You might need more help if you have Xander Bogaerts on your roster. I mean, it's not like he was doing much so far this season, so you might have been looking for help in the middle infield already, but now, with Bogaerts suffering a fracture in his left shoulder, you definitely need a replacement. So, before we get to the rest of Thursday's action and news, here are some options to consider to replace Bogaerts in H2H points, Roto, and in deeper leagues for both 2B and SS, as we discussed on this morning's Fantasy Baseball Today:
SS for H2H points: Ezequiel Tovar (73%), Luis Rengifo (70%) and JP Crawford (60%)
2B for H2H points: Luis Rengifo (71%), Abraham Toro (69%), Joseph Ortiz (58%)
MI for categories leagues: Jose Caballero (67%), Luis Rengifo (70%), Willi Castro (65%)
Deeper categories leagues: Luis Garcia (47%), Davis Schneider (39%), Wenceel Perez (33%)
Buy-low trade candidates: Bo Bichette, Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson, Thairo Estrada
Alright, with that out of the way, let's get to the rest of what you need to know from Wednesday's action, starting with some other waiver-wire candidates to target:
Thursday's top waiver targets
AJ Smith-Shawver, SP, Braves (19%) – The Braves have a hole to fill in their rotation for Thursday's start against the Cubs, and while they didn't turn to their top pitching prospect (Hurston Waldrep), they are calling up a young pitcher Fantasy players should know about, in A.J. Smith-Shawver. Now, whether Smith-Shawver is someone Fantasy players need to run out and add immediately is a different question, and one I probably wouldn't answer in the affirmative to right now, what with Smith-Shawver's ugly 6.10 ERA down at Triple-A this season. Smith-Shawver has posted up a strong 25.2% strikeout rate this season, but that's pretty much where the positives end, as he has struggled to keep the ball in the yard (2.61 HR/9) while also walking 12.2% of opposing hitters. He'll need to be a lot better than that to matter in the big leagues, and I'd probably bet against it at this point. But he's a top-100 prospect who will be pitching for one of the best teams in baseball, so if he can figure out his control and homer issues, there's some upside here. Let's see what he can do.
Luis Rengifo, SS, Angels (71%) – It took a bunch of injuries to get Rengifo to a spot in the Angels lineup where he probably should have been all along, but he continues to make the most of his opportunities. He reached base despite going hitless Wednesday against the Astros, which was actually just the second time in his past 13 games he failed to register a hit. He's hitting .308 for the season, and while his underlying numbers don't quite back it up, his contact-heavy approach should continue to make him a solid contributor in that regard, and his 12 steals speak for themselves, even with less than elite speed. The Angels are running a ton, and Rengifo is taking advantage. With quadruple eligibility – sextuple, if you count MI and CI – you probably have a spot in your lineup for Rengifo if he's available.
Patrick Bailey, C, Giants (16%) – Bailey's apparent breakout has been derailed over the past three weeks by post-concussion symptoms, so it was nice to see him back in the lineup Wednesday and hitting the ball well, as he went 4 for 5 against the Pirates. He has his batting average for the season up to .295, and it may not be a fluke – he has cut his strikeout rate from 28.3% to 20.8% while matching last season's .410 expected wOBA on contact, leading to a .291 expected batting average for the season. It's a small sample size, but given Bailey's youth and elite defense, he's going to play a ton and might be good enough to be a viable starting option in two-catcher leagues.
Tyler Anderson, SP, LAA (58%) – Anderson continues to generate terrific results, with an ERA below 3.00 in each of the first two months of the season to date, and given that he's still just 58% rostered in CBS Fantasy leagues, it's not like there's much cost to buying in. I expect things to take a dramatic turn for the worst at some point – his xERA entering today's start was 4.83, right in line with last season's mark – but he's fine to keep around while things are going well.
Henry Davis, C, Pirates (17%) – The Pirates aren't calling Davis up from Triple-A just yet, as he continues to work on his swing after an abysmal start to what we hoped would be his breakout season. But, with veteran Yasmani Grandal dealing with a groin injury, it might be just a matter of time before we see the former No. 1 pick again. He was dreadful in his 23 games before being demoted, hitting .162/.281/.206 with a 35% strikeout rate, and if you don't want to give him the time of day after that, I can't really blame you. In deeper, two-catcher leagues where securing two reliable catchers is a challenge – a common scenario – reconsidering Davis isn't a bad idea. He's been sent back to Triple-A, where he's posted impressive stats, batting .279/.456/.628 with four homers and a 17.5% strikeout rate over 12 games. Maybe it won't work out – I'd probably bet against it, too. But he's still young and still has some upside whenever he gets that next call.
