4 Playing Time Pickups After the Deadline

The super active Trade Deadline definitely created some new opportunities for players who could soon become fantasy worthy players depending on league size. Obviously the opportunities often come on the worst teams so they aren’t exactly elite level players joining quality lineups, but we all know that volume alone can drive a player’s usefulness for us in the fantasy realm.

I just did a piece like this where I guessed who might get the chances based on potential trades and exactly one of the players I mentioned was traded, but I partly blame that on Colorado and Detroit being run horribly. But I’m not sure why Arizona didn’t trade David Peralta or Kole Calhoun.

Rafael Ortega | OF, CHC

Ortega was already making noise before the 3-HR game with a .345/.387/.517 line in 31 PA in the last week or so of July with seven starts in nine games, all of which saw him leading off. Then on August 1st he had the huge 3-home run game that put him on everyone’s radar. He was scooped up across most 15-team leagues but remains widely available in the 10- and 12-team landscape. There could enough here to pick him up.

Yes, he is a 30-year-old journeyman, but he has always had speed throughout his minor league days (20 SB/500 PA at AAA) and even developed some punch that was on display in 2019 when he hit 21 HR with a .239 ISO. The power might be taking center stage for him as he had 4 HR and a .234 ISO in 73 PA at Triple-A this year while being just 1-for-2 on the bases. The big game on Sunday put him at 6 HR and 4 SB (though in 9 tries) in 123 PA with the Cubs.

Bad team and modest skillset from a non-prospect aside, he seems to be locked atop the lineup for the Cubs and finding a power-speed OF who can generate that kind of volume isn’t easy.

Yadiel Hernandez | OF, WAS

Josh Harrison’s departure opens the door for Hernandez, a 33-year-old Quad-A kind of guy who came over from Cuba at age-29. He has hit well in the minors with a .300/.383/.506 line and 22 HR per 500 PA. He finally debuted last year, though there wasn’t much in his 28 PA of work (57 wRC+). He broke camp with the Nats and spent the first 2+ months as a 4th OF before being sent back to Triple-A, but he is back now and hitting a bit. There are no prospects that are likely to push Hernandez for playing time the rest of the way, though I could see Daniel Palka getting the call if Hernandez struggles but then I wouldn’t be averse to recommending Palka as a similar type of volume play with some punch in his bat (remember, he hit 27 HR with the White Sox back in 2018).

Rodolfo Castro | 2B, PIT

Castro made the jump from Double-A and brings a lot of pop as a switch-hitting middle infielder. He has already clubbed 5 HR in 41 PA (eye-popping .421 ISO), but Eric Longenhagen highlights the issues with his plate discipline. If you can afford to take on the potentially poor batting average (only .237 thus far, but also a .157 BABIP), there is some power upside here.

Given that they called him up from Double-A, it seems like they are committed to giving him this unchallenged two-month preview (plus the two weeks he has already played). He jumped from 34th to 21st in Pittsburgh’s system and Eric’s article linked above shows how they considered tabbing him as a 50 FV instead of the 40+ he got on Pittsburgh’s list back in February.

Eli White | OF, TEX

White is kind of a diet Ortega right now with 6 HR/4 SB in 216 PA but just a .180/.264/.314 line thanks in large part to a .234 BABIP and 30% K rate. It’s been even worse over the last month as his .152 BABIP has dragged his line down to .135/.238/.284 in 84 PA, yet still with 3 HR and 2 SB (22/15 full season pace). He is a full-on speedster with the 4th-best Sprint Speed in the league and premium defense to go with it which should guarantee his spot in CF.

White was consistently batting 2nd versus lefties while usually batting 9th against righties, but he batted 7th and 9th in the last two games against lefties so perhaps the Rangers realized his poor performance was just untenable, even with a platoon advantage. The 27-year-old has been solid in Triple-A with a .787 OPS, 15 HR, and 15 SB in 579 PA over 2019 (499 PA) and 2021 (80 PA). As his BABIP regresses, he will become more and more viable beyond just AL-Only leagues and at least merits a Watchlist consideration for now.

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Other considerations include David Bote, Matt Duffy, and Sergio Alcántara with the Cubs. They did the most with trading hitters hence the ample new opportunities in Chicago. I guessss Lewis Brinson should be mentioned, but I can’t truly advocate you taking a shot on him.

Who else are you looking at with some newfound playing time that you believe might help your team down the stretch?