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 you can leave on the wire.
Top Priority Players to Add
Bryson Stott (PHI) – SS,2B (Yahoo – 33%)
It appears Bryson has turned a corner (if only the rest of the Phillies could be so lucky). After a truly miserable first twenty games, Stott has found some power with three homers in May and a .943 OPS on the month. A decent on-base guy who can get you 25+ steals, Stott’s got an improved barrel rate over years past (6.8% in 2026, versus 5.1% last year and 3.6% in 2024) and his Average EV has gone up nearly three mph. He’s historically carried a near-10% walk rate, so this year’s 5.2% mark should have some positive regression.
His low K-rate makes him a specialist in points leagues, but the improved power metrics might make Stott relevant in all formats.
Ezequiel Duran (TEX) – 1B,2B,3B,SS,OF (Yahoo – 7%)
If you have a hole in almost any spot on your team, Duran might be your guy. Eligible at five positions, Duran was slotted in at the two-hole for just the second time this season and is one of the few Ranger bats that’s connecting (the team ranks 28th in the Majors in runs scored). Duran’s showing a renewed patience at the plate with a walk rate that’s nearly three times higher than last year (10.3% compared to 3.7%), and his K-rate’s an improved 18.4%. And though his reputation is that he’s only got slightly more power than the Chandler Simpsons of the league, Duran is rocking a 91.4 mph Average EV which is actually 80th percentile. That’s a huge jump from last season’s 85.3 mark, which is a pretty good reason why Duran’s OPS is 320 points higher than last year. And while he doesn’t hit lefties very well (.222 SLG, so not very well is being kind), he’s getting his chances as a near-everyday player.
Trent Grisham (NYY) – OF (Yahoo – 41%)
Robby Snelling (MIA) – SP (Yahoo – 27%)
Now that Chris Paddack has been pulled from the rotation, the Marlins are turning to their #2 prospect in Snelling. In 29 IP for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Snelling has dominated by giving up only eleven hits and has racked up 44 K’s. He’s carrying a .90 WHIP (it’d be much lower if not for an elevated Walk rate) and 1.86 ERA. That’s actually worse than his ERA with the Shrimp last season, which sat at 1.27 after 63.2 IP.
A former football linebacker, Snelling has a big frame and gets elite extension, with a fastball that lives in the mid-to-upper 90s. And while he’s obviously ready for the next level, his control has been a bit shakier this year than in seasons past (it might just be a small sample size, as that 4.7 BB/9 has historically been around 30% lower).
Perhaps most promising, he’s shown a lot of durability. And he threw 136 innings last season across AA and AAA, so there shouldn’t be any significant cap if he sticks in the rotation. 150-160 innings should be a realistic goal, and it should come with a ton of K’s.
Sean Burke (CHW) – SP (Yahoo – 28%)
Like the rest of the young White Sox crew, Burke is finding a way to get it done. Though he struggled to a 4-11 record last season, the 6’6″ righty had some quality outings and his expected stats were better than the results. Even so, he’s taken broad leaps across the board this season, which has so far included a 14.1 inning scoreless streak. He’s also showing tremendous command, walking just 5.1% of batters.
Burke doesn’t blow hitters away (his 9.3% SwStr rate is pretty poor, really), but he gives up a lot of weak contact and his Ground Ball rate is almost 10% better than last year’s. Fantasy owners should happily trade a slightly depressed K-rate for improved efficiency and better results in the Wins column. Burke belongs on most rosters.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Duran’s position eligibility nets him the top spot on Yahoo!’s list, with Brooks Lee (featured in last week’s version of this article) coming in second. Lee’s been batting .333 over the last week, though he hasn’t homered since April 26th. He’s also eligible in a range of positions as a former super-utility guy, but Minnesota appears to have committed to him as their everyday shortstop.
Jake Irvin is always a popular streamer whenever his turn in the rotation comes up, but he’ll probably be dropped by just as many teams this time tomorrow. He’s got a solid strikeout rate but his ERA is over five for the second year in a row, and while he chews up innings (180 last year; 187 the year before) they’re not very good innings. So yeah, 8% owned sounds about right.
Bleday is getting some coverage after romping through the Reds’ AAA squad and staying just as hot since he came up to Cincy, supplanting Matt McLain as the squad’s #2 hitter (at least against righties). Bleday might be a find, and as a former 4th-overall pick, he certainly has talent. If he continues to hit ahead of Elly and Sal Stewart and stay productive, he’ll be at the top of this list very soon.
Rico Garcia rounds out the top five as Baltimore’s closer-in-waiting with the injury to Ryan Helsley. Garcia’s already appeared in 18 games this season and looks like a superstar, with a 38.5% Whiff rate and tremendously weak contact (an 82.5 mph Average EV against is in the 99th-percentile). Garcia’s already got a pair of Saves and is cruising to a 0.53 ERA and an even lower WHIP. Helsley might not get his job back when he comes off the IL.
ESPN
It looks like Max Meyer is finally getting his due, though his start against Baltimore last night (5 IP, 2 ER, 5 K, 1.60 WHIP) wasn’t his best effort. Still, Meyer has yet to give up more than three earned runs in any of his eight appearances. He’s gotten a little unlucky in the wins department (and the Marlins don’t exactly shine in run support), but is showing good command with a 3:1 K:BB ratio. He’s got a good matchup next week against the whiff-happy Twins.
A trio of SP’s rank below Meyer, with Mitch Keller winning three of his last four starts. He gets the Rockies at home on May 13, so he should be an excellent play there. After Snelling, Seth Lugo makes the cut, even though he’s already widely owned. Lugo is usually a better points-league option since he gets great volume, but he only made it through four innings against the Guardians last night (and allowed 11 baserunners, ouch). He’s usually reliable, but his last three starts might get him on the most-dropped list sooner than later.
If you just lost Carlos Correa, Bogaerts might be the perfect substitute. The two have nearly identical Batting Averages and other similar numbers across the board. If anything, Bogaerts might be a step up, with seven homers, four steals, and 23 RBIs. Xander’s producing at levels not seen in years and has a .631 SLG over his last seven games.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for the complete breakdown on every start for the next few days. There are two pitchers to highlight.
Mike Burrows (HOU) – SP (Yahoo – 10%) @ CIN
I recommended Burrows in this space last week (he got a QS against the Red Sox but earned the L) and I’m going to do it again. The streamer recommendations will continue until morale improves. This time, he gets a tasty matchup against the Reds, losers of seven straight and owners of the lowest batting average in the league. Also, their two best hitters have gone cold.
Burrows has five pitches that he more or less mixes evenly, with a fastball that can reach 98. His curveball, which is actually his least-used pitch at 15%, has great vertical drop and is netting just a .158 average against. He can also throw it for strikes, so he really should go to it more often.
Lastly, Burrows will face off against Nick Lodolo, making his season debut. Lodolo is likely to be rusty and though management says he faces no workload limit, I wouldn’t expect more than five innings.
Ty Madden (DET) – SP (Yahoo – 0%) @ KC
This is a deeper cut since Madden’s a big zero-percent owned, but he’s worth a look. Shoulder surgery kept him out all of last season and he’s only made one MLB appearance this year, but it was a good one—five innings of shutout ball against the Red Sox, with seven K’s and .80 WHIP. He’s not going to replace Tarik Skubal (really, who can) but the Tigers are hoping he can at least come close. The 29% Whiff rate and 69% Ground Ball rate from his first start would do that and more, and KC’s a decent matchup, even if some of their bats are getting hot.
