It’s been yet another week of some impactful hitting promotions to the major leagues, with the debuts of A.J. Ewing and Henry Bolte happening this week.
It was also, unfortunately, another week where some aces have gone down, with Max Fried and Logan Webb being added to the list of casualties. While it’s unfortunate, thankfully, these appear to be shorter-term absences where you likely need some fill-ins in the meantime. I made an effort to provide a more extensive list of starting pitcher recommendations this week, so hopefully it can help you in your decision-making process for your FAAB runs this weekend.
There are some rather widely available hitters where I love what they’re doing, and you can find them below. There are also some pitchers I like for the long-term, like Ben Brown, who has continued to dominate as he transitions back into being a starter. It’s one of those rare FAAB weekends where there are great options out there for whatever your teams might need.
Throughout the season, this column is designed to help you decide who to target on the waiver wire, as well as how to prioritize who to add. The focus will mainly be on relevant players who are also widely available in all leagues, and will often include players I’ve spent my own FAAB dollars on. Every league is different, so players will not be given an exact dollar amount but instead will use a four-tier investment rating system, ranging from a minimal spend to a potential difference-maker.
Investment Rating System
This week, twelve teams have a seven-game schedule, and those teams are listed below. Travis Bazzana, Henry Bolte, and A.J. Ewing are a few hitters mentioned in this week’s article who have a full slate of games this upcoming week. The rest of the teams have a six-game schedule in the upcoming week.
SEVEN GAMES: ARI, ATH, ATL, CLE, COL, DET, LAA, MIA, NYM, NYY, TOR, WAS
Batters
Outfielders
JJ Bleday ($$$$): Originally drafted fourth overall by the Miami Marlins, Bleday is a talented player who was once a highly touted prospect who may finally be breaking out. With the type of heater he’s on after homering two more times on Thursday, he frankly needs added everywhere. He’s still widely available, only being owned in 30% of Yahoo leagues and 55% of CBS leagues. Getting into his statistics, in 16 games with the Cincinnati Reds, he has 6 homers, 16 RBI, and a 10:13 K:BB ratio. He’s slashing 0.321/0.455/0.755, and while underlying metrics do take more data to stabilize, he currently has an absurd 224 wRC+ and 0.483 xwOBA. It’s so impressive that his xwOBA actually went down after his two-homer game.
A.J. Ewing ($$$$): Very rarely do you see two impact outfielders like Bleday and Ewing available like this ahead of a weekend FAAB run. There are leagues where I don’t even need any more hitters and still want to add both of them, if that tells you anything. Ewing is also 55% owned on CBS and 38% on Yahoo, so he’s widely available as well. It’s difficult to choose who to prioritize here, and one difference is that Ewing is producing right away as a rookie. After moving quickly through the New York Mets minor league system this season, he’s hit the ground running in the majors as well. In three career games, he already has a home run, a stolen base, 3 RBI, and a 3:4 BB:K ratio. You never quite know how plate discipline and walk rates in the minors will translate at the MLB level, so it’s very impressive he drew three walks in his first career game. He’s likely the safer bet to be productive, but Bleday may offer more upside with his power potential.
Henry Bolte ($$): There is a lot more uncertainty with the playing time of Henry Bolte, so he’s more of a speculative add at the moment. He’s only owned in 17% of Yahoo leagues, so the Athletics outfielder is widely available. He’s done well so far in limited action, picking up three hits across his first two games as well as recording his first career RBI and stolen base. He’s still kind of raw as a prospect, but he has the physical tools to become something intriguing.
Infielders
Travis Bazzana ($$$): Even though it feels late to get to Bazzana in a FAAB article, he’s still only rostered in 42% of Yahoo leagues. His combination of speed and plate discipline makes him usable across all formats as well. He’s a lot like Ewing in that way, but as an infielder. Considering he plays a weak position for fantasy baseball at second base, that only adds to his value. He started out 0-9 but has since caught fire, with a home run, four RBI, five steals, and a 5:6 K:BB ratio over his last seven games. With seven steals already through only 14 games, it’s safe to say he’s going to be impactful everywhere if he’s going to get on base and also run this much.
