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
Colt Keith (DET), 1B, 2B, 3B (22% owned in Yahoo!)
Keith has had a really solid year and has been even better of late. Since the start of June, he is hitting .322/.388/.556 with a 14.7% barrel rate and 53.3% hard-hit rate. His .419 xwOBA ranks top 10 among all hitters in that span (min. 100 PAs).
We knew about his ability to make a ton of contact and spray line drives to all directions, but the uptick in power has been a pleasant surprise. He is meeting the ball farther in front of the plate this season and has been really productive. He does sit against lefties, which limits his appeal in weekly formats. But he is quite useful in daily leagues and used in weekly formats when a flurry of righties are upcoming on the schedule.
Evan Carter (TEX), OF (19% owned in Yahoo!)
Carter’s eight stolen bases in the last 30 days are tied for the most in the big leagues, and he’s chipped in three homers in the process. He’s always had a patient approach at the plate, but dealt with swing-and-miss issues as a result.
He’s managed to cut the strikeout rate to 17.4% in 132 PAs this season, although that number will almost certainly creep back up given his underlying contact metrics not quite aligning. But he is still only 22 years old and should improve his contact rate as he ages. In the near future, he should end with at least 20 stolen bases with around 10 homers and a decent AVG, which has some appeal in 15-team formats.
Nick Gonzales (PIT), 2B, SS (4% owned in Yahoo!)
Gonzales has hit well in limited time this season after getting injured on a home run in the very early part of the season, hitting .282/.336/462 (119 wRC+) in 128 PAs. It’s a tad boring as far as homers and steals, as he has four homers and no steals. However, the 26-year-old is playing every day with a 15.6% strikeout rate and a 43.9% hard-hit rate and should continue to have decent counting hitting in the middle of the Pittsburgh lineup. He could be putting some pieces together after hitting .270 last season, and is a solid middle infield option in deeper leagues.
NICK GONZALES GOES DEAD CENTRAL TO GIVE THE PIRATES THE LEAD!!
106.5 MPH exit velocity, 427 feet, HR in 29/30 ballparks (except for AZ’s Chase Field) pic.twitter.com/d5BDIGAzfE
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) July 9, 2025
José Soriano (LAA), SP (42% owned in Yahoo!)
Soriano’s roster rate has gotten to an okay spot, but it still seems too low for a pitcher with his unique skillset. Since June, the flamethrower has been the only starter with a ground ball rate of 50% or better and at least a 14% swinging strike rate. Soriano has a 64.4% ground ball rate and a 14.6% swinging strike rate. And he has significantly improved his command this season. His 110 Location+ is tied for the fourth-best among starters (min. 80 innings).
José Soriano, Wicked 86mph Knuckle Curve. 🤢
5th K pic.twitter.com/UnuaQAeSxA
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 4, 2025
Kumar Rocker (TEX), SP (22% owned in Yahoo!)
Rocker got lit up for six runs Wednesday night against the Angels, but had been trending positively before that. In his four previous starts, the big right-hander had a 2.49 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 21.2 innings. He can at least be trusted in home starts, with the potential for more with his pedigree.
Kumar Rocker, Filthy 91mph Cutter. 🪨✂️ pic.twitter.com/wO5xWouCxB
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 10, 2025
Joey Cantillo (CLE), SP (3% owned in Yahoo!)
Cantillo is the beneficiary of the Luis Ortiz debacle, and he has an interesting profile. The lefty doesn’t throw hard, but has a strong changeup that he effectively uses against righties. The 25-year-old is still building up his pitch count and could ultimately just be a five-and-dive guy, as he has only exceeded six innings in a start once in his career. But the skills are viable enough to be worth scooping in deeper leagues and AL-only formats.
Joey Cantillo is an arm to watch for me as he picks up the start today
He is a soft tossing lefty with a trio of interesting secondaries. His changeup is particularly deceptive and a devastating put-away offering against RHH. https://t.co/4qSt0b40Ug pic.twitter.com/pUsG6xznfA
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) July 3, 2025
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Eric Lauer was streamed against the White Sox on Wednesday and only went four innings, allowing two runs, but struck out seven, so it wasn’t too bad. Lauer has been surprisingly decent this year, but I wouldn’t trust it beyond streaming against the worst offenses, and even then, some skepticism is warranted.
Lucas Giolito shut down the road Rockies with six scoreless innings and six strikeouts. Since coughing up seven runs to the Angels on June 4, Giolito has rattled off 38.2 innings, allowing the same number of runs and only three earned, good for a minuscule 0.70 ERA in that span.
