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
Logan Henderson (MIL), SP (21% rostered on Yahoo, 6.3% on ESPN)
With the amount of “prospect craze” you occasionally see in fantasy baseball, it’s surprising that Henderson hasn’t received more buzz. He wasn’t considered a “can’t-miss” starter, but he entered the season inside the Top 100 per FanGraphs.
Henderson absolutely breezed through the Brewers’ minor-league system. He needed just over 200 total innings after being drafted in 2021, and he absolutely dominated at all levels. In 2024, he pitched to a 3.32 ERA and 11.51 K/9 between Double-A and Triple-A, and he followed that up with a 2.40 ERA and 12.0 K/9 in 30.0 Triple-A innings in 2025.
That was enough to earn him a shot with the big league, and he has not disappointed. He’s pitched to a 2.45 ERA and 2.85 xERA through his first two outings, and he’s added 16 punchouts in just 11 innings. Overall, he’s posted a K-BB rate of 35%, which is an elite figure.
Henderson will probably experience some growing pains moving forward. His first two starts came against the Athletics and Guardians, who are solid but far from elite against right-handers. Still, the underlying metrics suggest that he can provide sustained production. He’s yet to crack the Pitcher List Top 100, but that could change in short order.
Iván Herrera (STL), C (49% Yahoo, 30.1% ESPN)
If Herrera was dropped during his stint on the IL, you should rectify that situation immediately. All he’s done is produce when on the field this season. It’s obviously a small sample size, but he’s posted a .385 batting average, 1.329 OPS, and five homers in just 46 plate appearances.
His expected statistics aren’t that good, but they’re still pretty damn impressive: .334 xBA, .728 xSLG. To put that in perspective, the only two players with at least 25 plate appearances and a better xwOBA than Herrera are Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. That seems like pretty good company.
Since returning from injury, Herrera has picked up basically right where he left off. In five games, he’s posted a .389 batting average with seven hits in 18 at-bats, two of which have gone for extra bases. He’s also played four of his five games at designated hitter, which is extremely valuable for a fantasy backstop. The Cardinals are looking to get his bat in the lineup basically every day, so he has more upside from a volume standpoint than most catchers.
In short, Herrera has the potential to be one of the most valuable players in fantasy at his position. Go get him if he’s available.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
As usual, Thursday’s list featured a couple of streaming pitcher options: Zack Littell and Chris Paddack. Both players were ultimately able to get the job done for those who took a flyer on them.
Littell didn’t exactly dominate vs. the Blue Jays, but he earned a quality start and a win for the Rays. He allowed just three earned runs across 7.1 innings, though his two strikeouts were a bit disappointing. Littell’s overall metrics for the year remain a bit disappointing, but he’s someone who can be used in the right matchups.
Paddack has been pretty brutal for a couple of years now, but he put together his best start of the year on Thursday. He kept the Orioles completely off the scoreboard for seven innings, and he scattered just three hits and a walk. Like Littell, he was far from dominant from a strikeout perspective, and his strikeout rate for the year puts him in just the 22nd percentile. If you did manage to gamble successfully with Paddack on Thursday, you should probably cash out before you go broke.
Jordan Romano is the other pitcher on the list, and he appears to be back in the mix for saves in Philadelphia. He has righted the ship after a dreadful start to the year, racking up two saves in his last two appearances. He has been flawless in those outings as well, racking up five strikeouts without allowing a single baserunner. His overall numbers for the year are still horrid, but he’s clearly trending in the right direction. He might still split save opportunities with José Alvarado, but Romano appears to be the team’s top right-handed reliever for the time being.
Trevor Larnach was the most-added hitter on Thursday, and he’s been hot recently. He’s had multiple hits in three of his past five games, and three of those hits were homers. Unfortunately, he wore the collar Thursday vs. the Orioles, going 0-4 in four plate appearances. Nothing about Larnach’s statistical profile is remarkable, but he’s not going to kill you in any one area. It could be worth seeing where this hot streak goes.
Finally, Dalton Rushing has been called up to the Dodgers, which is extremely exciting. He’s one of the top hitting prospects in baseball, so it’s easy to let your imagination run wild with what his ceiling could be in that offense. However, Dave Roberts immediately put cold water on those flames, saying that Rushing would only catch twice a week and probably wouldn’t play in the outfield. It’s hard to justify using a roster spot for someone with such minimal playing time upside, and it appears as though his stay in the majors could be a short one. Still, if you’re in a deep enough league, his upside could be worth rolling the dice on.
ESPN’s list of most-added players features two outfielders we’ve given a lot of ink to recently: Byron Buxton and Trent Grisham. Both players should be significantly higher-rostered than they are at this point, and Buxton should be close to 100%. He’s the No. 6 outfielder in ESPN’s Fantasy Player Rater, so it’s hard to fathom why he’s still available in more than 40% of leagues. Of course, Buxton can never seem to stay on the field, and he was recently placed in MLB’s concussion protocol. That will keep him out of the lineup for a few days, but it’s still clearly worth stashing him.
The other three spots belong to a trio of pitchers: AJ Smith-Shawver, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Andrew Abbott.
Smith-Shawver is a former top prospect who is seemingly starting to put it together at the MLB level. He’s pitched to a 2.33 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 38.2 innings, and given his pedigree, it’s understandable why fantasy players are giving him a shot. Unfortunately, his production could just be smoke and mirrors. His advanced metrics suggest plenty of looming regression, with his xERA checking in above 5.00. His Statcast data is subpar, and he’s handing out way too many free passes. He’s thriving primarily due to an 85.4% strand rate, so with some worse luck with runners on base, his numbers could implode quickly.
