Hello friends, a quick programming announcement before we begin. With fantasy baseball trade deadlines nearing, and the game of the weirdly-shaped ball beginning, requiring John Laghezza’s attention, I’ll be taking on the waiver wire. Don’t fret. I’m no newbie; I covered it all last year. I won’t copy his format but will provide lists of players available who could give you a late-season boost.

I’ll still begin with buys, sells and holds (but they will also start leaning more toward players available on the wire), before digging even deeper.

Buy

Wilyer Abreu, OF, BOS

Abreu is already one of the more fly-ball prone hitters in the league (his 49.4 FB% is sixth among qualified hitters), but for the past month, he’s taken that to extremes with a FB% just north of 60%. That has resulted in a lot of power (four doubles, 10 homers) and a very low BABIP (.190). There is still some bad luck in that BABIP — his .237 average during that stretch is 40 points below his expected batting average (xBA). He could have a big finish to the year.

George Lombard Jr., SS, NYY

Every Yankees prospect comes in with an extra dose of hype, but this guy might be the real deal. He had the full mix of hit tool, power, patience and speed in Triple A. That was also true of Jackson Holliday (who could still put it all together), so don’t assume that he’ll immediately be a star, but if your team, like the one in the Bronx, is looking for a spark, Lombard is worth a shot.

Jackson Jobe, SP, DET

That Skubal guy was expendable because the Tigers have another starter who throws 100 mph. I jest, but Jobe looked great in his return from Tommy John surgery. While it came against the Giants and lasted only 71 pitches, Stuff+ (which is among the best indicators in such a small sample) loved everything it saw. I’d like to see him perform well a few more times before I say anything too definitive, but pick him up now while you can, in case the outing against San Francisco was the start of something exciting.

Sell

Zach Neto, SS, LAA

The full season numbers for Neto look fine and almost enough to justify where he went in drafts. He has already reached 20 homers and 14 steals. He’s been banking a fair share of runs and RBIs. The average is down to .225, but he has partly compensated with more walks. However, the good numbers come from the first three months of the season. Since July, his AVG/OBP/SLG was .222/.279/.325, heading into Monday’s tilt. His homers per fly ball rate has dropped to 5% in that stretch, compared to 18% before. His exit velocity, bat speed, bat tilt and launch angle are essentially the same. He was somewhat fortunate in the first part of the season and unlucky in the second, but this is what a rough stretch looks like when your K rate is over 30%.

Ian Happ, OF, CHC

Happ hit two homers over the weekend, and if you need power, it’s fine to hang on to him, but the rest of the package is pretty underwhelming. His strikeout rate has shot up this year to over 30%, which has corresponded with more pulled flies, so there is likely an approach change involved here. That has tanked his average, and he doesn’t steal anymore. With Tyrone Taylor in town, Happ could lose time against lefties — while he’s a switch hitter, he’s hitting .154/,227/.291 against southpaws. He’ll still bank more counting stats than most of what you can find on the wire, but he’s edging toward droppable in some leagues.

Shane Bieber, SP, TOR

Bieber looked good in 40.1 innings last year, and as a former ace, still just 31 years old, there was some optimism he was getting his groove back. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot to work with here. His stuff has taken a step back, and his usually excellent control has abandoned him. He might be able to tame his home run issue enough to get the ERA down to the mid-4s, but he won’t suddenly turn into the guy you were hoping for. He’s droppable.

Hold

Heliot Ramos, OF, NYY

Ramos has been in a prolonged slump, and leaving San Francisco didn’t immediately solve that. However, he is swinging harder as a Yankee, and I’m excited to see his raw power in a more hitter-friendly environment. You probably don’t have a spot for him in shallower leagues, but in deeper ones, he’s a guy to, at least, stash. He can go from zero to hero quickly.

Troy Melton, SP, DET

Melton won’t maintain an ERA under 1.50, but he will continue to be a quality arm. His 22.5% K rate, 8.1% BB rate, and 42.9% GB rate put his ERA estimators in the high-3s, and his kitchen-sink approach may help keep hitters off balance and avoid hard contact. He throws six pitches (three of them fastballs) and Stuff+ likes five of them. Still, nobody maintains a .191 BABIP or a 95% strand rate. Expect more good than great for the balance of the year.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 3B, BAL

CES lost most of two seasons to injuries and never got anything going when he was healthy. Now, he has reemerged in Baltimore and is crushing the ball. It’s not a big enough sample to get too excited yet, but the only real issue so far is that he’s chasing more than you’d like (54% O-Swing). He’s showing some of the power that brought him a lot of hype and enough of a hit tool to make it work. He’s a lottery ticket in both dynasty and redraft.

Waiver wire targets

I’m breaking this down by category and looking at players under 20% rostered on Yahoo. Here are some players who might be available for a boost in certain areas. For intel on relievers (saves and holds), check out Greg Jewett’s weekly bullpen report, which publishes on Thursdays.

Average

• Angel Genao, 2B/3B, CLE: Genao is less than a week into his MLB career, but he’s a fun prospect who offers a little bit of everything. He has the wheels to steal a fair amount, but it wasn’t a big part of his game in the minors. He has always had excellent contact rates, with enough power and speed to do some damage. He’s hitting ninth in the order, so that will tamp down his counting stats (as will playing for the Guardians).
• Andrew Vaughn, 1B, MIL: He probably won’t keep the .300 thing going, but should be at least bat .270 going forward.
• Nolan Schanuel, 1B, LAA

Home runs

• Heriberto Hernández, OF, MIA: I wrote him up last week. He offers legit power, and he steals here and there. Strikeouts limit the average.
• Owen Caissie, OF, MIA
• Spencer Jones, OF, NYY: I don’t think a 19% swinging-strike rate will work long term, but he can crush the ball when he makes contact.
• Joc Pederson, OF, TEX: Only plays against righties and hits them hard.

Steals

• Jake Mangum, OF, PIT: Mangum gives you speed, average and runs atop Pittsburgh’s lineup. He doesn’t have power but offers plenty to be useful.
• Andrés Giménez, 2B/SS, TOR: He doesn’t have a great overall package, but he gives you thefts and the occasional homer.
• Myles Straw, OF, TOR: Straw is for deep leagues only, but he has had a regular role post-trade deadline.

R/RBI

• Kyle Karros, 3B, COL: He’s probably playing over his head, but he has a decent bat and a regular spot in Colorado.
• Gavin Sheets, 1B/OF, SDP: His playing time is uncertain post-deadline, but he’s a useful roster-filler when he’s in.

Strikeouts

• Joey Cantillo, SP, CLE: He’s a roller-coaster ride, but he gets plenty of whiffs.
• Jackson Jobe, SP, DET: See above.
• Connor Prielipp, SP, MIN: He’s still finding his way, but I like the stuff and pitch mix.

Wins

• Grant Holmes, SP, ATL: He usually goes five or six innings on an excellent team and keeps it close enough to get Ws.
• Anthony Kay, SP, CHW

ERA

• Brayan Bello, SP/RP, BOS: The long-man role seems to suit him. He might gift you a win here and there, but you’re rostering him for the ratios.
• Andre Pallante, SP, STL: He doesn’t get a lot of K’s, but the 55.5% grounder rate limits the damage.

WHIP

• Zac Thornton, SP, NYM
• Randy Vásquez, SP, SDP: He’s a risk in other categories, but he keeps the walks down.