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
Logan Henderson (MIL), SP (32% Yahoo, 14% ESPN)
Logan Henderson made his long-awaited return to the big leagues on Sunday after Jacob Misiorowski was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left tibia contusion prior to his scheduled start. If you need a reminder, Henderson got four starts in the early months of the season, where he allowed four runs over the course of 21 innings while striking out 29. Despite the stellar results, he was ultimately shipped back to the minors and eventually leapfrogged by Misiorowski when a rotation spot opened up.
He finally got the call again on Sunday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 4.1 innings against the Nationals. While he didn’t showcase anything too special in this outing, that doesn’t mean his four starts earlier in the year were a fluke. The 23-year-old has been successful in Triple-A all year, striking out 87 and walking 24 in 77.2 innings with a 3.59 ERA and 1.11 WHIP. Good pitching can be incredibly tough to find on the waiver wire, and this is an opportunity you can’t pass up. He’ll stick around for at least one or two more starts until Misiorowski is healthy again, but he could potentially stay in the rotation beyond that. The Brewers will be in the midst of an intense playoff race and will want to use their best pitchers available, which very well could be Henderson if he continues to prove himself over the next couple of weeks.
Royce Lewis (MIN), 3B (57% Yahoo, 24% ESPN)
Royce Lewis returned from his second injured list stint on July 1 and has since done his best to turn around what looked like a lost season. Entering Sunday, the slugger was slashing .300/.326/.478 with three home runs, 10 runs, and 12 RBI in 26 games since being activated. The injuries and a poor 30-game stretch surrounding them led many to give up hope for the 26-year-old, but it’s important to remember that he’s shown multiple flashes of being a major league superstar. It’s yet to be determined if he could be a superstar one day or if he’s just an extremely streaky player, but either way, he should be universally rostered as a potential difference-maker down the stretch.
Giancarlo Stanton (NYY), DH (50% Yahoo, 14% ESPN)
Giancarlo Stanton has been on a tear since making his season debut on June 16, showing that he is still an elite power hitter like he always has been. He is slashing .268/.333/.512 with nine home runs, 17 runs, and 26 RBI in 35 games, looking like a must-start hitter for fantasy. The slugger is prone to striking out, which will likely lead to a slump eventually, but get him in your lineups now to make the most of the hot streak.
Andrew Vaughn (MIL), 1B (40% Yahoo, 16% ESPN)
Andrew Vaughn has looked like a transformed player since joining the Brewers, batting .373 with six home runs, 13 runs, and 24 RBI in 19 games. He’s become the team’s everyday first baseman who regularly bats in the heart of the order, and it looks like being a part of a team with playoff aspirations for the first time in a long time could be the spark he needed to turn his career around. He is verging on must-add status, especially in leagues that feature a corner infield spot.
Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players
Logan Henderson is the most added player on Yahoo, which is justified based on what you already read about him as the headliner of this article. Warming Bernabel is the only hitter on this list, thanks to a red-hot start to his major league career. He’s homered three times in his first nine games, going 14-for-37. I can’t say I expect him to keep up this pace for the rest of the season, but enjoy the hot hitter in Coors while you can if you’re looking for a streamer.
The other three most added players were all Sunday streamers. Sean Burke allowed three runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over five innings against the Angels. Anyone who did stream him probably isn’t excited or disappointed by the outcome, and he can be safely dropped until the next time he gets a positive matchup. Colin Rea allowed two runs on five hits and only lasted 4.2 innings, and there’s not much reason to hold him for any longer. Joey Cantillo struck out nine over 5.2 innings but allowed four runs on six hits and two walks. He does offer nice strikeout upside in the right matchups and is lined up to face the White Sox next. He’ll be a decent streaming option for that start, too, but isn’t such a high priority that you need to hold onto him if you’re in a roster crunch.
The most added players on ESPN feature two players who are already rostered in most leagues, Kyle Stowers and Shea Langeliers. Both of these players are great and should be universally rostered, and it’s unlikely they are still sitting on the waiver wire in your league. Andrew Vaughn cracks the fourth spot on this list, and as I mentioned above, he’s definitely worth adding.
