasy value.

I think Matthews should have been rostered in more leagues already, so after his home run surge, he's really underowned in my eyes. He could be added and started in a good amount of deeper leagues already.

He's a player to keep an eye on in standard leagues too. If Matthews keeps delivering, it won't take long for him to work his way into those leagues. Be ready to pounce if Matthews continues to slug at the dish.

Should You Add Colin Rea?

Rea is the lone pitcher in today's waiver article. He's up 3.01% and sits at 40.46% overall now.

He'll be another streaming option on Wednesday. Rea takes on the Royals in an afternoon tilt. He hasn't faced the Royals this season.

Rea has appeared in 20 games this season, mostly serving as a starter or long reliever. He is 8-3 and also has one save. He's covered 97 innings, allowing 42 runs (41 earned) on 97 hits and 27 walks, while striking out 70 batters. Rea has struck out 70 batters so far.

His 3.80 earned run average is pretty solid, and he's pitching well of late. Rea has allowed one or two runs in four straight starts. He's covered 23 2/3 innings in that span and won all four starts. Rea allowed five runs on 14 hits and eight walks, while striking out 16 batters in that stretch.

The Royals are a favorable matchup on paper, so Rea is set up for a big day today. I'd be all for starting Rea in deeper fantasy leagues - he's really, really close to being a must-start pitcher actually.

I'd be fine starting Rea in standard leagues too. He's definitely not a must-start pitcher in those leagues, but he's one of my favorite options for Wednesday. Let's see if he can take advantage of the matchup and keep rolling on the mound.

Should You Add Drake Baldwin?

Baldwin is rostered in 34.11% of leagues after a 5.04% increase.

He went hitless on Tuesday, but had three hits, six RBIs and two runs scored on Monday. Baldwin had two doubles in that contest.

Baldwin has played in 70 games and received 233 plate appearances so far this season. He has 60 total hits, including 11 home runs and eight doubles, along with 39 RBIs, 25 runs scored, 21 walks and 38 strikeouts. Baldwin has a .286 average and .356 OBP, which are both solid marks.

Across his 70 games, he's appeared 54 times at catcher and five times as the designated hitter. He's started each of the team's past five games, with three starts at catcher and two at designated hitter, so it appears the team is trying to get him into the lineup daily now.

He's batted cleanup in all five of those contests, which is another positive thing for his fantasy outlook. Baldwin appears to be on the rise as the Braves try to get things rolling - if they don't, Baldwin will play plenty as the team looks toward a brighter future.

Catchers are hard to find, so Baldwin is a pretty good option already with his recent playing time and amount of starts. He's worth adding in a good amount of deeper leagues already, and can start in most of those leagues too.

I need to see more consistent results for Baldwin to become a standard league option for me. That might come over the next week or two, so keep a close eye on the Braves' catcher.

Should You Add Matt Shaw?

Shaw was added in 1.86% of leagues, bringing his overall mark up to 30.15%.

He has at least one hit in every game since the All-Star break, and has logged eight total knocks over five games. Shaw has two homers among the hits, along with five RBIs, three runs scored, two stolen bases, no walks and just one strikeout.

Fantasy owners have been waiting for Shaw to break out, and we might be at the start of just that right now.

He owns a weak .221 average and .291 OBP over 68 games and 247 plate appearances this season. Shaw has four home runs and 11 doubles among his 49 total hits, along with 20 RBIs, 31 runs scored, 13 stolen bases, 21 walks and 46 strikeouts.

The primary third baseman has started four of the team's past five games, hitting ninth in each game. Shaw isn't a major fantasy asset from that low in the order, but on a stacked offense like the Cubs, he can still be a well-rounded fantasy asset from there.

I was high on Shaw coming into the season but have mostly been underwhelmed by his play. He is worth adding during these hot stretches just in case he is at the start of his MLB breakout. 

I'd add Shaw in a few more deeper leagues for now, even if you just stash him for a bit. In time, he could be a fantasy gamechanger, and you don't want to miss out on him.

A single strong week could get Shaw into standard leagues, so he's a name to keep tabs on.

Should You Add Royce Lewis?

Lewis is up 2.52% and is owned in 48.47% of leagues now.

Since the All-Star break ended, Lewis has five hits and one walk over 16 plate appearances. He has two homers and a double among the hits, along with five RBIs, three runs scored, a stolen base and one strikeout.

He's struggled with injuries again this season, and he owns just a .227 average and .290 OBP over 46 games and 169 plate appearances overall. Lewis has four homers and seven doubles among his 35 total hits. He also has posted 18 RBIs, 17 runs scored, a stolen base, 14 walks and 23 strikeouts when on the field.

Lewis can be an elite fantasy hitter when he's healthy and in a groove at the plate. He's been pretty good since the break, but he's got another level in him still.

You can see by his own percentage that many fantasy owners still have faith in Lewis. You might already need to add him in deeper leagues if you want to take a chance on Lewis.

Another big game or two will get him into more standard leagues, so now is the time to act if you really want him. It's definitely a gamble when taking on Lewis, but his high fantasy ceiling makes it worthwhile.