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
Jo Adell (LAA), OF (22% rostered on Yahoo, 7.0% on ESPN)
It feels like ages ago at this point, but Adell was once considered one of the best prospects in all of baseball. He was ranked No. 9 overall by FanGraphs in 2020, but he was never able to put it together at the MLB level. Ultimately, he seemed like the classic “Quad-A” hitter: too good for minor league pitching, not good enough for the majors.
Adell did nothing to dispel that notion to start the year. He was hitting under .200 at the end of April, and he added just two homers and one stolen base.
However, Adell showed some signs of improvement in May, and he’s gone absolutely bonkers so far in June. He’s already launched six homers, while his OPS for the month is over 1.100. His .550 xSLG for the year now puts him in the 94th percentile, while his bat speed puts him in the 99th percentile. At a minimum, he looks like a solid source of power moving forward.
Of course, there’s also a chance that Adell has finally figured out how to succeed at the MLB level. He’s made solid strides at the dish in all aspects of late, including from a contact and decision-making standpoint (via Process+):
Even if this is just a hot streak, the upside is worth riding out for as long as possible. He’s the No. 2 outfielder in ESPN’s Fantasy Player Rater over the past 15 days, sandwiched directly in between Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. That kind of ceiling simply shouldn’t be available on the wire.
Ben Casparius (LAD), RP (13% Yahoo, 6.8% on ESPN)
The Dodgers had an air of invincibility heading into this season. Not only does their lineup boast three former MVPs, but their pitching staff was loaded with more aces than a deck of cards. It wasn’t a question of whether they should be the favorites to win the World Series; it was whether or not the rest of the league should even bother showing up.
But that’s why baseball isn’t played on paper. The Dodgers have still been good, but they haven’t been nearly as good as anticipated. Injuries are a big part of the reason why, particularly to their pitching staff. They’ve had upwards of 15 pitchers on the injured list of late, and they’re currently without starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, and Tony Gonsolin. Add in the fact that Clayton Kershaw has been shaky in his return to the rotation, and their abundance of stud pitchers has all but dried up.
Enter Casparius. He’s had an uncertain role with the Dodgers for most of the year, but he’s been extremely effective wherever he’s been deployed. He owns a 2.86 ERA, and his 2.88 xERA is nearly identical. He also possesses fantastic strikeout and batted-ball metrics, so he looks like one of their best starting pitching options on paper for the time being.
It appears as though Dave Roberts agrees. After a solid showing as a starter vs. the Padres on Wednesday, Roberts told reporters that Casparius has officially earned a spot in the rotation. He ceiling is going to be capped—he’s not fully stretched out as a starter, and he’s yet to go more than 4.0 innings—but he should eventually get to a point where he can go 5+ for one of the best teams in baseball. That gives him plenty of win upside, and he should provide solid peripherals and strikeouts as well. Even if he doesn’t hold a spot in the rotation forever, he’s worth scooping up for the time being.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
As usual, Thursday’s list of top waiver adds on Yahoo was dominated by streaming pitchers. Four of the five most-added players were starters: Hayden Birdsong, Jacob Misiorowski, Patrick Corbin, and Will Warren.
Misiorowski was making his major league debut after dominating as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. It’s hard to imagine things going much better. He pitched five innings vs. the Cardinals, and he didn’t allow a single hit or earned run. His only blemish was four walks, but he did nothing to quell the excitement about his future prospects. Unfortunately, his next start is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday vs. the Cubs in Wrigley Field, which is a pretty daunting matchup.
Birdsong has pitched well this season, entering Thursday’s contest vs. the Rockies with a 2.55 ERA. Pitching in Coors Field is never easy, but Birdsong ultimately held serve: six innings, three earned runs, three hits, two walks, and six strikeouts. It wasn’t good enough to pick up the win, but he was otherwise good enough. He’s been good enough to consider holding, especially with a solid matchup vs. the Guardians on tap for next week.
Corbin has been one of the worst full-time starters in baseball over the past handful of seasons, but he’s been surprisingly effective in 2025. His advanced metrics suggest it probably won’t last forever, but he was passable on Thursday. He surrendered three runs in five innings vs. the Twins, and he added six punchouts. He’s still not someone you should consider holding, but it’s possible he can be streamed occasionally in deep enough formats.
