Todd Frazier 1B/3B/OF, Reds
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 21 percent owned, ESPN: 27.4 percent)
Seriously, what else does this guy have to do to be owned in the majority of mixed leagues? Frazier has hit safely in six straight games, five of them multi-hit performances, and is now batting .286/.343/.541 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI on the year. Rookie of the Year, anyone? As I noted on Twitter on Wednesday night, his .884 OPS is higher than Albert Pujols, Mark Teixiera, Jason Heyward and teammate Jay Bruce, just to name a few. It might not be an issue for a couple of weeks, but let's hope Reds manager Dusty Baker finally breaks from his veteran fixation and gives Frazier regular starts at third base over Scott Rolen when Joey Votto returns from the disabled list. Fingers crossed.
Dale Thayer RP, Padres
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 18 percent owned, ESPN: 23.2 percent)
Huston Street suffered a strained left calf while trying to cover first base last Friday and is expected to be out until September. The Padres haven't named an official replacement at closer, but Luke Gregerson got one out in the eighth inning against the Braves on Monday night before Thayer tossed a scoreless ninth to notch the save. Thayer went 5-for-5 in save chances in May while Street was on the disabled list with a lat strain, so he looks like the one to own here, even though Gregerson is the superior pitcher. Hey, that's just the way it goes sometimes.
Brandon Belt 1B/OF, Giants
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 18 percent owned, ESPN: 14.7 percent)
The last time I mentioned Belt in Waiver Wired on June 21, he had homered in three straight games. The bad news is that he has only homered once since that day, but his bat is at least showing some signs of life recently. The 24-year-old is hitting a cool .450 (18-for-40) with five doubles, one triple and four RBI this month. I'm not exactly holding my breath here, but given his patience, he deserves a shot out of the No. 2 spot in the lineup. Either way, he's worth consideration in mixed leagues with a CI (corner infielder) spot.
Jon Jay OF, Cardinals
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 23 percent owned, ESPN: 32 percent)
Jay may have heard the whispers that the Cardinals were considering calling up top prospect outfielder Oscar Taveras. The 27-year-old batted .531 (17-for-32) during an eight-game hitting streak which came to an end on Wednesday night. His recent surge has led to Cardinals manager Mike Matheny using him out of the leadoff spot, which is an excellent development for his fantasy value moving forward. Jay isn't going to help much in the power department, but he has some speed and is a .302 career hitter in the big leagues. He's a decent alternative if you were forced to drop Melky Cabrera on Wednesday.
Yonder Alonso 1B/OF, Padres
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 19 percent owned, ESPN: 11.8 percent)
Alonso's numbers aren't that impressive on the surface this season, but he's hitting .301 with three home runs, 11 doubles, 19 RBI and an .811 OPS in 30 games since the All-Star break. That's a pretty big improvement from the first half, where he batted just .263 with three home runs, 23 RBI and a .706 OPS in 83 games. The 25-year-old first baseman may not help much in the power department, especially playing his home games in a stadium which kills left-handed power, but he should be able to maintain a decent batting average and drive in a bunch of runs out of the fifth spot in the batting order. He's a decent enough option if you need to fill a CI (corner infielder) spot.
Alex Cobb SP, Rays
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 17 percent owned, ESPN: 27.8 percent)
The Rays are going to have a tough decision to make when Jeff Niemann is ready to return from a fractured leg. Cobb has allowed one run over seven innings in each of his last three starts and now owns a 4.08 ERA and 67/28 K/BB ratio over 90 1/3 innings. The 24-year-old right-hander has allowed just four home runs all season while posting an outstanding 58.5 percent ground ball rate. Things could get complicated when Niemann returns later this month, but Cobb is at least worth using for upcoming starts against the Angels and Athletics.
Rajai Davis OF, Blue Jays
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 24 percent owned, ESPN: 43.2 percent)
Davis continues to go overlooked in most fantasy leagues despite ranking second in the majors with 35 stolen bases. The 31-year-old speedster has been a staple in Toronto's starting lineup over the past few weeks and has batted leadoff in 10 straight games. Davis figures to lose some playing time once Jose Bautista is able to return from wrist inflammation, but we're still likely a week or two away from that situation coming to a head. His speed should continue to come in handy in most formats, anyway.
Ruben Tejada 2B/SS, Mets
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 18 percent owned, ESPN: 28.2 percent)
While the Mets have faded in a big way since the All-Star break, Tejada has managed to remain productive. The 22-year-old hasn't been as patient as his first two seasons in the big leagues, but he has hit safely in 37 out of 45 games since returning from the disabled list on June 24 and is batting .320 overall. Tejada doesn't hit for power and isn't a threat to steal, so he doesn't do enough to justify a spot in shallow mixed leagues, but he's a pretty safe option if you need to fill a MI (middle infielder) spot.
Andy Dirks OF, Tigers
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 7 percent owned, ESPN: 9.1 percent)
It looks like Dirks has picked up from where he left off in May. After missing two months due to a strained right Achilles tendon, the 26-year-old outfielder is hitting .366 (15-for-41) with one home run, five doubles, seven RBI and nine runs scored over 12 games this month. He has batted second in five out of his last seven starts, which is a pretty nice place to be with Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder right behind him. Dirks isn't going to excel in any one category and he could sit occasionally as Quintin Berry and Brennan Boesch are mixed into the lineup, but he makes for a pretty cheap replacement for Melky Cabrera in deeper leagues.
Hisashi Iwakuma RP/SP, Mariners
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 4 percent owned, ESPN: 2.1 percent)
Iwakuma hasn't received much attention, likely because he plays for a last-place team on the West Coast, but he has pitched quite well since moving into the starting rotation. While the 31-year-old right-hander has an underwhelming 4.14 ERA and 1.37 WHIP during his first year stateside, he has a 3.73 ERA and 35/16 K/BB ratio in 41 innings across seven starts. I'm a bit concerned with his penchant for the long ball (he has allowed one home run in each of his last 10 appearances), but he makes for an excellent streaming option for upcoming home starts against the Twins and Indians.
