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 players you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Payton Tolle (BOS), LHP — 41% Rostership
Tolle, a premier pitching talent, put his skillset on full display the other day against the rival Yankees, twirling six innings of one-run ball while punching out 11 batters. He’s undoubtedly taken the next step forward in his development and the usage of his sinker – a pitch he only dabbled with a year prior -combined with a refined changeup and curveball have worked wonders for the southpaw.
Through fifteen innings with Triple-A Worcester, Tolle turned in a 3.00 ERA/2.49 FIP with a 31% strikeout rate and 30% CSW rate. He was also magnificent during spring camp, allowing just a .235 xwOBA and featuring all kinds of elite metrics all-around while piling the zone with strikes. He’s only made that one start versus New York, where he walked away with a 50% strikeout rate, but that’s all he should really need to join your squad.
Josh Jung (TEX), INF — 30% Rostership
Jung is in line to blow his career-best marks out of the water in 2026. He’s slashed .301/359/.518 with a 143 wRC+ – over thirty points more than his previous career-high – and has seen his swing-and-miss concerns evaporate. His swinging-strike rate has gone from 12% to 8%, strikeout rate down from 25% to 17%, and he’s making more contact on pitches inside the zone (85% to 92% zContact%), all really positive signs. Best of all, the xStats completely back Jung’s production. If you need a power surge in your lineup (12 XBH in 23 games), Jung may be your guy.
Ildemaro Vargas (AZ), INF — 35% Rostership
Vargas, a 24-year-old switch-hitter, has had an astonishing start to the year. He’s gone 25-for-70 (.357) with an elite .411 xwOBA and 188 wRC+ while punching out at an effortless 12% clip. Vargas entered 2026 with four home runs over the past two years (424 PA); he has five bombs through 73 plate appearances this year. The veteran limits swing-and-miss and racks up plenty of knocks; you can’t miss out on buying low here.
Braxton Ashcraft (PIT), RHP — 71% Rostership
Ashcraft has been one of the best pitchers in the National League to start the year, posting a 2.43 ERA/2.42 FIP with a 1.01 WHIP (.198 BAA) and 28% K rate. He’s induced less hard contact, limited pullside batted-balls, and racked up more CSW% than ever before, fueled by a ~2% uptick in swinging-strike rate. While his 97 mph four-seamer is elite, his curveball owns a sub-0.1 BAA and xBA to start the year. It is one of, if not the best, curveballs in baseball right now in terms of pure production.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Carlos Cortes is a name that has come out of nowhere this season, slashing .339/.403/.625 with a monster 181 wRC+. He’s doing this with more walks (6) than strikeouts (4), and the strikeout rate has stayed below 10%. His 15% barrel rate, combined with optimal contact (.451 xwOBA), has fueled his success.
Walbert Ureña is a cautious add. While the walk rate does scare me, Urena’s ability to punch guys out (26% clip) is certainly noticeable. His 2.48 FIP also indicates that perhaps there is nothing to worry about. Again, I’d be cautious, but this is an intriguing stash-add.
I like Jeffrey Springs as a mid/low-end starter where I can pick and choose my matchups. The 33-year-old lefty has posted a 3.34 ERA/3.97 FIP with a sub-1 WHIP in 2026, striking out batters at a 23% clip and limiting BAA (.187) at an elite level.
I talked about Ryan Weathers last week. He’s an intriguing add if he’s still available in your league, especially with that strikeout rate increase up to 31% and a solid 3.23 FIP to back up his nifty work to start the year.
Justin Wrobleski is one of my favorite left-handed pitchers in baseball, so of course, I’ll endorse an addition to your roster. His 2.93 FIP last year, despite an ERA in the low 4s, indicated to me that a breakout was upon us, and he sure has looked the part this season, turning in a sub-2 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.
Streaming Pitchers
Our guy Nick Pollack does a wonderful job at highlighting and ranking streaming pitcher options… check out his list here!
Connelly Early (BOS), LHP — 49% Rostership
Early is the second half (Tolle) of Boston’s young southpaw duo that has taken the pitching world by storm over the past year or so. He has been magnificent to start the year, turning in a 2.88 ERA with a 45% ground-ball rate. If he’s able to get the walk rate back in check like he’s already proven he can do (and was on the cusp of before being extended in his last outing), Early will generate high upside results at an elite rate in the foreseeable future.
Max Meyer (MIA), RHP — 19% Rostership
Meyer is an offspeed demon that just needs to get away from throwing poor fastballs. His slider is a top-five pitch in baseball when it’s right — the offering has turned in a .178 xBA with a 51% whiff rate this season. His sweeper also excels — 36% whiff rate as his second-highest usage offering. Limiting damage on the four-seamer (.386 xwOBA) can transform Meyer’s ceiling. Not to mention, his 3.96 ERA/3.49 FIP in 2026 is pretty fantastic.
