Top fantasy baseball corner infield waiver pickups for Week 11

We’ve officially passed the two-month mark of the 2023 MLB season, as hard as that is to believe, and “it’s still early!” is becoming a less and less convincing crutch for fantasy managers wondering whether to stick with a draft pick or start scouring the waiver wire. This is especially true at the corner infield spots, where injuries have hit big names like Manny Machado already. That’s why we’re here to help, with four targets likely available in your league showing signs that they’re in for a big year.

Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Corner infield targets for Week 11

Seth Brown, 1B/OF, Oakland Athletics

Roster percentage: 5.3%

Brown’s season was derailed almost immediately by an oblique injury — a running theme so far in 2023 — but the corner man is back now, and he’s already homered twice across his first week-plus in the Oakland lineup. Batting average will always be a concern, and Brown is likely to sit against a lot of lefties. But this is the same guy who hit 25 bombs with 11 steals in 150 games last year, and a non-competitive A’s team should provide him with all the middle-of-the-order opportunities he can handle. (And while we’re at it, Brown’s teammate Ryan Noda isn’t a bad add either, especially in OBP leagues.)

Gio Urshela, 1B/3B/SS, Los Angeles Angels

Roster percentage: 7.3%

Urshela has been on a tear recently, slashing .357/.400/.548 with a homer and two steals over the last two weeks. He’s never going to hit for a ton of power, but if you’re in need of batting average he could be a life-saver — he’s hit below .298 just once since 2018 — and the counting stats will be there as long as he’s hitting behind Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Now triple-eligible and playing all over as Jared Walsh continues to struggle, playing time won’t be a concern for Urshela.

Zach McKinstry, 2B/3B/OF, Detroit Tigers

Roster percentage: 12.2%

Everyone expected McKinstry’s hot start to cool off, but more than two months into the season he’s still raking — and running wild on the bases. The utility man is hitting leadoff against righties for Detroit thanks to elite plate skills (96th percentile expected batting average, 94th percentile walk rate) and speed (10 steals and an 83rd percentile sprint speed). Statcast is buying into every bit of his .832 OPS, and he could be a solid source of runs, ratios and steals for the rest of the year.

Jeimer Candelario, 3B, Washington Nationals

Roster percentage: 8.1%

The Candy Man came alive when the calendar flipped to May, slashing .295/.385/.526 with three homers, 11 walks and just 21 strikeouts for the month. He’s the sort of player who can fly under the radar in fantasy leagues sometimes, never flashy in any one particular category but helping (or at least not hurting) everywhere, and he’s swinging a very hot bat right now. The former top prospect does have some track record to support this performance, posting a 125 OPS+ across 201 games from 2020 to 2021, and he’s locked into the heart of the Nats’ lineup.