MLB

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds: Week 6

Minnesota's Chris Paddack has regained form with his new team. Which other roster moves should we consider in Week 6?

With the 2022 baseball season getting revved up, nailing the waiver wire and the players available are critical to beating out your league-mates in season-long formats.

Each week we will take a look at players who are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues and can help out your season-long squads. Remember, if you aren’t scouring the waiver wire, you are falling behind.

George Kirby, Seattle Mariners

Roster Percentage: 24%

If your rotation is maybe looking for a little shot in the arm, consider George Kirby of the Mariners.

With Matt Brash, a fellow young precocious starter getting sent back to Triple-A, an opening in the rotation and if you want some jaw-dropping numbers, consider these.

In five starts spanning 24 1/3 innings pitched, Kirby has logged 32 whiffs in those innings, giving out only five free passes. Of course, these numbers likely won’t transfer one-to-one to the bigs, but Kirby is likely worthy of an add.

Yadiel Hernandez OF, Washington Nationals

Roster Percentage: 30%

It may be a short-lived hot streak for the outfielder, but Yadiel Hernandez has been quite productive, and boy do the Nats need it.

With an offense that had been lagging behind the pack, sporting bottom ten marks in wOBA, isolated power (ISO), and strikeout rate, Hernandez has played out of his gourd with a .371 batting average and .957 OPS.

Just this week, the slugger has a 1.375 OPS, including a homer and a steal. There’s certainly plenty of playing time available for Hernandez, so ride the hot streak.

Chris Paddack SP, Minnesota Twins

Roster Percentage: 44%

Traded just before the start of the season, Chris Paddack wound up in Minnesota, and he may be regaining some of that uber-prospect form that made him so hyped.

The right-hander has been stunningly consistent this season – spanning 20 innings pitched, he’s averaged nearly a whiff an inning (16 strikeouts), posting a solid 3.15 ERA and 1.10 WHIP.

He’s found a way to cut down on his inflated walk rate, which was a major bugaboo in past season, and while the heater is down about 2 ticks on the season, his newly revamped cutter and curveball could make him fantasy relevant this season.

Harrison Bader, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

Roster Percentage: 30%

After a bit of a rough start to the year, fantasy owners may have been too impatient and released starting center fielder Harrison Bader from their rosters and if they did, that may have been a bit hasty.

While the power has not yet shown up, Bader may be showing signs of fantasy life by bopping two long balls this week. In addition, Bader has remained stealthy on the base paths, stealing seven of them already on the year.

In 89 plate appearances this season, Bader has already scored 15 runs, putting him on pace for 90 runs scores and nearly 40 stolen bases. That’s relevant in any fantasy format, and he should be added immediately if you need some speed.