Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best players 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. We’ll also look at the most-added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites and tell you which players to add and which to leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Trent Grisham (NYY) – OF (Yahoo – 41%)
Grisham didn’t start last night’s game with Ranger Suarez on the mound. And, yeah, it ain’t looking great right now. That’s a .164/ .317/ .343 slash. Woah. It’s starting to feel like last year’s 34 home runs didn’t even happen, especially when you look at what he did over his previous three seasons. Not surprisingly, Grisham’s roster percentage has dipped. However, his PLV metrics include a 116 DV, 118 Contact, and a 116 Process. Basically, he’s doing at least two things really well: not expanding the strike zone and making contact. That’s a pretty good recipe for success. And hitting leadoff in front of Judge, at least against right-handers, is a very valuable spot full of run-scoring opportunities. Grisham’s tendency to pull will drag his batting average, but 25 home runs remains a distinct possibility. The Yankees will face three right-handers this upcoming weekend in Houston, so now might be a good time to check your waiver wire or maybe even send a trade offer.
Payton Tolle (BOS) – SP (Yahoo – 25%)
Tolle is blessed with a breathtaking fastball, which we saw last August 29th when he whiffed eight Pirates in his big-league debut. He also has 7.5 feet of extension, which more or less makes him a unicorn as a left-hander. His secondary pitches, on the other hand, are a work in progress. Still, the fastball gives him a margin for error and a ceiling that few pitchers have. And, hey, how about that matchup tonight? Schlittler? The kid from Walpole against Tolle at Fenway Park? How can you not be excited? Easily. I’m a Dodger fan. Fine. Killjoy. Anyway, it’s probably a smart idea to bench Tolle tonight with the tough matchup, and it might be a one-and-done deal. However, he is well worth adding on his upside alone.
Chase Dollander (COL) – SP (Yahoo – 11%)
It’s counterintuitive to start a pitcher at Coors Field; even if it’s your ace, you’ll do it, but with curbed enthusiasm. Baseball wasn’t meant to be played on a mountain. The tenet has made rostering a Rockies pitcher the equivalent of fantasy baseball taboo. Just pretend the Rockies don’t exist. You’ll be better off. But alas, the time has come for a changing of the guard. Dollander’s performance this Monday was too good to ignore as he held the Padres to just one earned run on three hits with nine strikeouts through six. A Gallow’s Pole at Coors Field from a pitcher wearing purple and black? You better believe it. His fastball’s exceptional velocity and flat attack angle give him a real chance at combatting Coors Field. We are starting to see the talent that made him the ninth overall pick three years ago. Maybe, just maybe, the Rockies finally have an ace.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Walker Buehler got some attention for allowing just one earned run over his previous two starts. To his credit, his velocity has ticked up. Still, his days of being a fantasy fixture are long gone. He started last night in Colorado; that seems a little scary, but I understand chasing the win.
Mitch Steinberg highlighted Connor Prielipp in yesterday’s column. Go get him if you’re looking for a potential breakout SP.
The Braves DFA’d Martín Pérez, and then he returned and shut down the Phillies last Friday. That’s Baseball, Suzyn. It’s best to avoid Pérez, but he could perhaps vulture a win in his next start today against the Nats.
A hamstring injury to Gabriel Arias has afforded Brayan Rocchio additional at-bats, and he’s taken advantage, slashing .269/ .367/ .423. His modest seven-game hit streak ended yesterday. It’s hard to get excited, given he’s hitting ninth, but his 11.5% K rate could make him an MI option if you’re in a deep points league.
Joel Kuhnel is on a mission to test SAGNOF’s breaking point. The 31-year-old journeyman has bagged four saves for the A’s, but he also logged more than 15 innings just once in his career, back in 2022 with the Reds. And he has a career 18.2% K rate. To those managers desperate for saves, I wish you the best of luck.
