We’re starting to see prospects bubble up to the major leagues – some of them more exciting than others. I was pumped to see Bubba Chandler finally get the call… until it was announced that the Pittsburgh Pirates would use him as a long reliever. It pays to pay attention this time of year, with several out of contention managers shifting their focus to other things (like fantasy football). A keen eye for the waiver wire could prove the difference between finishing in the money or not. Of course, we play because it’s fun. But winning is fun, too.
As a reminder, this column is designed to help guide those in Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) leagues in making the best choices regarding who to target on the waiver wire. Specifically, we’re focusing on players who are between 20-25% rostered in most 12-team leagues and/or 25-50% rostered in 15-teamers. Every league is different, so we won’t be labeling player bids with any sort of recommended dollar amount but instead will use a four-tier investment rating system, ranging from a minimal spend to a potential difference-maker (or LEAGUE-WINNER, if you will).
Let’s dig in!
Investment Rating System
A grand total of 12 teams will take on a full seven-game slate this week while the other 18 teams are scheduled for six games (with most taking Thursday off). The Rockies host the Cubs for a three-game series in Coors over the weekend while the Athletics play all six games at home, hosting the Rangers and the Tigers. Cincinnati hosts the division rival Cardinals over the weekend as well, putting all three of the best hitters parks in play this week.
SEVEN GAMES: ARZ, ATL, BAL, BOS, CWS, MIA, MLW, NYM, NYY, PHI, PIT, STL
Batters
Outfielders
Evan Carter ($$$): Carter is hitting in the middle of the Rangers lineup on an everyday basis, and is one of the best sources for speed without sacrificing too much in other categories available at this point of the season. Though his 8.6% walk rate may play better in OBP leagues, the fact that he’s able to get on base at a solid clip is enough to warrant an add in most 15-team leagues.
EDIT: Carter sustained a wrist injury earlier this weekend and was placed on the 10-day IL. He’s no longer viable as a FAAB pickup.
Wenceel Pérez ($$): An everyday outfielder in the Tigers’ streaky lineup, Perez has a firm grasp on a starting position unless Parker Meadows comes back from his strained quad. Pérez has stolen seven bases and hit 10 home runs in less than 70 games played, showing that he can contribute in all five categories, but his 20.8% HR/FB is wholly unsustainable, so temper expectations for power the rest of the way.
Mike Yastrzemski ($$): Yaz has been leading off for the Royals and has been outstanding since settling with his new team. Yaz has hit five home runs since joining the Royals, including three in the past seven days. The Royals are 12-6 in that span with 11 games of at least five runs scored. Who would’ve thought that a 35-year-old journeyman outfielder would be the offensive catalyst the Royals needed at the top of their lineup to get going in August?
Daylen Lile ($): The Washington Nationals are finding at-bats for Lile, who has settled in as the everyday left-fielder in the nation’s capital. With good contact metrics and an xAVG (.290) more than 30 points higher than his batting average (.259), there’s reason to believe that Lile could improve over the remainder of the season. With more hit tool than power and a little bit of speed, Lile could be a sneaky fifth outfielder in deep leagues.
Infielders
Chase Meidroth ($$$): A slappy contact hitter who can help with average and speed stats, Meidroth will shoot up in value as soon as he reclaims his leadoff position in the White Sox order. I truly believe he is a better hitter than Mike Tauchman and should ascend to the top spot again before the end of the season. Suddenly, the White Sox lineup is one of the most power-heavy orders in baseball with Lenyn Sosa and Colson Montgomery hitting bombs. If Meidroth can continue to get on base at an expert level clip, he’ll plate runs and provide value as a middle infielder.
Nolan Gorman ($$): The key to rostering Gorman is catching him BEFORE he gets hot and reaping the rewards of the hot streak. The last thing we want to do is pick him up on the tail end of a hot streak and suffer through the emotional turmoil of yet another letdown. He’s currently serving up a career-low 19.7% HR/FB and faces the Pirates and Reds (in Cincinnati) next week. I think we get a home run or two here with potential for more.
Brett Baty ($$): Baty mashes right-handed pitching and has his whole professional career. His 12.3% barrel rate has come almost exclusively against righties, and the Mets are going to continue to roll him out as long as they’re not facing a lefty. He’s a sneaky power bat that is second base eligible – which raises his appeal considerably.
