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
Jurickson Profar (ATL), OF (55% Yahoo, 37% ESPN)
Jurickson Profar was one of the most surprising breakouts of the 2024 season, slashing .280/.380/.459 with 24 home runs, 94 runs, 85 RBI, and 10 stolen bases. It truly came out of nowhere, as there was nothing to suggest that he would take a step forward at age 31, 12 years after he made his major league debut in 2012 as a teenager. He signed with the Braves over the offseason and was looking to repeat the performance until he was suspended 80 games for breaking the league’s PED policy. That left many fantasy managers wondering what he would look like when he did ultimately make his return.
Well, 80 games have passed, and we are finally going to get an answer. So far, the results have looked promising, as he wasted no time hitting two home runs in his first two games back. Getting everyday playing time in the heart of Atlanta’s order would make him fantasy-relevant by default, but even if he can play 80% as well as he did last season, he would be worth an add in all leagues. I don’t expect him to bat .280 again, but he should rack up counting stats and should be universally rostered going forward.
Josh Lowe (TB), OF (52% Yahoo, 12% ESPN)
Josh Lowe’s season didn’t truly get underway until May 15 due to an oblique strain he suffered on opening day. He’s been very solid since, putting up a .268 batting average with six home runs and six stolen bases in 46 games. He’s been especially good as of late, as he was batting .400 over the past 14 days entering Sunday. The power-speed threat launched 20 homers and stole 32 bases in a full season in 2023, and he’s once again on a 162-game pace of over 20 of each. He should be universally rostered in roto leagues at this point.
Lucas Giolito (BOS), SP (51% Yahoo, 30% ESPN)
Lucas Giolito had some rough starts early on in his season but has completely turned the corner over the last five starts. Over 32.2 innings during that span, he’s allowed only three earned runs while striking out 31. All five outings have been at least six innings, making all of them quality starts. He may not have as much potential as he once did as one of the top young pitchers in baseball, but the 30-year-old clearly still has plenty left in the tank.
Trevor Rogers (BAL), SP (30% Yahoo, 20% ESPN)
Trevor Rogers once looked like a promising young starter for the Marlins, but ultimately, it never came together. He’s finally getting his chance to prove himself after getting traded to the Orioles in the middle of last season, and he’s making the most of his opportunity. He tossed 6.2 shutout innings against the Braves on Sunday, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out six. This lowered his ERA through five starts to 1.57, and the window to add him in fantasy may be closing soon.
Ben Rice (NYY), C/1B (37% Yahoo, 23% ESPN)
Ben Rice has officially made 10 appearances at catcher, making him eligible at the position on every major fantasy platform. Playing time is hard to come by in New York, with Rice spending more time on the bench after Giancarlo Stanton was activated, but gaining catcher eligibility essentially offsets that downside. Most catchers see a couple of days off per week, so at worst, Rice will log plate appearance totals similar to the average of his new position. It’s safe to say that a .231/.323/.467 slash line with 14 home runs is promising production for a backstop, making Rice a potential top-10 fantasy catcher for the rest of the season.
Addison Barger (TOR), 3B/OF (46% Yahoo, 17% ESPN)
Addison Barger isn’t slowing down. The red-hot youngster just continues to improve with time, as he’s now batting .346 with three home runs over the past week. On the season, he is slashing .269/.329/.507 with 11 home runs, 34 runs, and 35 RBI. With a .540 xSLG (91st percentile) and 93.4 mph average exit velocity (95th percentile), there’s no reason to suggest that he’s due to regress. Surprisingly, he is still available in 54% of Yahoo leagues, so go add him if you can.
Ryne Nelson (ARI), SP (43% Yahoo, 24% ESPN)
Ryne Nelson typically has his fair share of blowup outings if something is off, thanks to his fastball-heavy approach, but he also can completely shut down offenses on his best nights. Since giving up seven earned runs on June 7, he’s gone on a five-start stretch of allowing two runs or less. In that span, he’s allowed just five earned runs with 26 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. He also gets the Angels and Cardinals in his next two matchups, which aren’t offenses that need to be worried about.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
The five most added players on Yahoo are five Sunday streamers. Trevor Rogers was already discussed in the section above, but Edward Cabrera and Emmet Sheehan are the other two promising pitchers from this list. Cabrera pitched seven strong innings, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts. It was his second straight seven-inning outing, which is impressive coming from someone who usually struggles with efficiency. Sheehan finally got another shot in the rotation, allowing one run on five hits with four strikeouts over five innings. He should stick in the rotation moving forward, and he and Cabrera are both worth an add in most leagues.
Tyler Anderson did not work out as well, allowing three runs on eight hits and two walks with only two strikeouts over five innings. He remains a desperation streamer at best. Jacob Lopez flashed upside through his first handful of starts but gave up four runs and only lasted 4.1 innings this time out. He did strike out eight batters, but this was his second rough start in a row. The strikeout potential does leave him with some appeal in deeper leagues, but he’ll have to work through his current struggles before he can be trusted in any standard-sized leagues.
Three of the five most added players on ESPN over the past week are players who were already discussed above in this article. Edward Cabrera, Trevor Rogers, and Ryne Nelson are all solid waiver wire options for the reasons already stated. Otto Lopez has had a nice season so far, batting .250 with nine homers and nine steals. However, his underlying metrics suggest he should be even better, as he has a .296 expected batting average that ranks in the 92nd percentile. That makes him a solid add in roto leagues that have a middle infielder spot. Grant Holmes tossed a quality start on Sunday and has looked great on the season, posting a 3.47 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 96 innings. He is 53% rostered on ESPN and 75% rostered on Yahoo, but definitely add him if you play in the few leagues where he is available.
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.
Noah Cameron (KC), SP (38% Yahoo, 28% ESPN)
Noah Cameron gets one of the better matchups of the day, going up against the Pirates at home. He’s had a couple of blowup starts against the Dodgers and Yankees, where he allowed 11 runs in 9.2 innings, but outside of that, he’s held opponents to only five runs in his other 46.2 innings. He also gets a tougher matchup against the Mets later in the week, but he should be able to take advantage of the Pirates enough for him to be a nice two-start option, at least in points leagues.
