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
Mickey Gasper (BOS) – C,1B (Yahoo – 19%)
We covered Gasper a few weeks ago after he hit five homers in August over 25 at-bats, which was pretty darn curious as he had zero homers before that all season. Talk about making adjustments.
But if you thought the power surge was an anomaly that would quickly fade, you might be wrong. Gasper’s been able to keep his foot on the gas, homering again in back-to-back games this week. And most importantly, his metrics are coming around to prove out his results. He has tremendous plate discipline with a 21.4% Chase rate and makes solid contact with a 16.3% Whiff rate. Those two elite measures translate into a phenomenal 14.7% K-rate (plus he walks 12% of the time).
And while Gasper doesn’t crush the ball (10% Barrel, 88.8 mph AEV), he’s got a 19.7% Pull Air rate, so he’s maximizing the power he does have.
If you’re in the midst of a playoff run and don’t want to take a flier, that’s totally understandable. But even if you don’t believe in the power, there aren’t many catchers with a .376 OBP. I’ll admit I didn’t believe at first, but now I do.
Thomas Saggese (STL) – 2B,3B,SS,OF (Yahoo – 10%)
Saggese’s Barrel rate was 2.9% in 2024. He fared a little better in limited action last year (5.6%), but only had a pair of homers to show for it in 275 AB’s.
And somehow earlier this week, Saggese blasted three home runs in just two games, accomplishing in nine at-bats what he couldn’t do in half a season last year. And he’s now barreling balls at a 13.1% clip. So what happened?
It’s a small sample size, to be sure, but Saggese hit 20 homers in AAA in 2024, and 10 last season in just 55 games. So, he actually came in with a lot more power than his historic MLB stats suggest (he also has a little bit of speed, too, with 58 total steals in his minor league career).
Again, you don’t want to take any crazy chances this late in the game. Saggese was called up as an injury fill-in, and he could get bumped in a week or two if Wetherholt or Blaze Jordan make it back. But he’s got crazy position eligibility so you can plug him in anywhere and has a decent skill set. It’s not as crazy as it sounds.
Jonah Cox (SF) – OF (Yahoo – 7%)
Over 55 games in the Minors this season (44 in AA, 11 in AAA), Jonah Cox’s batting average was .415. Yes, that number starts with a four. And if you think he got that average by slapping singles like Luis Arraez, think again—he slugged .647 with a 1.115 OPS. A lot of it was gap power (15 doubles, 6 triples), but you’d take that in a points league. And if you’re not in a points league, he also stole 34 bases in those 55 games.
The son of former MLB catcher Darron Cox, Jonah had some growing pains when he first made the Majors in June, striking out more than half the time in less than 30 plate appearances. Then he strained an oblique. But he’s worked his way back up to the big club with that insane batting average, and appears far more settled the second time around. He hit .297 in August with a .945 OPS and is getting on base 36% of the time. He’s also running wild, with nine steals in just eighty plate appearances. If you can’t make room for him this year, he’s already a top sleeper for me in 2027.
Henry Bolte (ATH) – OF (Yahoo – 11%)
Bolte’s been playing decent ball for a while now, settling into a leadoff role for the Athletics. The 23-year-old is gifted with 100th-percentile Sprint Speed (seriously, he’s in Bobby Witt territory), but it’s his bat that’s broken out in August, with a .310 average and nine XBH’s. And he’s off to a hot start in September with two homers already in the month.
Bolte benefits by playing in the Sacramento pinball machine that they call a ballpark, where he’s batting .312 at home. But he holds his own in road games as well, and has more success on the basepaths. If he can keep that .350 OBP right where it is, you should see a lot of stolen bases down the stretch. And while the power metrics haven’t quite shown up in the batted-ball categories, he’s got incredible 77-mph bat speed. That means once he starts squaring up the ball just a little bit more, good things will happen.
Hayden Wesneski (HOU) – SP (Yahoo – 33%)
Wesneski went to Houston a couple of years ago when the Cubs landed Kyle Tucker, and then he missed the ’25 season while recovering from Tommy John. But he was a tremendous arm before all that and looks like he’s back to his former self, with some adjustments.
