Well, this might be our FAAB-a-palooza week of the season. With several top prospects getting called up all at the same time, it completely changes the FAAB landscape for this week and the weeks that follow as teams will likely make 30% or higher bids to secure the talents of Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Jordan Lawlar, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher-turned-outfielder Dalton Rushing, and Chicago Cubs catcher Moisés Ballesteros. All three ranked within their respective organizations’ top five prospects, and each projects to make an immediate impact at the MLB level. In the case that you don’t win the top prospect prizes of the week, make sure your waterfall bids are set and that you fill the holes in your lineup that you need to fill to be successful. Just because you miss on one of the top pieces this week doesn’t mean you shouldn’t continue working to improve your squad.
I’ve laid out a handful of my best suggestions for each position, obviously included the star-studded class of rookies this week, alongside some veterans and other players that could still benefit your team and are at least potentially available in most 12-team and some 15-team leagues.
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
Nearly half the league has a seven-game slate as 12 teams will suit up every day of the week. The Colorado Rockies have a seven-game homestand this week, hosting the Philadelphia Phillies for four games and then the New York Yankees for three games. And all of those could potentially get ugly. The Phillies might have the best hitting schedule of any team all season. After their four games in Coors Field, Philadelphia will travel to West Sacramento to play the Athletics for a three-game series in their hitter-friendly park.
SEVEN GAMES: BAL, BOS, CLE, COL, DET, HOU, LAA, MLW, OAK, PHI, PIT, SEA
Batters
Outfielders
Miguel Vargas ($$$): Vargas is my favorite hitter to target this week, and he’s already on my team in most cases. But for the rest of you, go get Miguel Vargas! One of the best bats in a (slowly) improving Chicago White Sox lineup, Vargas has displayed season-long improvement in his decision-making, which has seemed to help him generate more power in his at-bats. His Process+ rolling chart indicates gradual but steady improvement throughout the course of the season. If he can continue to make solid decisions at the plate, Vargas should continue to reap the rewards – and so can fantasy managers.
Michael Conforto ($$$): Managers are giving up on Conforto – and they have reason to move on from the veteran outfielder. Conforto began the year batting .135 (15-for-111) with just two home runs and six RBI. This is the time to buy low on Conforto. Over the past 20 at-bats, Conforto has eight hits, including five doubles, and has struck out just four times. If he can get things turned around, he could become a major factor in an outstanding Dodgers lineup that just keeps getting deeper. And luckily, the depth isn’t primarily in the outfield (though both Rushing and Kim could potentially play there, it’s not their primary position).
Will Benson ($$): Benson is a super-streaky bat with power and speed that can help teams in multiple categories. That’s if he isn’t striking out at a ridiculous clip. Benson posted a crazy bad 39.7% strikeout rate a season ago, batting just .187. But he also hit 14 home runs and stole 16 bases. It’s a risk. But there are worse players to roster for a week or two.
Matthew Lugo ($): Young Angels bat, popping off kind of out of nowhere, doesn’t really have a history of power production, but has hit two home runs since being called up. Does this sound kind of like Kyren Paris to you? Well, this time it’s Matthew Lugo – and though the situation is slightly different and the hot streak isn’t nearly as prolific, Lugo is going to likely be on bid lists this week. Heck, he’s started three of the Angels’ last four. Just don’t break the bank like you did for Kyren. This one won’t end well either.
Eli White ($): As Ronald Acuña Jr. draws nearer to his MLB debut, the appeal of White becomes less and less. However, Acuña is still at least a week away, so why not stream the Atlanta outfielder while it’s still potentially beneficial? White has stolen a base each of the last three weeks, has scored runs, and hasn’t hurt teams in batting average. He’s not exciting, but he’s fine for another week or two.
Brandon Marsh ($): It’s not about how talented he is or isn’t. It’s about the amount of at-bats he is going to get in two of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball. As I highlighted in the schedule notes, the Phillies play four games in Coors and four games in West Sacramento. If Marsh is going to get near every day at-bats, I’ll stream him this week for those environments and hope for the best.
Infielders
Hyeseong Kim ($$$): How has he not reached 100% rostership yet? Kim has been electric since his debut and is in arguably the league’s deepest and best lineup. Eligible at one of the weakest and shallowest positions in fantasy, he should be scooped in every league. Even after Tommy Edman returns from the injured list, Kim should still have a sizable role in this offense, and hopefully, he’ll continue making the most of it.
Max Muncy (LAD) ($$$): Need a solid corner infielder with a penchant for power? Look no further. Muncy has turned his season around this month with a solid couple of weeks of production. Looking at his rolling charts, Muncy’s decision-making has shown clear and consistent improvement over the course of the season so far. The hope is that as his decision-making continues to improve, the power will return as well. He’s currently rolling with a 10.0% home-run-per-fly-ball rate, a career-low and significant decrease from his career average (17.0%). I’m fully on board with adding him off waivers in any league format that I can grab him.
Trey Sweeney ($$): It appears the Detroit Tigers have unlocked something in rookie shortstop Trey Sweeney recently. Since May 1, Sweeney has batted .365 (18-for-54) with three home runs, 10 runs scored, and 13 RBI. He’s still putting it on the ground too often, but he’s seen an increase in line drive percentage this month, bumping it up to 27%, and the production is enough to pique my curiosity. And the Tigers have committed to the young shortstop. I mean, they moved Javier Baez to the outfield for him.
Jordan Lawlar ($$): How much are you willing to bid for a part-time player? Lawlar has been promised only a super-utility role in the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ infield, but the highly touted prospect will likely be bid on as if he were their everyday leadoff hitter. It’ll be tough to win him unless you’re willing to pay up, but the production – at least initially – likely won’t be worth that kind of bid. Granted, he’s hit the cover off the ball at the minor league level and deserves the acclaim he’s received. But for fantasy purposes, managers may want to pump the brakes on this hyped middle infield prospect.
