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
Tyler Fitzgerald (SFG), 2B/SS/OF (44% rostered on Yahoo, 11.1% on ESPN)
Fitzgerald is one of the more interesting hitters in baseball. If you look at his Baseball Savant page, you’re going to come away thoroughly unimpressed. He doesn’t excel in any one area, with one major exception: speed.
Speed can be the most fickle tool in a fantasy tool belt. After all, you can’t steal first base, as the old saying goes. However, Fitzgerald is proving capable of getting on first with his bat. He had a .280 batting average across 96 MLB games last season, and he’s at .310 so far this season. His .226 xBA is significantly lower, but he had a .227 xBA last year. Some games are capable of outperforming their peripherals, particularly when they have great speed. Fitzgerald is someone who figures to turn a high percentage of his batted balls into base hits, so he could stave off regression for the second straight year.
Fitzgerald also has just enough pop to avoid being a one-category producer. He hit 15 homers in his limited sample size last season, and he has two so far this year. He’s never going to be confused with Aaron Judge, but getting to 15-20 homers is within the realm of possibility.
Add in eligibility at three different positions, and Fitzgerald can be a valuable asset to most rosters. He’s not going to hurt you anywhere, and he has the potential to be a nice addition in steals and batting average.
Chandler Simpson (TBR), OF (24% Yahoo, 11.5% ESPN)
Speaking of steals, Simpson has the potential to be a league winner in that department. He is the type of player who breaks the 20-to-80 scouting scale; he might be the fastest MLB player since Billy Hamilton broke onto the scene in 2013.
He was called up to the Rays on Friday and made his debut for the squad on Saturday, occupying the coveted leadoff spot in the lineup. With the team dealing with some key injuries in the outfield, Simpson has the potential to take the job and run with it.
The big question is: “How much will he hit at the MLB level?” There are plenty of speedsters who have been unable to transition to the big leagues, but Simpson hit .355 in the minors last season. He was at .301 through 17 games at Triple-A to start the year, and he’s someone who is very comfortable with his skill set. He doesn’t try to elevate the ball; instead, he looks to keep it on the ground and use his legs. He had just a 17.2% fly ball rate at Triple-A, so he’s willing to trade power to get on base.
With that in mind, don’t expect any sort of HR upside. He had one homer in his entire minor league tenure. But he stole 104 bases in 110 games last season, and he could easily lead the league in that department if he can get on base consistently. It’s enough to potentially swing the stolen base category in leagues with weekly matchups or season-long rotisserie formats.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Saturday’s most-added players on Yahoo featured four streaming options at pitcher: Taijuan Walker, Matthew Liberatore, Chad Patrick, and Ben Brown. Not surprisingly, these streamers experienced varying degrees of success.
Walker had a juicy matchup vs. the Marlins, but he was ultimately capped at four innings. He did pitch relatively well in those innings—one earned run, one hit, three walks, and two strikeouts—but he didn’t go long enough to qualify for the win. With Ranger Suárez on the mend, Walker’s time in the rotation could be coming to an end. He’s not worth holding on to.
Things went much better for Liberatore. He surrendered two runs to the Mets in the third inning but was unblemished otherwise. He went 6.2 innings with six strikeouts, but his offense ultimately let him down. They couldn’t muster a single run vs. the Mets, so Liberatore was forced to settle for a tough loss. His next start is tentatively scheduled for Saturday vs. the Brewers, and he’s been good enough that you can continue to hold onto him for that outing.
Patrick also got the job done for fantasy players. He allowed two runs over six innings, and he struck out seven batters in the process. Like Liberatore, he was another hard-luck loser, as his offense couldn’t do anything against Luis Severino. Patrick’s xERA now sits at 3.65 for the year, and while that’s a respectable figure, he’s still not trustworthy in all but the best matchups. His next start is scheduled for Friday vs. the Cardinals.
Brown’s final stat line looks pretty similar to Walker’s: 4.0 innings, one run, six strikeouts, and lots of traffic on the basepaths. He exited the game with a 6-1 lead but failed to qualify for the win. He’s next scheduled to face the Phillies, and he’s not a viable option in that matchup.
Carson Kelly was the other popular addition, though he got the day off on Saturday. That’s not uncommon for a catcher, and Kelly has been red-hot at the dish to start the year. His numbers through his first 11 games are downright Bondsian: .419 batting average, 1.675 OPS, six home runs. Kelly’s underlying metrics also look legit, so it could be worth trying to ride his hot streak. That said, don’t expect the production to continue forever. We have a long track record with Kelly, and he has never come remotely close to producing at this level.
Kelly also appears on the list of ESPN’s most-added players, along with a handful of players we’ve discussed previously. Ryan Clark did a deep dive into Dylan Moore on Saturday, and he’s someone who should be added where he’s available. We’ve seen hot stretches from Moore previously, but his underlying metrics and positional eligibility suggest that he’ll continue to provide value moving forward.
Tyler Mahle has been awesome to start the year, pitching to a 0.90 ERA through his first four starts. He’s certainly been fortunate—his xERA sits at 3.00—but he can survive some regression and still be a valuable addition to fantasy rotations. Unfortunately, the timing isn’t great: Mahle’s next start will come Sunday vs. the Dodgers, and it’s hard to trust him in that matchup.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is a former top prospect who is starting to break out at the MLB level. He was already an elite defender and base runner, but he’s starting to do some damage with his bat. He’s had eight extra-base hits in his past six games, including three homers. He’s also among the league leaders with seven stolen bases, and he’s the No. 7 outfielder in ESPN’s Fantasy Player Rater. If he can continue to hit, he’s a legit fantasy difference-maker.
