Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Rece Hinds’ hitting streak and stock near his call-up from the minors

If your fantasy roster is buzzing heading into the all-star break, we’re here to help. Let’s repair these damaged formations. Here are nine recommended fantasy baseball options to consider before the final weekend of the first half of the season…

For one thing, Hinds was batting just .216/.290/.409 at Triple-A before his promotion, with an outrageous 126 Ks in 77 games. Normally we would not expect success from such a profile.

On the other hand, he has been an unstoppable hitting machine since arriving in Cincinnati, going 8-for-16 in his first four games with two bombs, 4 RBI and two steals. These home runs aren’t cheap either:

Hinds is coming off a 23/20 season at Double-A, so his fantasy profile has a lot of appeal (which, at this point, should be obvious). Of course there is no chance of him continuing to shoot scorching lasers at all batting moving forward, but perhaps the spree will continue during the weekend series with Miami. Needless to say, he deserves attention. Just please understand that he will eventually deliver some 0 out of 4’s with multiple Ks.

Hey, if you’re not looking for new and creative ways to invest in the Cubs roster… well, that’s understandable. However, Busch was not one of several season disappointments in Chicago. He has surpassed the barrier a dozen times so far and has increased his average by 30 points since the beginning of June. The Cubs have a doubleheader on Saturday, so here’s a chance to get an extra game in before the break. Busch’s multiple position eligibility increases his fantasy utility, so he’s an excellent bench option.

If you somehow missed Keith’s recent outburst, just take a look at the game log. It’s beautiful. Keith is in a ridiculous situation, full of bombs and multi-hit games. This is a 23-year-old who hit .306/.380/.552 with 27 homers and 68 XBHs in the high minors last season in two stops, so it’s not a huge surprise to see him partying. When players like this start to fall in love, it’s an actionable event. Each league has a team (or three) that can use it. He shouldn’t stay detached for much longer.

Winn delivered something close to a best-case scenario in the first half for the Cards, hitting for average (.286), stealing nine sacks and jumping up the batting order to first place. Winn is just 22 years old and is coming off an 18/17 season at Triple-A Memphis. Like Busch, he gets an extra game on the weekend due to Saturday’s doubleheader, so he is potentially extra useful in the short term. If you don’t like a shortstop with multiple-category eligibility, move on.

Whenever De Los Santos gets the call, you’ll want to have him stashed and ready to play. He’s been doing bad things with baseballs all year in the smallest highs.

With 80 games under his belt, the 21-year-old is hitting .335/.384/.658 with 27 home runs and 82 RBI. His defense is (supposedly) what keeps him in Triple-A for now, but the bat is clearly more than ready. He’s the best player in the minors right now – a hitter with the potential to make a difference in the second half.

Manaea is carrying a 3.43 ERA and 8.8 K/9 into Friday’s home matchup against Colorado, and he could break even after the break in Miami the following week. The veteran lefty is in the midst of a season that looks a lot like his excellent 2021 campaign, minus a few walks and a few homers. When the matchup is friendly, this is a guy we can generally trust. In Manaea’s last three starts, he has allowed just two runs (one earned) in 18.0 innings, striking out 14.

Look, whenever it’s my turn to write the baseball exemption article, you’ll definitely get a recommendation from Soriano. That’s how it goes around here. As we mentioned earlier, Soriano combines a mid-90s splitter, a wicked joint bend, and vicious triple-digit heat:

He enters Friday’s start against the Mariners with an extreme ground ball rate (60.6%) and a 1.18 WHIP. The Angels have an extremely friendly schedule in the weeks following the All-Star break, so Soriano is in their plans through the end of July.

Reese Olson, SP, Detroit Tigers (49%)

Olson closed the book on a stellar first half with a six-inning win over the Guardians on Wednesday. He faced a strange victory challenge at the start of the year, but the race support situation has corrected itself in the last four starts. Olson enters the break with excellent ratios (3.30 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) and 92 Ks in 101.0 innings. He won’t play in his team’s weekend series with the Dodgers (which is good news), lining him up for the Jays and/or Guardians after the break.

Alex Vesia, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers (16%)

Vesia is a verifiable relief ace. Its fantasy proportions are impeccable; he struck out 52 batters in 41.1 innings and had five saves in the first half of the season. If you can’t use an RP like this, it’s possible your league settings are wrong. Evan Phillips remains atop the bullpen depth chart for the Dodgers, but the team is willing to shuffle things around depending on pitching and matchups. Any reliever with a WHIP under 1.00 and an extreme K rate is worth drafting.