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Whether you're in need of an injury fill-in or just a hot-hand play, Scott White has you covered with 10 sleeper hitters for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in less than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. They're not must-starts by any estimation, but they're the best you'll find off the waiver wire.
All information is up to date as of Sunday evening.
Sleeper hitters for Week 5 (April 21-27)
The Rays actually have the fourth-worst hitter matchups this week, but every week, I find some excuse to leave Jonathan Aranda off the list only for him to deliver big numbers anyway. I expect him to remain a high-impact bat moving forward, at least against righties, and the Rays are scheduled to face five of those in their six games this week.
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Austin Hays was just activated from the IL Tuesday but has already homered three and is primed for the best year of his career now that he's out of Baltimore and recovered from the kidney infection that marred his time in Philadelphia. He capped his first week back with a four-hit game Sunday and is likely to remain hot with a series at Colorado in Week 5.
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After a couple years struggling to live up to his prospect pedigree, Sal Frelick seems to be in his comfort zone finally, reaching base at better than a .400 clip and swiping bases like we always knew he was capable. The Brewers are one of four teams scheduled for seven games this week.
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After a miserable start to the season, Rhys Hoskins has suddenly found his stroke, bringing his percentages up to their usual range with a series of multi-hit games. Again, the Brewers are one of just four teams scheduled for four games, and some of their matchups include Jordan Hicks, Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde.
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After a promising start to the season, Kyle Manzardo's batting average has dropped to .212. His plate discipline and barrel rate remain promising, though, and with the Guardians boasting the third-best hitter matchups this week, I wouldn't be so quick to ditch him. It helps that there's only one lefty on the schedule.
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Taylor Ward cooled off over the weekend but recently homered five times during a five-game span. Looking at his career splits, he generally does his best work in April, and the first four pitchers he's scheduled to face this week are Bailey Falter, Andrew Heaney, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Simeon Woods Richardson.
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Nate Lowe has been a steady contributor for the Nationals so far this season, reaching base at his usual high rate and driving in plenty of runs from the cleanup spot. No reason to shy away from him, then, in a week with pitchers like Dean Kremer, Tomoyuki Sugano, Cade Povich, and Tylor Megill on the schedule.
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TJ Friedl has hit leadoff for the Reds in all but two of their games this season and has held his own there so far. He would likely be at the center of any offensive surplus that arises from their trip to Coors Field late in Week 5.
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Jorge Polanco is back to form after being plagued by knee and hamstring issues last year, and it's most evident in his strikeout rate being cut in half. He's been hot all season long and will benefit from matchups like Brayan Bello, Sean Newcomb, Cal Quantrill, and Connor Gillispie this week.
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After a miserable start to the season, Tyler Fitzgerald has suddenly found his stroke, going 14 for 35 (.400) with two homers and two steals in his past 10 games. He's probably not going to be as productive as last year -- the batted-ball data didn't support it even then -- but there's no harm in riding the hot hand, particularly when he's on one of the four teams scheduled for seven games.
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Best hitter matchups for Week 5
1. Tigers SD3, BAL3
2. Athletics TEX3, CHW3
3. Guardians NYY3, BOS3
4. Red Sox CHW1, SEA3, @CLE3
5. White Sox @BOS1, @MIN3, @ATH3
Worst hitter matchups for Week 5
1. Cubs LAD2, PHI3
2. Dodgers @CHC2, PIT3
3. Diamondbacks TB3, ATL3
4. Rays @ARI3, @SD3
5. Astros TOR3, @KC3
