OTW 264 - FAAB #23; August 23, 2026

On The Wire

Adam Howe and Kevin Hastings return after a three-week hiatus to catch up on a backlog of injuries and roster moves across the league, headlined by Kade Anderson's MLB debut for Seattle. The bulk of the episode covers hitter and pitcher FAAB targets by category, with an especially long look at closer/bullpen chaos in Kansas City, Chicago, Arizona, and beyond. Kevin closes with a stretch-run pep talk: with five weeks left, it's time to take on more risk if you're chasing, and to protect ratios if you're not.

Welcome and News (0:00:00–0:20:00)

Cardinals lose two more starters to the IL as Hunter Dobbins and Andre Pallante both hit injured list
Players Discussed: Hunter Dobbins, Andre Pallante, Michael McGreevy, Quinn Mathews, Kyle Leahy, Matthew Liberatore

Kyle Leahy could see shortened outings and skipped starts down the stretch as innings are managed
Players Discussed: Kyle Leahy

Yankees get Carlos Rodón back, but Max Fried hits IL and Ryan Weathers deals with forearm discomfort ahead of doubleheader
Players Discussed: Carlos Rodón, Max Fried, Ryan Weathers, Elmer Rodríguez, Will Warren, Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole

Ryan McMahon hits IL with thumb sprain, Max Schuemann recalled as José Caballero sees increased playing time
Players Discussed: Ryan McMahon, Max Schuemann, José Caballero, Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario, Alí Sánchez

Giancarlo Stanton suffers rehab setback and is likely done for the season, Aaron Judge unlikely to have fantasy impact in 2026
Players Discussed: Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge

Dodgers lose Andy Pages for the rest of the season, recall Alek Thomas to fill in at center field
Players Discussed: Andy Pages, Alek Thomas, Tommy Edman, Alex Call, Kyle Tucker, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman

Athletics lose Jacob Wilson to the IL again, Donovan Walton and Carlos Cortes set to benefit from a soft home schedule
Players Discussed: Jacob Wilson, Donovan Walton, Carlos Cortes, Zach Gelof, Nick Kurtz

Diamondbacks place Ketel Marte on the IL with knee inflammation after a bizarre restricted-list saga, Ildemaro Vargas picking up playing time
Players Discussed: Ketel Marte, Ildemaro Vargas, Ryan Waldschmidt

Jordan Lawlar playing everyday in center field for Arizona since returning from the IL, though a Saturday benching raises a flag
Players Discussed: Jordan Lawlar, Ryan Waldschmidt

More News (0:20:00–0:35:00)

Kade Anderson makes his MLB debut for the Mariners and is expected to stick for the rest of the season
Players Discussed: Kade Anderson, Alex Bregman, Michael Busch

Orioles get Samuel Basallo back from the IL, but Carlos Narváez still holding down the majority of catching duties versus lefties
Players Discussed: Samuel Basallo, Carlos Narváez

Jorge Polanco to have season-ending ankle surgery for the Mets
Players Discussed: Jorge Polanco

Maikel Garcia hits the IL again with a hamstring injury just days after returning, Nick Loftin continues to benefit
Players Discussed: Maikel Garcia, Nick Loftin, Bobby Witt Jr.., Salvador Perez

Salvador Perez rarely catching these days as Carter Jensen takes over behind the plate, Luke Maile and Vinnie Pasquantino also in the mix
Players Discussed: Salvador Perez, Carter Jensen, Luke Maile, Vinnie Pasquantino

Royals bullpen shuffle as Lucas Erceg is optioned, Craig Kimbrel ties the all-time saves-with-teams record, but Steven Cruz remains the preferred arm
Players Discussed: Lucas Erceg, Craig Kimbrel, Steven Cruz, Nate Pearson

FAAB Recommendations, Hitters (0:35:00–0:50:00)

Power (RBI, HR)
Players Discussed: Rafael Flores Jr. Jr., Abimelec Ortiz, Andrés Chaparro, Carlos Cortes

Speed (R, SB)
Players Discussed: Jorge Mateo, Tyler Tolbert, Dane Myers

Opportunity (AB, AVG)
Players Discussed: Charles McAdoo, Brett Bateman

FAAB Recommendations, Pitchers (0:50:00–1:05:00)

Volume (W, K)
Players Discussed: Kade Anderson, Cody Bradford, Yusei Kikuchi, Chris Bassitt, Andrew Alvarez, Matthew Liberatore, Max Scherzer, Carson Whisenhunt, Griffin Jax

Ratios (ERA, WHIP)
Players Discussed: Andrew Alvarez, Dylan Lee

Closers (Saves)
Players Discussed: Mason Montgomery, Daniel Palencia, Jacob Webb, Justin Martinez, Aaron Ashby, Rico Garcia, Kodai Senga, Ben Joyce

Wild Card and Closing Advice (1:05:00–1:10:00)

Closer spec-adds are the play since most stash spots are already full
Players Discussed: Steven Cruz, Nate Pearson, Craig Kimbrel, Tyler Glasnow

Time to embrace risk if you're chasing
Players Discussed: José Urquidy, Aaron Ashby

 

Join Our Discord & Support The Show: PL+ | PL Pro - Get 15% off Yearly with code PODCAST

Proud member of the Pitcher List Fantasy Baseball Podcast Network

Join Our Discord & Support The Show: PL+ | PL Pro - Get 15% off Yearly with code PODCAST

Proud member of the Pitcher List Fantasy Baseball Podcast Network

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.