Yasmani Grandal C, Padres
MIXED LEAGUES
(Yahoo: 9 percent owned, ESPN: 1.5 percent)
Grandal was a waiver wire sensation after hitting home runs from both sides of the plate in his second major league game on June 30, but a strained oblique on July 30 caused him to be dropped in many mixed leagues. The good news is that the 23-year-old backstop began a minor league rehab assignment with High-A Lake Elsinore on Wednesday and could rejoin the Padres as soon as this weekend. He should be able to help in most formats the rest of the way, so it would be wise to stash him away before somebody else beats you to it.
Rob Brantly C, Marlins
NL ONLY
(Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)
Acquired from the Tigers as part of the deal that sent Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante to Detroit, Brantly was called up from Triple-A New Orleans week and is expected to get semi-regular playing time down the stretch alongside the disappointing John Buck. The 23-year-old backstop is a .280/.336/.392 hitter over parts of three seasons in the minors. He lacks patience at the plate, but has some pop and a knack for making contact. The Marlins didn't call him up to sit him on the bench, so he's at least worth grabbing in two-catcher formats.
Tyler Greene 2B/SS/OF, Astros
NL ONLY
(Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0.6 percent)
Greene ran out of chances with the Cardinals, but Astros manager Jeff Luhnow was happy to take him off their hands last week, acquiring him for a player to be named later. Luhnow ran the Cardinals' farm system prior to coming to the Astros and selected Greene 30th overall in the 2005 draft, so he's well acquainted with the 28-year-old infielder. Greene owns a .224/.297/.340 batting line over 575 plate appearances in the majors, so he's been a pretty big disappointment until this point, but he has enough pop and speed to remain interesting. With Jed Lowrie still sidelined due to a nerve issue in his right leg, he should get a chance to prove what he can do.
Gregor Blanco OF, Giants
NL ONLY
(Yahoo: 2 percent owned, ESPN: 2 percent)
Blanco was pushed to the bench after last month's acquisition of Hunter Pence, but he should get most of the playing time in left field now that Melky Cabrera will miss the rest of the season after testing positive for Testosterone. The 28-year-old started the season red-hot, but now owns a mediocre .236/.331/.346 batting line and a .677 OPS. On the bright side, he is 19-for-22 in stolen base attempts, so he should have fantasy value the rest of the way. It's just hard to get excited about him outside of NL-only leagues.
Fernando Martinez OF, Astros
NL ONLY
(Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)
Martinez was called up last week following the demotion of team RBI leader J.D. Martinez. Aside from a concussion in June, the former top prospect has managed to remain healthy and productive this season, batting .314/.367/.507 with 13 home runs and an .875 OPS in 373 plate appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City. If you include his limited time in the majors this season, he has already appeared in more games than in any of his other previous six pro seasons. Still only 23 years old, he's worth owning down the stretch as the Astros evaluate whether he'll be part of the future.
Brent Lillibridge 1B/3B/OF, Indians
AL ONLY
(Yahoo: 1 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)
After functioning as a spare part with both the White Sox and Red Sox this season, Lillibridge has landed in a pretty good spot with the Indians. The 28-year-old utility man has already made starts at second base, shortstop, third base and left field while collecting two homers, two doubles, three RBI, two stolen bases and nine runs scored in 14 games. Lillibridge managed 13 home runs and 10 stolen bases in just 97 games with the White Sox last year, so he could surprise if he continues to get chances.
Justin Smoak 1B, Mariners
AL ONLY
(Yahoo: 7 percent owned, ESPN: 3.1 percent)
Smoak was demoted to the minors late last month after hitting just .189 with a .573 OPS over his first 90 games this season. The former top prospect wasn't much better during his time with Triple-A Tacoma, batting .242 (16-for-66) with zero homers and a .754 OPS over 20 games, but the Mariners were forced to bring him back up this week after Mike Carp was placed on the disabled list with a hip injury. Smoak is clearly running out of chances in Seattle, so this recommendation doesn't come with much enthusiasm, but there's a pretty good chance he'll run into a few home runs down the stretch. He's worth a look if he was dropped.
Ryan Lavarnway UTIL, Red Sox
AL ONLY
(Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)
I mentioned Lavarnway in Waiver Wired back on July 19 as Kelly Shoppach was mentioned in some trade rumors. Shoppach ended up staying with the Red Sox past the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, but he was dealt to the Mets this week after being claimed on waivers. It was a necessary move for the Red Sox, who plan to evaluate Lavarnway over the next six weeks as they look toward 2013. The 25-year-old may not stick behind the plate in the long-term, but he has enough pop to be interesting in AL-only formats right now.
Josh Donaldson C/3B, Athletics
AL ONLY
(Yahoo: 0 percent owned, ESPN: 0 percent)
Brandon Inge was placed on the disabled list this week with a dislocated right shoulder. The A's are hopeful that he'll be ready to return right around when he's eligible, but Donaldson will hold down the starting third base job for now. The 26-year-old stumbled both offensively and defensively at the hot corner with the A's earlier this year, but he batted .335/.402/.598 with 13 homers and a 1.000 OPS in 51 games after his demotion to Triple-A Sacramento. Granted, those numbers were accomplished in the Pacific Coast League, but Donaldson won't have to do much to improve on his .173/.187/.279 batting line. He went 2-for-4 with a solo homer on Wednesday night against the Royals, so he's already off to a pretty good start in that regard. His eligibility at catcher could come in handy in the short-term.