2024 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds: Brooks Lee, Michael Busch, Jeff Hoffman
Brooks Lee's performance to date will make it hard for the Twins to send him back to the minors once Royce Lewis returns from the IL.
Playing the waiver wire effectively is crucial to fantasy baseball success throughout the season.
Each week of the 2024 campaign, this article will help pinpoint which players are readily available to be picked up in most formats. All of them should help bolster fantasy rosters in the short and/or long term.
***Players included on the list below were rostered in fewer than 70 percent of Yahoo! Leagues at the time of writing. Stats are up to date through games on July 10.
Hitters on the Waiver Wire
Brooks Lee – 3B, SS – Minnesota Twins (51%)
Lee got his first crack at the bigs back on July 3 and has taken full advantage of it. Yes, he only managed to go 1-for-9 in Wednesday’s doubleheader, but that one hit left the yard.
Over his first eight MLB games, Lee has gone 12-for-33 (.364 AVG) with two homers, one double, and nine RBI. He has been making a ton of contact (90.6% Contact%, 95.0% Z-Contact%) in combination with an elite 31.0% LD%.
His performance to this point will make it very difficult for the Twins’ brass to send him back to the minors once Royce Lewis (adductor) returns from the IL.
Michael Busch – 1B, 3B – Chicago Cubs (41%)
Busch has caught fire for the Cubs again and forced himself back into the NL Rookie of the Year conversation. He has gone an impressive 7-for-15 over the last three games, clobbering a couple of deep drives to bring his season total to 12.
The 26-year-old slugger has hit safely in each of his first seven games this month, posting a .414/.452/.724 slash line over 31 plate appearances. Busch could be shaping up for a huge second half.
Colt Keith – 2B, 3B – Detroit Tigers (41%)
Sticking with the rookie theme, Keith has also been crushing the baseball this month. He began July with an 0-for-3 effort, but the former fifth-round pick (2020) has hit safely in eight straight with five multi-hit games since then. That hitting streak has included four home runs, two triples, eight RBI, and 10 runs.
Keith has been locked in on virtually everything that comes near the strike zone (96.2% Z-Contact%) and has only chased 23.7% of pitches outside the zone across 38 plate appearances this month. His 25.0% LD% and 10.5% BB% are also promising indicators, as are his four barrels (16.7%).
Pitchers on the Waiver Wire
Jameson Taillon – SP – Chicago Cubs (46%)
Taillon went through a shaky stretch from mid-May into June, but over the past month, he has been in a groove on the mound. The veteran righty has recorded six consecutive quality starts, turning in an excellent 2.37 ERA and 0.89 WHIP across 38 innings.
Taillon has also posted an outstanding 37-to-5 K/BB ratio while limiting the opposition to a 32.4% HardHit% during this run. That last mark has led to a .240 BABIP, which, while almost sure to rise a bit going forward, illustrates his ability to generate weak contact.
As far as the competition level goes, Taillon’s last five opponents all currently hold a winning record for the season.
Jeff Hoffman – RP – Philadelphia Phillies (56%)
Hoffman’s rostered rate has climbed, but, going into the second half, the All-Star reliever should be added pretty much everywhere.
The Phillies’ closer situation has been a bit difficult to project for a while now. José Alvarado leads the club with 13 saves on the season, but Hoffman has nabbed four of the last five saves for the club, bringing his total to nine for the year.
Hoffman has been dominant out of Philly’s pen throughout the first half of the campaign, as he currently sports a 1.17 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 32.0% K% across 38.1 innings. He has surrendered only two long balls all year while holding opposing batters to a mere .177 AVG. In a bullpen loaded with great arms, Hoffman is the clear standout right now.
Other Waiver Wire Options to Consider
- Zack Gelof – 2B – Oakland Athletics (45%)
- Rowdy Tellez – 1B – Pittsburgh Pirates (14%)
- Michael Wacha – SP – Kansas City Royals (47%)
- Jose Quintana – SP – New York Mets (21%)
Written by
Nate Miller is a feature writer at FantasyPros and Just Baseball. He has been an analyst in the fantasy sports industry for the past decade, covering…