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
Iván Herrera (STL), C (53% Yahoo, 36% ESPN)
It’s shocking that Iván Herrera is still only 53% rostered on Yahoo and even less on ESPN. He was one of the most popular breakout picks of draft season, with many expecting him to take a step forward with a path to more playing time behind the plate. Those predictions looked to be coming true through the first week of the season, which included a three-homer game on April 2. Unfortunately, he soon suffered a knee injury that kept him out until May 9.
Since returning from the injured list, he picked up right where he left off. Through his first seven games back, he’s batting .464 with four doubles and a home run. It‘s obviously a small sample of just 15 total games this season, but his .336 xBA, .713 xSLG, and 18.9% barrel rate are about as good as a hitter can get. We also don’t have only 15 games of data to go on, as he posted an elite .293 xBA and .366 xwOBA in 72 games in 2024. He’s always produced elite offensive numbers for a catcher whenever he is in the lineup, and there’s no reason not to buy in at this point. He has legitimate top-three upside at the position, and even a more pessimistic view would still make him a top-10 catcher. He should be universally rostered at this point, yet he is still available in close to half of leagues.
Masyn Winn (STL), SS (54% Yahoo, 38% ESPN)
Another young Cardinals hitter who had big breakout aspirations is Masyn Winn. He started the season slowly, going hitless in the first five games of the year. He went on the injured list not long after, and he stayed on from April 12 to April 21. He’s slowly but surely turned his season around since then and is now slashing .260/.349/.425 with five home runs, 25 runs, 15 RBI, and two stolen bases on the year. He’s seen a ton of success since moving up to the two-hole in the lineup, and looks to be a great power and speed threat who should score a ton of runs.
Jordan Romano (PHI), RP (56% Yahoo, 15% ESPN)
Jordan Romano was Philadelphia’s main addition to their bullpen this offseason, and he was set to get first crack at the closing job. Things quickly turned south, as he gave up 14 runs in April, and José Alvarado took hold of the job. Alvarado was just hit with an 80-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy, and Romano hasn’t allowed a run in nine straight appearances. He picked up his fifth save of the season in a three-strikeout ninth inning on Sunday, and he once again looks to be in line for a lot of save chances for one of the best teams in baseball.
Taylor Ward (LAA), OF (56% Yahoo, 45% ESPN)
Taylor Ward has been on fire lately, recently hitting his 12th home run of the season on Sunday. He now has four homers in his past seven games and was batting .261 over the past 14 games heading into the day. He’s still only batting .197 on the year thanks to an exceptionally slow start, but Ward has always been a very streaky player. He’s had several extended hot streaks in his career where he is a true must-start fantasy outfielder, and this could be one of those streaks now.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Mick Abel is the headliner of the most-added list on Yahoo, and for good reason. He made his major league debut on Sunday for the Phillies, where he outpitched Paul Skenes to record the first win of his career. He threw six shutout innings while striking out nine. He allowed five hits and didn’t walk a single batter, which is encouraging considering his control is by far the weakest part of his game. The former top prospect plummeted off of just about every prospect ranking list after posting a 15.1% walk rate and 6.46 ERA in 2024. He lowered the walk rate to 9.9% so far in 2025 and could have legitimate upside if that sticks. This start was planned to be just a spot start, but the Phillies may be inclined to give him the chance to stick in the rotation. If that is the case, he’s definitely worth adding.
Matt Shaw is second on the list, as he has been mashing in Triple-A with five home runs since being demoted. The Cubs reportedly plan to call him back up for another chance to be their everyday third baseman, and they are considering doing it as soon as today for their series against the Marlins. Whether today is the day or not, he’s worth stashing in fantasy. He still has elite prospect pedigree, and it’s rare for someone to completely succeed in their first taste of the big leagues.
Kody Clemens and Matthew Lugo are both extremely low-owned players who are hitting the ball well right now. Clemens entered Sunday batting .381 with two homers over the past 14 days, and Lugo is also batting .381 with three homers in that period. I don’t expect either to sustain any long-term success, and they aren’t worth adding outside of extremely deep roto leagues with 15 or more teams.
Noah Cameron was recently called up to make his second start to replace an injured Seth Lugo, where he allowed one run on two hits with three strikeouts over 6.1 innings. In his first start earlier this season, he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. He hasn’t gotten many strikeouts at the major league level, which limits his upside, but his results speak for themselves. You could do worse in deep leagues if you need pitching depth.
The most-added list on ESPN features five hot hitters. Heliot Ramos hit his eighth home run of the season on Sunday and is now slashing .293/.360/.494. He’s still a fringe player in 12-team three-outfielder leagues or shallower where only 36 outfielders will actually be started, but even in those leagues, he would make for a good utility bat. Hunter Goodman is also getting the attention that he deserves, as he’s batting .299 with seven home runs on the year and plays almost every single day for the Rockies. That type of playing time, especially with half of his games in Coors Field, makes him a borderline top-12 catcher for the rest of the season. Jacob Wilson is also looking like a must-roster player, as he’s batting .337 with surprising pop that has led to five homers. He’s already rostered in the majority of leagues, but go get him if yours is an exception.
Trent Grisham and Javier Báez are the two whom I believe the least from this list. They’re both fine options as hot-hand plays, but I don’t expect them to be fantasy-relevant all season. Grisham should rack up plenty of counting stats as the Yankees’ leadoff hitter, but regression is likely coming for the career .217 hitter through 661 games. The same can be said for Javier Báez, who is batting .291 now, which is a higher mark than he has ever put up in a season over his 12-year career. His strikeouts are bound to catch up to him and send him into a cold spell that will make him a headache for fantasy managers.
Category Specific Players to Add
Brandon Lowe (TB), 2B (38% Yahoo, 11% ESPN)
Brandon Lowe has been a bit of a disappointment in fantasy so far, but he’s also been one of the most unlucky hitters. He entered Sunday batting .217 with a .363 slugging percentage. His expected stats are much better, as he has a .270 xBA and .499 xSLG, which are both above-average marks. It’s only a matter of time before he breaks out, and he already showed a glimpse with a two-homer game on Thursday. He is still one of the best power-hitting second basemen in the game, and is an easy add if your fantasy team is lacking home runs.
Chandler Simpson (TB), OF (27% Yahoo, 17% ESPN)
Chandler Simpson missed Sunday’s game with hand soreness, but it’s not expected to be a serious injury. The rookie has performed very well through the first 25 games of his career, batting .301 with nine stolen bases. He doesn’t appear to be cooling off either, as he’s batting .458 over the past week. He’s been an elite contributor to batting average and stolen bases from the moment he was called up, and should be picked up in any roto league where you need one or both of those categories.
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. There’s one name that I particularly like for today.
Ben Brown (CHC), SP (25% Yahoo, 13% ESPN)
Ben Brown is my pick for the best waiver wire add to stream tomorrow, thanks to what should be an easy matchup against the Marlins. He faced them last week, where he gave up two runs on five hits with six strikeouts in 5.1 innings. He’s only given up more than three runs in a start two times this season, which should give him a pretty solid floor considering the easy matchup. If you’re looking for a two-start pitcher in weekly leagues, he gets another start later in the week against the Reds.
