Welcome to Pickup of the Day, where every weekday we’ll pick an under-the-radar player whose immediate value is on the rise. The idea here is to identify a starter who can give you some solid innings off the scrap heap, a talented backup who’s been given a chance because of a starter’s injury, an unheralded regular with a favorable matchup, or a potential breakout player who’s starting to put it together. Unlike regular waiver-wire advice, Pickup of the Day is geared more towards interim success, but hopefully we’ll have the intuition to help you snag a waiver-wire gem a few times this season.
It’s been a revolving door with the Blue Jays’ closer job this season, as it’s gone from Brett Cecil to Miguel Castro and back to Cecil and now Cecil has been bumped from the role yet again. Toronto manager John Gibbons wouldn’t officially anoint anyone as his new ninth-inning man, but the guy to get the first crack at the gig is expected to be Roberto Osuna. The rookie earned his first career save on Monday with two scoreless frames in a win over the Rays. Osuna boasts a 2.12 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 40/10 K/BB ratio over 34 innings this season, as he’s been the club’s most reliable reliever.
