Waiver wire: A pair of Blue Jays deserve your attention

Fantasy managers should ever beryllium searching for pickups with the imaginable to leap 2 oregon 3 tiers successful the rankings successful the foreseeable future, prioritizing those types implicit those with shorter-term entreaty (with a few, schedule-oriented, exceptions). Monday's recommended pickups travel this elevated-upside theme, opening with a Toronto Blue Jays hitter who mightiness beryllium an unfamiliar sanction to most.

Addison Barger, 3B/OF, Blue Jays (available successful 83.9% of ESPN leagues): One of the year's astir under-the-radar improved hitters, Barger's emergence has earned him starts successful 27 of the Blue Jays' past 29 games (with appearances successful each 29) and has kept him successful the lineup contempt the steadfast instrumentality of Andres Gimenez, the antheral helium initially replaced. Since Barger's May 8 accomplishment arsenic a Blue Jays regular, his 81 phantasy points person been exceeded by lone 23 hitters, his 7 location runs exceeded by conscionable 15, and his 57.7% Statcast hard-hit complaint exceeded by a specified seven.

Barger's accomplishment arsenic a fantasy-relevant hitter traces backmost to the adjustments helium made entering 2025, including widening of his stance, flattening his plaything way and adding a afloat 1.5 mph to his mean bat velocity this play compared to last. He's making overmuch harder interaction connected pitches successful the zone, with the corporate sum of his tweaks elevating his phantasy worth to being worthy of speculation successful each formats.

Lance McCullers Jr., SP, Houston Astros (available successful 78.8%): Considering his extended wounded past -- helium didn't propulsion a azygous nonrecreational transportation successful 2019, 2023 oregon 2024 and has made 12 trips to the IL since his May 18, 2015 MLB debut -- McCullers is simply a pugnacious pitcher to spot successful phantasy leagues, nary substance however good he's throwing. When pitching astatine afloat wellness and astatine his skills peak, however, helium tin beryllium 1 of the amended sources of strikeouts successful the game, which is wherefore his show implicit his past 3 starts warrants attention. During that time, helium has a combined 27 strikeouts successful 16 1/3 innings and a 39.1% K rate.

McCullers' knuckle-curve was liable for 9 of those 27 strikeouts, and a 60% miss complaint connected swings -- the second reminiscent of the 38% vocation complaint helium had with the transportation starring up to that three-start blistery streak. The league arsenic a whole, by the way, has lone a 32% miss complaint connected curveballs this season. If helium has genuinely recaptured the consciousness for his secondary pitches conscionable 10 nonrecreational starts (covering some the minors and majors) into his instrumentality from flexor tendon surgery, helium could present top-25 positional phantasy numbers connected a per-start basis. That's good worthy a speculative adhd successful each formats.

Jack Leiter, SP, Texas Rangers (available successful 80.7%): A chap pitcher who works his location games successful the authorities of Texas, Leiter's upside isn't acold disconnected that of a steadfast McCullers, but he's overmuch little the wounded hazard betwixt the two. Blisters outgo Leiter 3 rotation turns successful April, which is simply a interest since his father, Al, struggled with blisters arsenic good aboriginal successful his ain career. However, successful Jack's past 5 starts, helium has managed a coagulated 2.10 ERA.

Leiter has besides averaged an elevated 97.4 mph with his four-seam fastball (throwing 17 of them astatine 98 mph oregon faster) successful his past 2 starts unsocial -- a awesome that his improved velocity during outpouring grooming has returned. The 2021 No. 2 wide prime present appears to beryllium a mainstay successful the Rangers rotation pursuing the demotion of Kumar Rocker. The past precocious respect from scouts for Leiter's accomplishment acceptable marque him worthy of a pickup successful each formats.

Rotisserie-style subordinate to add

Andres Gimenez, 2B, Blue Jays (available successful 56.4%): Barger's emergence hasn't wholly stunted Gimenez's phantasy utility, though it has pushed the erstwhile Guardian to the bottommost 3rd of the Toronto lineup and into much of a matchups-oriented role. Nevertheless, Gimenez's lofty declaration (four years and astir $90 cardinal remaining), on with his antiaircraft chops and a contact-oriented attack astatine the sheet should inactive gain him reasonably regular at-bats. He's 4-for-13 (.308 BA), without a strikeout and with lone 5 full swings-and-misses successful his 4 games since being activated. Rotisserie league managers should admit his contributions successful the stolen basal department, arsenic he's good wrong scope of a 3rd consecutive play with 30-plus steals.

Deeper-league pickups

Kyle Teel, C, Chicago White Sox (available successful 96.0%): Kiley McDaniel's No. 4 catcher and No. 33 wide imaginable successful his midseason rankings update, Teel joined the White Sox connected Friday to presumably service successful a catcher/DH tandem alongside chap rookie Edgar Quero. Teel deed .295/.394/.492 with 8 location runs and 7 stolen bases successful 50 games for Triple-A Charlotte to statesman the play and his balanced accomplishment acceptable should marque him a peculiarly charismatic No. 2 phantasy enactment for rotisserie league managers.

Jerar Encarnacion, OF, San Francisco Giants (available successful 99.8%): Initially headed towards being the Giants' Opening Day DH, Encarnacion alternatively fractured his manus portion trying to marque a drawback successful a March 21 game, forcing him to miss the season's archetypal 2 months. Now healthy, helium rejoined the Giants past Monday and helium could rapidly assertion that DH occupation pursuing LaMonte Wade Jr.'s merchandise (Wilmer Flores could determination to archetypal basal successful that scenario). Encarnacion had a quiescent archetypal week back, going hitless successful 11 at-bats, but helium has the operation of above-average popular and an quality to get connected basal -- his vocation Triple-A locomotion complaint is 13.0% -- that should entreaty to phantasy managers successful larger mixed and NL-only leagues.

Ronny Mauricio, 2B, New York Mets (available successful 95.6%): A longtime Mets apical imaginable who enjoyed a cupful of java with the 2023 team, Mauricio got the telephone again past Tuesday, pursuing the placement of Mark Vientos connected the IL. Mauricio should spot a bully stock of the playing clip astatine 3rd basal successful Vientos' absence, wherever he'll bring a balanced categorical accomplishment acceptable for phantasy managers successful rotisserie leagues, having deed .306 with 26 location runs and 28 stolen bases successful his 125 vocation games astatine the Triple-A level. He could adjacent fig into the 2nd basal premix pursuing Vientos' return.