Nacho Alvarez Jr. ($): Until Austin Riley returns, Alvarez is likely going to man third base every day for the Atlanta Braves. He’s got a .248 batting average with a .351 BABIP. Something’s got to change, right? The volume alone could be worth rostering until Riley gets back. Plus, he’s got a fun name.
Catchers/UT
Samuel Basallo ($$$): Basallo was not picked up nearly as aggressively as I thought he would be last weekend, although that could be in large part due to the depth of the catcher position this season. The power should start to shine once he adjusts to MLB pitching, and I expect him to finish the season with five home runs or so in the final 30+ games.
Adrian Del Castillo ($$): I recommended Del Castillo last week, and nothing has really changed since then. He is still getting a full-time run in Arizona since being called up. He’ll sit against lefties, but is hitting in the middle of the Snakes lineup whenever they face a right-handed starter. There aren’t many catchers available in nearly 50% of 15-team, two-catcher leagues, and even fewer that are getting 20+ plate appearances a week. He’s an auto-add in places where volume at the catcher position is key.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Nolan McLean ($$$$): McLean showed us just about everything we wanted to see from a rookie in his MLB debut, going 5.1 innings with 11 whiffs for eight strikeouts and a win. Nick was pretty bullish on his performance and endorsed a scoop of the Mets’ fresh arm. He’s slated to face the Phillies – which is a slightly less scary matchup at CitiField – and then lines up for a two-start week in September. This is likely your last chance to grab him if he’s still out there.
Hurston Waldrep ($$$): Something’s different about Waldrep this time around. After getting shelled in a couple of spot starts last season, Waldrep has looked really solid in his pair of outings in 2025. He’ll go against the Guardians on Friday night, which could change things, but with an impending matchup with the White Sox next week, I’m very interested in his resurgent arm. The splitter is a very nice whiff pitch, and he throws it 30% of the time, while the curve and cutter mix well with a mediocre fastball. He’s flummoxed middling to below-average lineups in his first two starts this season, and I’m happy to continue to attack those kinds of matchups with Waldrep. Plus, I trust the Braves’ track record of developing their young pitching.
Kyle Bradish ($$): Bradish is slated for his season debut next week, and I know we don’t like to roster pitchers for Still ILL performances, but Bradish showed an absolutely devastating slider early in his career and if he can find his bearings for control and command could jump right back to being a solid fantasy pitcher. Be aware that he may not be available in NFBC formats, where he would have had to have been drafted and then dropped to appear in the player pool before his first appearance of the season.
Tomoyuki Sugano ($): Two Orioles starting pitchers? I know it may look like I’m being a homer, but there’s merit to grabbing some Baltimore exposure. Sugano and the Orioles’ staff have quietly been improving over the course of the past month. Since July 15, the Orioles lead the majors with 16 quality starts and have posted a combined starter ERA of 2.26 since August 1. Sugano has allowed just five earned runs over his past 28 innings combined, going 3-0 with a pair of quality starts over that stretch. With starts lined up against Boston and at San Francisco, Sugano could be a sneaky volume streamer that helps with ratios this week.
Relief Pitchers
Reid Detmers ($$): With Kenley Jansen nursing a minor injury, this could be Detmers’ time to shine down the stretch. It makes little to no sense for the Angels to press Jansen into action, especially after his poor performance last time out. Detmers is one of the likeliest candidates to take over in the ninth in his absence. I’ve been banging the drum for this guy all season. I’m rooting for him to grab some saves over the final month of the year.
Keegan Akin ($$): Akin has earned the Orioles only two save appearances since the trade deadline after Félix Bautista went down with an injury. Now that Bautista is out for the rest of this season (and most of next year as well), Akin becomes the most likely closer in Birdland. Being that he is a lefty, there may be nights where he’s called upon for an eighth-inning matchup to lock up a high-leverage spot before the ninth, but he should be Baltimore’s default closer when those kinds of situations don’t arise.
Andrew Saalfrank ($): The Arizona bullpen is a mess. With injuries to almost every late-inning guy they had to begin the season, the Snakes are now relying on Saalfrank as what I assume is their closer. He’s earned each of the last three save opportunities, converting two of them. Perhaps the best sign was that the Diamondbacks went back to him for the ninth on Tuesday after he blew a save against Colorado in his previous appearance. It ain’t pretty, but he’s almost universally available and could get ninth-inning work in the desert.
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