Working the Waiver Wire: June 28

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  • By Larry Vannozzi

    This week, I have two starting pitchers, a slugging first baseman and an outfielder for you. They’re all playing well, have decent upcoming schedules and could be readily available on your waiver wire. Let’s go!

    * Note: Although all listed roster percentages are from Yahoo, at the time of the writing of this article, most of our waiver wire recommendations are widely available across all major platforms. *

    Tatsuya Imai – SP – Rockies – 45%

    Imai is a tough guy to figure out but here’s one thing that is easy: you need to claim him ASAP!

    Maybe you saw him strikeout 11 Guardians on June 19 but shrugged your shoulders because that great game followed his previous start in which he failed to complete the first inning. Fine, that’s understandable. However, he was even better late this week when he struck out 10 more batters in six shutout innings against the Tigers. What?!?! Yes, that’s 21 strikeouts in 12 innings!

    Imai’s performance has been volatile. He has actually failed to complete the first inning TWICE already this year. That’s sick – and not in a good way. Overall, his 5.36 ERA and 1.32 WHIP do not inspire fantasy managers, nor does his poor control (12.4% walk percentage). But, can you possibly leave a guy on the wire who racked up 21 Ks in his last 12 innings (58 in 47 innings so far this year)? No, you can’t.

    Imai faces the Twins next week. Their hitters haven’t been as bad as feared this year (they’re actually ninth in team OPS over the past 30 days) but you simply must grab Imai RIGHT NOW to see if he can keep piling up the strikeouts. Just be aware that if you check out Imai’s house on Zillow, you’ll see that it has a high ceiling… and an awfully low floor.

     

    Brandon Sproat – SP – Brewers – 7%

    What?!?! I’m recommending another starter with ratios as poor as Imai’s? Yes I am.

    Sproat’s numbers are remarkably close to Imai’s as he has a 5.43 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. Wait! Don’t skip to the next guy – please hear me out!

    The rookie and former Met has had a few attention-grabbing starts this year but has otherwise underwhelmed. In 15 games (13 starts), he is 2-4 with spotty control at best (10.8% walk rate). He also has a home run problem as he has allowed 13 dingers in 69.2 innings.

    So why do I recommend Sproat? Well, he is coming off his best start of the year after he tossed six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts against the Reds on June 23. Over his past three starts, Sproat has 19 strikeouts across 15.2 innings including two games in some of the worst stadiums for pitchers – Great American Ballpark and Sacramento’s Triple-A stadium.

    Sproat’s schedule is another reason why he should be on your team. He has two starts next week and, in some case, just the volume alone makes him a good pickup. But get this – he has a rematch with the same Reds team that he recently dominated (this time at home instead of Cincy) and then faces the Diamondbacks next weekend. In case you’re unaware, the D-backs are really struggling and have MLB’s worst team OPS over the past 30 days.

    I can’t possibly resist his rematch with the Reds. Assuming that outing goes well, he is definitely a keeper when the Brewers travel to Arizona.

     


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    June 28, 2026, 8:00 am