MLB FAAB Factor: Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Targets

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.

2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

September is here, which means MLB rosters have expanded from 26 to 28 players. Many clubs typically use those extra roster spots to add depth to the end of their bench/bullpen, but there are always a few players who are expected to fill an immediate playing role with the big club after getting promoted, and those players are widely available in fantasy leagues more often than not. This week, you'll find a handful of recent call-ups listed below who have not only been granted an opportunity in the big leagues but are poised to make the most of what they've been given. 

The number in parentheses represents the player's rostership rate in Yahoo leagues.

Starting Pitcher

 Cal Quantrill, Texas Rangers (42%)

Quantrill began the second half of the season by allowing six runs on 11 hits and a walk over just four innings. Not good. Since then, he's delivered a 1.83 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 39.1 innings across eight appearances. Pretty good. He's also put up an 8.5 K/9 during his stretch of dominance, which is a significant improvement over his season-long mark of 6.8. Jack Leiter (ankle) is trending toward moving to the bullpen once he returns from the injured list, and Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) is still several days away from throwing off a mound, so Quantrill's place in Texas' rotation would seem to be fairly safe even if he wasn't performing at a high level. He is, though, so he may be able to help out your squad before the season ends. FAAB: $2

 Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins (35%)

Matthews didn't come out of the All-Star break very well, giving up 25 runs (20 earned) in 24 innings during his first five starts. The past couple of weeks have been very different, though, as he's allowed just three runs in his last 21 frames and was just two outs away from a complete game in his most recent appearance Sunday against the White Sox. He's lined up for a rematch against the South Siders on Saturday and will be looking to pick up his sixth win in as many starts. The 26-year-old's previous performance (5.27 career ERA, 1.40 career WHIP) suggests his impressive run is unlikely to last as long as that of someone like Quantrill, but with less than four weeks left in the regular season, it doesn't have to. FAAB: $1

 Hayden Wesneski, Houston Astros (34%)

Spending nearly 15 months on the sideline while recovering from Tommy John surgery will put some rust on just about anybody, so Wesneski logging a 5.16 ERA in 22.2 innings across his first four starts back from the injured list wasn't too out of the ordinary. That rust seems to be gone now, as the 28-year-old righty has conceded just one run in 17 innings while collecting a pair of wins over his last three starts. He still isn't blowing anybody away with his 93-mph fastball, but he's getting batters to chase pitches out of the zone far more often than he was before his surgery, and he's proven capable of handling a starter's workload by throwing at least 90 pitches in each of his last three starts. FAAB: $1

Relief Pitcher

 Andrew Kittredge, Baltimore Orioles (11%)

The closer situation in Baltimore continues to be a mess, but Kittredge has recorded three of the team's last five saves, and his five saves in August led the team for the month. Before blowing the save Wednesday against the Rockies, the veteran righty had converted each of his last three opportunities and still has allowed just two earned runs over his last 12.2 innings. Felix Bautista (shoulder) began a rehab assignment in late August and could be close to coming off the IL for the first time in over a year, but he may not fill a high-leverage role right away after sitting for so long and allowing four runs in his first three minor-league innings. FAAB: $1

Catcher

 Ethan Salas, San Diego Padres (5%)

Salas was one of the players fortunate enough to head up to the majors when rosters expanded at the start of the month, and he was also one of the few who were doing so for the first time. The 20-year-old didn't have a glamorous debut like some of the other top prospects who have been featured in previous weeks, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, but he earned his spot on the active roster by slashing .295/.374/.447 with 10 homers, 61 RBI, 54 runs scored and 17 steals across 96 games between Double-A and Triple-A. With Freddy Fermin struggling to the tune of just a .568 OPS this season, the Padres are likely to turn to Salas -- the organization's top prospect – to start the majority of games down the stretch as they look for more consistent offensive production from behind the dish. FAAB: $3

 Mickey Gasper, Boston Red Sox (13%)

The Red Sox have returned two hitters from the injured list within the past week but lost Willson Contreras to a hamstring strain Monday, leaving the door open for Gasper to remain in the lineup. It also helps that Gasper keeps getting results, going 5-for-14 with two homers, four runs scored and four walks since he appeared in last week's article. Those two home runs bring him up to seven for the season – all of which have come in the 14 games he's played since joining the big club in mid-August. While between stints in the majors, the 30-year-old backstop slashed .386/.477/.625 with three homers, 15 RBI, 21 runs and a 17:12 BB:K over 26 games. That tells you that his hot streak isn't exactly a new development, and it's hard to imagine the Red Sox will take him out of the starting lineup until he gives them a reason to – even after Contreras returns. FAAB: $1

First Baseman

 Coby Mayo, Baltimore Orioles (20%)

Wednesday's game marked the end of a streak that saw Mayo come across the plate at least once in six consecutive games, but he still managed to collect a single and keep his hitting streak alive at seven games. During those seven games, the 24-year-old has gone 8-for-26 (.308) while slugging two homers and driving in eight runs. Mayo's batting average has rarely floated above the Mendoza Line this year – his current .220 AVG is the highest it's been all season – but there is still value to be found in his power stroke. His 48.8 percent hard-hit rate and 91.7-mph AEV have enabled him to send balls over the fence a career-high 19 times this season. He could make for a valuable addition to rosters that need a jolt of power for the final stretch, and his recently improved contact ability might allow you to pick him up without harming your team's average that much. FAAB: $3

 Bryce Eldridge, San Francisco Giants (19%)

