Joey Wendle

Wendle has been an above-average offensive player in three of the last four seasons, which is saying something for a player who was DFA'd after his second season of big-league experience. Wendle is the latest of the hybrid player Tampa Bay always seems to employ who is not an everyday player due to a flaw, but makes the most of his opportunities wherever he is put in the field or in the lineup. Wendle finally broke the double-digit homer plateau in 2021 and continues to throw in a handful of steals albeit not as many as he did in his rookie season. He rarely walks as he is looking to drive a baseball to a gap or slap one down the third-base line. His flaws come from his struggles against lefties and a hole in his approach which leaves him open to the back-foot breaking balls he repeatedly sees late in the count. He will now take his talents in South Beach after being dealt to the Marlins on Nov. 30, 2021 in exchange for prospect Kam Misner.

Wendle rebounded nicely from an injury-plagued 2019 campaign. As usual, he played around the diamond and should qualify at second, third and shortstop in most formats. While Wendle could be the strong-side platoon option at just one position, most likely third base, he's probably going to remain in a utility role, playing somewhere whenever a right-hander is on the hill for the opposition. Contact and speed remain Wendle's calling cards as he's never hit the ball with much authority. However, Wendle hits the ball up the middle and to the opposite field enough to keep shifting to a minimum, so he's able to maintain an above-average BABIP. With a solid BA floor, speed and multi-position eligibility, Wendle is ideal for daily leagues, those with more than one transaction day a week and of course AL-only formats. In mixed leagues with weekly moves, Wendle is a bench player.

With Matt Duffy out to open the 2019 season, Wendle was earmarked for a lot of playing time, but he hurt his hamstring April 1 and was out until April 21. On April 24, Wendle was back on the IL with a broken wrist after getting hit by a pitch. He was activated June 14, but wrist inflammation forced a third visit July 31, returning Aug. 24. At that point, Wendle's OPS was .551 with no homers in 157 plate appearances. He posted a .754 mark the rest of the way, with three homers in 104 plate appearances, hinting he wasn't 100% earlier. After compiling a .294/.345/.418 career line heading into 2019, Wendle deserves the benefit of the doubt. A 17.5 K% with wheels provides a good batting average floor. While he won't play every day, Wendle projects to be the team's utility man and the top backup at several infield positions. He's better suited for AL-only, but is in play for cheap steals in deep mixed formats.

The Rays value versatile defenders, and they have many of them. None were more surprising than Wendle was in 2018. He qualifies at second and third in 20-game leagues, and adds outfield in 15-game leagues and shortstop in 10-game leagues. We expect lefty hitters to struggle against fellow lefties, but that is not how Wendle's swing works. He stays in so well against lefties that he hits them just as well as he hits righties and does not need to be subbed out like most other natural platoons on the roster. His swing is more focused on contact than it is driving the ball, so a double-digit home run season is unlikely, but he has the chops to hit high in the lineup and help set the table for others to drive him in. The steals have been more a product of his acumen than his natural speed, so enjoy them while they're there. The .321/.381/.486 slash line in the second half should not be overlooked.

An offseason trade sent Wendle to Tampa Bay from Oakland, where he had steadily been toiling in Triple-A. Wendle has consistency on his side; in each of the past three seasons, he has appeared in at least 118 Triple-A games and recorded an OPS between .756 and .776. Unfortunately, that means Wendle hasn't exhibited the growth the Athletics wanted to see in order to give him a chance to become their starting second baseman. Wendle has neither the pop nor the plate discipline to fully overcome his strikeout problem, as he has struck out 308 times against just 67 walks over those three Triple-A campaigns. Expect him to open up the season as a backup to Daniel Robertson at second base in Tampa, but if Robertson is as underwhelming in 2018 as he was in 2017 (.634 OPS, five home runs in 218 at-bats), Wendle could get his first big-league opportunity for a starting job.

In 2015 and 2016 with Triple-A Nashville, Wendle hit .285 while averaging 11 home runs, 80.5 runs, 59 RBI and 13 stolen bases - useful numbers, to say the least, for someone who hasn't really been considered a top prospect playing in a poor hitters' park. Despite his 6-foot-1, 189-pound frame, he delivers crisp swings. Oakland even tried him in the leadoff spot against right-handed pitching after calling him up in September. There's a lot of Joe Panik in him, for better or worse. It doesn't seem like he'll excel in any single counting category. When a player is heavily reliant on batting average for fantasy value, plenty can go wrong, especially for someone who isn't an automatic .300 hitter or an elite prospect. Wendle may get another shot in 2017, though Jed Lowrie could push him for at-bats if he can recover from foot surgery. He has a slightly intriguing power-speed mix, but not enough to suggest that he's an attractive piece outside of AL-only formats.