We’re officially into the final month of the fantasy baseball season, and with precious weeks remaining to make a move, roster management is even more critical than usual. Spring rankings are out the window; now it’s all about who can get your team to the finish line. And while everyone loves swinging a big trade to plug holes, but sometimes you just need a player who will give you a solid week of production — which is where our weekly hitter streaming recommendations come in. Here are three guys we recommend targeting on the waiver wire.
Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 24
Hitters to stream
Austin Hays, OF, Baltimore Orioles — Hays remains a fixture of a potent Baltimore attack, slashing .272/.352/.506 with four homers and two steals over 21 starts in the month of August. He’s the sort of player who can go underappreciated in fantasy circles — contributing a bit everywhere but never producing elite production in any one category. Still, those types of guys are fantasy glue, especially this time of year, and Hays and the O’s have a very friendly week ahead of them: three games against the husk of the Angels’ pitching staff, then three games at hitter-friendly Fenway Park. There are at least three and possibly four lefties over that stretch, too, giving Hays the platoon advantage.
Mitch Haniger, OF, San Francisco Giants — Speaking of righty-hitting outfielders with plenty of tasty lefty matchups this week: Haniger is finally back after months out with a forearm fracture, and he’ll play every day for a Giants squad that just lost Michael Conforto and is desperate for an offensive spark. Between three games against the Cubs at hitter-friendly Wrigley and three games against the dismal Rockies pitching staff this weekend, Haniger is slated to face four left-handed pitchers this week, and he’s a .277/.352/.492 career hitter against southpaws.
Harrison Bader, OF, Cincinnati Reds — Okay, so there’s a bit of a theme this week. Bader’s fantasy stock got a huge boost when he was claimed off waivers by the Reds: Going from Yankee Stadium to Great American Ball Park is a huge upgrade in offensive environment for a right-handed hitter, and he’ll play just about every day for a Cincy team’s still without Jake Fraley and doesn’t have really any other righty-hitting options in their outfield at the moment. Bader and the Reds get seven home games this week — fantasy gold — and the last three of them will come against the Cardinals’ flailing pitching staff. St. Louis is scheduled to start uninspiring lefties Drew Rom and Zack Thompson (Bader has a 1.079 OPS against southpaws this season) plus Adam Wainwright and his 8.10 ERA.
