We’re officially into the fantasy baseball stretch run, and with the 2023 trade deadline smack in the middle of this week, roster management is even more complicated than usual. Players figure to still be changing teams for the next 36 hours or so, and the best way to cover for inevitable team and role changes is to make a canny move for a streamer on the waiver wire — which is where our weekly hitter streaming recommendations come in. Here are three guys we recommend targeting.
Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 19
Hitters to stream
Chris Taylor, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers — Taylor is seeing regular playing time against lefty pitching, which makes him an ideal play this week, when the Dodgers are set to face at least four and possibly five southpaws — including a three-game set with the Oakland A’s league-worst pitching staff. Mookie Betts nursing an ankle injury means Taylor is even more likely to get a ton of at-bats this week, and with an .817 OPS against left-handers and an ability to slot in just about anywhere in your lineup, he carries sneaky upside.
LaMonte Wade Jr., 1B/OF, San Francisco Giants — Just about every Giants hitter is set up to succeed this week, as San Fran gets four games against the Arizona Diamondbacks and their struggling starting rotation before two games against their Bay rivals from Oakland. Wade has long been a righty-killer, often batting leadoff against right-handed starters — of which the Giants are scheduled to face five, including the eminently hittable Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt and Paul Blackburn. Expect plenty of at-bats, plenty of counting stats and, with Wade’s .867 OPS against righties, plenty of pop, too.
Andruw Monasterio, 2B/3B/SS, Milwaukee Brewers — Monasterio has come out of nowhere for a Brewers team in desperate need of an offensive spark, hitting .364/.417/.477 over his last 12 games — and a robust .387/.487/.484 against lefties. Milwaukee will see plenty of the latter this week, with plum matchups against the Washington Nationals and Pittsburgh Pirates.
