Week 19 fantasy baseball waiver wire puts Roki Sasaki back in play
CBS Sports’ Chris Towers says Sasaki’s latest Dodgers gem revives his upside, with Alvarez, France and Crews among other Week 19 adds.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Roki Sasaki is back at the center of the week 19 fantasy baseball waiver wire after a Dodgers start that looked a lot like the ace version managers have been waiting to see. CBS Sports fantasy analyst Chris Towers wrote that Sasaki’s upside is still worth chasing in leagues where managers can afford volatility.
Sasaki held the Mets to one run across seven innings and struck out nine, following a strong outing against the Yankees in which, according to Towers, he pitched on extra rest and showed increased velocity. Against New York’s other club, Sasaki produced 21 swinging strikes, with 13 coming on his splitter.
His fastball averaged 98.6 mph in the Mets start, down from a career-high 100.1 mph average in the previous outing but still among his best marks, Towers noted. The catch is the season line: Sasaki entered the discussion with a 4.71 ERA and a 4.35 expected ERA, and Towers pointed back to a June 10-strikeout game that was followed by seven runs in 4.1 innings and then 19 earned runs over his next 17 innings.
Should I add Roki Sasaki in fantasy baseball?
Towers’ answer is a cautious yes for managers who can stash upside, but not a blanket move for every format. In daily lineup leagues built around streaming starters, he wrote that Sasaki may make more sense as a start-by-start play because he has not been reliable every time out.
Sasaki is available in about 35% of CBS Fantasy leagues, according to Towers. Fantasy baseball waiver wire adds are unclaimed players managers can pick up to cover injuries, chase hot streaks or buy into a player before a larger role arrives.
At catcher, Towers pointed to Mets backstop Francisco Alvarez as a priority if managers lost Shea Langeliers to what he described as an injury that appears season-ending. Alvarez, rostered in 50% of CBS leagues, is hitting .298/.400/.489 with eight homers in 33 games since returning from the injured list in early June.
At first base, Padres hitter Ty France drew a skeptical endorsement. Towers cited France’s .894 OPS, a .334 expected weighted on-base average compared with a .375 actual mark, and a stronger recent expected mark as reasons to pay the waiver cost and reassess later.
Other position targets included Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres for points or on-base formats, Twins third baseman Royce Lewis for power-speed upside, and Nationals shortstop Nasim Nunez for steals. Towers noted Lewis has been perfect on 10 steal attempts this season, while Nunez has 37 steals in 97 games.
The outfield group is busy. Dylan Crews has multiple hits in three of four games and a .333 average since the All-Star break, according to Towers. Steven Kwan has hit .414/.507/.534 since the start of July, while Cole Carrigg, Heriberto Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Ryan Waldschmidt were also listed as adds depending on league depth and category need.
On the pitching side, Towers highlighted Rays starter Seymour, Mariners prospect Kade Anderson, Royals starter Noah Cameron and Mets rookie Zac Thornton. Anderson, described by Towers as arguably baseball’s best pitching prospect, is 9-1 with a 1.27 ERA through 15 starts in his first pro season.
For saves, White Sox reliever Grant Taylor remains relevant even without a locked-in ninth-inning role, Towers wrote. Mets reliever Luke Weaver was presented as a speculative add ahead of the trade deadline because a move could create a clearer path to closing chances.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.