Look for rookie call-ups to enhance your roster

Rookie call-ups are all the rage late in the fantasy baseball season. We open the year coveting the shiny, new toys, and we close the season in the exact same fashion once rosters expand in September. 

The impact of even one good hitter this late in the game can be massive, but unless you’re playing in a keeper or dynasty format, save yourself the aggravation and let your opponents fight for the high-profile kids, such as Vaughn Grissom and Oneil Cruz. You can get as big of an impact for a fraction of the price by investing in 30-year-old first baseman Joey Meneses.

For those of you doing your best impression of an owl and yelling, “Who?”: Meneses is a career minor leaguer who has languished in Double-A and Triple-A for a number of years, but he is finally getting a shot after the Nationals unloaded most of their marquee talent at the trade deadline. 

He got off to a slow start in early August, but eventually found himself on an 11-game hitting streak and in a permanent spot in the starting lineup. He currently has a slash line of .328/.355/.550 with eight doubles, seven home runs, 18 RBIs and 21 runs over just 138 plate appearances and should be boosting fantasy offenses everywhere.

The immediate question on most people’s minds is: If he’s so valuable, why hasn’t he been in the majors before? It’s a great question that, unfortunately, at this time, can only be answered with another question: Who cares? Hot dogs are delicious, but we don’t seem to care how they are made, do we? 

What we do know is that Meneses has about three weeks left to keep plugging away with his .221 ISO and his .379 BABIP. Maybe there is some luck involved, but at this point, lucky is just as good as talented.

If it is power you seek, head to your waiver wire and check on the availability of Meneses. He isn’t striking out a ton, and the Nationals are batting him near the top of the order regardless of their opponent’s pitcher. Don’t worry about his past or his future. You only need him for right now.

Howard Bender is the head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy baseball advice.