Major League Baseball started its second half Friday and there’s still time to improve your lifeless fantasy baseball roster.
No matter how many games your team is out of first place, there’s enough weeks left before the fantasy playoffs to get back into the race. The best way to turn around your fortunes is to comb through the waiver wire for the best steals.
The wire is a bit dry, but there’s still some decent options available. Here’s three players who can contribute right away for your fantasy roster.
Yangervis Solarte, San Diego, 3B/2B/1B
Solarte is hot this month. For fantasy baseball owners putting him on their rosters, let’s hope the All-Star break doesn’t slow him down.
Solarte has at least one hit in every game but two during the month of July, with three of those outings producing two or more hits. In only 40 at-bats, he has four home runs and 12 RBIs. For the season, he has eight homers and 35 RBIs.
Maybe this is a flash in the pan. Or maybe he’s starting to reach his potential. This is his third full year in MLB and he’s on pace to eclipse his best marks for home runs, RBIs and batting average.
He offers a tremendous amount of flexibility for your roster by qualifying in multiple positions. He’s a lifetime .270 hitter, so he’s not going to shortchange you in that category. If he can keep up the production in other areas, he can be a serious contributor for your fantasy roster.
You shouldn’t wait to add him, though. He’s already owned in a little more than 40 percent of leagues on ESPN.com, and if he comes out hot again after the All-Star break, he won’t be on the waiver wire for long.
Didi Gregorius, New York Yankees, SS
Maybe people just aren’t paying attention to the waiver wire as the MLB season moves along. That’s about the only explanation I have for why Gregorius is still on the waiver wire in more than 60 percent of leagues on ESPN.com.
Gregorius is hitting .298 with 38 runs, 11 homers and 41 RBIs as a shortstop. He owns the sixth-best batting average for his position, and is a top-12 option in all other fantasy statistical categories.
You can do better for an all-around shortstop. But not much better.
What also helps is that Gregorius was on fire heading into the All-Star break, going 9-for-20 in his previous five games. He’s still young, so improving isn’t out of the question.
There’s no reason to keep him on the shelf in your fantasy baseball league. Pick him up now to see increased production.
Ervin Santana, Minnesota Twins, SP
Santana hasn’t been spectacular this season (he at one point lost five consecutive decisions), but lately, he’s been on point.
In his last four starts, he is 2-0, with 19 strikeouts compared to five walks, five earned runs and 17 hits allowed. He’s eating up innings for fantasy owners, too, with three of those four outings going for six or more innings, including a complete-game shutout against Oakland in his last start on July 6.
During the past 30 days, he owns a top-five ERA in MLB at 1.63. Part of the reason he’s dominating is that opposing hitters are batting only .173 against him during this span, the fifth-best mark in the last 30 days.
We shouldn’t be surprised with Santana’s surge. This is who he is. In his career, he’s 68-44 in the second half, compared to 61-68 in the first half. His career ERA in the second half is 3.87, down from his first half of 4.40.
He’s owned in only 15 percent of leagues on ESPN.com. Ignore his statistics from earlier in the season and jump aboard his hype train now.
