Gleyber Torres Is Locked In — and WaiverScout Called It First

Gleyber Torres is slashing at a .400 clip over the last seven days with a .445 wOBA, and his strikeout rate has plummeted to 14.8%. If you've been waiting for a reason to add him, the data says stop waiting.

We Flagged This Early

WaiverScout first tagged Torres as a Watch back on June 6 when he sat at 54% rostered. Ownership dipped, the signal wavered — we downgraded him to Deprioritize on July 23 during what was clearly a rough stretch compounded by injury. But on August 2, with ownership down to 41%, we moved him back to Add Now. That call has aged well. The signal has only strengthened since, and the numbers back it up.

Forbes highlighted Torres as a top waiver target back in late July, noting his return from injury. We were already on it. Now, three weeks later, the performance data confirms what the opportunity data suggested: Torres is healthy and producing.

The Rolling Window Breakdown

Here's where it gets compelling. Look at the trajectory across windows:

  • 7-day: .400 AVG, .445 wOBA, 14.8% K%, 1 HR in 27 PA
  • 14-day: .280 AVG, .335 wOBA, 14.8% K%, 2 HR in 54 PA
  • 30-day: .255 AVG, .340 wOBA, 21.3% K%, 4 HR in 108 PA

The wOBA jump from .340 over 30 days to .445 over the last week is a clear breakout signal. More importantly, the strikeout rate has dropped from 21.3% to 14.8% — and that 14.8% number has held steady across both the 7-day and 14-day windows, suggesting this is a real approach change, not a three-game fluke. Torres is making more contact and doing more damage with it.

His last five games tell the story at a glance: 9-for-21 with a homer, three RBI, and just two strikeouts in 27 plate appearances. That's elite bat-to-ball work from a player who was fanning at a 21% clip a month ago.

Skills Check: What's Real?

The 14-day Statcast data shows an 87.4 mph exit velocity and 33.3% hard-hit rate. Those aren't elite numbers. The 30-day look is slightly better at 89.1 mph EV and 43.3% hard-hit rate. This tells us Torres isn't necessarily barreling everything — he's succeeding through contact quality and plate discipline rather than raw power. The declining K% is the engine here, and that's a sustainable skill indicator. Four homers in 108 PA over 30 days shows the pop is there when he connects.

The Ownership Window

Torres sits at just 45% rostered with no ownership movement in the last seven days. That's the definition of a window. He's mashing at a .445 wOBA and the fantasy community hasn't reacted yet. This won't last. Once the box scores pile up — and they already are — the adds will follow. You want to be ahead of that wave, not riding it.

At second base, if you're comparing waiver options, Torres is producing at a level that rivals players like Ketel Marte, Brandon Lowe, and Ozzie Albies — all of whom carry significantly higher roster percentages.

Verdict: Add Now

The data is clear. A .445 wOBA, a strikeout rate nearly cut in half, consistent playing time with 27 PA in the last week, and an ownership rate that hasn't caught up to the production. Torres is healthy, locked in at the plate, and available in more than half of leagues. This is a pure market inefficiency. Add him now before the ownership velocity catches up to the performance signal.