Here's a little peek behind the curtain for my process today: Yesterday, I wrote a whole intro for today's newsletter about the return of Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker to the big leagues. It featured a whole in-depth breakdown of how things have gone wrong for Walker since his time as one of the most hyped prospects in baseball, and how he might be figuring out, and you can read all about that here.
In short: Yeah, I think it's still worth getting excited about Walker, even if it's not 100% clear he has an everyday role in St. Louis. But a funny thing happened between the time I initially wrote about Walker, a significantly more exciting prospect got the call. One we've been waiting literally all season for.
The spotlight turns to Junior Caminero, by far the most exciting prospect still biding his time in the minors, as Scott White documented last week. The Rays did a lot to clear a path to everyday playing time for Camerino at the trade deadline, and they finally decided to call him up this week.
We'll get to my thoughts on Caminero, as well as the rest of the waiver-wire targets from Monday – a day with a surprising amount of very interesting players to consider adding – plus everything else you need to know about from around MLB in the rest of the newsletter.
Let's get to it:
Tuesday's waiver targets
Junior Caminero, 3B, Rays (63%) – Caminero should have been up months ago. On Opening Day, arguably, but between the Rays' tendency to let prospects fully ripen in the minors and a few poorly timed injuries, the time was just never right for him. Remember, Caminero got a cup of coffee late last season, and while he wasn't dominant, he hardly looked overmatched, so it's pretty annoying that it ended up taking another 11 months for him to get the call. But he's back now, and it should be for good. He's hit .277/.331/.498 in Triple-A this season, and while those numbers may not jump off the page, you have to remember, he's a 20-year-old in his first taste of Triple-A who has missed significant amounts of time this season, so it's not exactly surprising that he's been less production than last season. He still looks like a future 30-homer guy with real contact skills, and a potentially difference-making bat overall. Even acknowledging that it's been a tough transition for so many of the most-hyped rookies this season, Caminero is still a must-add talent and someone who could absolutely help lead you to a championship down the road if all goes well.
Matthew Boyd, SP, Guardians (9%) – Sure, why not? Boyd has been working his way back from Tommy John surgery and has been pretty dominant on his rehab assignment, striking out 27 and walking just two while posting a 0.83 ERA in 21.2 innings over five starts. Boyd has never had an ERA under 4.00 in more than 100 innings at the major-league level, so skepticism is certainly warranted, but there's been big strikeout upside amid the struggles, and maybe this is one of those cases where a pitcher comes back from injury with something new. In his most recent rehab start, Boyd was sitting at 91.5 mph with his four-seamer, which is down a bit from his peak, but he still generated 13 whiffs on 63 pitches, primarily with his slider and changeup. Boyd probably won't end up making an impact this season for Fantasy, but if you get a chance to take a cheap bet on a once-talented pitcher, in an organization with a well-earned reputation for maximizing pitching talent, why not take it?
Zebby Matthews, SP, Twins (18%) – The Twins are calling Matthews up from Triple-A and he should join the rotation in the next couple of days and he's an arm worth a second look, at least. Matthews has made the leap from High-A to the majors this season, posting a 2.60 ERA, 114 strikeouts, and just seven walks in 97 innings overall. It's unclear whether his extreme strike-throwing approach will work out quite as well in the majors – for what it's worth, he gave up four homers in four Triple-A starts after giving up just three in 14 at the lower levels combined – but he's certainly an intriguing talent, one who could be worth adding in deeper leagues, especially if he shines in his debut. On the other hand, the Twins have been very cautious with their usage of young pitchers like Simeon Woods Richardson and David Festa, and they might take a similar kid's-gloves approach to Matthews, so keep that in mind.
Andres Chaparro, 3B, Nationals (2%) – The Nationals acquired Chaparro from the Diamondbacks at the deadline and are calling him up after just 10 games in their organization. The 25-year-old is having a breakout season, with 23 homers in 105 games at Double-A, with a very good 17.9% strikeout rate. He's an older prospect who had a sub .800 OPS in his first stint in Triple-A last season, so the likelihood of him replicating his success so far this season at the major-league level seems pretty slim. But he could have a path to regular playing time in Washington, and they've done a good job maximizing similar names like Jacob Young, Lane Thomas, and Juan Yepez in recent seasons, so maybe Chaparro can be the next one. He's worth a look in deeper leagues.
Jhonkensy Noel, OF, Guardians (16%) – Noel has huge power, and he put it on display Monday, homering twice in a four-RBI game. He's actually mostly held his own in his first taste of big-league action, with a .250 average and .887 OPS, to go with eight homers in 31 games. The problem here is that he just hasn't been an everyday player, starting just four of his past 11 games. If the Guardians gave him more rope, I think Noel could be a legitimately useful Fantasy option, so let's see if they give him more opportunities coming off this big game.
Bowden Francis, SP, Blue Jays (21%) – Francis tossed a gem Monday against the Angels, limiting them to just one earned run on one hit while striking out eight over seven innings of work. He has struggled on the whole in his first full big-league season, but he did this coming off a seven-strikeout game, so he might be starting to figure some things out. He added a splitter to his arsenal for the first time Monday, and while it didn't lead to great results, maybe it helped the overall profile play up? Or maybe it was just a fluke against a beatable matchup. I can't say I'm super excited about adding him, but he's worth a look in some deeper leagues.