The only thing that impacted Warren on Thursday was the rain. He pitched 5.2 scoreless innings vs. the Royals, and he might’ve gone longer if it wasn’t for a slight delay. Warren wasn’t quite as good as usual from a strikeout standpoint, but he dropped his xERA to 3.78 for the year. Add in a strikeout rate in the 87th percentile, and that’s good enough to be a viable fantasy arm.
Evan Carter was the lone batter among Thursday’s most popular adds. Carter has missed most of the year with injuries, but he returned to the lineup on June 3. Since then, he’s posted a .440 batting average with two steals and three homers, so he has the potential to contribute in every category across the board. He moved up to the No. 5 spot in their lineup on Thursday, and as a former top prospect, his upside makes him worth some consideration.
Roman Anthony headlines ESPN’s list of most-added players. The top prospect in all of baseball was called up for the start of Monday’s series vs. the Rays, and he’s been in the lineup in each of the past three days. While he has just one hit through those contests, the talent here is undeniable. He posted a 146 wRC+ at Triple-A before being called up, slugging 10 homers in 56 games. It might take Anthony some time to get settled in Boston, but he should get ample opportunities.
Misiorowski is also popping on ESPN’s list, along with Jameson Taillon and David Peterson. While the latter two pitchers don’t have the same buzz, they have been extremely effective all year. Taillon is coming off seven innings of one-run ball in his last outing, dropping his ERA to 3.54 for the year. He also has a minuscule 0.98 WHIP, thanks in part to his ability to limit free passes. Taillon’s advanced metrics are pretty much in line with his actual ones, so there’s no reason to expect too much regression moving forward.
While Taillon has been good, Peterson has been downright awesome. He’s coming off a complete game shutout on Wednesday, and his ERA now sits at 2.49 overall. He’s also adding nearly a strikeout per inning with outstanding batted-ball data, including a 94th percentile ground-ball rate. He was the No. 41 starter in the Pitcher List Rankings heading into this week, and after another dominant performance, he could move up even further. Scoop him up if you still can.
Hunter Goodman was a frequent early-season target in these columns, thanks in part to his catcher eligibility and the fact that he plays roughly half his games at Coors Field. He’s provided pretty steady production all year, but he’s turned things up a bit in June. He’s hitting .417 with four homers so far this month, and he’s the No. 3 catcher in ESPN’s Fantasy Player Rater over the past 15 days. He’s up to No. 2 for the season, so there’s simply no reason he should be available.
Category-Specific Players to Add
Alejandro Kirk (TOR), C (32% Yahoo, 41.7% ESPN)
Kirk is a bit of an outlier at the catcher position. Most catchers are primarily power hitters, while the batting average is a bit of an afterthought. Kirk is the complete inverse. He’s not going to wow you from a power standpoint—he has just five homers for the year—but he’s one of the best contact hitters in the sport. He currently owns a .325 batting average for the year, and his .312 xBA puts him in the 97th percentile. Kirk’s strikeout rate also puts him in the 97th percentile, so he puts the ball in play at an elite level.
Kirk has been particularly hot of late. His average sits at .447 in June, and he’s homered in two of his past three games. If he can provide any sort of power production—his previous career high is 14 homers—he has the potential to be one of the best backstops in fantasy. He’s No. 2 on the Player Rater at the position over the past 15 days, so he’s worth adding if you need help at catcher or with your team’s batting average.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (CIN), 1B (40% Yahoo, 8.5% on ESPN)
Kyle McCarthy dug into Encarnacion-Strand on Thursday, and he has the potential to be one of the best power bats on the wire in most leagues. He’s launched three homers in six games since returning from a stint on the IL, bringing him to five in just 81 at-bats this season.
Encarnacion-Strand has plenty of swing-and-miss in his game, so his production will ultimately depend on how often he can put the ball in play. He has done that a bit more often this season (24.1% K Rate vs. 28.5% in 2024), so there is at least reason for optimism with him moving forward.
Shane Smith (CHW), SP/RP (34% Yahoo, 21.4% on ESPN)
The White Sox chose to go with a youth movement at pitcher this season, and Smith has easily been the best of the bunch. He’s pitched to a minuscule 2.37 ERA across 13 starts, and he’s added 64 punchouts in 68.1 innings. He’s yet to allow more than three earned runs in a start this season, and he’s allowed one earned run or fewer in seven of them.
