Cleveland Guardians infielder Angel Genao's underlying metrics make him an intriguing player to target on the waiver wire, especially in deeper fantasy baseball leagues. On the surface, Genao's stats look mediocre at best. In 27 games since his promotion to the majors on August 5, he is slashing .255/.314/.362 with two homers, six RBI, 12 runs, a 6.9% walk rate, a 12.7% strikeout rate, and 92 wRC+. However, a few things stand out as reasons why managers should be optimistic about Genao going forward. First of all, the 92 wRC+ is slightly below league average, but not by much. That could very easily trend upward as he gets more games under his belt. Additionally, his 12.7% strikeout rate reveals that he's seeing the zone well and putting the ball in play. That strikeout rate ranks in the 93rd percentile among MLB batters. Finally, what the box score won't show is that Genao has been producing a very high quality of contact. His 91.0 mph average exit velocity, 52% hard-hit rate, and 33% squared-up rate all rank within the upper echelon of hitters. All of these factors help solidify Genao's case as a late-season waiver wire pickup. He's available in 96% of leagues and has eligibility at second base, third base, and shortstop.

San Francisco Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge has been quite productive at the plate recently. He currently owns a 15-game on-base streak, and during that streak, he has posted a .345/.456/.491 slash line with one home run, 12 RBI, 12 walks, and 16 strikeouts. The power has tailed off a bit, but he's getting more hits, accruing more total bases, and posting a much better K/BB ratio. These latest results have put him back on the fantasy baseball radar as a very intriguing waiver wire target. His streak has also helped his season-long numbers, as he now owns a .810 OPS and 127 wRC+ across 97 games. Eldridge, who has split time at first base and designated hitter, is available to be added in 84% of leagues. He ranks as the #24 first baseman in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.

Athletics infielder Jeff McNeil has delivered an uptick in production lately, making him an intriguing player to target on the waiver wire in deeper fantasy baseball leagues. Since the start of August, he's 38-for-112 (.339) with four homers, seven doubles, 19 RBI, four walks, 12 strikeouts, and five steals. Those numbers are substantially better than his season-long statistics, although his "back of the baseball card" numbers aren't necessarily concerning. This year, he owns a .271/.321/.378 slash line with eight homers, eight steals, 52 RBI, a 6.0% walk rate, an 11.3% strikeout rate, and 89 wRC+. Since the start of August, his slash line and home run total have increased while his strikeout rate has remained relatively constant. Because of his recent improvements at the plate, McNeil is an intriguing fantasy baseball waiver wire target in deeper leagues. He has played mostly first base and second base for the A's, but he also has fantasy eligibility in all three outfield spots. The 34-year-old is currently available to be picked up in 80% of leagues.

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joshua Baez continues to show off his power tool at the major league level. In 22 games since being called up for his MLB debut, Baez is slashing .229/.286/.586 with seven home runs, 15 RBI, a 3.9% walk rate, a 35.1% strikeout rate, and 133 wRC+. The discipline and ball-in-play metrics are worrisome, but his absurd power output has made up for it, especially in fantasy baseball leagues. The only thing to consider is that Baez's 9.1% home run rate is not sustainable long-term, so he'll likely cool off eventually. He had a 7.4% home run rate in Triple-A, and even that proportion was absolutely insane. With that being said, Baez hasn't shown any signs of slowing down lately, so he continues to be a worthwhile waiver wire target. He is available in 73% of leagues and ranks as the #65 outfielder in RotoBaller's rest-of-season rankings.