Waiver Wire: American League

Short American League Waiver Wire this week. Not really a lot going on, and not really a lot of notable guys. Hopefully next week will be better.

Chris Carter | BOS | OF – I was asked by a couple of Red Sox fans to talk about Carter, so here you go. Carter has put up some impressive numbers in the minors. His contact rate has consistently been in the high 80s and his walk rates have ranged from 9% to 13%. He hit 18% line drives in AAA last year and 24% this year. He shows good contact hitting promise. He also has some power, showing a 16% HR/FB last year and 15% HR/FB this year. Unfortunately, he doesn’t really have anywhere to play in Boston right now. He should get called up in September, but he doesn’t figure to be much of a fantasy option because of his lack of at-bats.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Can be strongly considered in 14-team AL-only leagues.

Ervin Santana | LAA | SP – Santana is back in Anaheim, but he isn’t the best pickup. He might be able to get a couple of wins and a decent amount of strikeouts, but his ERA and WHIP don’t figure to be very good. Still, in his two starts since being recalled, he has a 9/1 K/BB ratio in 12.1 innings. Watch him carefully; I don’t see him keeping up very good peripherals.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team AL-only leagues.

Jon Lester | BOS | SP – Demoted to Double A, but Lester is expected to be back in a couple of weeks. Still, he isn’t very good and loses a little value, but he shouldn’t be dropped in any leagues you were reasonably owning him in.

Julian Tavarez | BOS | SP – Could get lucky and pick up a win while Lester is in the minors, but Tavarez really isn’t that good. If you’re absolutely desperate, you can give him a try.
Recommendation – Should be avoided in mixed leagues. Should be considered in 14-team AL-only leagues.

Clay Buchholz | BOS | SP – The Lester demotion shows that the Red Sox don’t have complete confidence in him, raising Buchholz’s value a little bit. He can be stashed in deeper leagues in case he gets some starts in September.
Recommendation – Should be owned in 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team AL-only leagues.

Josh Fields | CHW | 3B – Batting average won’t be very good, but — as we went over last week — he has some power. Has been batting second lately, so he could also score some runs.
Recommendation – Should be considered in 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 12 and 14-team AL-only leagues.

Jason Bartlett | MIN | SS – Back from the DL, Bartlett is a useful middle infielder. Batting average should increase as his BABIP does, but don’t expect better than a .280 average. He should help out with steals and runs.
Recommendation – Should be considered in deep 10 and owned in 12 and 14-team mixed leagues. Should be owned in 10, 12, and 14-team AL-only leagues.