As of this writing, Josh Jung isn't even one of the 50 most viewed players in CBS Sports leagues. I'm sure it'll change once the article goes up with Jung's name in the headline, but that name should already be front and center amid reports of him getting the call Friday.
What it tells me is that Fantasy Baseballers -- the ones who play on our site, anyway -- are suffering from a crippling case of prospect fatigue.
And who can blame them? The past two weeks have been a whirlwind, our familiar rhythms having been upended by incentives built into the new CBA. September is now the optimal time for teams to promote their top prospects, and so many have. Some of those prospects have made an immediate impact in Fantasy (Gunnar Henderson, Hunter Brown). Others less so (Miguel Vargas, Ken Waldichuk).
I predict Jung will be among the former.
Possible waiver wire pickups
Who among us couldn't use a little help at third base, right? It's been the position of greatest need this year and looked like it would be from the earliest days of draft prep season. Jung was a player I intended to target late in every draft as a potential ace in the hole at the position, but then he tore the labrum in his left shoulder. At long last, he's coming up to fill the role the Rangers intended for him all along, having spent the past month proving his health at Triple-A. A recent slump has brought his numbers down to size, but he was on fire before then. He also hit .326 with a .990 OPS between Double- and Triple-A last year. He's a disciplined hitter who profiles just as much for average as power and could be an impact contributor down the stretch.
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I hesitate to say Rogers is all the way back, but he has come off the IL to deliver his best two starts of the season. His changeup, which was the key to his success last year, registered only two whiffs in the latest one Wednesday, and he served up two home runs in the contest as well. But he also struck out eight. The Marlins are expressing optimism that his time away helped him get his delivery in sync. "He's in a really good spot mechanically," catcher Jacob Stallings said. "I know he's excited, and obviously, we're all excited." I'm less convinced, but Rogers' remaining matchups tip the scales in his favor. He faces the Phillies next time, which is whatever, but then the Nationals twice followed by the Brewers, who are dreadful against lefties.
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Meneses keeps cleaning up all of our messes -- those who've chosen to invest him in, anyway -- with multi-hit game after multi-hit game. He singled three times Monday, then doubled twice Tuesday. He went only 1 for 5 Wednesday, but that's been more the exception than the rule for a guy who's hitting .339 with a .935 OPS so far. I'd be skeptical of a 30-year-old rookie, too -- and remain so for Meneses -- but there's no need to overthink this. What other outfield-eligible players are producing on the waiver wire right now? It's been a position of need all year. Meneses is making consistently hard contact and striking out at only a 20 percent rate. His expected stats, as measured by Statcast, are nearly as strong as his actual ones. It's time to take the plunge.
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Fairbanks' save Wednesday was his second in three days and gives him four of the Rays' past six. HIs primary competition for the ninth-inning duties, Jason Adam, set up for him in this one, which could indicate the makings of a pecking order. Then again, we know better than to read into patterns with the Rays, don't we? If nothing else, Fairbanks should be a leading contributor to the committee, and his other numbers -- namely, the 1.45 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 13.5 K/9 -- suggest that his value isn't completely contingent on his save total. Granted, they've come over a small sample, given the time he lost to a lat injury, but improved control seems to have unlocked serious potential.
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With Dylan Carlson sidelined by a thumb injury, Burleson is finally getting the call to the big leagues after demonstrating remarkable hitting consistency at Triple-A Memphis, sustaining a .330 batting average basically from start to finish. His willingness to hit the ball to all fields stands out the most, but he's certainly proven capable of turning on a pitch for a home run as well. He may be limited to left field and DH defensively, which gives him a narrow path to playing time with Lars Nootbaar having emerged and Albert Pujols, Corey Dickerson and Brendan Donovan all having played well of late. It's why I'd leave Burleson for five-outfielder leagues for the time being. Still, the Cardinals had to add him to the 40-man roster to bring him up, so it stands to reason they'll want to try him out.
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After floundering during an earlier big-league stint, Villar is finding more success this time around, connecting for two opposite-field home runs Wednesday, including one off Clayton Kershaw. It was his third straight multi-hit game. In just 84 games at Triple-A, the 25-year-old hit 27 home runs while generating a 1.022 OPS, so while the scouting reports don't make him out to be a big-time prospect, the numbers sure do. And it sounds like manager Gabe Kapler is listening to the numbers, saying he wants to see "as much of David as possible." The changing offensive environment has made me more skeptical of this sort of prospect, but with his surge in production amid promises of consistent playing time, Villar demands to be taken seriously.
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