While we're on the subject of players with impressive stretches of hitting and scoring, let's turn our attention to Eldridge, who has reached base in each of his last 11 games and has either driven in a run or scored a run himself in seven of his last eight. The 21-year-old has gone 16-for-42 (.381) with eight walks during his on-base streak, driving in 12 RBI and coming across the plate three times. The run production will likely continue to trickle in as long as he's working as the Giants' three-hole hitter, which is where he's landed in the lineup during each of their last seven games. Like Mayo, Eldridge is no stranger to strikeout issues, but Eldridge is a bit better at keeping his batting average elevated and is far more adept at drawing walks, which may tip the scales for those in leagues that value OBP. FAAB: $3

 Yohandy Morales, Washington Nationals (4%)

Add yet another name to the list of prospects who have gone deep in their MLB debuts. Morales joined the first-game homer club Tuesday after joining the Nationals as a September call-up, launching an AJ Smith-Shawver splitter 407 feet into the left-field bleachers for his first career hit. He added two more knocks before the night was over and followed up by notching another base hit in Wednesday's contest. The 24-year-old is expected to see fairly regular playing time down the stretch while bouncing between first base, third base and designated hitter, and he could be useful for fantasy managers in need of power after smacking 25 home runs in 104 games at Triple-A Rochester. FAAB: $2

Second Baseman

 Thomas Saggese, St. Louis Cardinals (2%)

Without Masyn Winn (thumb), Blaze Jordan (ankle) and JJ Wetherholt (wrist), the Cardinals have resorted to starting Saggese in each of their last three games. That's turned out to not be nearly as much of a disadvantage as many expected, as he's gone 7-for-11 with three home runs, six RBI and six runs scored in that brief period. Let the record also show that he did so while facing Braxton Ashcraft and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, so it's not like he's been facing bottom-of-the-barrel arms this whole time. Winn and Wetherholt aren't expected to remain out much longer, so Saggese's time in the lineup may be coming to an end soon, but he's capable of playing all over the field, so St. Louis could get creative with its lineups if it wishes to see just how much more magic the 24-year-old has left. FAAB: $1

Third Baseman

 Javier Sanoja, Miami Marlins (23%)

Sanoja's bat has been scorching hot for a little more than a month now, as he's slashed .347/.383/.535 with four homers, 18 RBI and 11 runs scored across 107 plate appearances since the beginning of August. Now batting .287 for the season, the 24-year-old isn't showing any signs of slowing down while boasting one of MLB's best contact and strikeout rates. In addition to his impressive hitting, Sanoja captured a bit of attention by swiping three bases in a game last week – his first multi-steal performance in two months – pushing him up to a career-high nine pilfers on the year. He should still be viewed as a priority for those who are primarily in need of hits down the stretch, but if he continues to be aggressive on the base paths, he could provide a bit of bonus value to those who pick him up. FAAB: $3

Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!

Shortstop

 Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox (42%)

Story returned to action Sunday after spending more than three months on the shelf recovering from surgery to address a sports hernia. He put up an uninspiring .171 batting average during his 10-game rehab assignment at Triple-A, but it turns out he was simply saving all his hits for the majors, as he's 7-for-16 with four doubles, four RBI and a run scored in four games since being activated. Andruw Monasterio's recent offensive struggles mean Story has very little competition for starts at shortstop, and although he carries just a .597 OPS for the season, we know the 33-year-old veteran is still capable of producing at this stage in his career after delivering a 20-20 campaign in 2025. FAAB: $3

Outfielder

 Hector Rodriguez, Cincinnati Reds (19%)

It took a while for Rodriguez to settle into the majors after being promoted from Triple-A in early August, but he seems to be well-adjusted now after slashing .341/.396/.727 with five home runs, nine RBI and 10 runs scored across his last 11 games. In response to his hot streak, the Reds have begun using the 22-year-old rookie as their leadoff man against righties, which should only lead to good things as far as his run-scoring potential goes. He has yet to attempt to steal a base in the majors, which is a bit disappointing considering he reached the double-digit mark in each of his last four seasons in the minors, but he should remain productive enough with his other counting stats to be deserving of a fantasy roster spot. FAAB: $4

 Spencer Jones, New York Yankees (27%)

Jones gets another shout out this week after going 6-for-21 with a pair of homers, five RBI, six runs scored and a steal in eight games since being included in last week's edition, bringing his batting average up to .239 and his OPS to .755 through 67 games in the big leagues. It's also worth noting that he's seemingly earned the right to face left-handers a bit more often after putting up a 1.073 OPS in 43 plate appearances against southpaws. His strikeout woes don't seem like they're going to disappear anytime soon, but it might be worth putting up with them if it means benefiting from the contributions he can make to all columns of the stat sheet as his playing time trends upward. FAAB: $3

 Tyrone Taylor, Chicago Cubs (3%)

Since moving from New York to Chicago at the trade deadline, Taylor has slashed an incredible .408/.455/.551 while collecting eight RBI, 11 runs and three steals in 55 plate appearances. The vast majority of his playing time with the Cubs has come against left-handed starters, but manager Craig Counsell gave him a shot at Jacob Misiorowski on Wednesday, and Taylor responded by going 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Admittedly, one successful showing against a right-hander isn't incredibly noteworthy, but when that right-hander is the frontrunner for the NL Cy Young Award, it's worth wondering whether we might see Taylor take on righties a bit more often in the near future. FAAB: $1