It’s the final week before Major League Baseball heads into the All-Star break. For those who want to head into the break on a good note, we’ve assembled a list of five fantasy baseball pitchers to consider target on the waiver wire as Week 15 approaches, starting with a lefty who’s been on a roll as of late.
Andrew Heaney
We’ll start our Week 15 pitchers list with Rangers starter Andrew Heaney. Amidst numerous injuries to their rotation, the Rangers need to rely on Heaney, who can strike batters out at will but owned a 1.38 WHIP in 2023. In 2024, Heaney’s lowered the WHIP to 1.24 and his past two months have been strong. The lefty struck out 39 over 34.1 IP in June, posted a 3.41 ERA, and threw 5.1 scoreless frames on July 6 against the Rays.
Heaney doesn’t walk many (6.0% BB%), although it was a problem last season. What was a bigger problem last season was Heaney leaving too many breaking balls and fastball middle-middle. Thus far, Heaney’s been better in that regard.
Yimi Garcia
Two players currently on the IL make this list, starting with Yimi Garcia. Garcia made a rehab outing with Buffalo (AAA) on July 6, as he struck out two over a scoreless inning. It was his first outing in a game since June 16 against the Guardians. Earlier this week, Sportsnet reported that Garcia was thinking he’ll need a couple of rehab outings before being ready for MLB action.
It’s worth noting that Jays closer Jordan Romano recently underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery and is expected to be out for at least six weeks. Chad Green has been Toronto’s main closer in the interim but Garcia should move into that role when he ultimately comes back. Garcia has five saves to his name this season.
Tyler Mahle
The other notable pitcher on the way back is Tyler Mahle. Mahle, who signed with the Rangers in the winter, made his first rehab outing of the year on July 2 in Round Rock (AAA), one that saw him strike out one and throw two scoreless innings. It marked the first step in Mahle’s recovery, as the 29-year-old missed all of 2024 to this point due to Tommy John surgery recovery. He hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since April 27, 2023.
Mahle didn’t make our list of top five IL stashes for the second half, simply because there’s a lot of talent sitting among injured pitchers. However, fantasy owners shouldn’t neglect Mahle. When healthy, the Rangers right-hander sports a hard fastball that sits in the mid-90s with carry, a pitch he used to induce many whiffs with both Cincinnati and Minnesota. He’ll complement it with a slider and changeup.
Frankie Montas
It’s been an odd season for Frankie Montas, as the Reds righty’s had his good starts and some poor ones. It’s resulted in a 1.32 WHIP and his lowest Whiff% (22.5%) in a season since 2018. Still, his start against his former team, the Yankees, on July 4 is a reason why Montas still can be a fantasy factor. Montas fought off trouble, struck out four, and threw five fine innings en route to his fourth win of 2024.
Montas is worth a spot start this upcoming week, as he and the Reds will face the Colorado Rockies on July 9. He’s not the only Reds starter this week with sleeper intrigue, as Carson Spiers will follow Montas on the 10th. But if we had to choose one of the two, we’d go with Montas, who threw seven scoreless frames in Coors Field on June 4.
Drew Thorpe
We’ll end our Week 15 pitching waiver wire target list with Drew Thorpe. When the White Sox promoted Thorpe, scouting reports and video indicated that the righty owned a plus changeup — and he’s used it to success at the MLB level. Opposing hitters are batting .132 off the pitch, along with a 41.7% Whiff%. He only has 18 strikeouts over 26.2 IP but his changeup has been getting him most of his whiffs and netting him success. Thorpe owns a 3.71 ERA on the year.
It’s wise not to expect many wins — even though he picked three in his first five starts — from Thorpe for obvious reasons. That dampens his value somewhat but for those with few options available on the waiver wire, Thorpe is worth a look in both mixed and AL-only leagues. The 23-year-old is a savvy pitcher, one who doesn’t rely on velocity but rather on strike zone control and changing speeds.