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FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
Colt Keith (1B/2B Tigers) - Rostered in 19% of Yahoo leagues
It’s already been quite the up-and-down season for Keith. He found out with the Gleyber Torres signing in December that he was going to be playing first base this year, and he seemed a little stronger this spring, pounding a couple of balls harder than anything he hit in the majors last year or in Triple-A in 2023. Then he found himself back at second base just three games into the season because of an injury to Torres. Meanwhile, he got off to a bizarre start at the plate in which he seemed afraid to swing the bat. Through nine games, he was 4-for-23 with 12 walks. Torres returned, and Keith’s playing time dwindled; he sat out four out of five games at one point, and it seemed like a stint in Triple-A might be in the offing. Instead, Keith got back into the lineup, slugged his first homer on Apr. 30 and has since hit .316/.395/.658 with four homers and just six strikeouts in 43 plate appearances.
The early season passivity seems mostly gone for Keith now. His average exit velocity this month is 88.9 mph, putting him on track for the best month of his career. He came in at 84.5 mph in April, easily his worst mark since debuting at the beginning of last year. He’s probably not going to keep up his homer pace of the last couple of weeks, but he’ll keep adding more singles and doubles. Statcast thinks he’s been particularly unlucky in that regard; he’s hitting .222 and slugging .361 this season, but Statcast gives him a .270 xBA and a .466 xSLG.
The lack of home run and steal potential here caps Keith’s fantasy upside, but he’s hitting third for a Tigers team that’s currently scoring a whole bunch of runs. His playing time against lefties remains a bit iffy, but that will change with consistent production, and there’s really no reason Keith can’t produce consistently. He makes ample contact, he hits line drives and he uses all fields. With his middle-infield eligibility intact, there’s enough here to help fantasy teams.
Zebby Matthews (SP Twins) - Rostered in 20% of Yahoo leagues
This time, it’s actually happening. The Twins surprisingly picked David Festa over Matthews for the rotation when Pablo López got hurt last month, but it’ll be Matthews getting his shot now after Simeon Woods Richardson was demoted to Triple-A. He’s slated to make his season debut Sunday against the Brewers after going 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA and a 38/9 K/BB over 32 2/3 innings in seven starts for St. Paul.
Matthews opened up in Triple-A despite looking like one of the Twins’ top five starters this spring. To be fair, he was pretty well shelled in his major league debut last year, going 1-4 with a 6.69 ERA in nine starts, but even then, he had a 43/11 K/BB in 37 2/3 innings. His fastball velocity is currently about 1.5 mph better than it was in the second half of last year, putting him at 96.5 mph on average. His cutter is up around 92 mph, making it a better weapon against lefties, and his slider will get him strikeouts against righties.
The big problem for Matthews last season was the home run ball. He’s been an above average groundball pitcher in the minors, but that wasn’t the case in his first tour of the American League. One imagines he’ll fare better now with a little more velocity in the tank. Never one to walk many batters, he should have a strong WHIP even if he doesn’t excel in terms of ERA, and there’s a good chance he’ll be a useful mixed-league starter right out of the gate here.
Matt Shaw (3B Cubs) - Rostered in 18% of Yahoo leagues
It’s not going to be long before Shaw gets his second chance with the Cubs. After homering twice Thursday, the 23-year-old is batting .344/.440/.641 with four homers and five steals in his last 17 games for Triple-A Iowa, and it’s not like anyone has stepped up in his absence. Jon Berti is currently getting most of the starts at third for the Cubs, and he’s batting .222/.282/.250 in 78 plate appearances.
While Shaw’s first major league stint wasn’t very impressive, he doesn’t need to be the Cubs’ savior. He’s not the most consistent power threat, but he’s a fine all-around hitter. He doesn’t often chase bad pitches, and he drives fastballs and breaking balls alike. It’d be nice if pulled balls over the fence more frequently, but that’s coming. In the meantime, he should hit for a decent enough average and give the Cubs an OBP boost at the bottom of the lineup.
What makes Shaw particularly intriguing in fantasy leagues is his basstealing ability. He didn’t attempt any steals in his 18 major league games at the beginning of the season, but he’s 5-for-5 since returning to Triple-A. He was 31-for-42 in his 121 minor league games last season. Even though he’s unlikely to approach that kind of pace in the majors, just a handful of steals can make the difference in whether a guy is worth using in shallow leagues. Shaw should be when his next opportunity comes.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
- As many injuries as they’ve dealt with, it’s a little crazy that the Brewers still haven’t found room for Jacob Misiorowski in their rotation, but that’s going to have to change soon. The 23-year-old has been the best pitcher in the International League, going 3-0 with a 1.46 ERA and a 59/19 K/BB in 49 1/3 innings, and he just hit 103 mph in his last outing Thursday. The command probably isn’t there for him to pitch deep into games in the majors, but he’s definitely earned a look.
- The Phillies have four games in Coors and three in Sacramento next week. Meanwhile, Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh are rostered in five and three percent of Yahoo leagues, respectively. They both make for excellent one-week additions.
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