Lucas Giolito’s 2Ks in the 5th. pic.twitter.com/iYVsC4L69S
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 10, 2025
Romy González has played a bit more against right-handed pitching of late, but has primarily operated in a short-side platoon role where he has thrived. He is one of four hitters with a .500 wOBA or better against left-handed pitching this season, with the others being Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, and Paul Goldschmidt (min. 70 PAs).
Cam Schittller had a good debut against the Mariners, throwing 5.1 innings, allowing three runs with seven strikeouts. The 24-year-old right-hander had gaudy strikeout numbers at Triple-A this season (35.7%) and looks to be a part of the Yankees’ rotation moving forward. I’d add him in most formats where I need pitching.
Cam Schlittler’s 1st @MLB strikeout: 99.6 mph, Cal Raleigh, looking. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mlMdXmiLc1
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) July 9, 2025
It wasn’t a good day to stream Andre Pallante as the Nationals pounced on him for seven runs in six innings.
Brandon Woodruff looks to have remade himself as a starter after coming back from injury, and he looked really sharp Sunday against Miami. The fastball velocity was down at 93.1 mph, but he reached back for more when he needed it. He mixed in a sinker and a cutter in addition to two breaking balls and a changeup, with all pitches being near average or plus in Stuff+. And his command was impeccable in his return, with a 130 Location+. The signs all looked promising for our guy, Woody.
Welcome back, Brandon Woodruff!
He strikes out the first batter he faces and his family couldn’t be happier 😄 pic.twitter.com/8GVuPmtNU4
— MLB (@MLB) July 6, 2025
Michael Busch is the only first baseman with a wOBA over .400, and it’s a mystery as to why he wasn’t already universally owned in ESPN leagues.
George Springer has enjoyed a resurgence in his age-35 season, and it’s pretty remarkable. His 15.1% barrel rate is the best since his first season in Toronto in 2021, and his 45.3% hard-hit rate is the best of his career.
I’ve been aboard the Edward Cabrera train long before his roster rates began to rise, and it is great to see Cabrera break out after all these years. And now rumors are coming out that contenders are interested in pursuing him at the deadline.
Edward Cabrera, Devastating 96mph Changeup. 😲 pic.twitter.com/p0uhhBg54U
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 2, 2025
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check out Nick’s daily SP streaming article!
Simeon Woods Richardson (MIN), SP (9% owned in Yahoo!)
Woods Richardson is slated to start Sunday at home against the Pirates, and I like our chances of him sending us into the All-Star Break on a happy note. We’ve had a pretty solid run of streamers in the first half, and we’ll look to keep it rolling after the break.
SWR has been lights out since he got jumped by the Rangers for seven runs on June 10. In 26 innings since, he has a 1.38 ERA, which is fifth best among starters in that span. He’s gone only six innings once this season, and in this span, so the chance for a quality start may be lower. Nothing jumps off the screen for Woods Richardson stuff-wise, but he’s cleaned up some of his locations in this recent stretch and is staying out of the heart of the zone as often. The Pirates’ offense has been one to attack when streaming this season, as they own the second-lowest OPS (.648) against right-handed pitching. And they’ve been even worse in July, with just 12 runs scored against right-handers in seven games.
Speculative Adds
Colson Montgomery (CWS), SS (4% owned in Yahoo!)
Montgomery lost some of his steam as a prospect as he mightily struggled at Triple-A the past two seasons. He struck out 33% of the time this year with just an 83 wRC+ in 261 PAs. He made his MLB debut on July 4 in Colorado, and it has allowed us a look into some of the slugging shortstop’s bat-tracking metrics.
The ceiling is there for Colson Montgomery with great launch angles and top-end power, but he struggles to make good contact in the air (or consistently good contact). Zone Contact is decent, but the swing decisions are atrocious. Patience! https://t.co/a4Jk77y8rK pic.twitter.com/siMrtB6n3O
— Eli Ben-Porat 🇨🇦 (@EliBenPorat) April 29, 2025
Montgomery has elite bat speed at 76.4 mph, which would rank seventh highest among all hitters, right between Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Willson Contreras. It’s on the longer side at 7.8 feet, and his Ideal Attack Angle% has been below average at 42.4%. The 23-year-old doesn’t chase very much, so he should draw some walks, and the strikeouts should be expected to come in bunches. He won’t steal hardly any bases, but has real power and profiles better in deeper OBP formats.
