Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Week 12

It’s already mid-June, and the official start of summer is coming in a few days. Here are five players to seek on the waiver wire in your fantasy baseball league.

5. Jon Gray, SP, Colorado Rockies

Gray has been out for a little over two months due to a stress fracture in his left foot. But he is nearing a return, with at least one more rehab start to fully ramp up his pitch count. Prior to being sidelined he had a 4.38 ERA with nine strikeouts and seven walks over three starts (12.1 innings).

In 2016, Gray had a 4.61 ERA over 29 starts (168 innings). But a closer look shows some bad luck (3.60 FIP, 18% home run/fly ball rate over his first 82 innings) and promising peripherals (9.9 K/9).

Gray is worth stashing right now in mixed leagues, with a return on track for later this month. He’s not necessarily an ace, but he can absolutely be a fantasy asset as the season wears on.
ESPN Ownership: 34%

4. Brandon Phillips, 2B, Atlanta Braves

After going 3-for-6 on Saturday, Phillips has multiple hits in three of his last four games and in four of his last seven contests. He is now hitting .333 so far in June, which has boosted his average to .306 on the season with an .778 OPS.

The power from Phillips’ prime, with at least 17 home runs every season from 2006-2013, is not coming back with just four home runs so far this season. But he is otherwise contributing in other categories (32 runs scored, 22 RBI seven stolen bases), to go with a batting average that his track record says will pretty much stay afloat.

Power numbers can be found everywhere these days. Phillips can help in other categories, and hold down a middle infield spot, which makes him an appealing addition in mixed leagues.
ESPN Ownership: 35.5%

3. Lonnie Chisenhall, OF, Cleveland Indians

Chisenhall hit two home runs in Game 2 of a double-header against the Minnesota Twins Saturday night, and he is now 6-for-12 with three home runs and 11 RBI over his last three games. Since returning from the concussion disabled list on June 6, he has raised his batting average 27 points to the current .288 clip to go with 10 home runs, 35 RBI and a .979 OPS over 118 at-bats this season.

Chisenhall has a fairly regular spot in Cleveland’s lineup, and on both sides of his stint on the disabled list he has hit well. His batting average may normalize downward some compared to his current hot streak, but there’s power potential here that can be a difference maker.

Chisenhall has to be back on the radar in AL-only leagues, and owners in deeper mixed leagues need to monitoring him.
ESPN Ownership: 4%

2. Chris Taylor, IF/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

Injuries have put Taylor into a primary role for the Dodgers this year, and he has delivered with a .299/.384/.511 slash-line, eight home runs, 31 RBI and 34 runs scored over 174 at-bats. He has played over 20 games at second base (22) and in the outfield (21), and he’s also eligible at third base in ESPN leagues (10 games in 2016, seven games so far in 2017).

With only 120 major league games under his belt before this year, it’s worth questioning how sustainable Taylor’s early production is. But he is multi-position eligible with a regular spot in the lineup, and that’s enough to bring fantasy value in all applicable leagues.
ESPN Ownership: 50.6%

1. Sean Doolittle, RP, Oakland Athletics

Doolittle returned from a shoulder injury on June 10 and on Saturday, in his third appearance back, he picked up a safe. Santiago Casilla having worked the previous two games created that situation, but he’s hard been invincible as Oakland’s closer with a 4.07 ERA and three blown saves.

Doolittle may get more save opportunities going forward, and he had success in the role with 22 saves in 2014. Peripherals show Doolittle has the stuff to be a closer (14.3 K/9 this season, at least 9.9 K/9 in 2014-2016), but missed time with a shoulder issue in three straight seasons now is a concern.

Doolittle can help fantasy owners in categories beyond saves. He’s definitely worth a speculative addition though, based on Casilla’s potential tenuous hold on the ninth inning.
ESPN Ownership: 3.7%

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