The air is starting to get a bit crisper (well, in the north at least). The real-life and fantasy trade deadlines have come and gone. September is upon us. The marathon of the 2023 MLB season has become a sprint to the finish, and right now is winning time for those of you lucky enough to still be in contention in your fantasy baseball leagues. With precious few weeks to shore up holes and make up ground in the standings, smart adds become even more important: Hit on an under-the-radar free agent, and fantasy hardware awaits; miss, and you’ll spend the winter wondering what if.
Luckily, our weekly waiver wire recommendations are here to help, with position-by-position looks are players you should consider snagging off the waiver wire. First up: catcher.
Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 24 catcher targets
Austin Wells, C, New York Yankees
Roster percentage: 0.9%
A lost Yankees season has given the next generation of Baby Bombers the chance to get their feet wet in the Majors this month, with Wells and top outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez getting the call to the Show over the weekend. Dominguez is definitely the more ballyhooed talent of the two, but Wells is no slouch either, a former first-round pick who flashed big power and a good batting eye at just about every level of the Minors (including a .243/.335/.447 line with 17 homers in 95 games across three levels this year). He’s already off to a solid start, and while it’s an open question whether he’ll make enough contact to hit at the highest level, the profile could look a lot like a poor man’s Kyle Schwarber — lots of homers, lots of walks — if it all clicks. He’s not cut out to play catcher in the Majors, but he’ll carry eligibility there this year, and the Yankees have no reason not to find ways to get his bat in the lineup nearly every day.
Bo Naylor, C, Cleveland Guardians
Roster percentage: 1.1%
People were awfully quick to write Naylor off as the top prospect got off to a slow start immediately following his promotion to the Majors, but lo and behold, the bat is starting to look a lot like the guy who tore the cover off the ball in Triple-A. The 23-year-old is slashing a robust .310/.355/.724 with three homers over the last two weeks, improving his K rate while running a walk rate north of 10 percent. He’s seeing the ball better, and he’s making tons of hard contact in the air — this could be the beginning of a long-awaited breakout, and Cleveland has no reason not to start him as often as his body can handle down the stretch. His .895 OPS at Triple-A over the last two years is testament to his offensive upside if this performance is for real.
Hunter Goodman, C/1B, Colorado Rockies
Roster percentage: 1.4%
Goodman got the call up to Colorado early last week and immediately tallied four his in his first eight at-bats while establishing himself as the Rockies everyday first baseman — with catcher eligibility to boot. The 23-year-old has never been regarded as a top prospect, but he did blast 34 homers across 467 PAs at Double-A and Triple-A, and anyone playing regularly at Coors Field with that kind of pop is worth a speculative add.