2024 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds: Zach Neto, Junior Caminero

Playing the waiver wire effectively is crucial to fantasy baseball success throughout the season.

Each week of the 2024 campaign, this article will help pinpoint who players are readily available to be picked up in most formats.

Stats updated prior to games on August 15.

This Week’s Fantasy Waiver Wire Adds

Zach Neto – SS – Los Angeles Angels

In today’s MLB environment, the best hitters usually end up slotting into the two-hole. Well, Ron Washington has found his guy for that role, and it comes in the form of 23- year-old Zach Neto. This young shortstop has been on a tear lately. 

In his last ten games, Neto has hit four home runs, crossed the plate eight times, drove in fourteen runners, and stolen two bags. Production like that isn’t easy to find.

Maybe we should be taking a closer look at who he’s sandwiched between, because are Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe also breaking out? At least there’s a bit of positive light for Angels fans to focus on. 

Neto’s Statcast page indicates regression might be due, but not too much. His expected batting average is only 17 points lower than his current .266 mark.

What’s more, with seasonal numbers like 17 homers and 22 steals, that underlying data doesn’t have much impact on my suggestion to add him wherever possible.

At just over 25% rostered in ESPN fantasy leagues, it’s a shame he’s not getting the respect he deserves, but it’s fantastic news for anyone who needs a middle infielder.

One of the most underrated characteristics when it comes to fantasy baseball additions is figuring out who will be on the diamond every single day. You will be getting just that with Neto, since this past Wednesday was his first day off in 30 straight starts. Boy, do I enjoy those everyday players!

Spencer Arrighetti – SP – Houston Astros

It was a rough beginning of the season for this young Astros hurler. However, he may just be finding his groove as of late. In his past two starts, Spencer Arrighetti has struck out 25 combined batters while only walking three. 

We saw some growing pains early on in his first major league season, like when he gave up seven earned runs in a home matchup against Detroit back on June 15.

Since then, he has sharpened most everything in his repertoire. In his previous six starts, he has a 1.06 WHIP with 49 strikeouts in just 36 innings. 

He’s rostered in just under 23% of ESPN leagues, leaving me curious as to why that number is not much higher. Sure, the season-long numbers don’t look pretty. A 5.14 ERA and 1.45 WHIP are ugly on the surface, but I’d encourage you to look deeper.

Not a lot of guys have his upside, and if Arrighetti can limit his walk rate (like he’s been doing recently), we’re looking at a potential future ace in Houston. 

Junior Caminero – 3B/SS – Tampa Bay Rays

When a prospect of this talent level is only rostered at just over 20%, it’s time to pick him up. In a year where the Rays’ playoff chances are looking slim, Junior Caminero is the best thing Rays fans have to look forward to. 

Across just 59 games at Triple-A this season, Caminero smacked 16 homers for an overall SLG of .521. In 117 games between High-A and Double-A last season, the result was 31 homers with a .324 average.

This Rays lineup has looked like it needed a spark all season long, and Caminero could be just that spark.

One of the best things about Caminero is his ability to play multiple infield positions. He owns 3B/SS eligibility and could even pick up 2B in the near future. Knowing the Rays, they like versatility up and down the lineup card.

Snatch him off the waiver wire as quickly as possible, because I have a feeling Caminero will go on a hot streak sooner rather than later.

Zebby Matthews – SP – Minnesota Twins

In his first start against the Kansas City Royals, Zebby Matthews impressed. And the thing that’s most impressive is the fact that he achieved success while only striking out five batters. His strikeout rate in the minors was much higher than one per inning. He did, however, display amazing control by not walking anyone in his five innings of work.

Matthews is still a secret at this point. I truly believe his roster rate will skyrocket in the coming weeks. He’s rostered in around just 5% of ESPN leagues currently.

There might be some growing pains, as there will be with any young starting pitcher, though I believe the good will outweigh the bad by a wide margin.

In 97 innings of minor league work before getting called up, Matthews struck out 114 batters while issuing just seven free passes. Read that again. That type of control won’t survive on the waiver wire much longer, so be sure to scoop him up.

At this time of year, any and all fresh arms are needed, considering the frequency of pitching injuries. With the fantasy playoffs just around the corner, it’s better to be safer than sorry and add depth to your starting staff.

Ryan Walker – RP – San Francisco Giants

The aftermath of this year’s trade deadline has left a lot of bullpens searching for answers. It seems as if multiple teams are currently going through a transitional period.

There are about five decent teams still trying to find ninth-inning guys. But it looks as if the San Francisco Giants have locked down their man. 

Manager Bob Melvin has stated that Ryan Walker will be his go-to closer as a result of Camilo Doval’s demotion, a move that surprised many. Doval had been nowhere near what he was last season, so the Giants may think he needs to work on some issues. In the meantime, Walker gets the gig. 

In my experience playing fantasy baseball, new closers are the easiest to add off the waiver wire simply because people don’t pay attention to shifting bullpen roles, or they already paid a high price for someone like Josh Hader or Edwin Díaz.

So far in 2024, Walker has been one of the most effective middle relief pitchers in the bigs. He has put up 74 strikeouts in just 62.1 innings with a 0.90 WHIP.

The thing that jumped out to me is his seven wins; it’s impressive for any middle reliever to gain that many victories. I believe he will thrive in the closer role.