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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Picks: 7/17

Scoop these guys up off your waiver wire.

Kyle McCarthy
Waiver Wire 7/17/2025

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

 

Cam Schlittler (NYY), SP (21% owned in Yahoo!)

I talked about Schlittler last week as a potential breakout starter to watch for in the second half after his electric debut. He boasts a high-90s fastball with good ride, and grades out just above-average at a 101 Stuff+. The right-hander also owns one of baseball’s hardest sliders at 91.9 mph, and is an option he can go to against both hands. Additionally, he threw a sweeper exclusively against right-handed batters at 87.9 mph, and only Griffin Jax throws a harder sweeper.

Schlittler has a really interesting profile, with multiple fastballs and breaking balls, plus premium velocity. The role in the rotation should be secure for the time being until Luis Gil returns in late July to early August. Then it’ll likely be between Schlittler and Stroman for the fifth spot, and the upside is not comparable between the two.

Frankie Montas Jr. (NYM), SP (9% owned in Yahoo!)

Montas returned from the IL on June 24 and hasn’t had the cleanest results with a 5.03 ERA in 19.2 innings, but he’s showing improved control with a career-best 4.9% walk rate. The stuff and velocity look solid so far, and he at least has a favorable home ballpark and strong offense to support him for some wins. He should trend positively as he continues to knock the rust off and close the season out with an ERA in the low 4.00s.

Ronny Mauricio (NYM), 2B, 3B (5% owned in Yahoo!)

Mauricio has started to surge a bit in July, hitting .269/.345/.462 with a 10.5% barrel rate and 47.4% hard-hit rate in July. He is still chasing a ton, but what a luxury it is for a young player like him to pick the brain of the guy who never chases, Juan Soto. Mauricio has gotten more comfortable with more reps, and his upside is still super enticing.

Mickey Moniak (COL), OF (11% owned in Yahoo!)

Moniak has the second-highest wRC+ (204) in baseball since the beginning of June, only behind the aforementioned Juan Soto (min. 80 PAs). He’s cut the strikeout rate to 23% in this span, supported by a solid 11.9% swinging strike rate. That’s a meaningful improvement for the lefty slugger, and he should continue to hold down a strong-side platoon role in the most hitter-friendly ballpark. He’s more usable in daily leagues, but keep an eye on the probable pitcher schedule for him in weekly leagues.

 

Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players

 

Zebby Matthews was also featured in my potential second-half breakout starters piece last week. Positively, he has already made a rehab start on Sunday and looked excellent. He is a perfect guy to stash right now.

Kyle Stowers has been one of the breakout bats of 2025, and he should be universally rostered. The first-time All-Star has some of the best quality of contact in the league and should be in for a strong finish to the year.

Slade Cecconi has been big-time for the reeling Guardians this season, pitching to a 3.44 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 55 innings. Nothing stands out as far as his stuff, but he locates his pitches well and relies on his breaking balls to put guys away.

Drew Rasmussen is a tough guy to think about at the moment, as his innings are being limited with him being used as an opener in his past two outings. But he is so good, and should be back to being used as a normal starter by August. He is worth holding in that case.

It’s been quite the season for Janson Junk, who owns the second-best FIP (2.13) in baseball, only behind Tarik Skubal (min. 50 innings). He’s provided good length recently as well, going at least six innings in his past three starts. Junk can be trusted as a home streamer, and then you can pick your spots on the road.

Ceddanne Rafaela has been on an incredible stretch since June, as he is tied for the second most fWAR (2.3) among all players. He is slashing .271/314/483 with 14 homers and 13 steals for the season, putting him in elite company for power, speed, and contact. The only hitters to match his homer and stolen base totals to go with at least a .270 AVG are José Ramírez, Byron Buxton, Kyle Tucker, Bobby Witt Jr., Elly De La Cruz, and Zach Neto. And this epic walk-off homer last week.

Zach McKinstry has mostly been a reliable utility man for his career, but has leveled up this year with a 133 wRC+ and a first-time All-Star appearance. He’s been a top-eight third baseman by value earned in 12-team 5×5 leagues.

Brandon Woodruff has returned from injury as well as you could have hoped, as he has looked awesome in his two starts. He’s remade himself as a wide mix guy with excellent command, and he’s put up 18 strikeouts over his first 10.1 innings.

There’s no reason that Eury Perez should be hanging out on waiver wires. It was a slow start in his first few outings, but he’s been rolling in his past three with only one run allowed across 18 innings while striking out 21.

Trevor Rogers looks great this year with his velocity back up to 93.4 MPH. While you maybe shouldn’t expect the 1.53 ERA to sustain, he should be usable in most formats, and you should ride him while he is hot.

 

Streaming Pitchers

 

Be sure to check out Nick’s daily SP streaming article!

Aaron Civale (CWS), SP (3% owned in Yahoo!)

Streaming a White Sox starter feels gross. But Civale draws the Pirates on Sunday, and they have just been absolutely brutal in July. Pittsburgh has only 22 runs scored in 11 games, with the next closest team being at 38. Civale has had a few okay starts since coming to Chicago, but has yet to have one that is worth anything for fantasy purposes. We’re going a bit more off of vibes with this one, as it feels like he is due for a six-inning, two earned run outing with a solid WHIP while earning us a win.

 

Speculative Adds

 

Bubba Chandler (PIT), SP (26% owned in Yahoo!)

Chandler is one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, and very well may already be stashed in your league. But it could be time for Chandler to come up with the trade deadline looming. After a weird month of June where he didn’t go deep into games and struggled overall, the right-hander has found his groove recently with 12 scoreless innings to start July. Most notably, his pitch count reached exactly 100 pitches in his most recent start and got into the 90s in the one before. So it looks like he could be getting fully stretched out and geared up for a full run with Pittsburgh to finish out the season.

 

Deep League Players to Watch

 

Owen Caissie (CHC), OF (3% owned in Yahoo!)

Another prospect to watch is Cubs slugging outfield prospect Owen Caissie. Caissie has prolific power with 19 homers and a 20.2% barrel rate at Triple-A Iowa this season, ranking only behind Roman Anthony and Samuel Basallo. There is some swing and miss in his profile, but he combats it with strong discipline. He is one to watch as the trade deadline nears, as he could be on the move if the Cubs look to make a swing. He’s a bit blocked in the outfield currently, but an everyday opportunity could be on the horizon if he is dealt.

 

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Kyle McCarthy

Kyle is an avid sports fan and stats appreciator. He is a die-hard Washington Commanders fan.

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