Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters: Hot Bats to Target on Thursday

After taking a look at some fantasy baseball waiver wire pitching options to add on Thursday, let's now look at some possible waiver wire hitter pickups.

Here are waiver wire hitter stories from Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday - we won't cover any of those players in this article.

Fantasy baseball waiver wire options can be found all season on FantasySP!

Victor Mesa Jr. and Chandler Simpson - Tampa Bay Rays

Mesa is owned in just 5.36% of fantasy baseball leagues right now - that's up from barely being owned most of the season. Simpson is up 4.1% today, which brings his overall mark to 59.56%.

Mesa is riding a four-game hitting streak going into Thursday's action. He has five hits in that span. Mesa popped homers in three straight games, then had two hits and RBIs, plus a walk and stolen base last night.

He's logged 120 plate appearances across 38 games in his second MLB season. Mesa has 24 hits for a .231 average, and he's got a .319 on-base percentage. Mesa has eight home runs, two doubles, 17 RBIs, 16 runs scored, 14 walks, four stolen bases and 28 strikeouts.

The outfielder appears to be settling in a bit, so he deserves to be added in more fantasy leagues. He's just a deep, deep league asset right now, but those lacking outfielders should at least consider Mesa. Keep tabs on him in case he keeps trending up.

Simpson also has a five-game hitting streak going, but he's logged 10 hits in that span. He has two doubles and RBIs, four stolen bases and runs scored and as many walks as strikeouts (two) over that stretch.

Over 95 games and 379 appearances on the season, Simpson has a .291 average and .326 OBP. He's got 19 RBIs, 43 runs scored, 20 walks, 26 stolen bases and 35 strikeouts to his name. Among his 102 total hits, Simpson has 10 doubles and six triples (with no home runs).

Simpson does enough else and doesn't strike out a ton, so his lack of power is hidden a bit. I like Simpson in all deeper fantasy leagues, and think he's worth utilizing in standard leagues now, at least until his bat cools off a bit.

Steven Kwan and Brayan Rocchio - Cleveland Guardians

Kwan has risen 2.67% today, while Rocchio is up 2.27%. Kwan is rostered in 53.33% overall, while Rocchio is at 63.84%.

Kwan has struggled most of this season, but he's been a lot better in July. Across 17 games and 61 plate appearances, Kwan has 21 hits, five RBIs, nine runs scored, 10 walks and three strikeouts and stolen bases.

He still only has a .245 average and .350 OBP over 379 plate appearances and 95 games this year. Kwan has 78 total hits, including 12 doubles, two triples and one home run, plus 18 RBIs, 42 runs scored, 50 walks, six stolen bases and only 36 strikeouts.

Kwan is a lot like Simpson, with a lack of power, but not many strikeouts. The big difference is the average/OBP, and that's holding Kwan back. He's on the rise, so he's worth deep-league adds/utilization, and he's getting close to being worth re-adding in standard leagues.

Rocchio has had a nice month of July as well, collecting 20 hits over 17 games and 70 plate appearances. He has six extra-base hits among the knocks, plus 14 RBIs, 10 runs scored, two walks, a stolen base and 12 strikeouts.

The infielder has played in 100 games, logging 385 plate appearances this season. Rocchio has a .275 average and .338 OBP, along with 48 RBIs, 43 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, 27 walks and 54 strikeouts. He has nine homers, two triples and 15 doubles among his 95 total knocks.

The primary shortstop should also be eligible at second base, so that ups his fantasy value a bit. Rocchio is a sneaky-good fantasy asset, and is worth roster spots/utilization in all deeper leagues, and some more standard leagues, especially while he's delivering daily at the plate.

Nolan Arenado - St. Louis Cardinals

Arenado has been scooped up in 2.18% of leagues, which brings his overall mark to 34.06%.

He has a five-game hitting streak going, with six hits over that span. Arenado has 15 hits, 12 RBIs and runs scored, eight walks and 17 strikeouts over 16 games and 66 plate appearances this month.

His first season in Arizona has been an up and down one over 96 games and 372 plate appearances, but he's on the rise now. Arenado has a .245 average and .323 OBP, plus 46 RBIs, 49 runs scored, 33 walks and 80 strikeouts. He has 14 homers and 19 doubles among his 81 total knocks.

The third baseman is worth adding and utilizing in fantasy leagues when he's hot at the plate, like he is now. He's a deep-league fantasy option, while being a short-term option in standard leagues, especially if you are lacking at third base.