Rotoworld Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire’s latest column examines an unexpected renaissance for veteran slugger Carlos Santana, another opportunity for Spencer Turnbull to start, and two top prospects in Heston Kjerstad and Joey Loperfido appearing to finally have a bigger picture of the majors.
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Carlos Santana, 1B, twins
Available on 68% of Yahoo! leagues
Santana got off to an icy start this season in his Twins debut, but turned things around in a big way, hitting .333 (27-for-81) with five homers, 16 RBI and a pair of stolen bases over his last 30 games. His 1.012 OPS during that span is the eighth-best mark in baseball during that span, behind only a handful of fantasy stars, including Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, and Yordan Alvarez, just to name a few. The 38-year-old veteran base machine has been extremely shaky in recent years, but it’s worth noting that he is currently locked in and represents a viable option for fantasy managers in mixed leagues, especially with Minnesota facing the Diamondbacks, Mariners, Tigers, Astros, White Sox and Giants closed the first half. These are all phenomenal matchups, with the possible exceptions of Seattle and Detroit, against starting rotations severely depleted by injuries.
Spencer Turnbull, SP, Philadelphia
Available on 67% of Yahoo! leagues
Turnbull will return to Philadelphia’s starting rotation on Tuesday night against his former organization in Detroit, taking the place of the injured Taijuan Walker, who hit the shelf over the weekend with a blister on his right index finger. The 31-year-old right-hander was an unexpected revelation earlier this year in a brief six-start run in the Phillies’ rotation to open the season, posting a microscopic 1.67 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and a 36/10 ratio. K/BB in 32 1 /3 work shifts. There are no guarantees he will have an extended run in the future, but he expects to make at least a few starts before next month’s All-Star break before Walker is ready to return. He’s in line to face the Cubs, Braves, and Athletics right now, making him a strong streaming option for fantasy managers, at least for the next few weeks.
Heston Kjerstad, OF, Orioles
Available on 81 percent of Yahoo! leagues
It’s time for Baltimore to find out what they have with Kjerstad in an everyday role at this point, as he literally has nothing left to prove at Triple-A Norfolk. The 25-year-old, who went 2-for-4 with a double on Monday in his return to the majors, hopes to have the opportunity to play most days against right-handed pitchers in a corner outfield or designated hitter role. and his minor league track record suggests he will attempt a pop over the fence. There may be an adjustment period here as he gets used to facing high-level pitching every day, but he is one of the most talented hitting prospects in the game. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before he becomes an impactful four-category fantasy contributor at the heart of Baltimore’s sublime young core.
Joey Loperfido, OF, Astros
Available on 89 percent of Yahoo! leagues
Loperfido finds himself in a similar position to Kjerstad from the standpoint that the Astros are at the point where they need to figure out what they have at the highest level from their hitting perspective, especially with Kyle Tucker still completely shut down from baseball activities like he continues to recover from a shin injury. The 25-year-old hitting prospect, who was recalled last week from Triple-A Sugar Land, boasts big pop over the fence but still has some strikeout issues to work out. There may be a clearer path to regular hitting at first base moving forward with veteran Jose Abreu no longer in the picture, but he doesn’t have much experience at cold corner, meaning he will likely stick to the outfield for now. There is some mixed league fantasy potential here if he becomes a pillar in Houston’s offensive core, but it likely won’t happen overnight. It’s an extremely small sample size, but he hit .347 (17-for-49) with one home run and two steals in 54 plate appearances in 18 games in the majors. His batting average may not come close to that lofty mark, but he will contribute big pop and also contribute the occasional steal if he gets a legitimate chance to play every day. It’s time.
