Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best players in baseball that you should be adding to your rosters. We’ll look at the players that are likely to be available in most leagues, as well as some deep league waiver wire options, and we’ll also look at the most added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites, and let you know which players to add and which you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Luis Robert Jr. (NYM) – OF (Yahoo! – 43%)
A move to the Mets was supposed to be a fresh start for Robert. Instead, it’s shaping up to be another year of missed potential. But the season isn’t over yet, and Robert is trying to close this chapter with an exclamation mark.
Robert has played just 52 games so far this season. His numbers don’t jump off the page by any means: he has 9 HR and 2 SB with a .711 OPS. He certainly isn’t living up to his career-best 2023 season. But he’s doing a pretty good impression of it in the last two weeks. In that span, he’s hit 5 HR with a .323 average and 1.260 OPS.
Maybe Robert really is having his comeback season. He’s only been back in the lineup for a bit over a month — we wouldn’t bat an eye at a guy having a slow April. It would have been great to see what he could have done with a full season. But for fantasy playoff purposes, he’s hitting his stride at the perfect time.
Tristan Peters (CWS) – OF (Yahoo! – 6%)
Peters has spent most of the season hitting for average and not much else. He holds a .277 average and .802 OPS, but only 11 HR and 7 SB. Five of those home runs have come in the last two weeks. Peters has a 1.263 OPS during that time, and he looks like the perfect low-risk hot-bat option. The hope is that he keeps up this power binge, but the fail case is that his power disappears. Normally, when that happens, you’re stuck with a player who’s tanking your average while not providing anything in the RBI/HR columns. But with Peters and his 18.4% strikeout rate, you should be safe from taking any hits in the average category even if things don’t go to plan.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Andrew Alvarez faltered against the Rockies, allowing 3 ER over 4.2 IP. He had a decent string of starts leading up to this one, and you could keep him around for his next start against the Marlins if you’re in a pinch.
Adrian Houser was pulled after just 1.2 IP with arm tightness. He’s been a solid streamer, but this does not bode well for the rest of his season. Even if his MRI is clean, he’ll likely miss his next start even if he avoids the IL.
Aaron Nola earned a quality start against the Mariners but took the loss after going 6 IP with 2 ER. He has a 3.38 ERA over his last 7 starts, and a solid matchup against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. I’d look to him out of these five streaming options.
Anthony Kay failed to make it out of the fourth inning against the Rangers, giving up 4 ER along the way. He’s a solid streaming option, but I’d avoid him against the Astros.
Walbert Ureña didn’t have it against the Guardians. He walked five batters and gave up 3 ER in 3.2 IP. As much as I love him and his 2.94 ERA on the season, I’m concerned that he’s running out of steam in his first full season. With the Yankees up next, I might look elsewhere.
ESPN
Aaron Nola earned a quality start against the Mariners but took the loss after going 6 IP with 2 ER. He has a 3.38 ERA over his last 7 starts, and a solid matchup against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. I’d look to keep him around for his next turn.
Cal Raleigh is finally showing signs of life. Raleigh playing like Raleigh is certainly better than any other catcher on the wire.
Taj Bradley put on a show against the Athletics, racking up 11 Ks in 6.2 IP. Sure, there were 4 earned runs, but he also threw the first immaculate inning in Twins’ history. He’s on the fringe for 10-team leagues, but he should be rostered in anything deeper.
Mickey Gasper has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. He’s 10 for his last 21 over the past two weeks, with 5 of them being home runs. The 30-year-old DH has never posted an OPS north of .500 in either of his previous MLB seasons. He’s surely a flash in the pan, but it’s hard to turn down a hitter as hot as this in deep leagues.
Joey Cantillo is going through a bit of a rough patch with a 4.30 ERA across his last seven starts. His last two starts have looked much better, and I predict he’ll close out the season strong. And he has the Angels tomorrow, and there’s no better team to stream against.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for a complete breakdown of every start over the next few days.
Today (Wednesday): Dustin May (MIL) (34% on Yahoo!) May has been too good all year to put much thought into his most recent start. He’s been rock-solid otherwise, and the Mets are as good a matchup as any.
Tomorrow (Thursday): Hayden Wesneski (HOU) (13% on Yahoo!) Wesneski has been getting things done this season and holds a 3-1 record with a 4.23 ERA. The Yankees aren’t an ideal matchup, but there aren’t many better options for tomorrow’s short slate.
