Drew Rasmussen nearly did something that hasn't been done since Felix Hernandez was still at the height of his powers 10 years ago.
But even if he had completed the perfect game Sunday against the Orioles and not allowed that hit to Jorge Mateo to lead off the ninth, it wouldn't have moved the needle much in Fantasy. Rasmussen is already rostered in a fair number of leagues, and it's more likely this (almost) historic start will be remembered as a confluence of unlikely events rather than the start of something more.
In fact, there's another pitching performance from this weekend that I think deserves a bigger response on the waiver wire. Make that three if I'm allowed to include Reid Detmers and Alex Wood, but because they're already rostered in 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues, it's better for me to mention them in passing.
Possible waiver wire pickups
You could argue Singer's start Sunday was even more impressive than Drew Rasmussen's flirtation with a perfect game. It came against the Dodgers, after all, putting an end to their 12-game winning streak. Singer allowed just one hit to that offensive juggernaut while notching a season-high 19 swinging strikes. It wasn't a completely isolated incident either given that he has a 1.99 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 9.7 K/9 over his past seven starts. His 3.35 xFIP would rank 11th among qualifiers -- ahead of both Sandy Alcantara and Justin Verlander, actually -- which should lend credence to the whole thing. By the looks of it, the former prospect is finally rounding into form.
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OK, so Rasmussen threw eight perfect innings Sunday before a hit and a couple of wild pitches forced him out in the ninth. A performance like that will rightfully draw some looks on the waiver wire, especially since it lowered his ERA to 2.80 and his WHIP to 1.08. He's useful enough, especially in leagues where you can take advantage of his relief pitcher eligibility, but I'd argue he's not the highest-priority pickup. As good as Sunday's start was, he allowed eight hard-hit balls, according to Statcast, which is a lot. All of his ERA estimators, especially the 4.05 xERA, would suggest he's no stranger to good luck. One reason may be that the Rays pull him so early from games, but that's its own problem. Sunday's start was only his fifth of six innings or more.
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It sounds like the Yankees are preparing to move Chapman back to the role that might one day land him in the Hall of Fame. He's pitched like a closer recently, making nine straight scoreless appearances while striking out 10, and Clay Holmes certainly has not, blowing three saves in his past five appearances. Manager Aaron Boone has been noncommittal, only saying that he would "mix and match," and he did turn to Scott Effross in the ninth Saturday, having Chapman record the previous four outs. Given Chapman's long history in the closer role, though, it seems only a matter of time before he settles into it now that he's back to form and his replacement is back down to earth.
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Are you tired of reading about Pasquantino? Well, I'm tired of writing about him. Why don't you make it so I don't have to? As of now, he's still available in roughly one-third of CBS Sports leagues, which makes him the most under-rostered player in my eyes, especially now that he's begun to perform up to his expected stats. His 3-for-4 performance Sunday, which included a home run and double, makes him 16 for 45 (.356) so far in August with four home runs and four doubles. The plate discipline remains stellar, the exit velocities elite, and the way things are shaping up, the production is no longer theoretical. My hunch is the 24-year-old rookie becomes a must-start player moving forward, so now may be your last chance to scoop him up.
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What an impressive first five games for the Braves' latest 21-year-old promoted directly from Double-A. Granted, most clubs wouldn't have even one of those, but it worked out so well with Michael Harris that the Braves are trying for two. And who can doubt them at this point? Grissom homered and stole a base in his debut Thursday, then homered again Saturday, then reached base four times Sunday, including twice on walks. The athleticism is apparent, but it's the contact skills that stood out most in the minors, where he struck out just 12.2 percent of the time this year. At this point, why even worry about what happens when Ozzie Albies returns? Grissom is already flashing five-category potential, so just go with it.
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Grisham was a preseason bust pick for me, and as much as I'd like to continue with my victory lap, I can't help but observe that his roster rate has plummeted to the point of making him interesting again. He's been showing signs of life recently, homering twice over the weekend to make him 11 for 40 (.275) with five homers, one stolen base and a 1.096 OPS in August. My concerns for him had to do with how his modest exit velocities would play with the new baseball, and it turns out not well. He has genuinely impacted the ball harder lately, though, with an average exit velocity of 91.4 mph since mid-July compared to 87.3 mph for the season. I'm skeptical it can continue, but his speed and on-base skills make him worth using for however long it does.
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There's probably nothing to this Meneses guy, who was kicking around the minors until age 30, with layovers in Mexico and Japan. Still, whenever someone homers five times in his first 10 games, you have to sit up and take notice. He had 20 homers in 96 games at Triple-A, after all, so he knows how to impact a baseball. Overall, his performance down there was more respectable than dominant, which isn't so reassuring given his advanced age, but sometimes all it takes is being in the right place at the right time. Consider the impact Frank Schwindel and Connor Joe made down the stretch last year. Shoot, Luke Voit and Adolis Garcia were relative nobodies who became mainstays in their late 20s. Given the state of the Nationals lineup, Meneses will keep getting chances as long as he hits.
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The presumption when the Nationals lost Tanner Rainey for the year was that Kyle Finnegan would step into the closer role, and he did record the team's first three saves thereafter. But Carl Edwards has recorded the past two, including one Saturday, and in both instances, Finnegan helped set up for him. So is Edwards the closer now? Well, he does have a lower ERA than Finnegan and has been more of a bat-misser in his past. Not so much this year. As bad as the Nationals are, any amount of mixing and matching at the end of games could make the juice not worth the squeeze, but at this point, Edwards should be rostered in more than just 1 percent of leagues.
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