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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Picks: 8/28

Scoop up these players off your waiver wire.

Kyle McCarthy
Waiver Wire 8/28/2025

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

 

Kyle Bradish (BAL), SP (29% owned in Yahoo!)

Bradish is back. The right-hander returned Tuesday night against the Red Sox from a long stint on the IL and looked fantastic. Bradish ended his night with two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out 10. His disgusting breaking ball combo was in full effect, generating 11 whiffs on 28 swings between the two. The velocity looked good at around 94 mph, and it’s a positive to see his control and command be in a solid place off of injury.

It was also great to see Bradish get up to six innings out of the gate. The innings could be managed slightly, but it shouldn’t be a big concern. Fantasy managers who are lucky enough to scoop him up could have a top 15-20 type of starter for the rest of the way.

Parker Messick (CLE), SP (18% owned in Yahoo!)

Messick has made two starts in the big leagues and has allowed just one run in 13.2 innings. The lefty boasts a five-pitch mix and relies mostly on his fastball-changeup combination. The Stuff+ comes in right around average at 99 as he doesn’t have extreme velocity at 93 mph, but has consistently held high strikeout rates in the minors. The command looks pristine through two starts, owning a 120 Location+ and is average to above average on every offering. That gives him a pretty solid floor.

Daulton Varsho (TOR), OF (17% owned in Yahoo!)

Varshois is having a career-best season at the plate and has enjoyed a hot month of August, slashing .273/.347/.652 (169 wRC+) with seven homers in 75 plate appearances. The 29-year-old has seemingly been going through some changes this season, easily posting the best contact quality of his career while also striking out the most. His fast swing rate has increased significantly, and he raised his bat speed by nearly two mph, plus his swing length went from 7.6 feet to 7.9. His 18.2% barrel rate this season is more than double his career mark (8.5%).

Lenyn Sosa (CWS), 1B, 2B, 3B (41% owned in Yahoo!)

Sosa has been productive for fantasy purposes with the White Sox, hitting .272 with 17 homers on the season. The eligibility across three infield spots, especially second base, is massive. Sosa has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy managers, rating as the number 13 second baseman in 12-Team 5×5 leagues according to Fangraphs Player Rater. The 25-year-old has also been seeing the ball well in August, with a 15.7% barrel rate and 55.7% hard-hit rate. He won’t provide much speed as a middle infielder, but he has been a useful player for a lot of the year.

 

Yahoo! and ESPN Most Added Players

 

Ryan Bergert was streamed against the White Sox on Wednesday night, throwing six innings and allowing one run on six hits and two walks while striking out three in a win. Bergert has been given an extended run in the Royals’ rotation and hasn’t looked back, holding a 2.79 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 58 innings.

Jonah Tong is set to debut on Friday against the Marlins. Tong is one of baseball’s top pitching prospects and leads all of the minors with a ridiculous 40.5% strikeout rate. The gap between him and the next-closest starter (34.7%) is as large as the gap between second and 14th place.

Abner Uribe looks to be in line for the closer role in Milwaukee with All-Star Trevor Megill shelved with a flexor strain. Uribe has electric stuff to go with solid command. The skills and the opportunity on the best team in baseball make him a must-add.

Colin Rea was targeted as a streamer in San Francisco on Wednesday, but struggled as he allowed four runs in 3.1 innings with only one strikeout.

Brayan Bello continued his stretch of excellence on Wednesday in Baltimore. He allowed just one run in 6.2 innings while striking out six. Since June, the right-hander has the 10th-best ERA (2.75) among qualified starters.

Nolan McLean looks like a star, as he cruised again on Wednesday against the Phillies. He blanked Philadelphia over eight frames with only four hits and six strikeouts. McLean looks comfortable working both sides of the plate at varying heights with his vast pitch mix, and he can really spin it.

Shane Bieber looked the part in his Toronto debut and return from Tommy John surgery. Everything looks mostly the same, with his velocity being slightly up overall, but his changeup looks much different than previous years. It’s jumped from a 79 Stuff+ last year to 115 this year, adding over seven inches of drop to it. And while it’s just one start, it’s good to see his top-shelf command show up early on with a 120 Location+.

Cam Schlittler has strung together consecutive effective outings as he’s not allowed a run in his last 12.2 innings to go with 16 strikeouts. The right-hander has made eight starts now in the big leagues and has been getting more consistent with his command. He’s posted average or better Location+ marks in three straight outings, compared to just one in his first five. He’s gotten the ERA down to 2.76 in 42.1 innings, and the stuff makes him quite appealing for the rest of the season.

Hurston Waldrep has been one of the best starters in baseball in August with a 0.90 ERA and 0.93 WHIP. The adjustments he’s made to his arsenal have unlocked things for the right-hander, and this looks like a breakout worth taking seriously.

Jurickson Profar has followed up strongly on his career-best season in San Diego last year, hitting .261/.365/.469 (134 wRC+) in 241 plate appearances after serving a suspension for PEDs. His sound approach with a low strikeout rate and sustained quality of contact from last season has kept him afloat.

 

Streaming Pitchers

 

Check out Nick’s daily SP streaming article!

Adrian Houser (TB), SP (21% owned in Yahoo!)

Houser gets an exploitable matchup in the Nationals on the road on Friday. The Rays have been subtly tweaking with Houser’s mix after acquiring him at the deadline, throwing more changeups and sliders than he was previously with the White Sox. The results haven’t been great with a 5.32 ERA in 22 innings, but he gets a good opportunity to bounce back with Washington owning the fifth-worst OPS against right-handers (.701) since the start of June. He’s pitched in three career games at Nationals Park and has allowed only two runs in 10.1 innings.

 

Deep League Players to Watch

 

Jesús Sánchez (HOU), OF (5% owned in Yahoo!)

Sanchez is a strict platoon player, which makes him more valuable in daily leagues, but he’s worth monitoring in deeper formats as well. He’s currently hitting .251 with 12 homers and nine stolen bases with a career-best strikeout rate at 20.7%. The quality of contact is strong as usual, and his new home ballpark and team context paint a favorable picture for his future production.

 

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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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