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
Carson Benge (NYM) – OF (Yahoo – 29%)
Like pretty much every rookie, Benge started slowly. However, the hits have fallen in bunches lately, with multi-hit efforts in six games since becoming the Mets’ leadoff man on May 12th. I don’t believe in hot streaks, but this looks a lot like a rookie who is simply figuring stuff out. He is slashing .265/ .321/ .368 through his first 168 PAs and has been caught just once on nine stolen base attempts. The Mets’ well-known offensive woes led Carlos Mendoza to give the 22-year-old lefty a shot as their table-setter, and it has worked well so far. Benge built a great reputation as a prospect, posting a 150 wRC across 519 PAs in the minors, and now seems like the right time to ride the wave.
Griffin Jax (TB) – SP, RP (Yahoo – 29%)
Relievers becoming starters doesn’t always work out. However, Jax’s start on Tuesday suggests his transition might be fruitful, as he held the Orioles to one earned run on three hits and one walk across five innings. However, he threw only 62 pitches. You know how the Rays do things. Ultimately, Jax might not have the longest leash, but I wouldn’t rule out him eventually going deeper into games. Regardless, his command looked on point against the Orioles as he recorded a Gallows Pole along with six strikeouts. Over his previous two seasons, Jax recorded just about a 35% K rate as a reliever, so while the volume might be lacking, he could be a very worthwhile contributor on a per-inning basis.
Daulton Varsho (TOR) – OF (Yahoo – 34%)
Varsho seemed to embrace an all-or-nothing approach over the last two seasons; his K rate surged over 27%, and he had a sky-high pulled flyball rate. Not surprisingly, an ugly batting average turned him into a borderline option in standard formats. However, this year it seems he has adopted a more balanced approach; his K rate is down to 17.9%, and his pulled flyball rate is down about nine ticks. He is hitting .278 thus far, which is backed by a .272 xBA. Sure, that will probably regress a bit, but there’s enough room now for him to be a standard-league asset, with his usual 20-25 home runs and 15 or so steals. He should also be a good source of RBI hitting every day in the middle of Toronto’s lineup.
Zack Gelof (ATH) – 2B, 3B, OF (Yahoo – 21%)
Mitch Steinberg looks like a genius for being one of the first to highlight Gelof. You might recall that Gelof flamed out after an impressive 2023 debut. Strikeouts were the biggest issue. Now, though, his K rate sits at a perfectly manageable 22.5%. He’s slashing .266/ .317/ .500 with six home runs and four steals through 103 PAs. His 95th-percentile chase rate has me even more emboldened about his outlook. If you’re like me, poking Keaschall with a stick, you might want to make the swap.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Jesse Scholtens did Yeoman’s work last Friday, grabbing the win behind an opener against the Marlins. Lo and behold, he pulled the trick again yesterday, working behind Steven Matz and nabbing the win against the Orioles. Now back to the wire from whence ye came.
The catcher landscape has shifted lately due to injuries to Baldwin and Jeffers. Enter Keibert Ruiz. The 27-year-old switch-hitter has made some noise lately, having hit three homers since May 7th. He is an alright stopgap, but temper expectations; he has just an 84 wRC+ over 1,945 career PAs.
I’ll admit Jake Bauers fascinated me when the Yankees grabbed him off the scrap heap a few years ago. And now, he’s striking out just 21.3%, over ten ticks lower than his stint in pinstripes. Still, I just can’t shake him as a platoon masher and nothing more. He’s useful in daily leagues with big benches, but I think he falls short in standard formats.
The Mets’ youth movement continues with Zach Thornton, a 23-year-old southpaw whom they selected in the fifth round of the 2023 draft out of Grand Canyon University. Thornton features a five-pitch mix, but his fastball sits in the low 90s, meaning he won’t have much margin for error. Although his fastball supposedly recorded above-average IVB, so that might be neat. Otherwise, he seems a little like the prototypical command over stuff left-hander. He recorded an 18.5% K-BB% across seven starts combined with Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Syracuse before his debut last night against the Nats.
Ivan Herrera should be owned everywhere; his .808 OPS would rank fourth among qualified catchers.
Michael McGreevy has earned great results despite lacking whiffs. However, he regressed a little last night, allowing ten hits across five innings vs. the Pirates. It feels like he’s walking a tightrope. He’s 79th on The List.
Kyle Harrison and Connelly Early are the breakout candidates; Nick has the former Ranked at 30 and the latter at 40 on The List. Harrison is the one who should be on rosters everywhere after last night’s gem. Gee, you don’t say?
Merrill Kelly doesn’t have the strikeout potential of Early or Harrison, but he brings stability, having entered the season with a 3.47 ERA and 1.15 WHIP over his previous 635.2 IP. He further distanced himself from a rough start with his third consecutive QS against the Giants yesterday afternoon. He’s 52nd on The List.
Speculative Adds
Paul Goldschmidt (NYY) – 1B (Yahoo – 4%)
You might not have noticed, but the 38-year-old is slashing .286/ .398/ .600. His PLV metrics, including a 138 Power and 143 Process, are astounding to say the least. With Stanton on the IL, the best Yankee lineup probably has him at 1B and Rice at DH. Sure enough, that’s what we saw last night against Yesavage. Yes, that’s right; he got a start against a right-hander. Goldy might have a bit of a window for as long as Stanton remains on the IL. I added him in a daily league where Vinnie P had sucked the life out of me.
Grant Taylor (CWS) – SP, RP (Yahoo – 10%)
Taylor nailed the save Tuesday night. The White Sox might want to gradually stretch him out in middle relief, or maybe he gets the next save opportunity. And, yes, he’s also opened four games! Seranthony Domínguez, meanwhile, hasn’t been terrible, but he’s far from untouchable. The situation is murky. Regardless, Taylor’s stuff is simply too good. He should be on your radar if he isn’t already.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streamers article.
Today:
Dustin May (STL) – SP (Yahoo – 17%) vs PIT
May isn’t missing as many bats as we’d like, but he has rattled off four consecutive QS.
Tomorrow:
Trevor McDonald (SF) – SP, RP (Yahoo – 17%) vs CWS
If it weren’t for a clunker against the Dodgers, we would probably be talking about McDonald a bit more. He most recently held a good A’s lineup in Sacramento to just one earned run on five hits and a walk. There is a decent chance you’ll want to keep him on your roster, provided, of course, he doesn’t lose his spot after Webb’s return. In the meantime, he’s shown more than enough to want a start at home against the White Sox.
Deep League Players to Watch
Daniel Susac (SF) – C (Yahoo – 2%)
The waiver wire in two catcher leagues has become even more hideous than usual with Agustín Ramírez gone, and Alvarez, Teel, Baldwin, and Raleigh all banged up. I’m probably forgetting someone. Anyway, the Giants trading away Patrick Bailey to Cleveland has opened some reps for Daniel Susac; he’s played in four of the last six without being a total eyesore, hitting .395 with a 16.9% K rate across 41 PAs.
Mickey Gasper (BOS) – C (Yahoo – 2%)
Another catcher! The injury to Roman Anthony has vaulted Gasper into the two-spot in Boston’s lineup. I don’t know if that will stick, but seeing a catcher on waivers hitting second in a two-catcher league is enough to make anyone’s eyes water with joy. The 30-year-old switch-hitter is hitting .355 with a 15.6% K rate across 31 PAs.
