It’s been an interesting first few weeks of the MLB season. Quite a few bats have been hot in the early going, as league-wide offense is hovering right around where it was last year regarding runs per game.

While that’s the good news, the bad is that we’ve seen pitchers drop like flies this year. Even recently, some contributing hitters have been bitten by the injury bug. Whether you’re looking to replace an injured roster staple or want to give your lineup some extra juice – below will outline some prospective hitters to scoop up and some intriguing pitchers for Week 5 of the season. 

To qualify for this waiver-add list, batters must be under (or right around) 50% rostered. Please note that mentions of roster percentage will be sourced from Yahoo! as this is the platform I use for my leagues – and the one I am limited to aside from pitching. To give a good assortment of shallow and deeper league options and to compensate a bit in the instance of roster percentage discrepancy across platforms I will add a few extra hitters at the end that you should keep your eye on in deeper leagues.

Remember, while these players might not be on your squad in a few weeks, they’re hot right now – let’s dive in.

Travis d’Arnaud C, Atlanta Braves (58% Owned)

If Travis d’Arnaud is available in your league, stop reading and go grab him. Seriously. Catcher has been suspect as a position overall regarding fantasy and might be worse than the tight end position in fantasy football. If you don't play fantasy football, just know that’s saying something. d’Arnaud, however, has been absolutely mashing left-handed pitching with an absurd .467 average and a 1.871 OPS (!!). He hasn’t been as good against righties (.217 average), but half of his ten hits have been for extra bases.

He’s a better play in points leagues right now, but if his statcast page continues to look like this, he can certainly hold his own in roto, too – only lacking in steals, really. A great Braves lineup will aid his counting stats.

Eloy Jimenez OF, Chicago White Sox (50% Owned)

This name is no doubt the most controversial on the list. We’ve all been burned by Eloy Jimenez before. Call me a sucker for a post-hype prospect, but this kind of player is one that I always have my eye on – especially the further removed we are from their hype.

I don’t expect him to stay healthy too long, but he’s incredibly interesting currently for a team that needs some pop in the OF slot. Since April 20th, Jimenez has hit safely in six of seven games. He has three home runs in that span – raising his batting average over 100 points. I’d like to see him strike out a bit less, but it seems like he’s heating up. Jimenez’s batting average on balls in play (BABIP) also projects favorably, as it’s nearly 100 points below his career norms, potentially hinting at some positive regression.

Let us remember that not too long ago, this was a prospect spoken of in the same breath as Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Brandon Marsh OF, Philadelphia Phillies (39% Owned)

Brandon Marsh fits the bill as another former top prospect on a heater. Marsh has better batted-ball metrics than Jimenez, and he is hitting the ball hard a ton. On the season, Marsh has a hard-hit ball 60% (!) of the time. He’s also hitting the ball harder than ever, with almost a 94 mph average exit velocity (EV). 

If there is somewhere Brandon Marsh might hurt you, it's in the ‘K’ department. He’s striking out over 30% of the time on the season, so points league players beware. With that said – he has improved in that aspect over the last week or so – striking out just twice in 16 at-bats.

Even though Marsh is batting just .158 against lefties, his season average is still at a more respectable .291.

Luis Garcia Jr. 2B, Washington Nationals (21% Owned)

Luis Garcia Jr. is also hitting the ball exceptionally well. His hard-hit rate of 52.4% is the highest of his career, by far besting his 2023 mark by 16%. In turn, his average EV has gone up two ticks. 

Garcia Jr.’s BABIP is a tad higher than his career norm, but I don’t mind that so much if we consider the improvements in his batted ball metrics. He also won’t hurt you much in the strikeout department, with an average-ish 18.3% rate. 

Notably, Garcia Jr. is halfway to his steal total from last year, albeit in just a fraction of his plate appearances.  An increase in this statistic would provide a modest boost for those in category leagues.