Braxton Ashcraft is the most interesting option here on ESPN. It’s getting more difficult by the moment to ignore his success; his most recent outing against the Nats netted seven punchouts and a Gallow’s Pole. The 25-year-old righty owns a 22% K-BB% through four starts and deserves to be rostered until further notice.
I take that back. Michael Soroka might even be a smidge better than Ashcraft, considering his 23.6% K-BB%. But who cares? That’s splitting hairs. Soroka will face the White Sox, his former team, today. At this point, Soroka and Ashcraft shouldn’t be on waivers.
Clay Holmes is definitely a step behind Soroka and Ashcraft, given his sketchy 9.5% K-BB%. But he has a really nice schedule with matchups against the Twins and Nats forthcoming.
E-Rod isn’t exciting, but he’s an alright streamer when he’s clicking. A date with the White Sox yesterday made him a perfectly cromulent addition.
Let’s give Casey Mize credit; he pitched really well at Fenway Park last Friday. But Nick has him pegged outside the Top 100, and that’s not exciting enough for me.
Not pictured, one spot below Soroka is Max Muncy, who, as of Wednesday evening, owns the seventh-best OPS in baseball. I think you could make a case that he deserves to be universally rostered.
Speculative Adds
Christian Scott (NYM) – SP (Yahoo – 7%)
The 26-year-old Floridian, the Mets’ 2023 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, makes his triumphant return to a big league mound today, 577 days after undergoing an internal brace procedure performed by Dr. Keith Meister. Scott produced a stellar 25.9% K-BB% across three starts with Triple-A Syracuse, which is just about what he produced back in 2024.
Enyel De Los Santos (HOU) – RP (Yahoo – 13%)
I mentioned him two days ago, but he deserves another look after converting his fourth save last night. Houston’s bullpen is far from settled in the wake of Bryan Abreu’s struggles. However, De Los Santos seems like he’s inched ahead of the pack while we await Hader’s return.
Brad Keller (PHI) – RP (Yahoo – 18%)
Another presumptive closer with Jhoan Duran sidelined by a strained hamstring, Keller hasn’t recorded a save yet, but he appears to be the best bet in Philly. If you’re like me and thinking about the Brad Keller we saw back in his forgettable tenure as a starter in KC, don’t bother; he’s since turned into a stout reliever. Check out that 2.07 ERA and 0.96 WHIP he posted with the Cubs last year. How about that?
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Brandon Sproat (MIL) – SP (Yahoo – 6%) at DET
Today’s slate doesn’t offer many options. Davis Martin (24%) has been pretty solid and gets a decent matchup against Arizona. But I’m a little more intrigued by Sproat’s arsenal. He has good upside, and we saw a glimpse of it in his last start at home against Toronto. He’ll face the Tigers today; they’ve been just about average thus far with a 101 wRC+.
Tomorrow:
Yusei Kikuchi (LAA) – SP (Yahoo – 23 %) at KC
Kikcuhi’s first four starts were hideous. But he looked great last Saturday, blanking the Padres over six with eight strikeouts. The Royals, meanwhile, have really struggled offensively thus far, with their 84 wRC+ the fourth-lowest in baseball.
Deep League Players to Watch
Dylan Beavers (BAL) – OF (Yahoo – 3%)
Yes, Beavers’ slash line is ugly at the moment, and he’s in a platoon, but I’m intrigued that he has batted no lower than fifth since April 12th. He hit .304 with 18 home runs and 23 steals last year with Triple-A Norfolk, so he can make some noise if everything clicks. Meanwhile, Tyler O’Neill is recovering on the IL with a concussion. And yes, I still think both are worth keeping tabs on.
Amed Rosario (NYY) – 2B/3B (Yahoo – 3%)
The 30-year-old veteran has been pretty productive for the Yanks, hitting .250 with an .802 OPS before popping his fifth home run last night at Fenway Park. For now, he’s in a weak-side platoon thanks to his stellar 120 wRC+ against left-handers. I get that Ryan McMahon brings a great glove to the table, but he is an automatic out right now. Maybe Rosario can earn more at-bats?