Josh Jung ($$): Josh Jung is another impactful hitter at a weak position in fantasy baseball, which would be third base. After looking like a breakout as a rookie in 2023 for the Texas Rangers on his way to winning the World Series, he followed that up with two disappointing seasons. What he’s doing in 2026 is actually the best version we’ve seen of Jung, with a slash line of 0.325/0.372/0.510. Those are improvements across the board, even compared to his 2023 numbers, where he slashed just 0.266/0.315/0.467. His improved plate discipline while still impacting the ball in the same way has been his best skill change. He’s cut his strikeout rate by 10% this season, and the underlying data backs up what he’s doing as he has a 0.309 xBA as well.
Pitchers
Starting Pitchers
Ben Brown ($$$): After another scoreless start in a tough matchup on the road against the Atlanta Braves, it’s time to talk about Ben Brown. He only went four innings in this one, as he’s still being stretched out to start. He got up to 65 pitches in this one and was dominant, striking out seven. In whatever role he’s pitched in for the Chicago Cubs, Brown has been really good this season. Over 33.2 innings, he has 34 strikeouts, 1.60 ERA, and a 0.86 WHIP. It seems that adding a third pitch in a sinker to pair with his four-seam fastball and curveball has really helped Brown. It remains to be seen if he has a wide enough arsenal to be an effective starting pitcher, but the results so far speak for themselves. Brown is only rostered in 21% of Yahoo leagues, so he should still be available in most of your leagues.
Griffin Jax ($$$): Jax continues to look good stuff-wise as he stretches out to be a starting pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. He was able to build up to 66 pitches in his start this week, where he held the Toronto Blue Jays scoreless over five innings. As he builds up his pitch count, he’s been able to maintain his velocity at 95-96, and that may be the key to how dominant he can be as a starter. If he can have a starter’s workload while still maintaining his elite pitches, Jax has the potential to be a breakout starting pitcher. Jax is only owned in 25% of Yahoo leagues, so the time to jump in and add him is now.
Trevor McDonald ($$): Even with a tough schedule this week, McDonald followed up his impressive first start this season by holding his own against the Los Angeles Dodgers. All things considered, it was a nice start where he allowed three earned runs in 5.1 innings with four strikeouts. I like McDonald going forward if he sticks in the San Francisco Giants rotation, with a more favorable matchup coming next week, where he faces the Chicago White Sox at home in Oracle Park. While his rotation spot could be up in the air going forward, he’s still worth the speculative add, only being 18% rostered on Yahoo.
Braxton Garrett ($$): Garrett really struggled in his return to the major leagues, and I’m inclined to give him a pass and not pay much attention since it was his first MLB start since 2024. He does get two starts this upcoming week for the Miami Marlins, getting the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets both at home. He will have the advantage of the pitcher-friendly park in Miami, so you could do much worse in weekly leagues. It’s worth the gamble if you’re in need of a streamer next week. Garrett is only rostered in 9% of Yahoo leagues, so if you’re in need of a two-start streamer, he’s widely available.
J.T. Ginn ($$): Ginn has been on a roll over his past two starts, allowing one earned run over 14 total innings. With two road matchups in the upcoming week, it’s a great time to give him a shot. He will face the Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres, and while they have some good hitters, they are not the scariest matchups. Ginn is also a good bet to pitch deep into his starts, so if you are in need of volume, he’s a great option. Ginn is only rostered in 10% of leagues on Yahoo, so he should be available in most of your leagues.
Jacob Lopez ($$): Lopez has struggled this season for the Athletics after what looked like a breakout last season. He has the same matchups as his teammate Ginn, so this is a recommendation based on schedule more than anything else. If Lopez is going to turn his season around and get on track, it’s likely to happen here. He’s been inefficient this season and has lacked the dominance in strikeouts that he exhibited last season, but he has an opportunity to get back to that here, facing a strikeout-prone Los Angeles Angels lineup. Being only 3% rostered on Yahoo, he’s barely rostered at the moment.