Edouard Julien 2B, Minnesota Twins (53% Owned)

Edouard Julien was on my list of late-round second basemen with upside. When I couldn’t get a solid one early in drafts, Julien was my late-round target. It’s been a mixed bag for him so far in 2024. His statcast page has a nice amount of red to it, but his expected batting average (xBA) isn’t very inspiring. He’s hitting the ball decently well, though, and has a solid 11.8% walk percentage.

Digging deeper only raises more questions. Julien’s xBA is low, but his BABIP is right there with it – very far off what we would normally expect given his minor-league track record. His average should rise with his BABIP, and I think his K-rate will come down a bit as the year goes on. Julien isn’t much of an ‘add’ in category leagues, but he could be a serviceable fill-in for points league players.

Jurickson Profar OF, San Diego Padres (30% Owned) 

Jurickson Profar makes this list as another player that is hitting the ball harder than they ever have previously in their career. Profar is also walking at the highest rate on this list at 14.5% – almost as much as he strikes out (17.3%).

This is perhaps the player that I‘m most skeptical of. It was challenging to find any differences across his 2024 profile in comparison to previous years. One thing I will mention is that Profar is swinging the bat more when pitches are thrown in the zone. He’s also having more success when he swings. Even if it’s only marginal.

I am concerned that his BABIP is sitting in the .330s. Particularly, because he is a career .260 - .280 guy. If this begins to look like it’s going downhill– abort the mission. He’s a contributor while he’s hitting, though.

Deep League Options

Trevor Larnach OF, Minnesota Twins (3% Owned)

If Trevor Larnach qualified for batted ball metrics, he’s right there with the best of the best in all the stats we should care about. If his strikeout rate holds where it is, it will be the first time in his career he’ll be under 30%. Currently, he has dropped that number by an impressive 13 percentage points from 2023.

Rob Refsnyder OF, Boston Red Sox (1% Owned)

While Rob Refsnyder isn’t hitting the ball terribly hard, his xBA and expected slugging (xSLG) are .363 and .570 respectively. Refsnyder has cut his strikeout rate again – at least for now – and he’s hitting off everyone, too – both righties and lefties. It’s only 23 plate appearances, but the numbers look good.

Tyler Stephenson C, Cincinnati Reds (11% Owned)

Tyler Stephenson might be the best addition to your squad on this list if you need help at Catcher. In full disclosure, I added him on two teams just yesterday. Stephenson has raised his EV 4mph, his hard-hit rate nearly 15%, and he’s walking at the highest rate of his career – 13.5%.

Tyler Stephenson gets his 9th home run of the season! pic.twitter.com/bsEW2xiSHl

— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) August 20, 2023 

Pitching/Streaming Options

Yariel Rodriguez RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (15/37% Yahoo/CBS) 

Rodriguez might be pitching a bit over his skis, but I like him as a sneaky grab this week – he has two starts. He’s striking guys out at a 28.8% rate which is a nice bonus in point leagues. Although he had an iffy outing just this past week against Kansas City, they’re much better at home – scoring more than one run per game there as opposed to on the road. They also strike out more on the road.

His second start this week is enticing, though – lined up against a Washington lineup ranking in the bottom four of runs per game.
 

Bailey Falter is another two-start pitching option for Week 5. He has slightly more inspiring underlying metrics than Rodriguez, but not by much. His primary draw this week is his two opponents – the Oakland Athletics and the Colorado Rockies. Both teams rank 23rd or worse in runs per game and strikeouts per game. Falter also had his best start of the season this past Wednesday against a hot Brewer’s squad.

Jameson Taillon RHP, Chicago Cubs (19%39% Yahoo/CBS)

Another solid option for a two-start pitcher this week – notice a theme? While the first two options on this list are more geared toward point leagues, Jameson Taillon is a good bet for both formats, as he’s less likely to hurt you in WHIP and ERA. Taillon is the best pitcher on this list in terms of statcast by far, so don’t be surprised if this is your last chance to get him. 

He has the hardest schedule of the three – toeing the rubber against the Mets and the Brew Crew – but he’s also pitching well for now according to his expected ERA.