Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Where to turn with Pete Alonso on the IL

The injury bug struck again on Friday, as news broke that the New York Mets have placed NL home run leader Pete Alonso on the 10-day injured list with wrist soreness. It’s brutal news for the Mets, who now have to try and stay within striking distance of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East without the services of one of the best power hitters in baseball. But it’s also a tough break for fantasy baseball owners who spent an early-round pick on Alonso in drafts this spring — and now find themselves with a huge hole at first base.

Luckily, we’re here to help. While there’s obviously no replacing Alvarez’s numbers — the man was leading the Majors in RBI while slashing .272/.384/.579, after all — there are plenty of intriguing outfielders available on the waiver wire who can at least keep you afloat while the All-Star is on the shelf for (hopefully) the next few weeks.

Fantasy baseball: Yordan Alvarez replacements

Nolan Jones, 1B/OF, Colorado Rockies

It’s always a good idea to get a piece of someone calling Coors Field home, but Jones has been raking just about everywhere since getting the call to the Majors last month. Once a top prospect, Jones struggled in his first taste of the bigs, eventually being shipped to the Rockies. He tore up Triple-A this spring, though, and his second go-round at the highest level has been far more successful: Jones currently boasts a 1.005 OPS with two homers and three steals in his first 12 games with Colorado. He’s still striking out too much (32.6%), but his .306 expected batting average, 11.1% barrel rate and 94th-percentile exit velocity show how much damage he’s doing when he makes contact, and again, you’ll never go broke betting on Coors Field.

Luke Raley, 1B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays

We’ve been banging the drum about Raley for a while now, and he just keeps on hitting for the league-leading Rays. The 28-year-old was an afterthought entering the year, but he’s lighting it up so far, with a .257/.348/.586 line that includes 11 homers and a surprising seven stolen bases. He’s got one of the highest barrel rates, hard-hit rates and xwOBAs in the game right now — seriously, his Statcast page is nothing but bright red — and there’s no better lineup in which to compile counting stats right now. He often sits against lefties, which could be a concern in leagues with weekly moves, but he’s been productive enough that it doesn’t matter.

Nick Pratto, 1B/OF, Kansas City Royals

Vinnie Pasquantino gets all the buzz, but he’s not the only former top prospect putting up solid numbers in a corner spot for the Royals. Pratto hit just .184 in his first stint in the Majors last season, but it’s been a totally different story this year, with a healthy .299/.395/.465 slash line and four homers in 37 games. His strikeout rate (and his home park) will likely keep him from putting up huge power numbers, but elite walk and line drive rates show how much better his approach at the plate has gotten since 2022. Especially if you’re in an OBP league, he could be a very helpful player while hitting atop K.C.’s lineup.

Ryan Noda, 1B, Oakland Athletics

Noda has a bit of Max Muncy in him: a ton of walks, a ton of strikeouts and a ton of barrels when he does manage to make contact. After a slow start, the A’s first baseman has his slash line up to .255/.415/.473, walking almost a fifth of the time with a 93rd-percentile barrel rate. He’s got four multi-hit games already this month, and Oakland has even experimented with batting him leadoff against right-handed pitchers recently.