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
Roman Anthony (BOS) – OF (Yahoo! – 59%)
There’s not much to say about Anthony that hasn’t been said already. He’s the number one prospect in baseball for a reason. He pairs his monstrous power with a mature plate approach and a great hit tool. He’s slashing .288/.423/.491 for a .913 OPS and 146 wRC+. He’s elite in every power metric, draws walks 19.2% of the time (95th percentile), and keeps his K% at a manageable 21.1% at Triple-A this year. He has 10 home runs and even sprinkled three stolen bases in there for good measure. Just look at his 497-foot home run last Saturday; he left the Red Sox no choice but to call him up.
I write this column every Tuesday, and virtually every top prospect has been called up on a Monday night this year. I highlighted each of Nick Kurtz, Jac Caglianone, and Jordan Lawlar as they were promoted. Anthony is the one you want. The power is the star of the show, but it’s his K/BB that makes him stand out from the crowd. He has the fourth-highest walk rate in Triple-A at 19.2% (the highest walk rate in the majors is 18.7% from Marcell Ozuna and Juan Soto). His eye is great, and I think it will spare him from a rough adjustment period as he settles into the majors.
Wilyer Abreu was blocking Anthony all season, but now that Abreu is on the IL with an oblique injury, Anthony will have a multi-week runway to work with. His first game in the majors was a mixed bag, going zero for four but managing one walk (as expected) and one RBI. He flashed his power too, hitting a 111 mph scorcher directly off of Shane Baz and into the glove of Junior Caminero, just missing out on a .600 xBA hit. I have no doubt Anthony will click, and as long as he does before Abreu returns, his job will be safe. There’s always risk in chasing prospect call-ups, but Anthony could be a genuine league winner. There’s no guarantee that it’s this year, but he’s going to be a phenomenal player.
Nick Kurtz (ATH) – 1B (Yahoo! – 27%)
Kurtz crushed Triple-A to start the year, with seven home runs and a 1.040 OPS in 20 games. He’s had his ups and downs in the majors since his debut in late April, but he was on a serious upswing before hitting the IL with a hip flexor strain:
He’s back after a short rehab stint. He’s zero for four in his first game back, but he looked excellent on his rehab assignment. He’s an elite power prospect, and while he’s a less polished hitter than Anthony, his power carried him to a .321 average in Triple-A this year. He’s poised to pick up where he left off.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (CIN) – 1B (Yahoo! – 39%)
Encarnacion-Strand made his debut in 2023 to plenty of hype. He’s been injured more often than not, playing only 110 major league games. Since his most recent return from the injured list on Friday, Encarnacion Strand is 8-for-17 with three home runs, with a 1.879 OPS. We haven’t seen his power show through in the bigs to this extent, and he’s doing it with an excellent 14.3 K%. He’s unreasonably productive right now, but even something smack dab in the middle between this and his .482 OPS in March and April would be amazing. Including his slow start to the season, his K% is at a career-best 20.3%, and if he can keep tapping into his power, he’ll be primed for a career year.
J* A***l (LAA) – OF (Yahoo! – 13%)
The first rule of being an Angels fan is: as soon as something goes right, it will go wrong. The second you feel a glimmer of hope, it will be ripped away from you. As soon as you say something is going well, it will stop. At the risk of jinxing him, A***l is smacking the dickens out of the ball right now.
He’s up to 12 homers on the year, over halfway to his career high of 20 in 2024. He’s doing so while holding his K% to a career best 24.1%. Despite having some very poor stretches this year, his wRC+ sits at 108 — the first time it’s been north of 100 in June in his career as a full-time player. I’ve been in on A***l in deep leagues all year, but things look like they’re finally coming together for him (I’ve heard that one before).
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Yahoo!
Roman Anthony headlines this article; check out the write-up above. Luis L. Ortiz was a popular streamer for his matchup against the road Reds and his 2.28 ERA in his past five starts. He faltered in this one, giving up four earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched. He seems to be prone to these blowups, and I’d shy away from him as anything more than a deep-league streamer. Christian Encarnacion-Strand is discussed above as a priority add. Eury Perez is a favorite of mine who had a disastrous first start back from the IL, giving up four earned runs in just three innings. I’d give him another start to shake off the rust before starting him, but he has true ace upside and is a definite hold. Abraham Toro has emerged as an impact player in Boston, starting every day at first or third. I’m not too thrilled by him, as he doesn’t bring much power or speed to the table, but he’s a fine batting-average and runs/RBIs player in deeper leagues.
ESPN
Roman Anthony rightfully tops ESPN’s most-added as well. He’s still available in the majority of leagues, so get him while you can. Drew Rasmussen is having a phenomenal season, providing immaculate ratios. The Ks aren’t that impressive, but he’s a top pitcher in every format right now, so it’s hard to complain — he should be rostered everywhere. Andy Pages has been excellent since mid-April and is showing no signs of slowing down. He’s worth an add everywhere. Hunter Goodman is red-hot this week, batting .400 with three home runs. Goodman has proven to be a strong option at catcher, finding his way into the lineup on his off-days as a DH. Jac Caglianone was last week’s Anthony. He was off to a slow start, going 2-for-21 to start his big-league career, and then having a 4-for-4 day at the plate on Sunday. Caglianone is right up there with Anthony, and he’s destined to have a big year.
Streaming Pitchers
Check out Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings for breakdowns and recommendations for every start.
Jack Leiter (TEX) – SP (Yahoo! – 40%)
Leiter is my streaming pick for his matchup with the Twins tomorrow. His upper-90s fastball should carry him through, and he’s held opposing teams to three or fewer earned runs in each of his past five starts, lasting five innings or more in each. Minnesota’s offense has been middle of the road in the past month and shouldn’t pose too much of a threat.
Deep League Players to Watch
Check out Ben Rosener’s Deep League Waiver Wire column every Thursday and Saturday for more Deep League picks.
Will Benson (CIN) – OF (Yahoo! – 6%)
Benson had his moment in the sun earlier this season. He slowed down at the end of May, but he’s still displaying huge power. His xwOBA is back up above league average in June, and he has a ton of balls hit over 95 mph. He’ll always be a streaky hitter with his 28.1 K%, but the power is worth betting on in deep leagues.
