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
Kristian Campbell (BOS), 2B (43% rostered on Yahoo, 37% rostered on ESPN)
Campbell was one of the most hyped prospects of the offseason after he dominated the minors in 2024 to the tune of a .330/.439/.558 slash line with 20 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 115 games. This made him a very enticing sleeper pick in drafts, but it’s hard to buy into a prospect completely before ever seeing him step foot into major league action. As we saw just last season with Jackson Holliday, it’s hard to know if they truly are ready for that next step.
Of course, it’s only a four-game sample of 2025, but Campbell looks like he belongs. He has gone 6-for-16 with one homer, two doubles, two walks, and four strikeouts. He has immense upside at one of the weakest positions in fantasy and should be much higher owned than 43 percent. If he’s out on the waiver wire of your leagues, add him now before you miss the chance.
Tyler Soderstrom (ATH), 1B (35% rostered on Yahoo, 16% rostered on ESPN)
Soderstrom kicked off Opening Day with a two-homer performance and has continued to hit well since. He blasted his third home run on Sunday and is proving that his 49.6% hard-hit rate in 2024 wasn’t a fluke. Strikeouts will always be his biggest flaw, but his raw power can overcome that to make him a useful fantasy player. Soderstrom also serves as the Athletics‘ third catcher, giving him a real chance to make five appearances at the position to gain fantasy eligibility. It may take a while, but he would instantly become a must-start catcher once eligible.
Kyle Manzardo (CLE), 1B (30% rostered on Yahoo, 13% rostered on ESPN)
Manzardo is another young slugger to add now before someone else scoops him up. After finishing a single shy of the cycle on Opening Day, he continued his hot stretch by launching another homer on Sunday. The former top prospect looked like he finally figured things out in September last year, hitting five home runs. All signs are pointing toward him carrying that momentum into 2025, and he could be a difference-maker in the power department.
Jeffrey Springs (ATH), SP (48% rostered on Yahoo, 21% rostered on ESPN)
Springs looked impressive in his season debut on Friday, tossing six scoreless innings and striking out nine. Judging by the fact that he’s still under 50% rostered, I don’t think it got the attention it deserved. It’s not like Springs is some mediocre pitcher who may have lucked into a good start. He was one of the most popular breakout picks prior to the 2023 season, when he looked like an ace through his first three starts before suffering an elbow injury. He posted a 0.56 ERA and 0.50 WHIP with a ridiculous 43.6% strikeout rate over 16 innings. Of course, that’s a small sample with completely unsustainable numbers, but the point still stands that he has shown the skills in the past to be considered a must-start pitcher for fantasy.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Otto Lopez stands out as the most added player on Yahoo, after beginning the season by batting .333 with a homer and a stolen base. While he’s not going to turn into a superstar player, his skillset is very useful for deeper roto leagues. He is guaranteed plenty of playing time towards the top of the Marlins’ lineup and will steal a good amount of bases, thanks to his 86th percentile sprint speed.
Seth Halvorsen picked up his first save of the season, sparking the rush to the waiver wire. He doesn’t figure to get an abundance of save opportunities on the underwhelming Rockies, but he is still worth an add in leagues where saves are extremely scarce.
Max Meyer and Keibert Ruiz are both streaming plays. Meyer was a popular add ahead of his Sunday start against the Pirates, where he struck out seven over 5.2 innings. He will face the Braves in his next outing, but he showed enough promise to make him worth a roster spot in deeper leagues. Ruiz is a hot-hand play for anyone streaming catchers, as he’s begun the year by batting .500 with two home runs.
Wilyer Abreu has cracked this list for the past several days, thanks to a scorching hot start to the season. He kept it up on Sunday, hitting a double and drawing three walks. He won’t bat .700 for the rest of the season, but he is still worth an add in case this is a legitimate huge step forward for the youngster.
Abreu and Campbell both crack ESPN’s most-added list, too, and don’t need any additional discussion. MacKenzie Gore, Eugenio Suárez, and Austin Wells round out the rest of the list, and all for very good reasons. Gore had the most impressive performance of Opening Day, striking out 13 in six scoreless innings against the Philies. Suarez has already slugged four homers, and Wells has two of his own. All three of these players should be universally owned outside of extremely shallow 10-teamers, so I expect their roster percentages to continue to rise.
Category Specific Players to Add
Victor Scott II (STL), OF (30% rostered on Yahoo, 6% rostered on ESPN)
Scott was a popular sleeper pick heading into 2024 drafts but never amounted to much. He’s back for round two this year, though, and it has been much more successful so far. Typically known as a steals specialist, he hit his first home run of the season on Sunday, to go along with a steal. He’s already up to three steals in three games, thanks to his 99th percentile sprint speed. He only batted .179 last season with a .219 OBP, which gave him very few opportunities to show off his legs. He could be a difference-maker in the category if his contact skills truly have improved.
Matt Wallner (MIN), OF (26% rostered on Yahoo, 5% rostered on ESPN)
Wallner had a quiet opening weekend, going 1-for-13 with a double. That type of performance won’t have people rushing to the waiver wire to add him, but he still makes for a great add if your team is lacking power. He hit 13 long balls in 75 games in 2024 to go along with a .259/.372/.523 slash line. While he hasn’t delivered much yet in 2025, it’s promising to see that the Twins have stuck with their plan to lead him off against righties. He likely won’t play against lefties, but he still can serve as a great power bat in daily lineup leagues where you can sub him in and out.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings to figure out who you need to start, stream, or sit each day this season. There are a couple of names that specifically stand out to me for today.
Drew Rasmussen (TB), SP (56% rostered on Yahoo, 13% rostered on ESPN)
Rasmussen had a limited 2024 but was effective when on the mound, posting a 2.83 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 35 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. He is rejoining the rotation this season and is set to make his debut against the Pirates. He has huge strikeout upside when everything is working right, as can be seen by his 30.2% strikeout rate last season. This is a great spot to stream him and possibly hold him for the rest of the season if he breaks out like many think he can.
Chris Paddack (MIN), SP (3% rostered on Yahoo, 2% rostered on ESPN)
Chris Paddack is a lower-owned streaming option set to face the White Sox. This is more about the matchup than Paddack’s skill as a pitcher, but he does have some long-term sleeper appeal in deeper leagues. He was once one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and is hoping to finally have a fully healthy season.
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on Instagram & Threads
@kuwasemiller.bksy.social on BlueSky)