So, why has Smith received such minimal fanfare? Part of it stems from the fact that he plays for the White Sox. They’re not as historically bad as they were last season, but they’re still not going to give Smith a ton of win opportunities. He has just three wins so far this season despite how good he’s been on the bump.
Smith has also been a bit fortunate, posting above-average marks in BABIP and strand rate. Still, his xERA and FIP are both very respectable, and he’s done a fantastic job of keeping the ball in the ballpark. Ultimately, Smith doesn’t stand out as elite in any one area, but he should continue to post usable numbers basically across the board.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out the great Nick Pollack’s SP Streamer Rankings to see his favorite choices. Friday’s slate features a handful of potential options. Nick makes the case for Cade Horton vs. the Pirates, but he’s far from the only option:
Edward Cabrera (MIA), SP (20% Yahoo, 5.9% ESPN)
The Cabrera bandwagon hit a slight speed bump in his last outing. He lasted just four innings vs. the Rays, surrendering six hits, two walks, and three runs in the process.
However, only one of those runs was earned, and he graded out favorably from an advanced metrics standpoint. Specifically, he had a 2.08 FIP in that contest but was undone by a .429 batting average on balls in play. Overall, Cabrera has posted a 2.76 FIP across his past six outings, and he’s added 33 strikeouts in 31 innings. This still seems like a pitcher on the rise.
Cabrera will get the opportunity to right the ship Friday vs. the Nationals. They’re coming off a sweep at the hands of the Mets to start the week, and they managed just seven runs across the three-game series. They’re merely 20th in wRC+ vs. right-handers in 2025, so it’s a great spot for the breakout to get back on track.
Speculative Adds
Giancarlo Stanton (NYY), OF (20% Yahoo, 8.3% on ESPN)
Stanton has officially started a rehab assignment in Double-A, which means he could be making his way to the Bronx in short order. It’s even possible that Stanton makes his return as early as this weekend vs. the Red Sox. That doesn’t seem like the most likely outcome, but it’s nice to know that he’s not ruling it out. He certainly doesn’t seem to have a ton of rust to shake off after logging three hits and a walk through his first two minor-league outings.
It’s unclear how the Yankees’ lineup will shake out once Stanton is ready to go. Ben Rice has done an excellent job as the team’s DH for most of the year, though he has cooled off a bit recently. Rice can potentially see some time at first base instead, but Paul Goldschmidt has arguably been the team’s best hitter besides Judge.
Maybe Stanton will spend more time in the outfield to try and accommodate Rice, but one way or another, expect his bat to be in the lineup on most days. His bat is simply too important to this team, evidenced by the run he went on in the playoffs last year. The fact that he’s making a ton of money also doesn’t hurt his chances for playing time.
Stanton’s power makes him a clear add for those looking for help in that department, especially if you have an IL spot available.
Kyle Teel (CHW), C (11% Yahoo, 3.8% ESPN)
Catcher has turned out to be a surprisingly deep position this season. Cal Raleigh has established himself as one of the best players in fantasy, while guys like Goodman, Kirk, and Iván Herrera have all provided value. Add in some underperforming studs, and you wind up with plenty of guys who are potential options.
That said, no one is going to say no to more quality options at the position. It’s possible we have another to consider, with Teel getting called up for the White Sox. He was the top prospect acquired in the Garrett Crochet trade, so he’s a huge part of the team’s future. He’s going to be in the lineup as much as humanly possible.
Teel is off to a solid start, racking up three hits with solid batted-ball metrics through his first 12 at-bats. He’s more of a player to monitor than someone to outright add, but it’s possible he establishes himself quickly.
Deep League Players to Watch
Ryan Ritter (COL), SS (1% Yahoo, 0.3% ESPN)
Ritter is considered far from a can’t-miss prospect, but he launched 16 homers in Triple-A this season before getting called up by the Rockies. That’s a ton of pop for a shortstop, especially one who’s going to play home games at Coors Field. Ritter’s numbers don’t jump off the page to start his MLB tenure, but he’s someone to consider in deeper mixed or NL-only formats.
