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
Ben Rice (NYY) 1B/C (29% rostered on Yahoo!)
Rice’s waning playing time has rightfully sent his roster rates tumbling. However, he went yard last night, and it was a huge one, giving the Yankees the lead in the ninth. Paul Goldschmidt undoubtedly adds value with his glove, but has posted just a 75 wRC+. Mr. Rice, meanwhile, has rocked right-handers to the tune of a 131 wRC+. And, yes, his PLV metrics are glorious, including a 127 Process+. Again, his playing time is annoying, but everything about his metrics screams that he shouldn’t be on waivers. And he has also started 12 games at catcher.
Austin Hays (CIN) OF (23% rostered on Yahoo!)
You’re not gonna get style points rostering a 30-year-old with just one 20-homer season under his belt. But if his recent box scores are any indication, Hays will help your RBI count. A bruised foot has limited Hays to 51 games, but he has been productive, hitting .284 with a 133 wRC+. His 116 Power+, about a standard deviation above league-average, indicates he has more over-the-fence upside than you might otherwise expect. Perhaps the former Oriole can parlay hitting half the time at the GABP into a career season. It wouldn’t be the first time. Hey, remember Scooter Gennett in 2017?
Drake Baldwin (ATL) C (18% rostered on Yahoo!)
First, and foremost, Marcell Ozuna remains in Atlanta, despite trade rumors. Maybe a move happens, or maybe not. Regardless, Baldwin has been phenomenal, posting a 137 wRC+ through 229 PAs; that would rank third behind Cal Raleigh and Will Smith among qualified catchers. The rookie catcher has simply outplayed Ozuna, especially lately. Sure enough, we are starting to see Brian Snitker deploy Sean Murphy, who has also been productive, and Baldwin in the same lineup. Monday night’s career-high six RBIs were fun, although one came on an embarrassing miscue by Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos. Still, Baldwin’s electric combination of bat-to-ball skills and all-fields power has been on display for a while. And, yeah, his PLV metrics are beautiful, too. Assuming the playing time, there is no reason he can’t be a top-ten catcher the rest of the way.
Jac Caglianone (KC), 1B/OF (26% rostered on Yahoo!)
I get it. The results have been brutal. However, Cags demonstrated his alluring talent Monday night by going oppo on a curveball from righty Ben Brown. Poor swing decisions have grounded the 21-year-old rookie, and I’ll admit his 68 DV+ has me thinking that maybe his breakout might not be in the cards. Still, if we are talking overall upside, few can match Caglianone. And for as bad as the results have been, I’m encouraged by his ability to put the bat on the ball; a 107 Contact Ability+ is pretty neat considering how hard he swings the bat. Simply put, his ceiling is too hard to ignore, along the lines of a left-handed version of Junior Caminero.
Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players
Angel Martínez went 3-for-5 Tuesday night, bringing his average to .254 across 309 PAs. The 23-year-old switch-hitter is enjoying a run atop Cleveland’s lineup, but his questionable swing decisions (64 DV+) and lack of power (88 Power+) make me think this is probably a flash-in-the-pan, rather than a breakthrough.
Miguel Vargas homered in consecutive games, Sunday and Monday. The former Dodger is hitting .223 with a 98 wRC+.
Erick Fedde seemed like an ambitious stream at Coors Field, considering he entered the night with a 1.47 WHIP. Spoiler alert: it didn’t go well.
Victor Caratini has been productive over the last two seasons in Houston, hitting .270 with a 112 wRC+ (530 PAs). He didn’t start last night, but he has been a regular in the middle of the Astros’ lineup and is worth adding if you need help at catcher.
Troy Melton is the latest pitching prospect to debut. The 23-year-old righty will face the Pirates today after posting a 31.8% K-BB% across 36.1 IP in Triple-A Toledo (eight appearances, six starts). Nick has him ranked 62nd on the latest List.
Light Tower Stowers has been one of the year’s big breakouts, demonstrating why the Orioles selected him out of Stanford six summers ago. Strikeouts (78 Contact Ability+) seem to be the only stick in the mud.
Nicky Nukes is 2025’s baby-faced phenom, leading baseball with a 218 wRC+ since May 20th despite being drafted fourth overall barely over a year ago.
Eury Pérez’s return from Tommy John surgery has been everything we could have hoped for. Nick ranked him 32nd in his latest List. Team context is the only thing holding him back. You know the Marlins will be very cautious with his workload.
Addison Barger’s splits against lefties have been rough. Sure enough, he sat Monday night against the lefty Carlos Rodón. Regardless, he has clobbered righties all year, and there is no reason to think that will change.
