We’re nearly to the halfway point of the 2023 MLB season, and things are only getting wilder with each passing day. The Cincinnati Reds are now America’s team. The Los Angeles Angels just dropped 25 runs at Coors Field. For fantasy baseball players, it’s time for the rubber to hit the road — time to decide whether they’re in or out this year, and what they might need for the stretch run ahead. This is especially true at the middle infield spots, where top picks have been felled by injury (Jazz Chisholm) or underperformance (Trea Turner, Francisco Lindor). That’s why we’re here to help, with four targets likely available in your league showing signs that they’re in for a strong finish.
Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 13 top middle infield pickups
Brendan Donovan, 1B/2B/3B/OF, St. Louis Cardinals
Roster percentage: 31.8%
I get that Donovan is never going to be the sort of elite power/speed option that garners fantasy headlines. But he’s the sort of player that helps you win leagues: a player who will contribute at least a little bit in every category (especially if you’re in an OBP league) while offering the ability to plug him in just about anywhere in your lineup. Donovan got off to a slow start along with seemingly every other Cardinal, but he’s heating up of late, slashing .370/.431/.500 over the last two weeks. He’s on pace for 15 homers and 10 steals with a plus average and decent counting stats, and again, while that won’t wow anyone, it’s an incredibly valuable floor to be able to plug in wherever you might have a hole.
Eduardo Escobar, 2B/3B, Los Angeles Angels
Roster percentage: 1.3%
Escobar got buried by fans and media in New York after his sluggish start with the Mets, but there’s a reason the Angels wanted to acquire him this week — he’s quietly been a very effective hitter for almost two months now. Escobar has hit .344/.400/.563 over 70 plate appearances since April 20, and he’s crushing lefties to the tune of an .855 OPS on the season. Given L.A.’s recent infield injuries — Zach Neto, Anthony Rendon and Gio Urshela are all out, Urshela likely for the year — they have no choice but to give Escobar regular playing time, which means tons of RBI opportunities hitting behind Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Hunter Renfroe.
David Hamilton, 2B/SS, Boston Red Sox
Roster percentage: 0.7%
There’s one word you need to know about Hamilton’s game: speed. The infielder swiped a whopping 70 bases — while getting caught just eight times — in 119 games at Double-A last year, and followed that up with 27 over his first 52 at Triple-A this year. Injuries to Pablo Reyes and Enmanuel Valdez have finally created an opportunity for Hamilton in Boston, as the team called him up for his Major League debut this week. There are questions about whether he can hit enough to set those wheels loose on the basepaths, but he was slashing .255/.339/.486 at Worcester before being promoted, and his upside is too tantalizing to leave on the waiver wire — especially considering that he’s started the Red Sox’ last four games.
Samad Taylor, 2B/OF, Kansas City Royals
Roster percentage: 0.6%
Speaking of speed: Taylor doesn’t have quite the stolen-base numbers that Hamilton does, but he did swipe 34 bags while hitting .304/.409/.463 in just 62 games at Triple-A this year. That earned him the call to K.C., as the Royals are desperate for any sort of offensive spark right now, and Taylor’s been starting regularly this week at both second base and left field. Again, he might not hit enough — and he certainly won’t hit for power — but if you need stolen bases in a hurry, you could do a lot worse.
