Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Snag Jonathan India, Landen Roupp, and Nick Kurtz
FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
Jonathan India (2B/3B/OF Royals): Rostered in 36% of Yahoo leagues
Two homers and zero steals through nearly 40 percent of the schedule isn’t what anyone signed up for in drafting India this spring, but here we are. At least India is showing actual positive signs elsewhere. At just 14 percent, he has the lowest strikeout rate of his career. His hard-hit rate is right at his career norm, and both his pull and flyball rates are a little better than usual. It seems to be showing up some in the numbers, too, as he’s hitting .288/.342/.394 in his last 26 games.
It was assumed that leaving Great American Ballpark for Kauffman Stadium would take a toll on India’s power numbers, but India’s homer totals weren’t especially propped up by his old park -- he had 34 homers at home and 29 on the road during his Reds career -- and Kansas City is a great place for singles, doubles and triples. As a leadoff man hitting in front of Bobby Witt Jr. and company, India seemed like a particularly strong bet in runs scored. However, with most of the Kansas City lineup flailing, he has scored a total of 24 times in 56 games, even with his adequate .332 OBP.
Particularly hard to see coming with India was the complete zero in steals. He was 14-for-16 in 119 games two years ago and 13-for-15 last season. Right now, on a team that typically likes to run, he’s 0-for-3, even though his sprint speed stat has held perfectly steady.
If India doesn’t start doing some running, his fantasy ceiling would be pretty limited. Still, there wouldn’t seem to be any reason he can’t steal 8-10 bases the rest of the way. He should keep hitting for average, too, and the Royals lineup as a whole can only improve, especially with Jac Caglianone up and Nick Loftin getting some time. India rates a better bet going forward than several middle infielders being rostered ahead of him, such as Luis Arraez, Xander Bogaerts and Andrés Giménez.
Landen Roupp (SP Giants): Rostered in 25% of Yahoo leagues
Completing six scoreless innings in three of his last four starts has gotten Roupp picked up in a few leagues, but he remains widely available. It just doesn’t seem like that should be the case. Roupp has a 1.39 ERA in six starts since the beginning of May, and while that’s partly fueled by six of the 11 runs he’s allowed being unearned, a 3.06 RA is still plenty good itself. He hasn’t given up more than four runs -- earned or otherwise -- in any start this season.
The concern with Roupp is that he’s probably going to wear down, and he might need to finish the season in relief. After all, he threw only 76 2/3 innings in 2024 season spent partly in the Giants pen. His career high for innings is 107. The Giants will surely let him exceed that, but they’ll be watching for signs of fatigue in the second half.
Until then, this is a pitcher worth banking on. Roupp’s curve is excellent, and all four of his pitches are useful against lefties. He currently has the fourth lowest hard-hit rate of the 109 pitchers to throw at least 50 innings, and while he probably won’t remain quite that high on the leaderboard, it’s easy to see how the movement on his pitches generates an abundance of soft contact. San Francisco also remains a very good situation for pitchers, even though the non-catcher defense is underwhelming. The Giants’ schedule for the next couple of weeks isn’t great, but it really softens up at the end of the month, which should help Roupp maintain some value at least through the All-Star break.
Nick Kurtz (1B Athletics): Rostered in 23% of Yahoo leagues
Although he caught fire in the week before getting hurt, Kurtz was dropped in a bunch of leagues upon going on the injured list with a hip flexor strain last week. It’s a good idea to take advantage as he aims to return to the Athletics lineup Monday against the Angels.
After a slow start to begin his major league career, Kurtz went 7-for-17 with four homers, nine RBI and five walks in the five games leading up to his IL stint, raising his OPS from .558 to .762. The 2024 first-round pick is strikeout prone, but he just crushes the ball with some of very best bat speed numbers in the majors. His 61 balls in play in the majors have produced 29 hard-hit balls, 14 of which topped 105 mph. He’s not doing a great job of pulling his flyballs yet, but when you can launch missiles 415 feet to the opposite field, as Kurtz did for his first big-league homer, it’s not as big of a deal.
Even as a work in progress, Kurtz should offer mixed-league value. It helps that the Athletics’ temporary home, Sutter Health Park, is playing as a top-five ballpark for hitters this season. The A’s can’t pitch, but they have the fifth-best OPS in the majors, and Kurtz, though he’s yet to hit higher than sixth, is going to have plenty of opportunity to drive in runs as he settles into the middle of the lineup.
Waiver Wire Quick Hits
- Tyler O’Neill , on the 10-day IL with a shoulder impingement, is another guy who won’t be out much longer and is currently available in 62 percent of Yahoo leagues. Opening Day aside, he was off to a slow start before going on the injured list, and he’ll most likely get hurt again eventually, but he’s certainly worth rostering while healthy.
- Ryan Gusto doesn’t come with a long-term recommendation, but the Astros righty is slated for home starts against the White Sox and Twins next week, making him an intriguing streaming option.
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