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
Will Warren (NYY), RHP — 79% Rostership
Warren has been perhaps the best starting pitcher in baseball over his last three starts, dating back to April 18th. Over that span:
| IP (GS) | QS (%) | ERA/FIP | K% | BB% | WHIP | FPS% | Pitching+ |
| 19.1 (3 GS) | 3 (100%) | 2.33/2.10 | 36.1% | 2.8% | 0.88 | 71% | 121 |
Warren hasn’t benefited from a random uptick in velo, there haven’t been any major arsenal tweaks, the quality of contact is identical to the year prior, and despite the notable uptick in strikeout rate, he hasn’t been registering more swinging-strike rate than usual…so what changed? It’s all about command and location. Warren has posted a 9.1% walk rate in back-to-back seasons. This year? Just a 5.3% clip. His location has also been impeccable. According to FanGraphs’ Location+ model, Warren has seen a 26-point increase, which, to put into perspective, puts Warren inside the top two in all of Major League Baseball. Yes, as in the same conversation as Paul Skenes.
Usually, I wouldn’t highlight a player that boasts such a high roster percentage, but it’s truly unbelievable how many leagues Warren is available in. Grab him while you can.
Carlos Cortes (ATH), OF — 27% Rostership
Cortes was a bat I claimed a few weeks back after a hot start, thinking he’d be a temporary solution to my offensive woes. It turns out, Cortes is now one of my lead producers. The 28-year-old has slashed .386/.456/.657 with a dynamic 205 wRC+ fueled by elite swing decisions and a 14% barrel rate. His 88% zCon and 22% CSW rates would be a career-best mark, even when you factor in his MiLB career. Insane! I highly advise you to grab Cortes, especially if your league factors in strikeouts; he’s walked more times than punched out, and a 6% swinging-strike rate (also a career-best) indicates he won’t be whiffing any time soon.
Miguel Vargas (CWS), INF — 63% Rostership
Vargas is slashing just .214/.360/.429 in 2026, but his production has ticked up to an elite level over the past two weeks. Through his last 52 plate appearances, Vargas has gone 13-for-40 (.325 BA) with a 1.131 OPS and 208 wRC+. He’s taking ball four in what feels like every game he plays, and has limited strikeouts very well (15%). Best of all, he’s elevating the ball with authority (4 HR over his last 11 games) and his xStats indicate that more is on the way; he’s actually underperforming his base stats by a hair.
Payton Tolle (BOS), LHP — 44% Rostership
Tolle owns a 2.95 FIP and 36% strikeout rate through his first two major league starts in 2026… as a top-10 prospect (and arguably the best left-handed pitching prospect in baseball), how is he rostered at under a 50% clip? The second-year star has found success thanks to implementing a sinker against both hands to steal a fair share of called strikes, allowing the dynamic four-seamer to play up (and even generate chase while elevated). We’ve also seen glimpses of his curveball and kick-change commanded well. The bottom line is that Tolle can throw 85% fastballs and be a dominant arm immediately, but the Red Sox are forcing him to develop and refine the rest of his arsenal. So far, it’s worked.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Jacob Latz is a must-add, as seen above. His 1.02 ERA/1.69 xERA are phenomenal, and while he isn’t punching many tickets (24% K rate), he isn’t walking many batters either (just ~5%). He’s generated a career-high in ground balls (43%), and the CSW% is up to 29% for the first time since 2023.
Rico Garcia is poised to take over the closer role with Ryan Helsley hitting the IL, so naturally, he’ll be a popular add. I see the intrigue — Garcia has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, point blank, in terms of basic production, boasting a sub-1.00 ERA, sub-0.50 WHIP, and a 33% strikeout rate. His batting average against (.024) is laughable… he’s allowed just one hit in 13.2 innings and stranded 100% of baserunners that have reached.
Cole Young is slashing .276/.346/.405 with a 118 wRC+ this season, and his increase in hard-hit rate combined with the xSLG (.453) and xwOBA (.353) indicate more is on the way. Young has amassed four multi-hit games over his last six starts, plus he is an elite defender (9 DRS at 2B this year) and owns a 140 wRC+ since April 18th.
I’ve talked enough about Ryan Weathers and Kyle Harrison over the past two weeks. Chase Dollander is an intriguing name I would have never thought I’d see on this list (at least for a few years), given the fact that he pitches in Coors Field and he posted a 5.53 FIP last season. The Rockies’ pitching development has completely outdone themselves: the 24-year-old owns a 2.25 ERA/3.05 FIP with a strikeout rate back in the 30% range over 32 innings this year. He’s not walking batters, the ground-ball rate has increased, and he has posted the highest swinging-strike rate of his career since his time in Double-A. An uptick in four-seamer location (+14 points), paired with the fact that he casually pumps 99+ mph, has fueled his success this season. Oh, and his sinker has averaged ~2″ more horizontal break.
Streaming Pitchers
Our guy Nick Pollack does a wonderful job at highlighting and ranking streaming pitcher options… check out his list here!
Braxton Ashcraft (PIT), RHP — 63% Rostership
It’s hard not to enjoy how Ashcraft has started the year unless you’re a fan of a fellow NL Central rival. He’s turned in a 3.14 FIP and 20% K-BB rate thanks to an uptick in both swinging-strike rate and CSW%. The xBA (.188) ranks inside the 91st percentile among all MLB arms, his curveball owns a whiff rate approaching 50%, and his 97+ mph four-seamer (.180 xBA) has turned in great results versus righties. I think he’s a guy who could benefit from a cutter in the future, but that’s a story for a different time.
Steven Matz (TB), LHP — 25% Rostership
I’m taking a risk here with Matz, who hasn’t quite been himself to start the year, but then again, the matchup is too good to pass up on. The southpaw is a command artist who induces weak contact and thrives utilizing his secondaries. The Giants (83 wRC+ as a team, 29th in MLB) have been so terrible in 2026 that we’re streaming arms that face them at this point.
