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. Next up: the corner infield spots.
Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 24 corner infield targets
DJ LeMahieu, 1B/2B/3B, New York Yankees
Roster percentage: 42.5%
You’d be forgiven for giving up on LeMahieu amid an injury-riddled start to 2023, but the veteran is looking like a major difference-maker down the stretch this season. After hitting just eight homers over the first four months, the infielder popped six in a 10-game stretch, raising his OPS nearly 50 points in the process. Poor health has been the main thing slowing LeMahieu over the last couple of years; if he’s feeling right, he should be a boon in just about every category — especially while batting right in front of Aaron Judge.
Michael Busch, 2B/3B, Los Angeles Dodgers
Roster percentage: 0.7%
Busch has gotten off to a slow start during his most recent stint with the Dodgers, but be patient. With J.D. Martinez on the shelf with a groin injury that stubbornly refuses to heal, Busch is L.A.’s DH of choice against right-handed pitching, and his Minor League numbers (he’s slashed .323/.432/.615 at Triple-A this year) and prospect pedigree (MLB Pipeline has him as their No. 2 prospect in the Dodgers org) point to massive potential. Busch profiles a lot like the Dodgers’ other third baseman, Max Muncy: an extremely patient approach at the plate with serious power. As long as he’s getting regular at-bats in this stacked lineup, he’s worth an add, even if it hasn’t translated to big-league production just yet. (His OPS is hovering below .600, though he did close August with a homer.)
Rowdy Tellez, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers
Roster percentage: 28%
Tellez is another guy who likely fell off fantasy radars (and rosters) amid a long homerless drought this summer that ended with an extended stay on the IL. But the big lefty is back in the heart of the Brewers order now, and he’s slowly but surely heating up again, with a .313/.429/.563 line over seven games to close the month of August. Tellez cranked 35 homers last year, and Miller Park is among the friendliest places in the game for lefty power; if the first baseman is right, he could single-handedly lift fantasy teams that need a homer boost.
Brandon Belt, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays
Roster percentage: 2.5%
Belt is locked into playing time against righties on a Blue Jays team bereft of impact left-handed bats, and the veteran has quietly had a very nice debut season in Toronto: another homer at Coors Field on Friday gave him 16 on the year, with a .976 OPS over his last 18 games. Belt’s never gotten the credit he deserves due to spending most of his career in San Francisco, a place that’s death on left-handed hitters, but he’s been among the most consistent bats in the game for years now — and hitting cleanup in Toronto should provide him with plenty of chances to rack up counting stats.
