Week 21 in fantasy baseball shines a bright spotlight on three rookie starters who could shape the stretch run. Waldrep blazed through Cleveland for six scoreless innings, with scouts pointing to the splitter as the ceiling-raiser in his six-pitch mix. McLean dazzled in his Mets debut by fanning eight over 5.1, fueled by a spin-heavy curve and a fastball-heavy approach that mixes power and deception; the upside is real, but his control and workload could limit ceiling early. Bergert, now with Kansas City, limited the White Sox while showcasing a rising four-seamer and a pair of plus breakers, hinting at a useful middle-rotation floor once the Royals get him stretched out. These performances elevate the waiver-wire chatter for Week 21, especially in 12-team-plus formats that crave strikeouts and ratio control.

Across the board, rostership metrics from Yahoo underline the surprise factor—Waldrep at 44%, McLean at 27%, Bergert at 26%—and the chatter centers on whether these are real or mirages. Waldrep’s splitter is the standout, producing a 54.3% whiff rate with historically elite spin dynamics for a pitch that drops heavy with low spin. McLean’s curveball torque sits at the top of the arsenal, while Bergert’s slider and sweeper serve as complementary strikeout weapons. The trio all faces regression questions, but the immediate upside for weeks 21 and beyond makes them fantasy fixtures to monitor closely.

Week 21 waiver-wire watchers get a quartet of starter options with recent momentum and clear paths to value. Joey Wentz has flashed at the top of Atlanta’s rotation, but underlying metrics hint regression ahead, making him a pickup in short stints or favorable matchups rather than a long-term anchor. Nolan McLean just debuted for the Mets with a strong start that screamed untapped upside, especially with his plus curveball and a Triple-A track record. Jason Alexander’s August surge for Houston sits on a fine line between luck and skill, aided by a dominant changeup and a sinker that occasionally plays up in the right spots. Ryan Bergert, traded to Kansas City, has started to blend a sweeper more often, producing eye-popping strikeout runs in support of a lean arsenal that should be monitored in deeper formats. Overall, these names profile as short-term adds in mixed leagues and potential weekly streams in favorable matchups.

Kansas City rode a late-inning surge to complete the series sweep, turning a six-inning no-no into a 6-2 win at Kauffman. Davis Martin carried a potential gem into the sixth, but Chicago’s bats stalled and the bullpen faded. Lenyn Sosa supplied the Sox with an early jolt via a 426-foot homer, yet KC countered with timely hits and a decisive late push. India tied it with a long two-run shot in the seventh, Witt Jr. sparked the eighth with a single and a swipe, and Salvador Perez delivered the capper as Adam Frazier homered in the late frames. The White Sox’ 14th straight loss at KC underscored a rough rebuild, while the Royals leaned on a mix of power and mobility to remind fantasy managers that depth in KC is real.

Antecedent to the collapse, Chicago had left 11 runners on base, and questions linger about the Sox’s bullpen stability. Benintendi’s rough patch amid a rough stretch was noted by teammates as the team tries to recapture momentum. Kansas City, meanwhile, leaned into its rising offense, leveraging Witt Jr.’s speed, Yastrzemski’s hot bat, and the veteran Perez to plate crucial runs down the stretch. The next slate will test both teams’ resilience, with KC aiming to keep the offense humming against upcoming contenders while Chicago tries to salvage what remains of a season teetering toward triple digits in losses.

Dylan Cease shifted gears in the second half, branching beyond his usual four-seam/sinker duo. The curve is growing as a weapon against lefties, while the sinker is carving up-right strides, reducing third-time-through penalties. The result: a deeper arsenal that can tamp down hard contact and sustain strikeouts. Cristian Javier’s season debut in Houston showcased elite velocity spikes (93.5 mph) and a broadened mix, including a sweeper and a new sinker, signaling a true spike in upside if command follows. Cade Cavalli’s two-start sample in Washington underscored top-tier fastball velocity (97.6 mph) and a multi-pitch approach (sinker, curve, cutter, changeup) designed to attack both sides of the plate, though command remains the lingering hurdle. Dustin May’s Boston transition reveals a deliberate reshaping: less sinker, more four-seamer and cutter with a steadier two-pitch pairing, paired with a more flexible two-strike strategy. Ryan Bergert’s Royals run features a rise in fastball height and new sweeper usage, plus a clearer plan to pair the two primary breakers with a potential changeup. The piece also glances at Spencer Arrighetti’s season arc, Aaron Judge’s top-tier fantasy status after a strong update, and Zack Wheeler’s shoulder questions shaping the closer and rotation chatter. In fantasy terms, the week’s trend is clear: deeper, diversified arsenals can turn solid talent into sustained upside, but consistency and command will ultimately decide who to buy and who to fade.

Dump of four rising starters in a pitch-shift week, framed for fantasy managers who want actionable reads on who’s adjusting and who’s just hot, with a focus on changes in usage, timing, and pitch mix. Cease shifts to a deeper arsenal, leaning on curve and sinker to back off lefties and jam righties, signaling a real second-half buy window if command holds. Javier re-emerges post-TJ with a fastball that plays up, a sweeper addition, and a plan to deepen the map with a sinker, cutter, and changeup—yet command must follow the stuff. Cavalli shows a deliberate multi-pitch approach in two starts, using four-seam, sinker, curve, and changeup to set up two-strike sequences and keep hitters guessing. May’s swing toward a four-pitch mix in Boston, with a higher location fastball and a more-used cutter, plus a lighter sweeper load, signals a plausible reclamation arc, even if the lack of a true knockout pitch persists. Bergert’s Royals debut stretch features a rising fastball with elite iVB, a new sweeper to diversify looks, and a likely future as a rotation anchor with a potential changeup upgrade. The narrative threads through Judge’s top-season resurgence chatter, Wheeler’s shoulder guard, and Bregman’s frame of reference, all anchored by Roman Anthony’s Sox ascent as a reminder that big-name youth and veteran reclamations ride the same wave of attrition and adjustment.

In sum, recent results are tied not only to raw velocity or one-off changes but to curated tools, sequence work, and the placement of new offerings within two-strike plans. The takeaway for fantasy: prioritize Cease, Javier, Cavalli, May, and Bergert if you’re chasing trend-changes that could endure; monitor Arrighetti, Judge, Wheeler, and Bregman for ancillary impact and roster flexibility; and keep an eye on Roman Anthony as a late-blooming contextual lift for Sox stacks down the stretch.