FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
Joe Musgrove (SP Padres): Rostered in 23 percent of Yahoo leagues
It’s taken much longer than anyone expected, but Musgrove is finally ready to return from Tommy John surgery that took place in Oct. 2024. And, stunningly, given the struggles he’s had in his comeback, he’s currently throwing harder than ever. Musgrove has averaged 95.0 mph with his fastball in his two Triple-A starts. That’s two mph better than when he posted a 3.21 ERA in 66 starts with the Padres from 2022-24.
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Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will immediately be smooth sailing for Musgrove in the majors. He just gave up five runs over 4 1/3 innings in his most recent effort for El Paso. Judging by the fact that he’s thrown it a total of seven times in his last two starts, Musgrove has yet to find his trusty curveball, and he’s been relying on his cutter as his primary secondary offering. That pitch, arguably his most effective in the couple of years before he got hurt, seems to have a little extra break now. Interestingly, its velocity is about the same as before he got hurt, making it five mph slower than his fastball, instead of the typical three mph.
We’re moving into late August here, so Musgrove can’t struggle for long and still be of use in mixed leagues. However, the stuff is there, and his situation in San Diego is pretty great; he’ll mostly be asked to go five innings and then turn things over to the game’s best bullpen. The Padres have yet to reveal whether he’ll make another rehab start or come off the IL this weekend against the Twins, but he’ll almost certainly be good to go next week.
Pedro Ramírez (2B/3B Cubs): Rostered in three percent of Yahoo leagues
The Cubs won’t let Ramírez anywhere near shortstop — he’s played just one game there since arriving in the U.S., that coming in the Florida State League in 2023 — but he is set to be the primary replacement for Dansby Swanson while Swanson sits with a strained oblique for the next month. With Nico Hoerner plenty capable of sliding over, Ramírez will step in at second base, and he should prove pretty helpful in fantasy leagues. Starting about half of the time as a utilityman, he’s hit .290/.347/.427 with two homers and seven steals over 145 plate appearance since his callup in May.
The 22-year-old Ramírez hit .312/.395/.547 with nine homers and 19 steals in 43 games in Triple-A to force the Cubs to give him a shot three months ago, even though they lacked an obvious role for him. He mostly played second and third in the minors. Given that the Cubs were set with Hoerner and Alex Bregman at those spots, it would have made sense to give him a real look in the outfield before his callup. However, the thinking was that Matt Shaw would get the outfield opportunities, opening up some extra infield time for Ramírez. Since none of the team’s infielders are going anywhere anytime soon, a corner outfield spot still seems the most realistic destination for Ramírez if the Cubs keep him. The switch-hitter offers more long-term offensive potential than Shaw. His 42 percent hard-hit rate since debuting is far better than Shaw’s mark of 32 percent.
Ramírez’s home run power still hasn’t really manifested yet, since he’s not pulling the ball in the air with much frequency. Still, he’s making plenty of good contact and is a willing basestealer. Also, as Swanson can attest, one doesn’t have to be all that productive to rack up nice run and RBI numbers from the bottom of the Cubs lineup. Ramírez should be a fine play in shallow leagues for now.
Henry Bolte (OF Athletics): Rostered in seven percent of Yahoo leagues
With Tyler Soderstrom and Nick Kurtz joining Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker in being out for the season, it seems safe to say we no longer have to worry about the rehabbing Denzel Clarke potentially replacing Bolte in the Athletics’ outfield. The A’s are going to need all of their healthy bodies to try to get through the end of September, and Bolte has gone from hitting ninth against right-handers to batting second against one on Monday. He’s hitting .339/.381/.542 with three homers and two steals in August.
That the A’s have lost their four best hitters is obviously a disaster for the offense as a whole; runs and RBI are going to be hard to come by going forward. However, that does open the door for more aggressive baserunning, and Bolte is the team’s player best equipped to take advantage. Blessed with 100th-percentile sprint speed, Bolte has tried 22 steals in 82 major league games. He’s gotten caught on eight of his attempts, which definitely isn’t great, but the break-even point for steals gets lower when it’s Lawrence Butler and Zack Gelof batting third and fourth. Bolte was a terrific basestealer in the minors, going 44-for-46 last year and 17-for-19 in 37 games in Triple-A before debuting this season. If he just gets on a little bit of a roll now, there’s an outside chance he could lead the league in steals over the remainder of the season.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
– Félix Bautista seems on pace to return from shoulder surgery right around or just after Sept. 1. A setback is entirely possible, but if he gets through a rehab assignment fine, he’ll probably be the Orioles’ primary closer next month.
– AJ Smith-Shawver is starting for the Braves on Wednesday and is expected to remain in the rotation afterwards. I wouldn’t expect him to work particularly deep into games, but the Braves are good enough to hopefully get him some wins down the stretch.
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