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
Connor Prielipp (MIN) – SP (Yahoo – 12%)
The 25-year-old lefty out of Alabama has pitched well, holding a 3.32 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP through his first four turns. He has gone under the radar mostly because he hasn’t pitched into the sixth inning yet. However, he also had a fluky first inning his last time out against the Guardians in Cleveland and dealt with crummy weather. Prielipp has demonstrated impressive command, firing his curveball and sliders low, while keeping his heater up in the strike zone. He has a solid attack plan and a complete arsenal, more than you can say about a lot of young pitchers. Prielipp’s downside is that the Twins will curtail his workload, given that he hasn’t reached 100 IP in a single season yet. Still, everything we’ve seen from him in the minors and thus far in the majors suggests he should be a worthy contributor for however long of a leash he is granted.
Tyler O’Neill (BAL) – OF (Yahoo – 1%)
The waiver wire has come alive lately, with plenty of exciting prospects like Bazzana, Bolte, Ewing, and Waldschmidt. There is untapped potential everywhere! Now seems like the perfect time to put you asleep with a 30-year-old veteran who is hitting .185. He also hit .199 with a 91 wRC+ last season. Yes, I know that’s not ideal. However, I really want to give O’Neill a pass for last year because he just wasn’t healthy. This season, he has been in and out of the lineup so much that the awful results are misleading. An injury to Dylan Beavers, however, has given him an opportunity to get going. Could he continue to be a ghost? Yes, absolutely. But the last time he was healthy in 2024, he banged 31 home runs with a 133 wRC+ across 473 games. O’Neill has always had big-time power; his career 19.6% HR/FB rate would place him 14th among all qualified hitters over the past five seasons combined. At least put him on your watch list.
Luis García Jr. Jr. (WSN) – 1B, 2B (Yahoo – 42%)
It’s pretty wild when you remember that García Jr. debuted six years ago, a few weeks after turning 20. He has been pretty productive since then, most notably in 2024, when he stole 22 bases and hit 18 home runs across a career-high 528 PAs. He swatted a pair of dingers Tuesday night and is hitting .270 with two steals. He is an extremely aggressive hitter, so those in OBP leagues might want to look elsewhere. However, his exceptional ability to put the ball in play (115 contact) and average-ish power should make him relevant in standard leagues, especially given how poor second base looks these days.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
J.T. Ginn bulldozed the Phillies last Thursday. However, as Nick noted in his SP Roundup, there was a good bit of flukiness involved. He remains a risky option, even against a lineup that doesn’t have much star power like the Cards. And, yeah, Ginn’s home park won’t do him any favors either.
Matthew Liberatore had a similarly successful outing his last time out against the Padres. However, he also remains a risky option with a limited ceiling. I don’t know about you, but I’m not excited about his 7.3% K-BB rate.
Former Yankee farmhand Ezequiel Duran, who landed in Texas after the Joey Gallo trade five years ago, is slashing .296/ .369/ .480 and looks like a pretty decent addition, especially if you are one of the many fantasy managers struggling to find a worthwhile second baseman. He entered the season with just three home runs over his previous 504 PAs, but has matched that this year in only 98 PAs. At 25, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him develop a little more pop.
Brayan Rocchio has pretty much no pop, but he has strung some hits together lately and could be a points league specialist thanks to his microscopic 8.8% K rate.
Daylen Lile turned heads last year, slashing .299/ .347/ .498 with nine home runs and eight stolen bases across 351 PAs. He had started slowly this season, but has just started peppering the box score, most notably with two dingers this past Tuesday.
Ewing has made the rounds lately, getting spotlighted in the Batter’s Box and on Monday’s Waiver column. In short: go get him.
We’ve discussed Max Meyer at least a few times; he’s by far the most interesting option above and should be rostered in most leagues. He has a 2.79 ERA and 1.10 WHIP through eight starts. He struggled a bit last night against the Twins, but also racked up a phenomenonal 48% whiff rate (22 whiffs on 46 swings). He seems like a pretty strong hold right now.
Speculative Adds
Brandon Sproat (MIL) – SP (Yahoo – 6%)
Sproat limped into Tuesday night’s start against the Padres with ghastly results. However, he put together his past start, earning his first win and a King Cole. He has flashed some interesting ability and was a key part of the Peralta trade this past offseason. Those in deep leagues might want to scoop him up to see if he can get some momentum.
Kyle Teel (CWS) – C (Yahoo – 10%)
Teel held his own last year and then some, hitting .273 with a 125 wRC+ across 297 PAs as a rookie. He had his sophomore season delayed by a hamstring injury, but he’s on the mend and recently went yard on a rehab assignment. His spot in the middle of the White Sox batting order and prospect pedigree should make him instantly fantasy-relevant.
Grayson Rodriguez (LAA) SP (Yahoo – 15%)
G-Rod last pitched in 2024, when he posted a 19.1% K-BB across 20 starts with the O’s. He fanned 11 and tossed 94 pitches during a rehab start with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga this past Sunday, and could potentially return to the Halos’ rotation this Sunday in time to face the Dodgers. It’s anyone’s guess what he looks like after the long layoff, but he certainly has the talent to be fantasy-relevant.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Chase Dollander (COL) – SP, RP (Yahoo – 39%) at PIT
Dollander struggled with fastball command in his last appearance, which came at sea level in Philly. Still, his heater has looked so good at times that I want to give him another shot, especially with this being away from his dreadful home park.
Tomorrow:
Dustin May (STL) – SP (Yahoo – 15%) vs KC
The Royals have been a few ticks below average as a whole with a 97 team wRC+, and I’m a little interested to see if May can build upon a season-best seven strikeouts his last time out against the Padres.
Deep League Players to Watch
Dominic Smith (ATL) – 1B (Yahoo – 4%)
Once upon a time, Smith was the jewel of the Mets’ minor leagues. It didn’t quite work out. But he has been really productive this season, slashing .363/ .391/ .550 in limited action with the Braves. Odds are, he remains stuck in a limited role that won’t cut it in fantasy land. However, his PLV metrics, including a 113 Power and 128 Process, have me intrigued.