When some pitchers return from TJ, they can actually show a burst in velocity as their new tendon can be both more secure and more flexible. That hasn’t really been the case with Wesneski, but he did tweak his arsenal during his recovery. He’s now throwing the fastball less and a sweeper more than 30% of the time. And it’s an absolutely insane pitch with some of the best metrics I’ve ever seen: a .108 BAA, . 135 SLG, and a 41.7% Whiff rate. Hitters also have a 79.1 mph average EV against it. Wesneski’s another sleeper for next year, but he could also be useful for his four or five remaining starts this season.
Max Scherzer (TOR) – SP (Yahoo – 10%)
Maybe you’ve heard of him. And you’ve probably seen him this season, looking every bit of his 42 years as he struggled to an ERA over 6 and a 1-7 W/L record.
And yet, Scherzer dialed the way-back machine last week and struck out 10 Mariners in a one-hit, seven-inning gem.
Was it a fluke? Or after not winning a decision since March 31, did Scherzer finally get his touch back? Well, perhaps a little bit of both. But Scherzer’s 2026 metrics are actually quite a bit better than last season’s (where he had a .483 xSLG), and his xERA this year is just 4.21 with a .232 xBA.
Scherzer’s obviously not missing bats like he used to, with an 18.5% K-rate that’s a world away from the 35% range of his prime. But there could be a few more good starts in him (or maybe more than a few, as he says he’s not retiring). I’m willing to roll the dice and find out.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Jake Bennett should actually be better than he’s been showing—and that’s saying something, as he’s been really good. But the 6’6″ lefty, drafted in 2022’s second round, has a 98th-percentile Chase rate and a 98th-percentile Walk rate, which should translate into an elite K:BB ratio. The K’s haven’t quite made it to the party, but they should show up eventually. Aside from that, Bennett’s a solid middle-tier starter with both great control and great extension for a big lefty. He’s got a bright future and deserves to be at the top of this list.
We covered Saggese, who got on base twice last night against the Dodgers but wasn’t involved in any runs. He batted seventh and played shortstop.
Unlike Bennett, Cal Quantrill’s ownership on Yahoo feels a little bit high. But anyone who streamed him last night was richly rewarded, as he went seven shutout innings and allowed just four baserunners. The 31-year-old former first-rounder spent a lot of time in the ‘pen this season, but this was his twelfth start, and it happened to be his best one. Quantrill’s been able to turn the corner from last season’s 6.04 ERA by radically adjusting his pitch mix with the Rangers. It also helps to have a little stability, as he spent the last three years on five different teams.
After Gasper, who I’d prefer over Saggese given the long-term potential, comes Kade Anderson, who’s already past 50%-owned in just his second start. Anderson struggled a bit last night, however, which probably frustrates those who stashed him for an extended time (like me!). One theory for his slow start is that AA baseballs have a slightly different feel than those in the Majors. So perhaps he just needs to get more comfortable with his grip, and all will be right again.
ESPN
Four of the five names overlap here from Yahoo, with Bennett topping this list again. The only new name here is Michael Wacha, who is 73% owned on ESPN and 76% owned on Yahoo. He’s quietly had a tremendous bounce-back year and will eclipse his career high in innings this weekend. He should be universally owned on the points-heavy ESPN platform and could go 185 innings with 150-160 K’s and a WHIP around 1.1. That’s a top-30 starter for the format.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for the complete breakdown on every start for the next few days. There are two pitchers to highlight.
Shane Drohan (MIL) – SP (Yahoo – 27%) @ CIN
I’ve loved Drohan this year and I’ll love him even more in 2027. He’s getting a K per inning, plays on a great team, and on Friday will draw an opponent that’s scored the second-fewest runs against lefty starters this season. Drohan’s metrics are solid across the board—eightieth-percentile Chase rate, seventieth-percentile xERA—and he gets a beatable starter to face off against in Rhett Lowder. Drohan took a step back in August with a 4.84 ERA on the month, but he should start September on better footing and cruise here.
Dustin May (MIL) – SP (Yahoo – 27%) @ CIN
Sure, let’s pick on the Reds this weekend. But I’m picking May with the optimism that he’s now fully recovered (or close to it) after his comebacker-scare a couple of starts ago. May looked very hittable and jittery in his last outing, giving up five XBH’s in just over four innings, but he’s got a better matchup here. And while he’s only won one decision since June and has had some bad luck since joining the Brewers, I think things will bounce his way in this one.