Otto Lopez has been solid for the Marlins, hitting .251 with a 99 wRC+ over 346 PAs. His value the rest of the way is probably tied to how many stolen bases he nets; he’s got 10 so far.
Speculative Adds
Kirby Yates (LAD) RP (39% rostered on Yahoo!)
Yates got a little lucky securing his third save Monday night on a long flyball hit by Carlos Correa after Tanner Scott exited with a forearm issue. As Rick Graham mentioned in yesterday’s Closing Time, this could easily be a committee, especially with Blake Treinen not far from returning. Still, Yates deserves a look, having secured 33 saves on 34 attempts last year with the Rangers.
Shane Bieber (CLE) SP (37% rostered on Yahoo!)
Bieber’s return from Tommy John surgery has gone well so far; he tossed 32 pitches in a rehab start last week in the Arizona Complex League and tossed 43 pitches last night in High-A, including four Ks. August seems like a reasonable ETA, making him a decent stash if you have an IL spot.
Matt Strahm (PHI) RP (21% rostered on Yahoo!)
The Phillies recently added David Robertson on a minor-league contract. D-Rob has been quite good, posting a 2.72 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over his previous two seasons (129 IP). Still, it’s fair to wonder how long the 40-year-old will need to shake off the rust. In the meantime, Strahm seems like the best bet in Philly; he pocketed his sixth save Sunday before the All-Star break, and pitched the ninth inning Monday, in Philly’s ten-inning 3-2 triumph over Boston.
Josh Jung (TEX) 3B (27% rostered on Yahoo!)
We were pretty excited about Jung just two years ago when he was a 25-year-old rookie and former first-rounder out of Texas Tech who banged 25 home runs. He was demoted following an awful June during which he hit .154 across 24 games. Nonetheless, he returned Monday and had a perfect night at the dish, which included his ninth home run.
Cam Schlittler (NYY) SP (24% rostered on Yahoo!)
Schlittler, a seventh-round pick by the Yankees out of Northeastern three years ago, doesn’t carry near the same prospect clout as Burns, ranking outside MLB.com’s top-100 prospects. However, he has showcased a big fastball and posted a 26.5% K-BB% across five starts with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before being promoted on July 9th. I’m unsure how long of a leash he will get with Luis Gil on the comeback trail, but he’s shown enough stuff-wise to be on the radar. And, yeah, I’m giving him a mulligan after last night’s game with the Jays having been a brutal matchup in Toronto this season.
Category-Specific Players to Add
Jung Hoo Lee (SF) OF (42% rostered on Yahoo!)
Jung Hoo-Lee entered the night hitting .249 with a 101 wRC+. However, he has hit leadoff in the last three games, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his batting average climb based on his 121 Contact Ability+; that’s on par with rookie sensation Jacob Wilson (124).
Ryan McMahon (COL) 3B (30% rostered on Yahoo!)
Need home runs? Consider McMahon. He socked his 16th, going oppo on a 94 mph sinker from Erick Fedde in the third inning of last night’s 8-4 win over the Cards. And there could be more on the way, if his rolling Power+ is any indication.
Streaming Pitchers
Be sure to check Nick’s daily SP streaming article.
Charlie Morton (BAL), SP (19% rostered on Yahoo!)
We have another brutal slate this Thursday with five games. Luis Severino can be usable at times, and the Astros haven’t been great at all without Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena. However, Sevy’s 8.3% K-BB% illustrates there’s far more risk than reward. That brings us to Michael Lauer (32% on Yahoo!). The 30-year-old lefty has been a revelation for the Jays, posting a 2.80 ERA and 0.97 WHIP through 61 IP (nine starts), but I don’t believe in his success enough to chance it against the Tigers, a top-tier offense according to PLV. Instead, I’ll roll with Morton. Yes, the 41-year-old’s 5.58 ERA and 1.56 WHIP are, well, not great. But his patented curveball has shown life. The Guardians, meanwhile, rank 26th in team wRC+, and PLV agrees, pegging them as a poor offense.
Deep League Players to Watch
Kody Clemens (MIN) 1B, 2B, 3B, OF (3% rostered on Yahoo!)
Mitch Steinberg mentioned just about every Twin in Tuesday’s column, except for, yeah, you guessed it: The Rocket’s son, Kody. I’ll admit, I’m unsure what his role is as a 29-year-old on a team with slim playoff odds. Still, he’s tied for third on the club with 12 dingers, despite playing 58 games. His 115 Power+, which is about a standard deviation above average, justifies the results, and he has played all over the diamond, including 41 starts at 2B, 16 at 1B, and 12 in the OF.
For more deep leaguers, check Ben Rosener’s Deep League Waiver Wire column every Thursday and Saturday.
