The second half is in full swing, which means it’s long past time to hold on to any illusions that you’re going to win your league with all of your brilliant draft picks intact. It’s time to throw out what you thought you knew around draft time and make adjustments. Time to decide whether you’re in it to win it this year, and what you might need to make that happen. Time to check narrative and sentiment at the door.
This is especially true at the corner infield spots, where injuries have felled several top options. 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 18
Wilmer Flores, 1B/2B/3B, San Francisco Giants
Roster percentage: 18.8%
Flores has been white-hot of late, slashing .388/.457/.700 over his last 28 games (18 starts) with six homers, seven doubles and 11 walks to just seven strikeouts. Here’s what that looks like in graph form:
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With rookie Casey Schmitt struggling and Brandon Crawford and Thairo Estrada injured, Flores figures to see plenty of playing time for the contending Giants, even against right-handed pitching.
Alex Kirilloff, 1B/OF, Minnesota Twins
Roster percentage: 6.6%
Kirilloff had a monster week: .357/.387/.929, four homers, two doubles, a triple and 13 RBI in just seven games. The top prospect had been hitting well for a while, though, with a .984 OPS dating back to June 26. His line-drive heavy approach means he probably won’t keep this power surge up, but he hits a ton of line drives (31.4% line-drive rate), and he’ll be locked into the third or fourth spot in Minnesota’s lineup on a daily basis. Kirilloff has always had the potential to be a great hitter, and now he appears to have finally put his wrist injuries behind him.
Patrick Wisdom, 1B/3B/OF, Chicago Cubs
Roster percentage: 10%
Nick Madrigal’s injury has opened up regular-ish playing time for Wisdom, and he’s flashed some of the power that made him a breakout star in 2021: a .625 SLG with three homers in 11 games in July. He’s also cut down on his strikeouts a bit, which has been the only thing keeping him from getting all of his prodigious raw pop into games (he has a barrel rate in the 99th percentile). We’ve seen the sort of damage Wisdom can do when he gets hot — he hit 28 homers in just 106 games in that 2021 season, after all — and if you can stomach an average around .210, he could be a big difference-maker for fantasy owners needing a power boost.
Michael Toglia, 1B/OF, Colorado Rockies
Roster percentage: 0.1%
C.J. Cron and Kris Bryant have been felled by injury again, which should open up regular playing time for Toglia almost out of necessity. Anyone getting consistent ABs at Coors Field is worth a look for fantasy purposes, and while Toglia has struggled in limited Major League time over the last two years, the former first-round pick hit .254/.364/.479 with 16 homers in 73 games at Triple-A and offers real power upside.
