Waiver wire: Brewers ace finally returns to the mound

On the mound in Miami on Sunday, it sure seemed like it was 2021 all over again for the Milwaukee Brewers rotation.

Brandon Woodruff, the No. 5 finisher in National League Cy Young Award balloting and the No. 18 overall player in terms of fantasy points during said 2021 campaign, returned from October 2023 surgery with a flourish. He scored 24 fantasy points, his most since Sept. 11, 2023, completing six innings on 70 pitches.

That's not to say that everything was back to vintage form for Woodruff, as his 93.3-mph average fastball velocity was his lowest in any single start in seven years, but he enjoyed plenty of success with the pitch nevertheless, generating four swings-and-misses (a 33.3% whiff rate) and five of his eight strikeouts on the day with the pitch. Woodruff earned good marks on three of his primary offerings (four-seam fastball, sinker and changeup), and he added a quality cutter to the mix, with the sum of the whole generating 80.0% first-pitch strike, 61.4% zone and 29.4% whiff rates.

As Woodruff works himself back to full strength and boosts his pitch count closer to 90-95 in the coming weeks, he could have top-25 fantasy starting pitcher value during the season's second half. Based on his track record, which during his 2019-23 peak saw him post the fifth-best WHIP (1.02) and average the sixth-most fantasy points per start (14.9) and ninth-best K rate (30.0%), among pitchers with at least 75 starts, he's well worth the pickup in the 54.7% of ESPN leagues in which he remains available.

Also consider adding...

Jurickson Profar, OF, Atlanta Braves: He was mentioned in this space last week and remains widely available (63.2% of leagues) despite his having hit .286 (6-for-21) with two home runs across his first five games since returning from suspension -- all of them coming from one of the top five spots in the Braves lineup. In ESPN standard points leagues, he's an effective must-add.

Cam Smith, 3B/OF, Houston Astros (available in 73.4%): His statistical returns for the first two months were pretty ordinary, but across his last 26 games, Smith has significantly picked up the pace, batting .349/.389/.547 with four home runs, 21 RBI and 18 runs scored to emerge as a middle-of-the-order hitter for the Astros. He has done that, in part, thanks to a more aggressive approach at the plate, swinging at 57% of the pitches (including 36% outside the strike zone) he has seen during that time span, up from 45% (and 25%). Still, Smith seems to be making it work.

Rotisserie-style players to add

Ronny Henriquez, RP, Miami Marlins (available in 90.4%): Similarly mentioned here last week, the Marlins have significantly picked up the pace across the past four-plus weeks, winning 16 of their past 24 games. That means more save opportunities for the closer, and Henriquez appears to be emerging during that time as a singular choice for the role. He has retired every one of the last 13 batters he has faced, striking out six. He has four of the team's six saves as well as a 1.13 ERA and 50.0% K rate across his last eight appearances. Between his 96.4-mph fastball and 46% whiff rate sweeper, he has the skills to contribute saves regularly to fantasy teams.

Ceddanne Rafaela, OF/SS, Boston Red Sox (available in 82.8%): While much of the attention to Boston's youngsters has been focused on top prospects like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, Rafaela has settled in nicely as a consistent contributor for the team. He's a .333/.356/.754 hitter with five home runs, 12 RBI and 13 stolen bases over his last 15 games. Perhaps most importantly, he has developed into one of the game's best defensive center fielders, solidifying his playing time. That can only pad his plate appearance total considering he's a bottom-of-the-lineup hitter.

Two-start pitcher to add

Brady Singer, SP, Cincinnati Reds (available in 64.6%): He should be plenty rested for his pair of starts this week, after having his turn last Tuesday shortened by rain. Singer starts both games at home, against the "hot, but still below-average" Marlins bats and the "simply terrible" Rockies offense. And, while his home venue (Great American Ball Park) is one of the game's most hitter-friendly environments, he has been significantly more productive there than on the road this season, with an ERA more than six-tenths of a run lower, a wOBA 26 points lower and strikeout rate more than four percentage points higher than in his road games.

Deeper-league pickups

Cameron Schlittler, SP, New York Yankees (available in 100%): The news that Clarke Schmidt will likely require Tommy John surgery is devastating for the Yankees rotation, which has now lost three-fifths of its originally projected members (Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, Schmidt). It has pressed them to promote one of their hottest minor-league pitching prospects, Schlittler, who has a 2.77 ERA and a 34.4% K rate across his last eight starts between Double-A Somerset (3) and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (5). He's sporting a pro career-best 8.4% walk rate for the season, and is well worth a speculative pickup given the new opportunity.

Joe Boyle, SP, Tampa Bay Rays (available in 94.8%): Speaking of improved control, Boyle's walk rate across his 13 appearances between a pair of MLB stints was 9.7% -- well beneath the 16.8% career rate he has posted overall as a professional. That played a big part in his weekend promotion. While he doesn't currently have a firm rotation spot with the Rays, the fact that he pitched well as a piggyback to Drew Rasmussen on Sunday bodes well for him receiving further starts or bulk relief opportunities. A pitcher with his raw stuff should be rostered in all AL-only and 15-plus-team mixed leagues.

Trevor Rogers, SP, Baltimore Orioles (available in 79.4%): Though initially recalled as more of a short term fill-in than something greater, Rogers has emerged as a reliable rotation member for the Orioles, posting a 0.90 ERA (and backed by a respectable 2.99 FIP) over his last three starts. He has added quite a bit of velocity to his fastball this season, averaging 93.3 mph with the pitch (after 91.9 last year), and is generating elite whiff rates with his breaking pitches (slider and sweeper). Rogers' staying power appears much greater now than it has at any previous point in this Orioles career, and he's now nearly on the standard mixed radar.