It’s Memorial Day Weekend – the unofficial start of summer – and some of your competition has already started to give up on their team. Now’s the chance to grab the bull by the horns and (hopefully) bolster your lead atop the standings or begin an epic comeback by paying more attention than your league mates and making savvy moves on the waiver wire. FAAB management is crucial, and grabbing the right guys at the right price will be of vital importance for the rest of the season if we are to take the top spot. One week removed from one of the most prospect-laden weeks in FAAB history and we have another pair of young studs called up to make their MLB debuts. Washington Nationals outfielder Robert Hassell III and Boston Red Sox infielder Marcelo Mayer both got the call this week and will run in FAAB on Sunday night. Are you in a position where one (or both) could help your team? It might be a good week to spend up if you’re looking for a major improvement, especially if you’ve been a savvy spender so far this season.
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
Only two teams will play a full seven-game slate this week as the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays suit up all week long while the other 28 teams play just six times with either Monday or Thursday off. The Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, and Athletics each have six road games this week, meaning that arguably the three best hitters’ parks in baseball will be out of play this week.
SEVEN GAMES: TBR, TOR
Batters
Outfielders
Robert Hassell III ($$$): One of the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade from years ago, Hassell is finally joining James Wood as a second impact player at the major league level acquired in that deal. Though Hassell was called up due to a series of injuries to Nationals outfielders, it’s very possible that he sticks around ahead of someone like Alex Call or Jacob Young if he can prove his hitting chops in his first MLB at-bats. Hassell has shown a significant improvement at the plate from a year ago and showed out in the spring, and the Nationals want him to succeed. More of a speed asset than a power bat, Hassell fits right in with the Nationals’ aggressive philosophy on the base paths.
Nathan Lukes ($): More relevant in OBP leagues than AVG leagues, Lukes has drawn 13 walks to just 15 strikeouts this season. With one home run in each of his last three weeks of action, Lukes has shown some mild pop in the bat as well. If he can continue to lift the ball and make solid contact, the on-base ability makes him viable in deep leagues.
Addison Barger ($$$): Admittedly, I may be a week late on Barger. His contact metrics have been outstanding, his strikeout numbers have decreased, while his plate discipline and walk rate have improved from last season. Matt LaMarca featured him in Friday’s Waiver Wire Picks and did an excellent job laying out all the reasons that managers should be interested in the Blue Jays’ young bat. Barger could be in store for a big summer, and if he’s still available should be scooped this week.
Denzel Clarke ($): Mired in a 10-game losing skid entering the weekend, the Athletics executed a major roster shake-up that included bringing Clarke up from AAA to man the outfield. His bat profiles similarly to that of Jacob Wilson, not a ton of pop but a decent hit tool and some speed. He’s started both games since being called up and could be a poor-man’s Chandler Simpson if things break his way.
Infielders
Chase Meidroth ($$$): Meidroth is batting 15-for-36 (.417) over the past two weeks and has stolen five bases over that time period. When he came up, it looked as if he was going to be a bottom of the order slap hitter, like a Nicky Lopez type. Instead, he’s serving as the White Sox everyday leadoff hitter and doing a darn good job of getting on base. He should probably be rostered in most formats.
Marcelo Mayer ($$): Mayer finally got the call to the show on Saturday and made his MLB debut, which is extremely exciting for the fantasy managers who drafted him before the season thinking that perhaps he could fill the middle infield vacancy that the Red Sox had instead of Kristian Campbell. It was me. I’m that guy. What’s not exciting is the amount of mental gymnastics I’ve had to do in order to figure out a situation in which Mayer stays in Boston once Alex Bregman returns from injury. Either Bregman, Mayer, Campbell or Trevor Story would need to move to first base to free up space in the lineup for Mayer to stick full-time. If he is able to stay at the MLB level, Mayer has shown quite a bit of promise as a major league hitter, especially this spring. We might be a year early on Mayer, but I’m still excited to give the kid a shot – let’s hope the Sox are too.
Brett Baty ($$): With five home runs in the month of May, there may not be a hotter part-time hitter in baseball than Baty. That may be changing though with the recent injury to Mark Vientos, Baty earned consecutive starts against left-handed pitching on Wednesday and Friday. In nearly 100 plate appearances, Baty has demonstrated a massive jump in barrel rate from a season ago, increasing more than 150% to 13.6% in 2025. The line drive percentage has also jumped in 2025, up to 22.7%. If Baty gets full-time plate appearances and can continue hitting the ball hard, he could fulfill his post-hype sleeper prophecy this summer.
