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
Liam Hicks (MIA), C — 48% Rostership
Hicks, 26, has been spectacular to start the season for the Marlins. The former ninth-rounder has slashed .368/.435/.895 with an elite .547 xwOBA, 247 wRC+, and an even 1-to-1 K/BB ratio. His quality of contact has also been superb – most noticeably, his average exit velocity (91.1 mph) is up over six mph compared to 2025. That, combined with an improved launch angle, 16% barrel rate, and 47% HH rate (nearly double compared to his mark in 2025), has played a role in fueling his production.
Hicks might not be done, either. While his .368 batting average is fantastic (18th in MLB), his .452 xBA (1st in MLB) indicates more may be on the way. His xwOBA also ranks 3rd in MLB. Given the fact that Hicks is slated to start plenty of games behind the dish and get consistent at-bats at the top of Miami’s lineup, he’s a perfect waiver wire add early in the year, particularly in point leagues.
Joey Wiemer (WSH), OF — 35% Rostership
Wiemer, 27, slashed just .238/.279/.436 with Miami last year before venturing to Washington over the offseason. He’s started his 2026 campaign with a bang, elevating his slash line to a jaw-dropping .588/.682/1.059 with a 362 wRC+. I haven’t seen a number that big in years! The former fourth-round pick has already accumulated 0.9 fWAR, just 0.1 shy of his career total prior to this season, and is evidently on pace to blow that number out of the water.
Now, are these gigantic numbers sustainable? Clearly not (entirely). But the 91 mph EV and 15% barrel rate are right in line with where he was last year, plus a .496 xwOBA ranks T-6th in MLB. The Nats may have something here in Wiemer.
Otto Lopez (MIA), INF — 65% Rostership
Lopez is perhaps one of my favorite, underrated players in baseball. I rostered him in five of my six fantasy leagues this year and highlighted him in my All-Breakout Team prior to Opening Day. What makes Lopez so intriguing is his premium defensive profile up the middle, paired with elite contact skills and a knack for punishing mistakes, leading to sneaky pop. He belted 15 home runs last year, and I expect that number to rise in 2026.
Lopez has slashed a modest .280/.357/.520 with a 146 wRC+ to start the season. His .434 xSLG and .330 xwOBA last season were clear indicators that he could take off with more consistent at-bats, and it looks like that’s coming to fruition here. His hard-hit rate (50%) and barrel rate (10%) have all increased tremendously through a very small sample size in 2026. Simply put, if Lopez is available in your league, grab him immediately.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
We’ve already talked about Hicks. The name that really intrigues me on this list is Gregory Soto. The 31-year-old lefty has turned in fabulous results with the Pirates through 5.1 IP, including a 1.69 ERA/3.18 FIP, 0.75 WHIP, 1 save, and a diabolical 52% strikeout rate. He’s racking up CSW (41%) thanks to an increase in swinging-strike rate (~18%) and a major uptick in sinker/slider usage in-zone. The sinker (.240 xwOBA) and slider (60% whiff rate) have been his bread and butter this season.
A name that I was surprised to see missing from this list was Ramón Laureano. While the Padres’ offense has been quite tragic to start the season, the veteran outfielder has done his best to produce, slashing .318/.348/.636 with a 178 wRC+. His teammate, Miguel Andujar, could be a solid deep league option as well (just tallied three hits against the Red Sox).
It’s clear that if Chase DeLauter isn’t on your team this deep into Week 2, something is wrong. With that being said, there are a few names that jump off the page here. Michael Soroka was decent last season, tossing 89.2 innings and turning in a 4.52 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. However, the 3.53 xERA paired with a career-best 17% K-BB rate leaves more room to grow for the former top prospect. Soroka struck out a whopping ten batters (50% K rate) through five innings in his Diamondbacks debut – helping him post a -0.22 FIP – and is available to claim in a great many leagues.
Ryan Weathers, a more dynamic but inconsistent arm, is another starting pitcher that’s widely available and could prove to be a good waiver addition. The 26-year-old breakout candidate was acquired via Miami over the winter and flashed signs of greatness during camp. He twirled 4.1 innings of one-run ball in his Yankees debut, good for a 1.34 FIP, and was also able to strike out 37% of batters he faced.
Streaming Pitchers
Our guy Nick Pollack does a wonderful job at highlighting and ranking streaming pitcher options… check out his list here!
Kodai Senga (NYM), RHP — 66% Rostership
Senga, who saw his four-seamer comfortably sit 98 mph (+3 compared to 2025) in his last outing, has surprisingly not seen his rostership rate increase all that much. I’ve been a huge fan of Senga for years and did not understand all the hate he was getting from Mets fans – he’s a few minor tweaks away from reaching what I believed was borderline ace status just a few years ago. He struck out nine batters (36% clip) in six innings last game, turning in a 1.68 FIP. I made it a point to draft Senga at some point late, and it certainly looks like that’s paid off early. Grab him while you can… his stock could rise rapidly.
Kyle Leahy (STL), RHP — 1% Rostership
Leahy is a beyond underrated arm talent that boasts a really intriguing pitch mix. His first outing didn’t go as well as you’d imagine, as seen by the eight hits and four earned runs allowed with just one strikeout, but I do believe this is an arm managers will get excited about as the season progresses. His 3.98 FIP, despite the rocky start, is a good example of why. Leahy’s outlier 7.2′ extension plays, not to mention his curveball (.195 xBA, .243 xwOBA, 35% whiff rate) is one of the best in the sport. His sweeper returned a 29% whiff rate, four-seamer plays up, and grabbed a 22% clip. More whiff is on the way, and I believe that Leahy could expand on that 3.04 FIP he posted last season. His ceiling is as high as the swing-and-miss takes him.
Kyle Harrison (MIL), LHP — 31% Rostership
The Brewers will look to expand on the tweaks the Red Sox made with Harrison after acquiring him as part of the Rafael Devers trade last season – similar to what Milwaukee did with Quinn Priester (elevating Boston’s tweaks and utilizing more secondaries like the cutter). Harrison’s elite four-seamer plays up (literally) thanks to its flat shape and elite HAVAA. He tossed five innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts in his Brewers debut, and I intend on seeing him expand on that outing soon.
Deep League Players to Watch
Jesus Sanchez (TOR), OF — 6% Rostership
Want to talk about a deep league stash option solely based on underlying metrics? Sanchez has had a decent start to the year, slashing .286/.400/.429 with a 149 wRC+, but more is on the way. He boasts elite expected numbers – a .410 xBA, .727 xSLG, and .523 xwOBA, for example – all mightily ahead of what he’s produced thus far. I was baffled when I saw these numbers and immediately went to make a claim, just as a stash option for now. At worst, he’s a rotational bench outfielder that you could move off from with no risk added.