Catchers/UT
Drake Baldwin ($$): Baldwin has been splitting time at a 50/50 rate with starter Sean Murphy, earning more at-bats and hitting higher in the order than we’ve seen previously. Baldwin batted fifth in two games and second once this week, making him an interesting name to monitor. If he continues to earn more at-bats, potentially even eating into Ozuna’s at-bats at DH, Baldwin becomes even more valuable with more volume.
Dalton Rushing ($): I want to be more excited about Rushing, but it’s difficult after the comments that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made about the promising prospect earlier this week. Roberts has stated that Rushing will NOT play in the outfield, that he will only feature twice a week behind the plate, and be used as a left-handed bat off the bench. The Dodgers have DH tied up with the best hitter in baseball, so it’s not like he’ll see time there either. Knowing that his playing time will be extremely limited to start, it’s difficult to place a winning bid on Rushing, who surely will go well beyond triple-digits.
Moisés Ballesteros ($): Ballesteros is yet another bat-first catching prospect being called up to the majors this week, but there’s potential for him to get more at-bats outside of just catcher in Chicago. Ballesteros can play first base, and his manager hasn’t come out and said that he won’t. With easily the best nickname of this rookie class, “Mo Baller” should get a decent amount of at-bats before Ian Happ returns from the IL, and could force the Cubs into a tough decision if he hits well enough over that stint. He’s a name that I’m interested in for every two-catcher league.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Erick Fedde ($$$): Fedde might be the most boring recommendation I could possibly make. But he’s effective. Fedde has gotten blown up for six earned runs or more twice in nine starts this season, but in the other seven, he’s gone at least five innings and allowed three or fewer earned runs in each, including five quality starts and a complete game victory against the Nationals. The strikeouts are few and far between, and the WHIP isn’t what one might want (1.30), but he continues to induce weak contact and accumulate innings. He is boring. SO boring. But helpful, especially in deep leagues.
Nick Martinez ($$$): Martinez has pitched three of his last four starts at Great American Ballpark, but has managed to produce outstanding results in his home stadium. He’s thrown four-straight quality starts (three at home) with two pitching victories and just two walks across 25.0 innings pitched during that streak. The strikeouts are the only weak point, but even then, Martinez has a 19.2% strikeout rate, which isn’t abysmal. With upcoming matchups at Pittsburgh and at Kansas City, Martinez could continue his streak of quality outings and provide some fantasy help as a streamer with potential to hang around on rosters.
Cade Horton ($$): The Chicago Cubs‘ rookie starter pitched well enough to get a win in his debut, but it wasn’t nearly impressive enough for me to get excited. Horton allowed three earned runs on seven hits over five innings while ringing up just two strikeouts against a below-average White Sox lineup, but got six runs of early support to hold a lead through five innings and get the victory. His next start is scheduled at Miami, another weak lineup, but then he might get bumped out of the rotation when Imanaga returns from injury. To me, it’s not worth risking outside of a one-week stream. Bid accordingly.
Michael Lorenzen ($$): I’m fine with streaming Lorenzen as a volume-plus matchup play. His next three starts are at San Francisco, home against the Cincinnati Reds, and home against the Detroit Tigers. Each of those matchups is okay with me if I’m in a deep league looking for help on my pitching staff. Lorenzen has thrown at least six innings in four of his last five starts, including three quality starts and two pitching victories. He’s increased his swinging strike rate and his strikeout rate from a year ago while reducing the walks that plagued him in 2024. The HR/FB rate (19.6%) and HR/9 (1.54) are each at a career high, but may regress back toward the mean across a larger sample. I’m in.
Relief Pitchers
Dennis Santana ($$): Santana is the best reliever in the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ bullpen. The question becomes whether or not that means anything to fantasy managers. How many save opportunities will “Half of the Pirates’ save chances” really amount to? Currently, he’s splitting save opportunities with David Bednar, and though he ought to win that battle sooner rather than later (again), the Pirates have shown a resolute commitment to their veteran, Bednar, and will likely continue to use him late in games regardless of outcome. Santana may be a year away from a full-time closer role but if he continues to pitch well, he could be helpful this year anyway.
Pierce Johnson ($): This is the speculative add of the week for my teams, as the Atlanta Braves may be getting tired of watching Raisel Iglesias struggle through his outings late in games. Johnson got the save in his Tuesday outing but was used as a setup man on Thursday night, while Iglesias got back-to-back save opportunities on Thursday and Friday. Iglesias has allowed at least one earned run in three out of his last four outings (including a blown save and a loss). Johnson’s time is coming.
Drew Pomeranz ($): Wait, Pomeranz is still in the league? Well, he’s BACK in the league at least. Now in the Cubs’ bullpen, Pomeranz has thrown 8.2 innings of scoreless relief and earned his first save this past week after Ryan Pressly struggled, and Porter Hodge unavailable after throwing consecutive days before that. This isn’t to say that Pomeranz is next in line or anything, but he’s at least a consideration for Craig Counsell in the back end of the bullpen. He has his manager’s trust. Now, fantasy managers just need to hope he’s utilized in the ninth a little more often.
Kyle Leahy ($): In holds leagues, Leahy is probably already on a team. But for saves leagues, he could be a sneaky speculative add. He’s allowed just three earned runs in 24.2 innings of relief for the St. Louis Cardinals, including nine consecutive scoreless outings dating all the way back to April 18. Leahy likely won’t get many save opportunities behind Ryan Helsley and maybe even Phil Maton, but if he continues to pitch well, he might be worth rostering anyway.
Designed by Aaron Asbury (@aarongifs on Instagram) | Stock images courtesy of Adobe Stock
