Nick Mariano’s Top Waiver Wire Adds for Week 13 – Don’t Miss Out! (Premium)

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We’re onto the back nine of June, and we hope that you have a stronger league position to show for it. You may feel like you’ve missed the boat on many success stories that are propelling your opponents, but there are many more chapters to be written. Let’s make them good ones!

Our aim here is to identify strong adds that should give fantasy teams different avenues to victory. There will be players who can offer immediate help, while others will be stashes for assistance down the road. It’s time to have at it with my


waiver wire targets for Week 13.

We’ll use Yahoo ownership levels and aim to cut things off near 40%, listing players in a rough priority order (pending category needs). Please note that most statistics cited are gathered before Saturday’s games are played, although I’ll mention tidbits from what I catch as I write. Y


ou can find me on X (


@NMariano53


) to ask about anyone not mentioned here.

Nick’s Hitter Waiver Wire Targets

Catcher

Ramirez has four multi-hit games going back to June 13, with three longballs in that span. The lack of R+RBI opportunity in Miami hamstrings his fantasy value, but hitting between second and cleanup will maximize things. By this point, you’re probably in or out, so I’ll let it go beyond this!

Atlanta is rumored to be shopping both Sean Murphy and
Marcell Ozuna
ahead of the trade deadline. The former being moved could grant him true starting reps wherever he lands, while also freeing up additional time for Baldwin. Just keep these ripple effects in mind.

Otherwise, we’ve seen Sanchez return to action with some serious thump, as he homered in his first and second game back (June 14 and 15). He’s 6-for-14 with the two HRs and 12 R+RBI in four starts going into the weekend and will see plenty of playing time with
Adley Rutschman
heading to the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain.

First Base

Kurtz is Krushing it, so here’s hoping you all got aboard early, through the IL stint, or the brief four-game slump after the injury. The power is real, and the park is clearly his friend.

Others in that higher 30-40% range that I imagine most have already spoken for are Burleson, Sheets, and Steer. Drop down a tier and you’ll find Keith homered in back-to-back games after a severe power outage, and Cronenworth has hit safely in 9-of-10 games.

Toglia is running back the 2024 playbook. You’ll recall he was awful (.505 OPS, 40.8% K% in April), went down to the minors for a reboot, and then returned with an .800 OPS, 21 HRs, and 10 steals in the final 101 games. And now, he’s 6-for-20 with three homers and “only” six strikeouts in five games since coming back.

Second Base

Lee is now 25-for-75 with three doubles, three homers, and a steal over his last 20 games. Those in OBP formats can look away (only two walks in that span), and those hoping for this as the new norm may also avert their eyes from the .474 June BABIP. I can appreciate aggression leading to spikes, but it doesn’t feel sustainable.

Estrada was starting to find a groove before being hit by a pitch on the wrist, which interrupted a run with four multi-hit efforts in five games (and he’d homered in the game he exited early). A decision on a return vs. a retroactive IL stint should be made by publication.

Those hoping for a cheap ticket to Sacramento’s hitter-friendly park through Gelof must be patient. He’s 1-for-10 over five rehab games, but has four walks to two strikeouts as he regains the timing, and also swiped a pair of bases on June 17. You’re here for HR/SB upside (31 HR, 39 SB in 207 MLB games), not average help (.231 career AVG).

Third Base

Smith is surging after slogging through the first couple of months, supplying a .346/.382/.558 triple slash with a two-homer game on June 17. The 22-year-old was fast-tracked to the majors after 32 minor-league games for the Cubs last year and an impressive spring training with Houston.

Marte did indeed kick off a rehab assignment on June 20, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Don’t forget about the Great American Ball Park summertime fun.

We’re still bullish on the long-term upside for youngsters like Mayer and Muncy, with House the latest to join the party. The 11th overall pick of the 2021 MLB Draft is the latest to be called up for evaluation as the Nats look to the next generation. House hit 13 homers alongside a .304 average and .873 OPS over 65 Triple-A games.

Shortstop

Baez and Story remain streaky players to keep tabs on in shallower formats, though they’re likely remaining stashed in most of your active leagues. Crawford suffers from an established identity of being an empty batting average, but he has a homer and two steals over the last week. He’s hitting .322 over the last month, .325 over the last two weeks, and .313 in this past week.

Freeman also fits that bill thanks to a .315 average through 36 games, with an eight-game hit streak going into the weekend. Contrary to the Coors narrative, he’s 17-for-50 (.340) on the road versus 12-for-42 (.286) at home.

The real split is 22-for-62 (.355) against right-handed pitching, versus 7-for-30 (.233) against southpaws. He does have six steals, though.

Most of you can plug in some of the other versatile names as needed, such as Lee, Mayer, Clement, Muncy, and so on.

Outfield

Carter has cooled after that torrid second week of June and has sat against some left-handed pitchers, which could create an add/buy opportunity for some of you. Few top prospects have lost their luster like Carter (and Adell!), which keeps suspicions rightfully high over their potential.

Hays is set to hit this weekend and could return to action soon. He’s been snakebitten by unlucky injuries, but was hitting .303 with six homers, two steals, and 48 R+RBI in just 31 games before fouling a ball off his foot. Varsho is another injured OF set to begin a rehab assignment any day.

This writer still thinks it is a bit of a crock that
Chandler Simpson
‘s offensive potential is being wasted in the minors while
Kameron Misner
, who is barely hitting above .150 lately but plays strong defense, gets starts.

