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 you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Konnor Griffin (PIT) – OF (Yahoo! – 81%)
Well, if you’re reading this on Friday morning, it’s probably too late. But if by some miracle no one in your league bothered to grab Griffin after the news broke that he was getting the call, then stop what you’re doing and go add him—or, if you’re in a weekly FAAB league, get your wallet ready. Griffin has 50-steal speed and tremendous power for a 19-year-old, reaching a 111.2 max exit velocity in Spring Training. While he struck out a decent amount (28% of the time) in the Cactus League, history suggests that should tick downward to 22-25% and go along with a 10% or so walk rate. Where Griffin bats in the order is still a question (Oneil Cruz doesn’t really profile as a leadoff guy, though), but it doesn’t really matter. His bat plays anywhere, do whatever you can to get him on your squad.
Jose Fernandez (AZ) – SP (Yahoo! – 12%)
Fernandez was brought in while Pavin Smith rides out an injury, but the kid might just stick around after launching a pair of home runs in his first big league game on Tuesday. The first dinger was a 104.2 mph shot off starter Casey Mize, and the second clocked in at 101.6 mph against Kenley Jansen. Batting sixth in the order in his debut, Fernandez was surprisingly slotted ahead of Carlos Santana and prized prospect Jordan Lawlar. Last season in the minors, Fernandez showed both elite bat speed (79 mph) and elite sprint speed, exceeding more than 30 ft/sec—which is Corbin Carroll territory. He’s also shown decent contact metrics in the minors and batted .272 in Double-A last season. He could eventually be a five-tool threat, so grab him and see where this goes.
Josh Bell (MIN) – 1B, DH (Yahoo! – 5%)
This is more for the points league crowd, and only if you’re desperate for a first baseman, but Bell is a solid choice as cheap production goes. He’s homered in his last two games and figures to DH just about every day in the Twins lineup. After starting the season with a .200 batting average, he batted seventh in yesterday’s outing but typically hits fifth (and might become the cleanup hitter eventually). At 33, Bell’s probably an afterthought for most fantasy players, but he had just a 5.8% K-minus-walk rate last season, barrels the ball 12% of the time, and isn’t susceptible to a platoon. Sometimes known to get on top of the ball and hit lots of grounders, Bell had the highest Pull-Air rate of his career in 2025 (16.8%) and is exceeding that rate so far in ’26 (22.2%). He should be good for 25 homers by the end of the campaign.
Kyle Isbel (KC) – CF (Yahoo! – 12%)
Isbel finished the 2025 season with a .654 OPS, which is exactly where he finished the 2024 season. Known as a defensive specialist out in center for the Royals, Isbel usually lingers at the bottom of the lineup and is good for finishing the season with around 450 plate appearances and single-digit home runs. But sometimes you get hot, and Isbel’s riding the wave. His barrel rate is currently at 16.7%—believe it or not, that’s TEN TIMES what it was last year (1.6%). His xBA is .358, and his average exit velocity has gone up almost 4 mph to a respectable 91.3. And keep in mind, KC pulled the fences in this season, which might help warning-track-power guys like Isbel more than the Witts and Caglianones on the team. Is he going to win you a championship? Of course not, but it might be worth riding a hot streak over the weekend homestand.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
A bunch of streamers topped the wire in Yahoo! Thursday, with Taj Bradley leading the way. Those who picked him up were rewarded with six innings of scoreless results, and a 1.00 WHIP to go with it. Normally a K-per-inning guy, Bradley only struck out three in this one, but owners should be happy with the W. That’s now two decent starts in a row for Bradley (he K’ed nine Orioles in his first outing, though was inefficient and lasted just 4.1 IP), whose fastball velocity has ticked up to 97.4 mph this season.
Bradley once had ‘future ace’ written all over him, but walks and injuries have sullied his stock price. Still, he can string together some quality outings and has a solid defense behind him.
Reynaldo López and David Peterson had somewhat mixed results in their second starts last night, but Atlanta’s bats came alive and then some to net Lopez the win. His velocity isn’t what it used to be (he was throwing 92 toward the end of his outing) and he only netted six whiffs on 79 pitches, but his season ERA’s still just 1.64. Somehow, despite some metrics that scream he should be getting hammered, Lopez finds a way…
Peterson, on the other hand, had less success. While he didn’t give up a single barreled ball, his velocity was also down, to just 90.1 mph. He allowed eleven baserunners in just 4.1 IP and gave up five earned runs to get stuck with the loss. He also made an unfortunate error in the field which compounded the damage. He faces Atlanta in his next effort, so I’d recommend you avoid him.
Liam Hicks is worth mentioning here as well, especially in points leagues where his 98th-percentile chase rate should play well. Hicks was known as a slap hitter until this season (he literally had a first-percentile Average EV last year), but he’s already got three homers in ’26, which is exactly half his total last year. Like Isbel, it’s worth a shot to see if he’s actually a different hitter or it’s just early-season noise, but that Catcher eligibility makes him even more enticing. Also, if you had Hicks on your “Leads all of baseball in RBIs” Bingo Card, congrats to you.
ESPN
ESPN has basically the same set of guys, only in a different order. Hicks and Griffin lead the pack, with the streamers directly after. A little bit farther down the board, Carlos Correa is warranting attention after getting five RBIs over his last two games, including a homer on April 1. Eligible at both Shortstop and Third Base, Correa still has some left in the tank, and being reunited with his old squad appears to have rejuvenated the former first-overall draft pick.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for the complete breakdown on every start for the next few days. There are two pitchers to highlight.
Eduardo Rodriguez (AZ) – SP (Yahoo! – 5%) vs ATL
Rodriguez has looked vintage so far this Spring, taking down the Americans in the WBC final and then the Dodgers in his first start of the season. He’s a crafty veteran who keeps his ERA around 3 when healthy and is throwing harder this year. The matchup isn’t great, but like Reynaldo López, EdRod’s got a knack for getting guys out. Atlanta put up seventeen runs last night, so those hitters have to be tired today, right?
Joe Boyle (TB) – SP (Yahoo! – 6%) @ MIN
Boyle was elevated to the rotation with an injury to Ryan Pepiot, but showed he belonged with a solid first outing. He gets the whiff-happy Twins on Friday. Boyle’s famous (or infamous) for his lack of control with a 12.4% walk rate last season, but he allowed zero free passes in his first start, so maybe he turned a corner. He’s got elite stuff and can hit 99 on the gun, which for a 6’8″ pitcher like Boyle feels like 110. Boyle might give up a fair amount of fly balls, but Minnesota has yet to find their power.
