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 (SF) 2B/SS (56% Yahoo, 18% ESPN)

 

Remember that guy who broke out last year and nobody bought it since the metrics didn’t support him that much? I’m as big of a believer in what’s under the hood as anyone, but there are still fundamental tools which allow guys to produce even without impacting the ball in a huge way. It’s not a pretty sight when gazing at Fitzgerald’s data. Cool, know what’s even more important? His .831 OPS in 96 games last season, while adding in 15 long balls and 17 thefts. And it’s been more of the same so far this season, a couple of homers with five steals on his way to an .820 OPS. Nobody likes a fourth-percentile average exit velocity, but everyone enjoys a sneaky average/speed talent with a bit of pop here and there. Stick him at the keystone where he’s eligible and let it ride.

 

Jake Irvin (WSH) SP (22% Yahoo, 21% ESPN)

 

How about Mr. Irvin? In 36.2 innings to start the season, he’s done nothing but effectively eat innings. Irvin owns a few victories and 31 punch-outs on his way to a 2.95 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. More importantly, most of his starts have come against good offenses. He’s faced the Phillies, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Mets, and Pirates. In addition to the always scary Coors Field trip against the Rockies. The one thing which has always stuck out to me about Irvin is the fact that he goes right after batters, fearing nobody. This is reflected in his ability to limit free passes. In over 340 career innings, Irvin owns a 3% BB/9. It’s hard to find much better than that, even if he does sacrifice some hard contact by continuing to live in the zone. The type of pitchers who are volatile to blow-up starts are the ones who can’t command, eventually losing batters. Irvin does the opposite. He’s sure to attack hitters and make them work for their success, a characteristic which all fantasy staffs could use.

 

Austin Hays (CIN) OF (35% Yahoo, 17% ESPN)

 

Hays has flashed the ability to hit 20 homers in any given season. We’ve seen him do it before with Baltimore. But so far in 2025, he looks like a much-improved player all-around. In the past, Hays did not have much of a physical impact on the ball. Life is different nowadays considering he’s gotten off to a scolding hot start with the support of strong exit velocities and hard-hit percentages to back him up. Cincinnati serves as the perfect venue for his swing and even though their offense got off to a slow start, Hays was the ingredient they needed to spark some life into the bats. It’s been nine games so far so it’s a small sample, but his 1.049 OPS is nothing to ignore early on. He offers solid outfield depth in all leagues considering the talent at said position is poor on the waiver wire at the moment.

Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players

 

 

The most added players in the past seven days feature four starting pitchers and one super-utility weapon. Much of this is because three of them pitched on Sunday. Max Meyer was roughed up a bit in Seattle over the weekend, but his stuff is still solid and he’s getting whiffs. Mahle is one of the more boring yet efficient options to pick up, though he’s been a favorite on the wire for some time now. His underlying metrics also don’t support a lot of what he’s doing so be careful with his matchups. Also be careful with Andrew Heaney, who has performed well so far but by now in his career, you should be skeptical of the early success. Mitchell Parker had a poor outing against the Mets, but keep an eye on his future starts since he will be dropped like a bad habit due to this blow-up. Dylan Moore has been hitting leadoff ahead of Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh which shouldn’t go unnoticed. His average and speed have been solid thus far and are useful with multiple positions of eligibility.

 

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.

 

Griffin Canning (NYM) (14% Yahoo, 5% ESPN)

 

Canning was always an interesting project for the Los Angeles Angels. It never quite worked out for him on the West Coast, though he now finds himself in the Big Apple. General Manager David Stearns must’ve seen something he liked out of Canning because so far it’s been a successful tenure for the New York Mets. He’s only allowed more than two runs in one start so far this season on his way to a 3.12 ERA and three wins. He lines up to visit Washington on Monday, a start which looks enticing considering the Nationals own a -14.0 run differential so far this season. It will also take place in a pitcher’s park against Trevor Williams who has struggled in 2025. This is a favorable matchup and one to focus on in the streaming universe.

 

JP Sears (ATH) SP (18% Yahoo, 8% ESPN)

 

The other streamer I want to put an emphasis on is JP Sears. His matchup isn’t as favorable as Canning’s, but still, one to consider. Sears carries a 3.21 ERA and 1.11 WHIP into Texas where he will be challenged by some strong bats. However, the Rangers have yet to really get off the ground in terms of offense. Joc Pederson just escaped one of the worst slumps we’ve seen, Jake Burger hasn’t hit his stride, and Marcus Semien may be showing signs that the end is near. Similar to Jake Irvin, Sears doesn’t let many hitters walk down the first base which is always important when paying attention to streaming choices. Texas does not have a strong arm starting on Monday, so the Athletics offense might jump ahead early and give Sears a chance to qualify for the win. It’s a risk, but a calculated one in my eyes.

 

Speculative Adds

 

Eury Pérez (MIA) (23% Yahoo, 5% ESPN)

 

It was reported last week that Perez will begin a rehab assignment in Single-A on Saturday. This comes much earlier than many initially expected. The Marlins will be very delicate with his treatment and require multiple minor league starts out of him. Still, he’s one of the most talented young pitchers out there and should be rostered in more than 23% of leagues. Perez will most likely come back to the majors around June and be a big fantasy asset. As the year goes on, watch for his pitch count limits to increase as September comes and the fantasy playoffs get underway.

 

Lance McCullers Jr. (HOU) (5% Yahoo, 2% ESPN)

 

McCullers has been rehabbing in the minors to begin this season and it looks as if he’s ready to make his 2025 debut after not pitching in the bigs since 2022. Because of this fact, many have forgotten how good Lance was when he was hurling it a few years back. He’s got a career 3.48 ERA in over 700 major league innings. The FIP supports this, sitting at 3.35 currently. He pitches for a team who will give him chances for wins and healthy run support is something all fantasy managers love. Strike while you still can because he’s available almost everywhere at the moment.