Rotoworld’s Pickups of the Day column is designed to help fantasy managers uncover a handful of widely-available targets over the course of the season. It could be a breakout candidate, a prospect stash, an injury replacement, a pitcher with a favorable matchup or week, a player who is due some better luck, or any other number of scenarios. If there’s value to be found on the waiver wire, we will find it and bring it your way. Today’s edition features a former top prospect getting an opportunity to play everyday in Los Angeles and middle infielder who tweaked his batting stance and is unlocking more power in Pittsburgh.
Jo Adell, OF, Angels
Available in 97 percent of Yahoo leagues
“Rumour Has It” that the season’s final week is finally upon us, but don’t “Set Fire to the Rain” yet! There is still work to do so you can say “Hello” to the championship trophy on Sunday. If you are looking for a cheap source of power, look no further than Jo Adell. The former top prospect returned to the majors on September 19th and is hitting .227/.330/.591 with two homers and three RBI. While there is still plenty of swing and miss in his game, he faces the Rangers and Athletics before the book on the 2024 season is closed. The Rangers, who are hoping to be “Rolling in the Deep” of a playoff run, are going with Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, and Dane Dunning. While Dunning’s season-long line is pretty good (3.88 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 11 wins), it has been a bumpy road for the 28-year-old as of late. The Athletics have been “Chasing Pavements” the entire season and are running with Joe Boyle, JP Sears, and Paul Blackburn, which should make many fantasy managers nervous to start their hitters against. With most of the Angels outfielders on the injured list, he should see plenty of playing time this week and would be an excellent pickup for the final stretch.
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Jared Triolo, 2B, 3B, SS, Pirates
Available in 95 percent of Yahoo leagues
Triolo was selected 72nd overall in the 2019 daft by the Pirates and slowly worked his way through the Pirates system before debuting this summer. Coming up through the minors, the 25-year-old was known more for his above-average glove to go along with an average hit tool. During his first stint in the majors when Ke’Bryan Hayes was on the injured list, Triolo hit .273/.350/.314 with an atrocious .041 ISO across 137 plate appearances. After he was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on August 15th, the versatile infielder worked on adding more power to his game and changed the way he set up at the plate. All the changes he made were documented by Pirates MLB beat reporter Justice delos Santos, and I highly recommend checking out this fantastic article. Since returning to the majors on September 9th, Triolo has popped two homers and improved his barrel rate from 2.5 percent to 19.2 percent! The Pirates face the Phillies in Philadelphia and then return home to battle the Marlins in the season’s final series. If you are looking to add power and batting average, Triolo might be just the guy you are looking for.