Geraldo Perdomo continues to provide some of the best contact hitting in baseball. He has just a 7.9% strikeout rate for the year, compared to a massive 16.9% walk rate. When he is swinging the bat, he’s also making solid contact: his 43.9% Squared-Up percentage puts him in the 100th percentile. Perdomo isn’t going to provide much from a power or speed standpoint, but he can be a major help in batting average or on-base percentage.
Category-Specific Players to Add
Sal Frelick (MIL), OF (27% Yahoo, 26.5% ESPN)
Frelick is another potential batting average/speed specialist. He’s hit well for the Brewers to start the year, posting a .319 batting average and a .293 xBA. He ranks in the 93rd percentile for sprint speed, and he’s already swiped five bags. He’s locked into a spot in the middle of the Brewers’ lineup and should be rostered in a higher percentage of leagues.
Austin Hays (CIN), OF (10% Yahoo, 5.4% ESPN)
Hays could also be considered in the outfield. He’s a completely different archetype than Frelick, providing significantly more upside in the power department. He’s launched two homers in his first 19 at-bats, and he’s posted a .605 xSLG with a 23.1% barrel rate. Hays has also occupied the cleanup spot in the Reds’ lineup, putting him directly behind Elly De La Cruz. He should get plenty of RBI opportunities if he can maintain that spot all season, and playing half your games at the Great American Ball Park doesn’t hurt either.
Sean Murphy (ATL), C (44% Yahoo, 26.5% ESPN)
While Kelly’s scorching start has gotten more attention behind the dish, don’t sleep on what Murphy brings to the table. He’s launched four homers through his first 32 at-bats, and he’s posted an excellent 21.1% barrel rate. Unlike Kelly, Murphy also has a longer track record of success: He had 21 homers, 68 RBI, and 61 runs over 108 games in 2023. The Braves’ offense is too talented to struggle forever, making Murphy a priority add where he’s available.
Grant Holmes (ATL), SP/RP (31% Yahoo, 9.2% ESPN)
The “Real Estate Broker” is off to a mediocre start this season. None of his metrics look particularly appealing, especially his 4.94 xERA.
However, Holmes has really only made three starts. One of those was against the Dodgers, and the other two were perfectly adequate. He pitched four scoreless innings against the Phillies, racking up six strikeouts in the process, and he followed that up with three runs over 7.2 innings vs. the Blue Jays.
Holmes is someone who generated plenty of buzz during spring training, so it’s an excellent opportunity to buy low on him. He still checks in at No. 49 overall in the Pitcher List Rankings.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out the great Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings to see his favorite choices in the opening week. There are plenty of aces scheduled to take the bump on Friday, but there are some solid streamers as well. Nick makes the case for Luis L. Ortiz, but he’s far from the only option:
Justin Verlander (SFG), SP (24% Yahoo, 10.9% ESPN)
Verlander may be cooked at this point, but there are still some signs of life. Notably, his slider is still generating plenty of swings and misses. He has a 30.8% K rate and a 38.0% Whiff rate on that offering, and he still grades out favorably from a pitch modeling standpoint. Among 201 pitchers with at least 10 innings this season, Verlander is 38th in Stuff+.
Verlander will also draw his most favorable matchup of the season Sunday vs. the Angels. They have the fourth-highest strikeout rate against right-handers this season, and they’ve cooled off significantly after a strong start to the year. They’re 29th in wRC+ vs. right-handers over the past seven days, and their strikeout rate has ballooned to 36.2% over that time frame. Ultimately, Verlander has earned the benefit of the doubt and can be trusted in this outing.
Speculative Adds
Connor Norby (MIA), 2B/3B (16% Yahoo, 9.0% ESPN)
The Marlins acquired Norby from the Orioles in exchange for Trevor Rogers last year. He was being blocked from a path to the majors in Baltimore, but he’ll have no such issues with Miami. He held his own at the major league level in 45 games last season, posting a 101 wRC+ with nine homers and three stolen bases.
Norby started the year on the Injured List, but he has since made his return to the lineup. He’s not off to the best start, but he’s proven to be an intriguing combination of speed and power. He hit .293 with 17 homers and 13 steals in 94 minor league games last year, and if he can keep the strikeouts to a minimum, he’ll have a chance to be a multi-category contributor. He also has eligibility at a couple of different positions.
Caleb Durbin (MIL), 2B/3B/SS (8% Yahoo, 2.3% ESPN)
Durbin is another prospect who is getting an opportunity in the big leagues. He’s not going to provide much power, but he has the potential to hit for a decent average and swipe some bags. He has 31 and 36 steals over his past two minor league seasons, and he’s graded out as an above-average hitter in terms of wRC+.
Durbin has started both games since being promoted, and he’s tallied two hits, a run scored, and an RBI. His spot at the bottom of the batting order isn’t ideal, but he’s someone to keep on your radar.
Deep League Players to Watch
Matt Mervis (MIA), 1B (9% Yahoo, 4.1% ESPN)
Mervis has never been able to put it together at the big league level, but he has plenty of raw power. Now 27 years old, he might be ready to tap into it. He’s already launched six homers this season, and his batted-ball profile is excellent. He ranks in the 94th percentile or better in hard-hit rate, average exit velocity, and barrel rate, so the power production could be legit.
Mervis is stuck in a platoon at first base in Miami, so don’t expect him to be in the lineup every day. He also continues to strike out at an eye-popping rate, so he’s going to do no favors for your batting average. But if you’re looking for power in a deeper league, it’s hard to imagine doing much better than Mervis.
