Working the Waiver Wire: July 30th

​

  • By Anthony Kates

    Last Updated on July 30, 2025 2:02 am by Anthony Kates | Published: July 30, 2025

    Though we are less than two full weeks into the “second half” of the season (don’t get me started on when the actual second half should start), the stats count and matter. The All Star break is a great time for players to recharge their batteries, assess their first half performances and determine where they need to focus on improving and what to leave alone, so we are focusing on three players who have performed incredibly well since the All Star break ended and taking a look at a potential closer in San Diego, just in case Robert Suarez is indeed traded.

    Matt Shaw – 3B/SS – CHC – 51% rostered (Yahoo)

    To say that Shaw had a poor start to his rookie season would be an understatement.

    Over 62 first half games, Shaw hit .198 with two home runs, 11 doubles, 11 stolen bases and a 45:21 K:BB. He showed some of the skills that made him one of the best prospects in baseball coming into the season: minimal swing and miss, a low strikeout rate, a solid eye at the plate and some speed on the basepaths. But the power failed to show up and the above-average hit tool seemed to be missing.

    Then we hit the All Star break, some downtime for those not participating in the festivities, a time to recharge the batteries, assess the first half and make some adjustments.

    And adjustments are what it seems Shaw has made. In 10 games out of the break, Shaw has looked like a much better hitter at the plate, with a .1245 OPS and a 247 wRC+ over 32 plate appearances so far. He’s hit four home runs, stolen three bases, has a 4:1 K:BB and a .387 batting average. Shaw is making far more contact, whiffing less (he nearly halved his first-half whiff rate), hitting the ball harder and with higher quality, while also pulling the ball far more than he did in the first half.

    He won’t maintain his .387 batting average throughout the entire second half (it’s 40 points higher than his BABIP), but a .290 or higher average with power and speed is on the table. He has the power, speed and average potential to be a top 5 fantasy third baseman over the second half and should be rostered in 100% of leagues.

    Colson Montgomery – 3B/SS – CHW – 19%

    Montgomery’s two big skills are hitting for power and getting on base and, so far, those are two things he has done in the big leagues.

    His .273 batting average is a bit of an anomaly, what with an almost 18% whiff rate and a dreadful 66.9% contact rate, but the power he has displayed (four home runs and two doubles) over just 73 plate appearances is real. Though he was not a big strikeout guy in the lower minors, as he moved up and faced tougher pitching, he saw both his whiff rate and his strikeout rate rise, but there is a world where he has a respectable strikeout rate (like the 25% he has right now), a double digit walk rate but like a .240 batting average.

    He has 30-plus homer upside, but will be limited based on his ability to make contact at the big league level. If he cannot maintain a contact rate of at least 70%, then his overall ability to be a productive fantasy player will be very limited, limiting his usefulness to only the deepest of leagues. He should hit high enough up to generate a decent amount of counting stats, but the White Sox offense could get much worse after the trade deadline, especially if they trade Luis Robert Jr., Andrew Benintendi and/or other veterans (Mike Tauchmann anyone?).

    He should be rostered in 14 team or deeper leagues where you can tolerate a low batting average and plenty of strikeouts, but enjoy the fact he should get on base around 34% of the time and hit for plenty of power and have an open CI or MI position.

    Want to get access to the rest of Anthony’s article? You’ll need to have a FANTASYPASS membership. Click here to learn more and sign up! Premium Access Required

    Come join us at SportsEthos by filling out an application by clicking here
    Click here to join us on Discord!
    Follow us on X by clicking here
    Follow us on Bluesky by clicking here
    Follow Anthony on X at @akfantasybb
    Follow Anthony on Bluesky at @akfantasybb.bsky.social

     

    July 30, 2025, 2:02 am