That leaves Luis Gil and Edward Cabrera. Gil made his season debut on Sunday, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks with three strikeouts over 3.1 innings against the Marlins. Definitely not what you want to see, and it’s not worth holding onto him in very shallow leagues, but I’d give him another chance in standard-sized or deeper leagues. This is still the same guy who posted a 3.50 ERA with 171 strikeouts in 151.2 innings in 2024, and he may just need to shake off some rust in the early going. Cabrera was Gil’s opponent on Sunday, and he fared much better, allowing one run on two hits and one walk with seven strikeouts over six innings. He’s been on a tear as of late and now has his ERA down to 3.24. The breakout may finally be here after years of waiting, and he’s definitely worth an add.
Category Specific Players To Add
Randy Rodríguez (SF), RP (45% Yahoo, 15% ESPN)
Randy Rodríguez is set to take over closing duties for San Francisco after Camilo Doval was sent to the Yankees at the trade deadline. He’s been an elite reliever in high-leverage innings so far this season and is my favorite of the new closers to add. The 25-year-old has posted a 1.17 ERA and 0.85 WHIP with 63 strikeouts and 10 walks in 46 innings for a Giants club that should have plenty of save opportunities down the stretch.
Cade Smith (CLE), RP (48% Yahoo, 22% ESPN)
Cade Smith was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball last season as the Guardians’ setup man, and now he will take over as the closer with Emmanuel Clase placed on the restricted list for a gambling investigation. He’s taken a step back this season, with a 3.00 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, but that is still plenty good enough to be a great closer for fantasy. He had a rough start to his new role when he suffered a blown save and a loss on July 28, but has since bounced back with three scoreless innings.
Dennis Santana (PIT), RP (36% Yahoo, 6% ESPN)
Dennis Santana is the new closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates, taking the place of David Bednar, who was dealt to the Yankees. He imploded in his first appearance after the trade deadline on Monday, allowing five runs and only getting one out against the Rockies. However, it was Coors Field, and we don’t want one bad outing to overshadow an entire season of dominance. Even with the recent blow-up, Santana has a 2.31 ERA and 0.92 WHIP on the year. He’s not going to provide a ton of strikeouts, with only 39 in 46.2 innings so far, but he should have full control of the job and is worth adding anywhere where you need saves.
Cole Sands (MIN), RP (8% Yahoo, 1% ESPN)
The Twins had a fire sale at the deadline, shipping away Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Louis Varland. That leaves Cole Sands and Justin Topa as the two best relievers in the pen, with Sands looking like the better option to close. He had an elite 2024 where he posted a 3.28 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 85 strikeouts in 71.1 innings, but has taken a step back so far in 2025. His ERA and WHIP sit at 4.02 and 1.19, respectively, with only 37 strikeouts in 47 innings. Still, saves are saves, so he’s worth an add if you are desperate in the category.
Jose A. Ferrer (WAS), RP (6% Yahoo, 1% ESPN)
Jose A. Ferrer could now see the bulk of the save opportunities for the Nationals. He’s the worst option of the group of new closers, but saves are valuable no matter how you get them, especially in deeper leagues. His 4.78 ERA and 1.22 WHIP aren’t too appealing, but he’ll be stepping in for Kyle Finnegan, who recorded 20 saves in Washington before he was dealt to Detroit.
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.
Michael Soroka (CHC), SP (12% Yahoo, 7% ESPN)
Michael Soroka was shipped from the Nationals to the Cubs at the trade deadline, which should give him a boost for fantasy with some improved win equity. His ratios don’t look the best, with a 4.87 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, but he’s been more reliable than those numbers suggest. He’s only completed at least six full innings in four outings this season, and the lack of innings is the main contributor to the inflated ERA. The 27-year-old has had plenty of starts this season of at least five innings and three or fewer earned runs, which should be enough to get him a win more often than not in Chicago. Today, he faces the Reds outside of Cincinnati, which is one of the most favorable matchups a pitcher could find himself in.
