2024 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds: Nathaniel Lowe, Brendan Rodgers, Reese Olson

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 less than 70 percent of Yahoo! Leagues at the time of writing. Stats are up to date through July 2.

Hitters

Nathaniel Lowe – 1B – Texas Rangers (57%)

Lowe had his biggest game of the season Tuesday night, crushing a couple of two-run shots in a rout of the Padres.

For Lowe, that is three straight games with multiple hits, as he has gone 7-for-13 with three homers and eight RBI in that short span. The first baseman’s solid work at the plate stretches back further than that though. Lowe has come up with six multi-hit performances over his last 11 games, hitting a cool .357 with a 1.077 OPS, six extra-base knocks, and a dozen runs driven in across 44 plate appearances.

Jose Miranda – 3B – Minnesota Twins (28%)

Miranda just keeps on hitting for the Twins. He extended his current hitting streak to six games on Tuesday and is now sporting a .296 AVG over 68 games this season. The 26-year-old has hit safely in 13 of 15 games, putting up an impressive .385/.443/.577 slash line with two long balls, four doubles, and 14 RBI. Miranda has backed those numbers up with a 48.9 HardHit% and an elite 29.8 LD%.  

Brendan Rodgers – 2B – Colorado Rockies (11%)

Rodgers has jumped in and out of fantasy relevance over and over again in the last few years. However, he has come off a two-week stint on the IL in mid-June swinging the bat very well.

In nine games since rejoining the Rockies’ lineup, Rodgers has gone 10-for-30 with a pair of dingers and six RBI. He has also walked five times (14.3%) compared to six strikeouts (17.1%), so Rodgers is clearly seeing the ball well. His 25.0 LD% is also promising, particularly hitting at home in Coors Field.

Pitchers

Reese Olson – SP – Detroit Tigers (43%)

Olson is 2-8 through 16 starts this season. That is ridiculous considering how good (3.32 ERA, 3.60 xFIP) he has actually been overall. He endured a rough three-start stretch to begin June, but he bounced back and finished the month with three strong outings, turning in a 1.96 ERA and 0.87 WHIP across 18.1 innings.

Olson’s stuff was filthy in his most recent start this past Saturday. He held the Angels to two runs on five hits and three walks while striking out a season-high nine batters across six frames. Olson has racked up 20 punchouts (28.2%) over his last three starts, recording a 13.9 SwStr% and 71.1 Contact% in the process.

Carson Spiers – SP – Cincinnati Reds (12%)

Spiers also wrapped up the month of June in noticeably good form. The rookie right-hander was fantastic in a long-relief outing against the Cubs back on June 9, firing 5.2 scoreless innings. He then entered the Reds’ rotation, making his first MLB start of the year on June 17 in Pittsburgh.

In three consecutive turns in the rotation, Spiers has posted a respectable 4.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 14-to-3 K/BB while logging six innings each time out. Not only has he displayed solid command, but Spiers has been able to limit hits (.236 AVG) due to keeping the ball on the ground a good amount (40.4%) and limiting strong contact (37.9 HardHit%).

Spiers best start to date came this past weekend in St. Louis. He stifled the Cards’ offense, surrendering just two runs (1 ER) on only three hits and a walk while striking out four. Those searching for some extra pitching in deeper fantasy formats should look Spiers’ way.     

Other Options to Consider

• Ryan O’Hearn – 1B,OF – Baltimore Orioles (48%)
• Jose Siri – OF – Tampa Bay Rays (24%)
• Sean Manaea – SP – New York Mets (29%)
• James McArthur – RP – Kansas City Royals (55%)