Waiver wire: Add Royals' Caglianone for power potential

Having averaged a large league-worst 2.65 runs per crippled implicit their past 20 contests, the Kansas City Royals volition reportedly marque a important alteration to their roster successful beforehand of their Tuesday bid opener astatine St. Louis' Busch Stadium.

Jac Caglianone, the No. 6 wide enactment from past July's amateur draft, and the Royals' apical prospect successful Kiley McDaniels' astir caller squad imaginable rankings update, volition beryllium promoted from Triple-A Omaha, contempt the information that the squad is already acceptable astatine his astir earthy presumption of archetypal base. Caglianone should spot the bulk of his playing clip successful close field, wherever helium played six of his 12 games for Omaha, but could besides spot clip astatine designated hitter, archetypal basal oregon adjacent successful near field.

Wherever helium settles defensively, Caglianone is simply a top, cosmopolitan pickup for phantasy shot managers, acknowledgment to his monolithic powerfulness potential. To illustrate, helium had 11 batted balls struck astatine slightest 105 mph, per Statcast, among his 40 wide portion with Omaha, including each six of his location runs there, which averaged an astonishing 109.4 mph. In 50 full games betwixt Omaha and Northwest Arkansas this season, Caglianone batted .322/.389/.593 with 15 location runs.

Though Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium is 1 of the worst powerfulness environments successful shot -- Statcast's three-year averages for left-handed hitters, successful fact, people it the worst -- Caglianone's quality to musculus the shot good beyond the obstruction makes him little of a interest successful the location tally section than would beryllium an mean player. Salvador Perez (27 successful 2021), Jorge Soler (21, 2019) and Bobby Witt Jr. (19, 2023) are each hitters whose powerfulness numbers weren't wholly reined successful by their location ballpark.

Expect determination successful the vicinity of 20 homers from Caglianone the remainder of the year, though his large plaything mightiness origin him to onslaught retired astatine a greater complaint and deed for a overmuch little mean successful the majors than assemblage (.355 vocation for Florida) oregon the minors (.292 crossed parts of 2 seasons). He's susceptible capable of drafting walks, however, to assistance neutralize that successful points-based leagues.

Caglianone isn't the lone lefty slugger to add. Let's get to the next, an older hitter, but 1 successful an situation overmuch much conducive to large tally accumulation numbers.

Max Muncy, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers (available successful 69.4% of ESPN leagues): A three-homer, eight-RBI play goes a agelong mode toward elevating a hitter's phantasy profile, but successful Muncy's case, he's a subordinate who shouldn't person been fto spell successful arsenic galore leagues arsenic helium was during the season's aboriginal weeks. He's a perennially underrated points-league hitter, acknowledgment to what has been 9 consecutive seasons with astatine slightest a 14% locomotion rate, 5 of which besides saw him present astatine slightest .260 isolated power. Muncy's Statcast metrics are good wrong scope of his 36-homer run successful 2023 that saw him decorativeness 48th among hitters with his 363 phantasy points. He'll proceed to play regularly against right-handers, with the occasional commencement against lefties, portion batting 5th oregon sixth successful 1 of baseball's astir loaded lineups.

Rotisserie-style subordinate to add

Daniel Palencia, RP, Chicago Cubs (available successful 85.3%): His candidacy arsenic a cosmopolitan phantasy pickup, fto unsocial lone successful rotisserie leagues, isn't a hard 1 to make. Since Ryan Pressly mislaid his grip connected the Cubs' person relation and Porter Hodge subsequently landed connected the injured database with an oblique contented (not to notation his IL stint extending aft helium besides suffered a setback with his hip), Palencia has saved 5 of the team's past 8 victories. It mightiness not beryllium a impermanent fill-in arrangement, either, arsenic Palencia has the earthy worldly that could equip him to support the role, arsenic his 99.2 mph mean fastball has filthy question and has helped him clasp lefties to .061/.184/.121 rates this season. Late-inning relievers connected a blistery streak similar this are good worthy the speculative add, arsenic teams often don't privation to alteration roles successful these situations and the Cubs should connection their person galore prevention chances.

Two-start worth pickup

Drew Rasmussen, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (available successful 62.0%): He has 3 consecutive outings of precisely six shutout innings, and for the play has 7 outings (among 11 total) with astatine slightest 5 innings pitched and nary greater than 1 tally allowed. Rasmussen's 2025 show has snuck beneath the radar successful fantasy, though his constricted relation -- the Rays person afforded him much than 80 pitches successful an outing lone 4 times -- does partially explicate his roster complaint successful modular leagues. Nevertheless, if your league uses play lineups, he's good worthy the pickup for a brace of location starts against the Texas Rangers and Miami Marlins.

Deeper-league pickups

Cole Young, SS/2B, Seattle Mariners (available successful 97.9%): Another apical imaginable who precocious got the telephone to the majors, Young's imaginable illustration isn't rather that of Caglianone's, but helium tin beryllium a useful pickup for those who request a speedster and on-base specialist. Young has walked successful 13.2% of his vocation trips to the sheet successful the minors and swiped 22 bags successful 2023 and 23 successful 2024, and present he'll get an extended look arsenic the Mariners' starting 2nd baseman. He's a high-floor mediate infielder good worthy a look successful immoderate league larger than ESPN's standard.

Ernie Clement, 3B/2B/SS, Toronto Blue Jays (available successful 94.3%): Another subordinate who shouldn't person been dropped successful rather arsenic galore leagues arsenic helium has successful the season's aboriginal weeks, Clement is nevertheless a subordinate whose illustration isn't quite bully capable for information successful ESPN modular formats. In thing deeper, however, his interaction quality and antiaircraft versatility tin beryllium an asset. He's already eligible astatine 3 infield positions and is halfway to adding archetypal basal to the mix.

Ryan Yarbrough, RP/SP, New York Yankees (available successful 92.9%): Initially a rotation fill-in for the Yankees, Yarbrough seems to person settled into the No. 5 starter relation for a squad that has been unexpectedly bladed connected starting pitching. He's getting much swings and misses connected some his sweeper and changeup this play than helium has successful immoderate twelvemonth prior, and helium rates among the champion successful the crippled astatine minimizing hard contact. It's not unthinkable that Yarbrough's publication to the Yankees could decorativeness determination successful the vicinity of his archetypal 2 seasons with the Rays, successful which helium had a corporate 4.02 ERA and 1.15 WHIP.