Welcome to Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that highlights the best players in baseball that you should be adding to your rosters. We’ll look at those who 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 who to add and which players you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Colt Emerson (SEA), 3B/SS (23% Rostered on Yahoo)
Colt Emerson got the call on May 17th and broke out in a big way this past Sunday, going 4-for-4 with three doubles. His slash line is up to .250/.357/.500 with one home run through eight games, and it’s a strong enough showing to make him worth an add in most leagues. He’s the sixth-best prospect in baseball according to MLB.com, and already has dual eligibility at third base and shortstop.
The 20-year-old doesn’t have the most extreme raw power or speed, but offers a solid combination of each while proving to be a great pure hitter all around. In 2025 in the minors, he slashed .285/.383/.458 with 16 home runs and 14 steals, while posting an excellent 11.8% walk rate and 17.5% strikeout rate. The strikeout rate ballooned to 27.2% in the minors this season, but that trade-off came with more power, as he launched seven homers in 38 games. There may be some growing pains along the way, but third base isn’t the deepest position in fantasy, so someone in every league should probably be picking up the rookie.
Zebby Matthews (MIN), SP (44% Rostered on Yahoo)
Zebby Matthews kept up his strong performance in his third start of the season on Monday, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk with six strikeouts over six innings against the White Sox. All three of his outings have been quality starts since he stepped into the fifth spot in Minnesota’s rotation, and it’s upside that’s worth taking a shot on in fantasy.
Travis Bazzana (CLE), 2B (44% Rostered on Yahoo)
It’s shocking that Travis Bazzana is still only 44% rostered, considering he’s slashing .292/.394/.427 at the weakest position in fantasy. He has three homers and seven steals to go along with his excellent slash line, and his 12.5% walk rate and 17.3% strikeout rate show that he’s successfully transitioned his elite plate discipline to the major league level.
Troy Melton (DET), SP (17% Rostered on Yahoo)
Troy Melton made his season debut on Sunday after missing the first two months with an elbow strain, allowing one run on two hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 5 ⅔ innings against the Orioles. While this may not have been the most impressive performance you’ve ever seen, he does have sleeper appeal after posting a 2.76 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 45.2 innings last season. Most of those innings came as a reliever, but Melton looked strong in his rehab starts, delivering a 1.54 ERA and 0.69 WHIP with 16 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.
Bryce Miller (SEA), SP (42% Rostered on Yahoo)
Bryce Miller has impressed in his return from the injured list, with the Mariners opting to piggyback him and Luis Castillo, rather than go to a six-man rotation. Miller came in after Castillo on Monday night, allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and earning the win over five innings. Over his first three appearances, he’s allowed just four runs over 16 innings while striking out 14 and walking two, and he’s looking more like the 2024 version of himself, when he posted a 2.94 ERA.
Jackson Holliday (BAL), 2B/SS (42% Rostered on Yahoo)
Jackson Holliday returned from the injured list to make his season debut a week ago, after missing most of the first two months with a fractured hamate bone in his hand. He’s homered once and swiped two bags so far, but a week isn’t a large enough sample size to really dig into his performance. However, the youngster is still only 22 years old and was a former top prospect, and it’s way too soon to give up on him. He would have been ranked as a top 12 second baseman heading into the year if he were healthy, so it’s worth taking the chance if you’re not happy with your current option at the position.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Zebby Matthews was already discussed above, which leaves four others to break down as part of Yahoo’s most-added list. Kumar Rocker and Ben Brown were Monday streamers with very different results. Rocker allowed four runs over five innings in a disappointing performance against the Astros, while Ben Brown logged a quality start with seven strikeouts over six innings against the Pirates. I don’t have much interest in Rocker moving forward, but Brown is proving himself to be a solid arm that can be worth starting outside of bad matchups.
Ryan Waldschmidt has impressed so far as a rookie, batting .321 with five extra-base hits and five steals through 17 games. While he hasn’t knocked his first career homer yet, the all-around upside makes him a priority add in most leagues, outside of extremely shallow three-outfielder leagues. Casey Schmitt continues to excel for the Giants, as his slash line is now up to .295/.337/.555 with 11 home runs, and at this point, he should be started in fantasy until he cools off.
Three of these players were already discussed as part of the Yahoo portion, which leaves two unique names, Kyle Harrison and Eduardo Rodriguez, to break down as part of ESPN’s most-added list. Kyle Harrison is 81% rostered in Yahoo and probably isn’t available on many platforms, but if he is, add him. His latest start was an 11-strikeout gem against the Cubs, and he should be considered a must-start pitcher at this point. Eduardo Rodriguez has also been hot as of late, allowing four runs with 21 strikeouts over his last four starts and 27.2 innings. His ERA sits at a crisp 2.24 and is also worth rostering in most leagues down the stretch.
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 is one name that I particularly like for today.
Griffin Jax (TB), SP (29% Rostered on Yahoo)
Griffin Jax has officially been transitioned into a starting pitcher by the Rays and is coming off of two very solid starts. He’s allowed just one run on seven hits and five walks with seven strikeouts over 10 innings that span and has been very efficient, considering he didn’t top 70 pitches in either outing. He’ll continue to stretch out with each start, and today he’ll be facing the Orioles. He represents a safe option to stream who should provide solid ratios even if his pitch count is still limited to some extent, but there’s also room to continue to roster Jax past this start. Tampa Bay successfully transitioned Drew Rasmussen to being an above-average starter years ago, and it looks like they’re doing it again now with Jax.