Sugano looks similar to Smith-Shawver on paper but without the strikeout upside. His 4.87 xERA is nearly two runs higher than his actual mark, so he’s another major regression candidate. His 89.3% strand rate is even higher than Smith-Shawver’s, and he’s benefited from a minuscule .229 BABIP.
Abbott is the most appealing of the trio by a wide margin. His 2.33 xERA puts him in the 94th percentile, and his xBA is in the 99th. He’s combining elite strikeout production with a minimal hard-hit rate, which is an outstanding combination. He’s allowed one earned run or fewer in all but one start this season, and he has at least seven punchouts in his past two. Overall, he’s someone who has the potential to stick in your rotation long-term.
Category-Specific Players to Add
Colt Keith (DET), 1B/2B (19% Yahoo, 7.6% ESPN)
Keith got off to a cold start at the dish this season, but he’s been more unlucky than bad. His .271 expected batting average is nearly 50 points higher than his actual mark, while his expected slugging differential is closer to 100 points.
Unsurprisingly, Keith has started to see things turn around recently. He had two hits on Wednesday, including his fifth homer of the season. Keith has also made solid strides in his decision-making and power at the dish, leading to solid gains in Process+:
Keith is in the lineup just about every day for the Tigers, and he’s been hitting third for them in recent games. With Detroit’s lineup showing significant improvement this season, that makes him a potentially valuable asset.
Ryan Weathers (MIA), SP (19% Yahoo, 5.1% ESPN)
Weathers was a popular breakout pick this offseason. He’s a left-hander who throws extremely hard, with his average fastball velocity checking in at 96.2 miles per hour in 2024. He was also effective last season, pitching to a 3.63 ERA and 8.31 K/9 in his first year as a full-time starter.
Unfortunately, an injury in spring training ultimately delayed what could be his breakout season. He didn’t make his season debut until Wednesday, but he ultimately turned in a solid performance. He lasted just five innings, but he surrendered just one run with five strikeouts against a strong Cubs lineup.
Weathers’ average fastball velocity in that start was better than 97 miles per hour, and he immediately earned a spot inside the top 60 in the Pitcher List rankings. After a strong first outing, he could go even higher.
Hyeseong Kim (LAD), 2B/SS (18% Yahoo, 8.6% ESPN)
It remains to be seen how long Kim will actually stick around with the Dodgers. However, he’s here for the time being, and he has taken full advantage of his playing time. He’s batting .360 through his first 25 at-bats, and he’s added two stolen bases and a homer.
While the homer was nice, any sort of power you get from him is merely the cherry on top. He’s mainly going to help those looking for a boost to their batting average, and he should sprinkle in a handful of steals as well. His .296 xBA isn’t quite as good as his actual mark, but with his speed, he has the potential to outperform his batted-ball data.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out the great Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings to see his favorite choices. Friday’s slate features a handful of potential options. Nick makes the case for Cade Horton vs. the White Sox, but he’s not the only potential target:
Dustin May (LAD), SP (44% Yahoo, 25.5% ESPN)
It’s hard to beat Horton vs. the White Sox, which is an absolute slam-dunk spot, but May is a pretty strong option in his own right. His numbers haven’t been great this season, but he’s someone who has seen success at the big-league level previously. Perhaps he’s not quite the same pitcher at this point in his career—his average fastball velocity is way down compared to his 2020 breakout—but anyone who pitches for the Dodgers has plenty of win expectancy.
He should take the field as a pretty large favorite vs. the Angels, who have been a dismal offensive team this season. They’re merely 26th in wRC+ vs. right-handers, and they have the worst strikeout rate in the league in that split. Overall, it’s hard to ask for a much better spot.
Speculative Adds
Joc Pederson (TEX), OF (5% Yahoo, 2.1% ESPN)
Is Pederson starting to turn the corner? He could not have gotten off to a much worse start this season, but Pederson is someone with a proven track record. He posted a 151 wRC+ with 23 homers just last season, so he was expected to be a real contributor for the Rangers.
Pederson slugged his first homer of the year last Saturday, but the signs of looming positive regression have been visible for a while. He owns a 52.6% hard-hit rate and a .413 xwOBA over the past three weeks, so the production could continue to flow now that he’s gotten the monkey off his back. Ultimately, he’s a potential add in deeper leagues, and he’s someone to keep an eye on in all formats.
Matt Shaw (CHC), 2B/3B/SS (18% Yahoo, 11.1% ESPN)
Shaw was a popular sleeper option during spring training, especially after winning a spot in the Cubs’ starting lineup. Unfortunately, he was unable to keep that job for long. He hit just .172 with a 63 wRC+, and he was ultimately sent back down to the minors.
Shaw is far from the first top prospect to struggle in his first taste of big league action. Plenty of guys have had phenomenal careers after rough debuts. Since being demoted, Shaw has gone back to hitting at a high level, which is what he’s done for basically his entire minor league career.
With John Berti starting and struggling at third base for the Cubs currently, it’s only a matter of time before Shaw gets another crack at the job. When he is eventually called back up, he has the potential to be a true five-category contributor. He had 21 homers and 31 steals in 121 minor league games in 2024, so he could be worth getting a jump on before he gets promoted.
Deep League Players to Watch
Alexander Canario (PIT), OF (0% Yahoo, 0.1% ESPN)
This is for the deepest of deep leagues or NL-only leagues, but Canario is an interesting option for the Pirates. He’s been a productive hitter in limited opportunities in the past, posting a 148 wRC+ in 2023 and a 128 wRC+ in 2024, and he’s finally getting the opportunity to play regularly. His numbers with the Pirates don’t jump off the page, but his underlying Statcast data is excellent. He has a 20.0% barrel rate, .548 xSLG, and elite bat speed, so he has the potential to be a legit power producer moving forward.
