Cole Carrigg leads CBS Sports’ latest fantasy baseball stash list

Cole Carrigg’s bat woke up fast after the All-Star break, and CBS Sports fantasy analyst Chris Towers says the Rockies outfielder is one of the clearer second-half breakout candidates still floating near waiver wires.

Towers pointed to Carrigg’s 7-for-16 run over four games after the break, including a three-hit game Tuesday, as a quick answer to the 0-for-14 skid that ended his first half. Through his first 35 games, Carrigg is batting .304 with a .379 on-base percentage and .527 slugging percentage, according to CBS Sports.

The catch, according to Towers, is playing time. Carrigg is still sitting more often than fantasy managers would prefer, though Towers wrote that the Rockies could clear room for younger players around the trade deadline.

Judge injury changes the stash math

The waiver-wire push comes with the fantasy season shrinking and injured stars becoming harder to value. Towers wrote that Aaron Judge’s rib injury is especially tricky because he is likely to miss at least a few more weeks with roughly 10 weeks left in the season.

CBS Sports’ Scott White placed Judge in the top tier of his injured-list stash rankings, a group labeled as too valuable to drop. White ranked Judge seventh among IL stashes, behind players who may return sooner, Towers wrote.

White’s rankings split 50 injured players into four groups: players too valuable to drop, players also difficult to drop, players who remain some level of priority and players whose stashing is a luxury.

Other waiver names moving up

Walbert Urena remains a target despite control concerns, according to Towers. The Angels starter is rostered in 54% of leagues cited by CBS Sports and owns a 2.78 ERA after allowing one run in six innings Tuesday against the Cardinals. Towers also noted that Urena walked nine batters across 9.2 innings in his final two starts before the break.

Luis Robert, rostered in 69% of leagues, returned from the injured list Monday with an 0-for-4 game and three strikeouts, then hit his first homer since April 9 on Tuesday. CBS Sports measured the shot at 451 feet, and Towers wrote that Robert remains useful in categories leagues and formats using five outfielders.

Marlins catcher Joe Mack is also moving onto the radar. Towers wrote that Mack has homered in back-to-back games and has a .267 average, eight homers and an OPS above .900 across his past 31 games. He described Mack as a solid second-catcher option while noting struggles against left-handed pitching.

Mets starter Zac Thornton, still listed as Zach in the CBS Sports database, worked six scoreless innings against the Brewers on Tuesday with three hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Towers said he is at least an option in deeper leagues because he limits walks and hard contact, though his strikeout upside remains limited.

Royals reliever Luinder Avila struck out seven over 6.1 innings against the Giants, allowing two runs. Towers framed him as a deeper-league play, especially in points formats, while flagging a scheduled start at Coors Field next week as a concern.

Three risers, three fallers

Towers’ “up” list included Manny Machado, Justin Wrobleski and Brandon Nimmo. Machado homered twice Tuesday and has 11 homers over his past 35 games. Wrobleski has struck out at least seven batters in three straight starts, while Nimmo went 4-for-4 with a homer in Texas.

On the other side, Towers cooled on Framber Valdez, Kevin Gausman and Reynaldo Lopez. Valdez failed to escape the first inning Tuesday against the Cubs, Gausman allowed five runs and nine hits in 3.1 innings, and Lopez gave up five runs in 4.1 innings against the Padres.

Jordan Romano also entered the saves conversation after recording three of the Rockies’ past four saves, according to Towers. Still, Towers did not recommend adding him, citing his recent performance record and the risk of pitching home games at Coors Field.

This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.