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
Jake Burger (TEX), 1B/3B (47% Yahoo, 28% ESPN)
Jake Burger’s early-season struggles and demotion have seemingly clouded the perception of his fantasy value. Yes, he’s a streaky hitter who can sometimes be frustrating to roster. However, over the past two seasons, he’s shown that if you just stick with him, you’ll like the year-end results.
He went 3-for-4 with a home run and a double on Sunday, continuing his resurgence since being called back up to the majors on May 12. In those 26 games since returning, he is batting .260 with six home runs and six doubles. The most notable difference pre- and post-demotion is his strikeout rate, which is 20.2% after May 12 compared to 30.5% before. The slugger was a consensus top-125 pick during draft season and was viewed as a solid starting option for both first base and third base. He still has the potential to be exactly that and shouldn’t be available in over half of Yahoo leagues.
Colton Cowser (BAL), OF (57% Yahoo, 12% ESPN)
Colton Cowser finally made his return from the injured list on June 3 after being sidelined for over two months with a fractured thumb. He only had the opportunity to play four games before the injury and homered once, and he has already added two more long balls to his total in these six games since returning. This is a good time to remind you that the 25-year-old was a popular breakout candidate this preseason as a top-35 ranked outfielder. He should be rostered in more than 57% of leagues.
Addison Barger (TOR), 3B/OF (49% Yahoo, 16% ESPN)
Addison Barger has been one of baseball’s hottest hitters over the past month. Entering Sunday, he was batting .309 with seven home runs, 16 runs, and 18 RBI over the past 30 days. The youngster’s underlying metrics back up the performance, as he’s posted a .565 xSLG (95th percentile), 94.2 mph average exit velocity (97th percentile), and 53.8% hard-hit rate (93rd percentile).
Justin Martinez (ARI), RP (54% Yahoo, 45% ESPN)
Justin Martinez returned from the injured list on May 23 and has since been the favorite for saves in the Arizona bullpen. He’s recorded two saves, with Shelby Miller also picking up one when Martinez was unavailable. The 23-year-old has a 3.68 ERA and 1.23 WHIP so far this year, but he’s coming off an elite 2024 season where he struck out 91 batters in 72.2 innings with a 2.48 ERA. With upside that high and guaranteed save chances, he should be rostered in every league where saves matter.
Agustín Ramírez (MIA), C (37% Yahoo, 24% ESPN)
Agustín Ramírez continues to be vastly under-rostered. He’s batting .245 with eight home runs through 39 major league games, and plays nearly every single game for the Marlins at either catcher or designated hitter. Combine that with the fact that he routinely hits in the top third of the order, giving him an advantage over most catchers just in terms of pure volume of plate appearances. He has a good chance of being a top 10 fantasy catcher from here on out.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
The five most added players on Yahoo are all Sunday streamers. Tylor Megill is rostered in too many leagues to be considered a waiver wire add, thanks to his 29.7% strikeout rate that sets him apart. Landen Roupp turned in a quality start, giving up three runs in six innings with two strikeouts against the Braves. He’s only given up more than three runs in a start twice all season, although his ability to miss bats seems to come and go. He’s worth starting outside of very tough matchups. Tomoyuki Sugano couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning against the Athletics, and his lack of strikeouts makes him a streamer at best. Brandon Walter allowed two runs over six innings against the Guardians, but there’s no guarantee he sticks in the rotation long term. Michael Lorenzen pitched six solid innings but is coming off two starts where he gave up 13 runs in 7.2 innings. He’s only worth streaming in the future against bottom-tier offenses.
Drew Rasmussen is the most added player over the past week on ESPN, and for good reason. He tossed a quality start Sunday, giving up two runs over six innings, which broke a streak of four consecutive scoreless outings spanning 23 innings. He should be rostered everywhere at this point. Jac Caglianone should also be rostered in most leagues, as his power upside is worth taking the gamble on just in case he puts it all together right away.
Andy Pages has remained hot at the plate, batting .379 with two homers over the past week. He’s up to 12 homers on the year and is still worth starting for as long as he’s producing. Max Muncy is another hot Dodger, batting .293 with eight homers over the past month. Muncy and Pages are both over 70% rostered on Yahoo, but add them where they’re available.
Mick Abel rounds out the last spot on this list, who had another productive one-run outing in his last time out against the Blue Jays. He only struck out two and gave up lots of hard contact, so it may have been a product of good luck more than anything else. Still, he possesses more upside than most on the waiver wire and is worth taking a shot on just in case he sticks around.
Category Specific Players to Add
Nick Kurtz (ATH), 1B (24% Yahoo, 10% ESPN)
Nick Kurtz was placed on the injured list with a strained hip flexor on May 25, but he’s nearing a return to the active roster. He homered in his first rehab game on Saturday and is expected to be activated early this week. There’s a possibility that he even returns tonight, making him a great add if you’re looking for a boost in home runs. He started slow in his debut, but the 22-year-old was heating up before the injury with four home runs in his past five games.
Matt Wallner (MIN), OF (13% Yahoo, 3% ESPN)
Matt Wallner is another great option to add some pop to your roster. He’s hit three long balls since returning from the injured list on May 31, and is coming off of a 2024 season where he slashed .272/.376/.538 in the second half. His massive power and willingness to take walks can make him a discount version of Kyle Schwarber.
Alejandro Kirk (TOR), C (17% Yahoo, 34% ESPN)
Alejandro Kirk has quietly hit .304 this season, which includes a stretch over the past 30 days where he’s batted .377. His expected batting average is an even better .313, and even his 56.1% hard-hit rate ranks in the 97th percentile. That mark is better than it was in the catcher’s breakout 2022 season, so even better days could be ahead. If you need help with batting average, Kirk is the best backstop of the bunch.
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.
Dustin May (LAD), SP (55% Yahoo, 30% ESPN)
Dustin May is my favorite streamer for the day when factoring in both today’s matchup and long-term upside. He’s struck out at least eight batters in three of his past four starts, and also only gave up more than three runs once in that span. The 27-year-old will also get plenty of win chances on the Dodgers, giving him an overall profile that is too good to leave on the waiver wire. He faces the Padres today and the Giants later in the week, making him a great two-start option for weekly leagues.