Hopefully, Simpson inspires some faith on the farm shortly. He’s the best base-stealer we’ve seen in a long while who can also make healthy contact.

Perez has shown off power since coming back on May 27, socking five HRs with 21 R+RBI and a .284 average across 21 games. This is surprising given his mediocre .383 slugging percentage and .141 ISO last year (9 HRs in 112 games), but he could tap into some additional power at age-25.

Profar will return on July 2 and sure looks to have retained his eye in the batter’s box. Questions will swirl over how much of his previous season was the result of PEDs, but we can’t navigate the unknown. What we know right now is that Atlanta still needs offense, and Profar is crushing minor-league pitchers on his rehab assignment.

How about this run from the 38-year-old McCutchen? Locked in as their No. 2 hitter, Cutch is hitting .301 with five homers and six doubles (26 R+RBI) over his last 24 games. The .359 BABIP is above his head, but a 52.2% hard-hit rate will find holes more frequently!

And another Rockie making noise is Moniak, who already has five homers and two steals across nine June starts. You realize it is June 20, however, and nine starts is not a good rate! But he has started in seven of their last nine as he stays hot, so feel free to ride the wave.

Nick’s Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Targets

Birdsong hasn’t had the best June, but he lines up for a home start against Miami next week. The Marlins provided him with his most recent victory, as he held them to one run over 5 IP on June 1. His job security has increased with the recent moves for
Jordan Hicks
and
Kyle Harrison
.

Soriano followed up his 12-strikeout gem against the A’s by blanking the Yankees over seven frames. And he just wrapped up a 10-strikeout win over the Astros with one run allowed over 6 2/3 IP. This is a certified stellar run going, and we have to respect the groundball arsenal picking up plus whiffs.

Bello continued to showcase more cutters on Saturday’s start against the Giants, giving up one earned run (plus two unearned) over six innings. Combine that with last Sunday’s NYY outing, and you’ll get 14 Ks and the one ER over 13 IP. Combine that with just 10 Ks with 7 ER in 16 IP over his three prior starts.

His teammate, Giolito, got several paragraphs dedicated to his recent form in my latest
weekly Top 101 SP column
. I encourage everyone to check it out! The TL;DR is that his fastball velocity and usage are up, which coincides with time away from the major injury window off the mound.

Chad Patrick has a favorable pair of home matchups this week against the Pirates and Rockies. Eduardo Rodriguez lines up for a two-start week against the White Sox and Marlins, which is surely of use to some.

Lopez has a road date with the Tigers this week after a second consecutive quality start with nine strikeouts. The latest came against a hot Astros team, which builds confidence moving forward. He’s allowed just one earned run over his last 16 IP, with 23 Ks in that span illustrating the upside.

Janson Junk has a 2.60 ERA/1.01 WHIP with two wins and a save over six games. He’d been operating as Miami’s long man in the bullpen, but drew an official start on Friday against the Braves. Junk responded with five innings of one-run ball and should stay on schedule for a late-week start in San Francisco.

And here’s our weekly plea to the Rays for Joe Boyle to take
Taj Bradley
‘s rotation spot. Boyle holds a 1.83 ERA/0.95 WHIP with 81 Ks in 64 IP at Triple-A, and notably threw five no-hit frames in his lone MLB spot start of the year back on April 13. He holds an extraordinary 34:8 K:BB with a 1.71 ERA in his last four starts (21 IP) and is a priority stash.

Those Boyle numbers are in good company next to Burns’ 1.77 ERA/0.77 WHIP with 89 Ks in 66 IP. The No. 2 pick of the 2024 Draft has yet to stumble in the pros and looks ready for the majors, but we must remember he threw just 100 innings at Wake Forest last year.

He started by throwing every 7-8 days and has transitioned to pitching every 5-6 days over the last month, throwing five or more innings in nine straight turns, and reaching seven frames in two of his last three. Let’s see if Cincinnati gets aggressive here.

*


Late Saturday night update: Burns will be called up to start on Tuesday against the Yankees. Quite the first assignment, but we have to pounce!

Nick’s Relief Pitcher Waiver Wire Targets

Miller should be rostered in far more leagues than this, especially with
A.J. Puk
‘s elbow surgery shelving him for the entire season alongside
Justin Martinez
. But I do assume he’s unavailable in most of your leagues, dear premium reader.

Kerkering is finally getting love in the form of save chances for Philadelphia. The 24-year-old has been a stabilizing force while
Jordan Romano
and Matt Strahm seemingly trade off struggling. It’s Kerkering who has logged saves on June 16 and 19 (and a win on the 14th), holding opponents without an earned run since May 6. Rally around the power slider and profit!

Texas had Luke Jackson toss a 1-2-3 ninth inning for the save on June 15, which was his first since April 25. He’s gone five straight appearances without issuing a walk (3:0 K:BB) and hasn’t allowed multiple hits in the last month.

Robert Garcia remains the southpaw option with four saves over the last 30 days, but has allowed five runs on 12 hits and three walks over that 8 IP. To make things murkier, Saturday’s save went to
Chris Martin
, who has now thrown on consecutive days after an injury scare.

The Marlins haven’t generated a save chance over the last week, but he logged three saves between June 10 and 14, so keep him in mind. I’d rather speculate in Miami than open up the Coors can of worms with Seth Halvorsen.

Raisel Iglesias
is doing well and may have earned the job back, but Lee has been sharp, and the L/R dynamic may still be at play. Weissert has delivered three saves behind
Aroldis Chapman
for Boston as well.