Below are a few players to consider adding in leagues deeper than the standard mixed league.

Hitters

Colby Rasmus – Houston Astros – OF

Rasmus has been hot and cold this season, much like every hitter that’s available on the waiver wire in fantasy baseball, but he has been hitting well recently for the Astros. He hit his 10th home run of the season on Father’s Day, and added another two-hit day Tuesday as well. Rasmus will provide solid numbers when he is on a hot streak and will have plenty of opportunity to drive in runs, hitting fifth in the Astros lineup.

Randal Grichuk – St. Louis Cardinals – OF

Grichuk has been great filling in as a full-time outfielder for the Cardinlas while Matt Holliday misses time with injury. He is batting .278 on the year with an OPS of .872. However, in the last month, Grichuk’s numbers are better across the board, including five of his six home runs of the season. He’s owned in just 17% of ESPN leagues, so he is likely available if you’re looking for additional help in deeper leagues and is a great addition for the time being while Holliday is out.

Will Venable – San Diego Padres – Outfield

Venable, like Grichuk, is getting an increase of playing time because of injuries to regular starters and has taken advantage of it. Wil Myers went on the disabled list for an extend period of time with a wrist injury, but the Padres got Melvin Upton back around the same time, causing Venable to platoon with Upton in center field. Venable has been much better than Upton has been so far, which will likely keep him in the lineup more often than Melvin. Venable is owned in just 4% of ESPN leagues but has been hitting well enough to be considered for a deep league roster.

Michael Taylor – Washington Nationals – OF

Taylor appears to be getting more and more comfortable in the Nationals lineup, as he is now hitting .290 so far in June. The power and the extra-base hits are still not coming at the level that we all hoped, but he has been getting on base. He has even chipped in with eight steals and should continue to score a lot of runs in a high powered Nationals lineup. He is filling in for Jayson Werth, who is out with a wrist injury.

Derek Dietrich – Miami Marlins – 3B, 2B

Martin Prado is on the disabled list for the Marlins, leaving the door open for Dietrich to have his chance to fill in and produce at third base. Dietrich is also 2B eligible, making him even more valuable, as he likely wouldn’t be in this conversation if he was just a third baseman. In deep enough leagues, Dietrich has shown that he has big game ability going yard twice on June 20th against the Reds. He should provide some power, along with a good average, making him worth a look in deep leagues, like 14-team leagues or deeper.

Caesar Hernandez – Philadelphia Phillies – OF, SS, 2B

Hernandez has been filling in with regular at bats for the Phillies while Chase Utley is out with his ankle injury and has played well. He’s hitting .324 in the past two weeks, chipping in six runs batted in and has two stolen bases as well. I am a big fan of players that have eligibility at multiple positions, especially shortstop, making him an intriguing option in deeper leagues. He is owned in less than one percent of ESPN leagues, but he could be a solid plug and play here and there, especially with a favorable matchup.

Pitchers

Mike Montgomery – Seattle Mariners – SP

Montgomery has been fantastic for the Mariners since being called up from AAA, as he is coming off of a stellar outing against the Royals, going the distance while striking out 10 batters. He allowed four earned runs in his previous outing, but he was a victim of a bad second inning, and the bullpen let in the fourth run that he was responsible for, blowing his quality start. He didn’t allow a base runner in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh inning after allowing three runs in the third, and then was pulled in the eighth after allowing a base runner that would eventually score. He doesn’t strike out many batters, so don’t get too excited with his previous start where he struck out 10, as he had just 12 punchouts in his previous four starts combined.

Ervin Santana – Minnesota Twins – SP

Santana was suspended before the season started for performance enhancing drugs but is eligible to return to the Twins rotation on July 5th. Santana had flashes in 2014 with the Braves, as he finished with 14 wins and struck out 179 batters in 196 innings. He should be a reliable starting pitcher to solidify the back half of your rotation down the stretch.