Waiver wire: Brewers ace finally returns to the mound

On the mound successful Miami connected Sunday, it definite seemed similar it was 2021 each implicit again for the Milwaukee Brewers rotation.

Brandon Woodruff, the No. 5 finisher successful National League Cy Young Award balloting and the No. 18 wide subordinate successful presumption of phantasy points during said 2021 campaign, returned from October 2023 country with a flourish. He scored 24 phantasy points, his astir since Sept. 11, 2023, completing six innings connected 70 pitches.

That's not to accidental that everything was backmost to vintage signifier for Woodruff, arsenic his 93.3-mph mean fastball velocity was his lowest successful immoderate azygous commencement successful 7 years, but helium enjoyed plentifulness of occurrence with the transportation nevertheless, generating 4 swings-and-misses (a 33.3% whiff rate) and 5 of his 8 strikeouts connected the time with the pitch. Woodruff earned bully marks connected 3 of his superior offerings (four-seam fastball, sinker and changeup), and helium added a prime cutter to the mix, with the sum of the full generating 80.0% first-pitch strike, 61.4% portion and 29.4% whiff rates.

As Woodruff works himself backmost to afloat spot and boosts his transportation number person to 90-95 successful the coming weeks, helium could person top-25 phantasy starting pitcher worth during the season's 2nd half. Based connected his way record, which during his 2019-23 highest saw him station the fifth-best WHIP (1.02) and mean the sixth-most phantasy points per commencement (14.9) and ninth-best K complaint (30.0%), among pitchers with astatine slightest 75 starts, he's good worthy the pickup successful the 54.7% of ESPN leagues successful which helium remains available.

Also see adding...

Jurickson Profar, OF, Atlanta Braves: He was mentioned successful this abstraction last week and remains wide disposable (63.2% of leagues) contempt his having deed .286 (6-for-21) with 2 location runs crossed his archetypal 5 games since returning from suspension -- each of them coming from 1 of the apical 5 spots successful the Braves lineup. In ESPN modular points leagues, he's an effectual must-add.

Cam Smith, 3B/OF, Houston Astros (available successful 73.4%): His statistical returns for the archetypal 2 months were beauteous ordinary, but crossed his past 26 games, Smith has importantly picked up the pace, batting .349/.389/.547 with 4 location runs, 21 RBI and 18 runs scored to look arsenic a middle-of-the-order hitter for the Astros. He has done that, successful part, acknowledgment to a much assertive attack astatine the plate, swinging astatine 57% of the pitches (including 36% extracurricular the onslaught zone) helium has seen during that clip span, up from 45% (and 25%). Still, Smith seems to beryllium making it work.

Rotisserie-style players to add

Ronny Henriquez, RP, Miami Marlins (available successful 90.4%): Similarly mentioned present past week, the Marlins person importantly picked up the gait crossed the past four-plus weeks, winning 16 of their past 24 games. That means much prevention opportunities for the closer, and Henriquez appears to beryllium emerging during that clip arsenic a singular prime for the role. He has retired each 1 of the past 13 batters helium has faced, striking retired six. He has 4 of the team's six saves arsenic good arsenic a 1.13 ERA and 50.0% K complaint crossed his past 8 appearances. Between his 96.4-mph fastball and 46% whiff complaint sweeper, helium has the skills to lend saves regularly to phantasy teams.

Ceddanne Rafaela, OF/SS, Boston Red Sox (available successful 82.8%): While overmuch of the attraction to Boston's youngsters has been focused connected apical prospects similar Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, Rafaela has settled successful nicely arsenic a accordant contributor for the team. He's a .333/.356/.754 hitter with 5 location runs, 12 RBI and 13 stolen bases implicit his past 15 games. Perhaps astir importantly, helium has developed into 1 of the game's champion antiaircraft halfway fielders, solidifying his playing time. That tin lone pad his sheet quality full considering he's a bottom-of-the-lineup hitter.

Two-start pitcher to add

Brady Singer, SP, Cincinnati Reds (available successful 64.6%): He should beryllium plentifulness rested for his brace of starts this week, aft having his crook past Tuesday shortened by rain. Singer starts some games astatine home, against the "hot, but inactive below-average" Marlins bats and the "simply terrible" Rockies offense. And, portion his location venue (Great American Ball Park) is 1 of the game's astir hitter-friendly environments, helium has been importantly much productive determination than connected the roadworthy this season, with an ERA much than six-tenths of a tally lower, a wOBA 26 points little and strikeout complaint much than 4 percent points higher than successful his roadworthy games.

Deeper-league pickups

Cameron Schlittler, SP, New York Yankees (available successful 100%): The quality that Clarke Schmidt volition apt necessitate Tommy John country is devastating for the Yankees rotation, which has present mislaid three-fifths of its primitively projected members (Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, Schmidt). It has pressed them to beforehand 1 of their hottest minor-league pitching prospects, Schlittler, who has a 2.77 ERA and a 34.4% K complaint crossed his past 8 starts betwixt Double-A Somerset (3) and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (5). He's sporting a pro career-best 8.4% locomotion complaint for the season, and is good worthy a speculative pickup fixed the caller opportunity.

Joe Boyle, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (available successful 94.8%): Speaking of improved control, Boyle's locomotion complaint crossed his 13 appearances betwixt a brace of MLB stints was 9.7% -- good beneath the 16.8% vocation complaint helium has posted wide arsenic a professional. That played a large portion successful his play promotion. While helium doesn't presently person a steadfast rotation spot with the Rays, the information that helium pitched good arsenic a piggyback to Drew Rasmussen connected Sunday bodes good for him receiving further starts oregon bulk alleviation opportunities. A pitcher with his earthy worldly should beryllium rostered successful each AL-only and 15-plus-team mixed leagues.

Trevor Rogers, SP, Baltimore Orioles (available successful 79.4%): Though initially recalled arsenic much of a abbreviated word fill-in than thing greater, Rogers has emerged arsenic a reliable rotation subordinate for the Orioles, posting a 0.90 ERA (and backed by a respectable 2.99 FIP) implicit his past 3 starts. He has added rather a spot of velocity to his fastball this season, averaging 93.3 mph with the transportation (after 91.9 past year), and is generating elite whiff rates with his breaking pitches (slider and sweeper). Rogers' staying powerfulness appears overmuch greater present than it has astatine immoderate erstwhile constituent successful this Orioles career, and he's present astir connected the modular mixed radar.