Rowdy Tellez ($): A streaky power hitter who is hitting enough fly balls over the fence to constitute a streaming pickup. It’s hard to imagine needing a first baseman after all the success the position has seen so far this year, but if there’s a vacancy on your squad, Tellez could potentially fill it for a week or two.
Catchers/UT
Victor Caratini ($$): There’s only one catcher who ranks top 10 at the position in plate appearances over the past seven days, top 5 over the past 14 days, is batting .333 or better over that stretch, and is less than 90% rostered in 15-team, two-catcher leagues. It’s Caratini. And he’s less than 10% rostered in most formats. The Houston Astros have been leaning on their backup catcher much more heavily recently, allowing Yainer Diaz a few extra days of rest. The volume itself is enough of a reason to roster Caratini in two-catcher leagues while the production is just a nice bonus.
Carlos Narváez ($): The Boston Red Sox backstop has hit the ball extremely well over the last three weeks, going 19-for-43 (.442). He’s bound to cool off, but for those in need of a second catcher, it may be worth a chance to see if he can stay hot for one more week.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Mick Abel ($$$): I was drooling reading Nick’s SP Roundup after Abel’s MLB debut last week. And of course, the Phillies immediately sent the rookie back down to AAA Lehigh Valley after the amazing spot start debut, forcing fantasy managers to be more tepid about the young Phillies arm. Well, I’m still putting in a bid large enough to almost guarantee that I secure this arm. Assuming the Phillies are competing for the NL East (and not just running away with it), Abel should be back in the rotation sooner rather than later. I want to make sure he’s on my team when it happens.
Ryan Weathers ($$$): A hot name from the spring, Weathers looked solid in his return from the IL, tossing five innings and allowing just one earned run against a strong Chicago Cubs lineup. The fastball was outstanding, and the off-speed stuff did enough to get him through the lineup a couple of times. With starts coming against the Padres (revenge game), Giants, and Rays, I’m looking to grab Weathers in 15-team and even 12-team formats and hoping he pitches well enough to stick on my rosters.
Cade Horton ($$$): I’m in. I’m so in. He just threw his changeup 18 times and got nine whiffs. NINE! Granted, it was the Marlins, but still, to get 50% whiffs on a single pitch is amazing, and I want it on my team. Horton’s biggest issue is a four-seam fastball that has been inconsistent so far this season, including just a 56% strike rate last time out. If he can continue to generate swings and misses with the off-speed, Horton’s fastball should eventually come around and make him a very strong option this summer, pitching for one of the best teams in baseball.
Logan Henderson ($): Another pitcher who has performed well at the major league level but might not have a rotation spot by this time next week, Logan Henderson is a part of a young Brewers rotation that is potentially being bumped out for returning veterans. With Brandon Woodruff scheduled to return soon, Henderson could be the odd man out. However, his performance warrants a FAAB bid IF he remains in the rotation. I’m willing to put a small bid on the young arm in case he sticks. With three outstanding starts already under his belt, it would be a shame if he were removed from his spot, but fantasy managers need to be smart when placing bids here.
Slade Cecconi ($): Nick remains skeptical of Cecconi after a very solid line against a hot Detroit Tigers lineup this past week, and for good reason. The Guardians’ offseason acquisition generated six whiffs on his curveball despite throwing only 13.3% of them in the strike zone – the Tigers chased it. Velocity on the sinker and fastball were also down a full mile per hour from his previous start as well. It’s something to watch for sure, but with upcoming outings against the Dodgers and Yankees, he’s a guy I’ll be bidding on in two weeks and hoping he hasn’t completely lost confidence.
Relief Pitchers
Daniel Palencia ($$$): The Cubs’ de facto closer with Porter Hodge on the shelf and Ryan Pressly basically broken. Palencia blew his first save chance on Monday, allowing two runs to the Marlins, but came back on Wednesday and earned a save with a clean ninth. More than his performance, Craig Counsell is showing faith in the reliever to close down the game was a huge stamp of approval and should be a vote of confidence for fantasy managers. Palencia is the guy in Chicago at least until Hodge returns.
Jesús Tinoco ($$): The closer in Miami, for whatever that’s worth, has been Tinoco. However, he’s blown two of his last three opportunities, including a four-run blowup against the Cubs on Monday. If the Marlins can generate seven save opportunities in June, Tinoco will likely pitch six of them. But a closer for a bad team may not carry as much weight for some fantasy managers. For those in dire need of saves, Tinoco is still available in a decent chunk of leagues.
Abner Uribe ($): One of the top relievers in the MLB in terms of holds, Uribe earned his first save of the year earlier this week and has seemed to rein in his control issues from years prior.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire) | Designed by Aaron Asbury (@aarongifs on Instagram)
