With the final month of the regular season quickly approaching and fantasy managers understandably becoming increasingly distracted by the upcoming fantasy football drafts, it can be easy to overlook some of the critical developments taking place across the fantasy baseball landscape. The latest Rotoworld Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire column takes a look at the long-awaited return of Junior Caminero and the arrival of intriguing prospect Zebby Matthews, plus the return of veteran starter Matthew Boyd and the rise of Lucas Erceg as a potential blocking prospect in Kansas City .
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Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays
Available on 64 percent of Yahoo! leagues
Universally regarded as the best Fantasy player in the minor leagues by a wide margin, Caminero will make his long-awaited return to Tampa Bay for Tuesday’s matchup against the Astros. The 21-year-old third baseman, who played in seven contests and a handful of playoff games late last year, missed time this season in the minors due to a lingering quadriceps problem, but has strengthened lately to finish with a straight line triple .274/.337/.521 with 16 homers in 258 plate appearances. As Rotoworld’s prospects guru Chris Crawford wrote earlier this week in his latest Top 10 Prospects list, Caminero projects as a solid fantasy contributor for the rest of the season. He won’t help much in the stolen base department, but he has legitimate 80-grade power, which should make him an instant powerhouse, plus he has three- to four-category stats to make a difference for fantasy managers.
Zebby Matthews, SP, twins
Available on 90% of Yahoo! leagues
With Minnesota co-ace Joe Ryan (shoulder) facing an extended absence, the Twins are ready to call up Matthews to make his major league debut on Tuesday against the division rival Royals. The unheralded 24-year-old right-hander has rocketed up the prospect rankings this season by compiling a sublime 2.60 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 114/7 K/BB ratio in 97 innings (18 starts, 17 starts) across three levels of minor leagues. His control-oriented approach could end up being exploited by major league hitters, which was starting to happen a bit by Triple-A hitters who had struck out four round-trippers in just 19 innings in their four starts at the level. However, as evidenced by an astronomical 30.5 percent this year in the minors, he projects to miss enough hits to make an immediate impact on fantasy managers, especially in deeper mixed leagues. Let’s not predict that Matthews will have immediate success at the highest level, as he will likely face an adjustment period, but the talent and strike zone-heavy approach portend eventual success. It’s a decent matchup from the start and Matthews is intriguing enough to be rostered in every fantasy format until further notice.
Matthew Boyd, SP, Guardians
Available on 90% of Yahoo! leagues
The biggest takeaway from Boyd’s recent minor league rehab assignment, where he compiled a microscopic 0.83 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 27/2 K/BB ratio in 21 2/3 innings (five starts) is that he is still giving up hits at near-elite rates with a 35.1 percent strikeout rate during that span. The 33-year-old veteran lefty is scheduled to make his Cleveland debut on Tuesday night against the Cubs in his return from Tommy John surgery last year. His skills appear to be back to pre-surgery levels and he has always missed enough shots to make an impact on fantasy managers, especially in deeper mixed leagues. He is at least worthy of a speculative roll of the dice based on his long track record at the highest level.
Lucas Erceg, RP, Royals
Available on 77% of Yahoo! leagues
With James McArthur struggling and newly acquired Hunter Harvey on the injured list due to a back injury, the Royals began turning to Erceg in the ninth inning recently. The 29-year-old right-hander was a solid setup specialist earlier this year for Oakland before being sent to Kansas City at last month’s trade deadline, where he has thrown six straight scoreless games. He picked up his first save over the weekend and could be the club’s best ninth-inning option going forward, making him worthy of at least a speculative pick in all fantasy formats.
