If you need a fill-in for an injury or are simply looking for a short-term spark, Scott White has you covered with 10 sleeper hitters for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. They're not must-starts by any estimation, but they're the best you'll find off the waiver wire.
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper hitters for Week 6 (May 1-7)
Joey Gallo's power production has been considerable so far, and by basically every way you'd measure it, his plate discipline is much improved. There's no reason to shy away with only one left-hander on the schedule this week.
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The Brewers have the third-best hitter matchups this week, including a series at Coors Field, which makes now a good time to turn back to Brian Anderson. He hasn't maintained his blistering pace from opening week, but he's remained a consistent presence in the heart of the Brewers lineup.
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Brent Rooker has remained a wrecker even after sitting out a couple days with a thigh bruise, homering five times in his 10 games back in the lineup. The 28-year-old was well established as a slugger in the minors and is delivering the sort of exit velocities that would back up his performance in the majors. He's worth starting for the time being.
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Harold Ramirez has been one of the quieter breakouts in the Rays lineup so far, adding surprising power to his already excellent contact skills much like Yandy Diaz. The Rays' matchups are mostly favorable, but the point is simply that Ramirez is one of the best hitter targets on the waiver right now.
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After a dreadful first few weeks, Brandon Drury has suddenly caught fire with four homers in his past seven games. His lineup context is favorable batting behind a bunch of high-OBP types on the Angels, and you can start him at any of three different positions.
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While Joey Wiemer certainly hasn't embarrassed himself, he has yet to really take off the Brewers. A few multi-hit games over the past week, though, may have him good and warmed up for a three-game series at Coors Field.
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There was some bounce-back hype for Trey Mancini coming into the year, and though he hasn't delivered on it so far, he has begun to pick up the pace a bit, batting .375 (12 for 32) over his past nine games. The Cubs have the fourth-best hitter matchups this week, facing the Nationals and Marlins rotations in seven games.
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Eugenio Suarez's power production has been lacking so far, but the data suggest he's due for an upswing. He's facing the Athletics pitching staff to open this week, which has generally been good for putting hitters on the right track.
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Joey Meneses' follow-up to his unbelievable 2022 debut has been quiet to this point, but he's begun to pick up the pace, batting .362 (21 for 58) in his past 13 games. The Nationals are one of just six teams with seven games this week and are facing some mashables in the Cubs and Diamondbacks rotations.
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Digging deep with this one. Matt Carpenter has been racking up extra-base hits lately and could do some damage against pitchers like Luke Weaver, Luis Cessa and Noah Syndergaard. With only one lefty on the schedule, he figures to get plenty of at-bats.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 6
1. Mets ATL1, @DET3, COL3
2. Blue Jays @BOS4, @PIT3
3. Brewers @COL3, @SF3
4. Cubs @WAS4, MIA3
5. Royals BAL3, OAK3
Worst hitter matchups for Week 6
1. Giants @HOU3, MIL3
2. Marlins ATL3, @CHC3
3. White Sox MIN3, @CIN3
4. Dodgers PHI3, @SD3
5. Diamondbacks @TEX2, WAS3
