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
Xander Bogaerts (SDP), SS (Yahoo – 46%)
With many left needing to fill the void left at shortstop with the Francisco Lindor injury, Xander Bogaerts is the most widely available replacement for him. While he may not be as exciting a player to use as he once was, Bogaerts is actually producing like his prime self so far this season. After what can only be described as a steep decline over the past few seasons, it’s an encouraging development for Bogaerts. I pretty much came into the season no longer interested in Bogaerts, but what he’s done so far this season has forced me to change my tune.
The most noteworthy thing he’s done so far is rediscover his power stroke, as he already has four home runs this season after only hitting eleven in each of the past two seasons for the San Diego Padres. His 0.294 expected batting average and 0.370 xwOBA so far this season would actually be the best marks of his career. Sure, it’s only a month sample size at the moment, but Bogaerts’ return to form is noteworthy. His Statcast page looks better than it has ever been in any year since 2021. It appeared as if his power had been completely zapped, so maybe he’s finally fully healthy again. He still hits in the heart of the Padres lineup, and as the weather heats up, hitting in San Diego will only help his cause.
Carter Jensen (KCR), C (Yahoo – 40%)
After getting off to a slow start this season, Carter Jensen is coming alive for the Kansas City Royals. He is proving to be a standout in the power department at catcher, with six home runs already this season. He has an impressive 0.898 OPS and has been especially hot in the last week, hitting 0.421 with a 3:3 K:BB. It’s good to see his plate discipline skills coming through in his results, and he should continue to be a playing time standout at the catcher position as well. It’s a very deep position, but even with that said, Jensen should be started in most leagues.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
After another good start on Sunday from both Foster Griffin and Justin Wrobleski, it makes sense to see them at the top of the list of added players on Yahoo. Griffin faced the Chicago White Sox and delivered seven scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out eight. What was most impressive was that Griffin generated 16 whiffs on 95 pitches and only allowed four hard-hit balls all game.
Wrobleski was equally impressive against a much tougher lineup in the Chicago Cubs. He threw six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and four walks while striking out six. Not many people would have recommended starting him in Coors as well as against the Chicago Cubs, but Wrobleski continued to succeed anyway. He doesn’t miss a ton of bats, but he’s efficient and induces a lot of weak contact, and it’s leading to success this season.
Landon Roupp allowed a three-run home run in the second inning on Sunday, but then cruised through the Miami Marlins lineup the rest of the way, pitching 7.2 innings and allowing two hits and two walks while striking out six. It was great to see Roupp bounce back and settle in after allowing the early homer, and the fact that he pitched into the eighth inning is a great sign. The skill with Roupp is obvious, but he’s always struggled with his efficiency. If he can continue showing this ability to go deep into games, we have a real breakout brewing here.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings, which he releases every day before any games have been played. It’s a great resource to use all season long. Check them all out here.
Chad Patrick (MIL), SP (Yahoo – 16%)
While the skills are underwhelming, I like Chad Patrick in this spot. He lines up for a two-start week, with decent matchups against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Washington Nationals. Even though the Milwaukee Brewers haven’t gotten off to their usual start, it’s still a good situation for a starting pitcher. Patrick has a good defense behind him and has a couple of good chances at wins this week. This is more of a team context and matchups play than anything else, but I have confidence this will be a productive stream this week.
Connor Prielipp (MIN), SP (Yahoo – 5%)
Connor Prielipp is another pitcher who lines up for two starts this week, facing the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays, both in Minnesota. I had anticipated Prielipp to be a hot commodity on the waiver wire after his call-up and debut, but that hasn’t curbed my enthusiasm for him. Even without having the most favorable matchups, Prielipp is capable of producing this week with his elite slider and wide arsenal of pitches from the left side. It’s also encouraging that the Minnesota Twins have been more respectable than anticipated on offense, so he could potentially pick up a win or two here as well. Maybe it’s aggressive to run him out there, but I believe in the skills here.
Speculative Adds
JR Ritchie (ATL), SP (Yahoo – 20%)
JR Ritchie provides a nice opportunity to pick up, just to see if it turns into anything. His role in the Atlanta Braves rotation is a bit up in the air, but his debut was impressive. Facing the Washington Nationals, Ritchie pitched seven innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out seven. He also only needed 89 pitches to get through those seven innings, and that’s efficiency you don’t often see in a debut. So far this season, Atlanta has been one of the best teams in baseball, so the team context around Ritchie is good as well. He lines up to face the Detroit Tigers this week, and he should be prioritized over teammate Didier Fuentes at the moment, who was sent back to Triple A after his start on Wednesday.
