Welcome back to another week of Fantasy baseball. Your league playoffs are set to begin, so we’re really down to the nitty gritty and your last few cracks at victory.

This week, Rich Hill made an appearance for the 20th straight season; Sam Aldegheri became the first Italian born pitcher to play in the bigs; and the Phillies finally sent struggling and overpaid Taijuan Walker to the bullpen.

And now, let’s get to this week’s…

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Picks

Alec Marsh, SP/RP, Kansas City Royals (ESPN: 3.9 per cent; CBS: 13 per cent): Marsh was holding his own as KC’s fifth starter before the team decided he needed a bit more work on some things, so he was demoted towards the end of July. He made a spot start earlier this week and was decent, and has again been recalled, perhaps to a regular gig now that Michael Lorenzen (hamstring) is on the IL. Considering Marsh has only given up over three earned runs once over his last four outings, he’s been serviceable. And over the first two months, he seemed to be headed to a breakout (see video below), and while that hasn’t exactly transpired, he’s still made way more starts this season. Taken 70th overall in 2019, Marsh doesn’t blow hitters away with a big-time heater, but both his fastball move well and he complements those with a good slider.

Brusdar Graterol, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers (ESPN: 1.6 per cent; CBS: 4 per cent): Graterol dealt with an elbow woe two years ago, but bounced back last year to enjoy his finest MLB campaign yet. This season, however, has again been ravaged by injuries as a shoulder woe delayed his debut until early August and he hurt his hammy just eight pitches into that appearance. Now, Graterol is closing in on coming back again, perhaps as early as this weekend. Bear in mind that this dude is a top notch setup man when he’s healthy, so you’ll want to add him in holds leagues.

Creed Willems, C, Baltimore Orioles (ESPN: NA; CBS: unowned): Similar to last week, we’re going to offer up some Dynasty league options, in this instance a very rotund power-hitting catcher that was recently bumped up to Double-A. In his second game since the promotion, all Willems did was spank a pair of dingers. B-More’s eighth round pick in 2021 has a penchant for extra-base pop, but he is very much not built for speed, which is fine, as long as he stays at catcher.

Julian Aguiar, SP, Cincinnati Reds (ESPN: 3.4 per cent; CBS: 6 per cent): For those seeking immediate help, Aguilar has run the gamut since getting recalled earlier this month to make his MLB debut. He was meh in his first start, strong in his second, and downright firestarter in his most recent. Aguiar will need to limit the number of baserunners he allows to be successful in the bigs, but the good news is that with the Reds’ rotation dealing with a ton of injuries, he’s likely to get the chance to right the ship. He’s very slim (6’3″, 180), but with a projectable frame, and given his penchant for adjusting to levels in his second try, he’s probably more of a 2025 sleeper, but if you’re desperate for hurling help, give him a look.

Quick Hits

• Could this be the end of the line for 38-year-old Charlie Blackmon? He bounced back last year, but has never looked worse this season, recently enduring a 3-for-26 slump that ended with Tuesday’s two-hit (including a homer) showing. Even with that long ball, Blackmon is only slugging .288 this month and about the only good thing you can say about his season is that he’s remained healthier.
• It’s really high time we gave some Fantasy love to Angel shortstop Zach Neto, who has enjoyed a strong sophomore effort. He had been slumping a bit lately, but put an end to that with a two-run dinger on Thursday, in the process becoming the first Angel infielder to ever compile a 20-20 season (he made that 20-25 with a pair of steals on Friday). Neto’s extra-base pop has been off the charts this month and he’s shown himself to be a durable, under-the-radar Fantasy option.
• Remember how Francisco Lindor struggled in his first year with the Mets? Well, he’s improved on these results in each season since, and would be a legitimate MVP candidate this year if it weren’t for Shohei Ohtani‘s historic exploits. After going yard on Thursday, Lindor has hit safely in eight straight and — amazingly — has raised his OPS each month of the season. At this pace, he will likely flirt with his career-best in doubles and perhaps put up the second highest homer total of his career.
• We’re extremely impressed with the level of consistency that William Contreras has established the last few seasons. On Thursday, he recorded his second straight multi-hit effort, while matching a career best by logging his sixth swipe, then homered in both ends of Friday’s doubleheader (adding another hit in the nightcap for his third multi-hit game in four tries). Contreras is bucking the catcher trend of weaker second halves with a huge August in which he’s been tremendously productive while posting a 1065 OPS. He’s not hitting quite as well as he did last year, but is trending in the right direction (not that his owners will complain about a .286 BA).

RotoRob Tune of the Day

Stephen William Bragg is better known to the world as Billy Bragg, the English folk-punk singer. He got his start in 1977, and is still at it today. In 1991, Bragg released his sixth album, Don’t Try This at Home, which included a cover of “Dolphins,” by underrated songwriter Fred Neil.

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