Tuesday wasn't the most actionable day of baseball this season, but that's okay because we still had plenty to get excited about. If the 2024 season so far has been defined by injuries, Tuesday was defined by a rare bit of good news on the injury front.
We got two potential difference makers back, with Luis Robert (hip) and Royce Lewis (quad) both coming off the IL with a bang Tuesday, as each homered in their first game back. Injuries remain a significant issue for both of them, but if you could guarantee me even 80% of the remaining games from either, I'd probably rank both as top-50 overall players, with Lewis as a top-five 3B and Robert as a top-11 OF.
Gerrit Cole isn't back from his injury yet, but he took a big step forward Tuesday as well, making his first rehab assignment. We don't have full radar readings from this one, but Cole seemed to be sitting around 95-96 and touching 97, and he struck out five over 3.1 shutout innings at Double-A. He probably still has at least a few more weeks worth of rehab ahead of him, but we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, finally.
Wednesday's top waiver targets
Masyn Winn, SS, Cardinals (53%) – Alright, what's the hold up? Is it just that nobody really needs a shortstop, and that's why you all aren't adding Winn? Is it his relatively pedestrian counting stats? Winn is on pace for just 60 runs and 60 RBI despite hitting over .300 for the season with an OPS now approaching .800. That's mostly a function of his low spot in a mediocre lineup, and you've gotta think the Cardinals are going to move him up at some point, so I wouldn't really hold it against him. I've made the comp to Tim Anderson a few times over the past few weeks, and Winn is slowly starting to tap into some of that 15-20 homer power Anderson used to have – he has three homers over his past 15 games after Tuesday's. With 20-plus steal upside (potentially more if he wants to be more aggressive) and a potential standout batting average, Winn should at least be rostered in all categories leagues, and if he gets moved up in the order, he's going to matter in points, too.
Brandon Lowe, 2B, Rays (53%) – For the most part, it hasn't turned into production yet, but I remain pretty confident Lowe is going to be a solid Fantasy option this season, and if you missed out on Nolan Gorman during his recent homer binge, Lowe is a solid consolation prize. He finally hit his first homer of the season Tuesday as part of a massive game where he also had a double, drove in five runs and scored two, and even had a walk for good measure. Lowe was still on a 30-plus homer pace last year despite dealing with injuries, and he can still absolutely be one of the standout power options at the 2B position when he's right. If Tuesday is any indication, he might be about to take off.
Connor Norby, 2B, Orioles (15%) – The Orioles' embarrassment of riches when it comes to young hitters has left multiple talented young prospects on the outside looking in even after getting called up, but that doesn't seem to be the case for Norby early on, as he has started each of his first two games since being called up to replace Jorge Mateo. Mateo's absence may be short-lived, so Norby needs to get hot quick to have a chance to force their hands, and that's what he did Tuesday, clubbing his first MLB home run. It is his only hit through two games, and Norby is neither enough of a sure thing as a hitter nor assured enough of a role to be worth viewing as a must-add player, but in deeper leagues, I don't mind putting a claim in just to see if he can get hot.
Aaron Ashby, SP, Brewers (7%) – I'll be honest, the waiver-wire pitching options on Tuesday night weren't great. There was Patrick Sandoval (32%) rostered, who put together a terrific start against the Padres and did have a nice little velocity boost (up 1.4 mph), and with two starts next week, maybe he could be useful; that being said, Sandoval has a long and pretty mediocre track record at this point, so I'm not going to blame you if you pass. Adam Mazur made his MLB debut and got decent results against the A's, though with twice as many walks as strikeouts, so I'm probably going to pass until he shows us something more. And Frankie Montas had a terrific start against the Rockies in Coors Field, and I just don't know what to take from that one – Coors Field is such a weird place to pitch that I tend to just throw most results out, and his increased slider usage in this start doesn't exactly make me more confident, seeing as that's never really been the key pitch for him. I'm not saying I have much confidence in Ashby, who has really struggled in the minors this season. But I'm willing to give him a look in his potential start Wednesday against the Phillies based on the upside he showed in 2022 when he struck out 10.6 per nine and had a 3.75 xERA.