Welcome to Week 8 of the fantasy baseball season, where the initial April excitement has officially given way to the start of a gruelling summer grind. By now, the sample sizes are stabilizing, underperforming stars are testing your patience, and injuries are beginning to chip away at your roster’s depth. Surviving this stretch of the calendar requires active management and a willingness to adapt. Whether you need an immediate injury replacement or a high-upside gamble to spark a turnaround, we’ve scoured the waiver wire to find the best available targets at every position to keep your squad moving forward.
As always, to qualify for the Stream Team, we are looking for impactful contributors who are available.
The Criteria
- Availability: Every featured player is rostered in fewer than 45% of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.
- The Goal: Identifying high-upside plays for managers who need to replace struggling starters and injured players at specific positions.
The Stream Team
SP – Trevor McDonald, San Francisco Giants – Trevor McDonald is the perfect high-upside, low-rostered arm that can get you some coverage at starting pitcher if you’re suffering from injuries with guys like Max Fried and Clay Holmes. The 25-year-old former 11th-round pick has been quietly forcing his way into the Giants’ long-term plans after filling in for the injured Logan Webb. McDonald made a brief appearance last season, but after being recalled from Triple-A on May 4th, he spun a magnificent seven-inning, one-run gem with eight strikeouts. If you thought it was a fluke, he went six and two-thirds innings with five strikeouts and only one earned run with one walk in the dreaded Sacre Verde against the Athletics.
RP – Hogan Haris, Athletics – If you’re desperate for saves and willing to play with a little bit of fire, look no further than the Athletics left-hander Hogan Harris. The A’s bullpen has been a fluid, committee-driven puzzle all season, but Harris has quietly emerged as one of manager Mark Kostay’s preferred late-inning weapons. He slammed the door on the Giants to secure his third save of the year, to go along with seven holds. On the surface, the numbers look great: a sparkling 2.45 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 22.0 innings. Harris certainly offers volatility, but in standard category leagues, beggars cannot be choosers when it comes to free saves on the waiver wire. With other high-leverage arms in Sacramento hitting recent speed bumps, the southpaw is going to continue seeing high-leverage looks.
He is currently rostered in 5% of Yahoo leagues and 2% of ESPN leagues.
C – Carter Jensen, Kansas City Royals – The rookie left-handed hitter has officially graduated from prospect status and is forcing his way into a near-everyday role in Kansas City, splitting time between catcher and designated hitter alongside Salvador Perez. Jensen brings a highly coveted blend of raw power and elite plate discipline that is incredibly rare for a young catcher. While his surface-level .242 average doesn’t jump off the page, his underlying metrics are a fantasy manager’s dream. Jensen possesses an elite 12.1% walk rate and a barrel rate north of 11%, proving he has the plate approach to maintain a stable OBP floor while consistently driving the baseball. He has already flashed his 60-grade raw power with six home runs and 19 RBI through 149 plate appearances this season. Because the Royals regularly utilize him at DH when he isn’t catching, Jensen avoids the typical wear-and-tear day-off penalty that plagues most fantasy catchers. If you are playing in an OBP or points league, his patient approach and steady volume make him a massive positional advantage.
He is currently rostered in 32% of Yahoo leagues and 19% of ESPN leagues.
1B – Spencer Steer, Cincinnati Reds – Spencer Steer was most likely dropped in your league during a sluggish stretch over the first month of the season, and it is time to invest back into him. The 28-year-old utility weapon has flipped the switch with the rest of his Reds teammates in May, reminding fantasy managers why his everyday volume, elite position eligibility, and power upside are incredibly valuable to a championship roster. Steer is currently in the midst of a blistering, week-long power surge that has completely altered his season trajectory. Over his last seven games, he has left the yard four times, highlighted by a majestic 420-foot, multi-homer performance on May 14th. What makes this surge intriguing is a clear adjustment in his underlying metrics: his hard-hit rate over the last two weeks has skyrocketed to 48.5%, and he is pulling the ball with authority again. Playing his home games in the launchpad that is Great American Ball Park, those elevated fly-ball and barrel rates translate directly into home runs. Combine this sudden power stroke with his pristine plate discipline and his eligibility at first base and outfield, and he is the ultimate plug-and-play.
He is currently rostered in 25% of Yahoo leagues and 14% of ESPN leagues.
2B – Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds – Following a brutal early-season slump, Matt McLain has found himself in the ninth spot in the Reds’ batting order and even benched at times. He hit .195 over his first 34 games of the 2026 campaign. However, much like his teammates JJ Bleday and Spencer Steer, McLain has caught fire over the last week and is showing that his slow start is firmly in the past. Over his last nine games, McLain is hitting a blistering .367 with three home runs, 10 RBI, and six runs scored. He has homered in consecutive games against the Nationals and Guardians, showing off the explosive bat speed and pull-side pop that made him fantasy relevant in his debut season. McLain has been known for his swing and miss, but over his last 23 at-bats, he has struck out just two times while balancing a decent walk rate. He offers a rare five-category upside from a premium positional profile. He is one of our more rostered players on the Stream Team, but his early slump most likely provoked managers to drop him. So, give the wire a check before it’s too late.
He is currently rostered in 45% of Yahoo leagues and 12% of ESPN leagues.
3B – Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies – It has been a dreadful start to the 2026 campaign for Alec Bohm and the Phillies as a whole, prompting many fantasy managers to drop him early. After watching his batting average crater into the .170s through early May, the Phillies finally handed their former third-overall pick a two-day benching last week to try to get him back on track. It looks like that worked perfectly. Since returning, he’s broken out with a three-hit, two-homer game against the Rockies and followed it up with a steady five-game hitting streak, including a 2-for-5 performance on Saturday afternoon against Pittsburgh. Over his last seven days, Bohm has quietly slashed a blistering .444/.474/.833 with two longballs and five RBI. The underlying metrics are flashing exactly what we want to see from Bohm. He is elevating the ball again, and his strikeout rate during the stretch is a minuscule 10.5%, and his hard-hit rate has returned closer to career norms. If an impatient manager in your league cut him during his April slide, scoop the 1B/3B eligible Bohm up while you can.
He is currently rostered in 36% of Yahoo leagues and 16% of ESPN leagues.
SS – Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies – As mentioned before, it’s been a frustrating ride for fantasy managers who invested in any Phillies other than Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Christopher Sanchez. Bryson Stott joins his teammate, Alec Bohm, on the list of brutal early-season slumps for the Phils. A frigid April saw his batting average dip into the low .200s, prompting many fantasy managers to cut ties with Stott. In May, he found his stride. Over his last 10 games, Stott has keyed a massive offensive surge by doing what he does best: creating havoc on the basepaths and squeezing maximum production out of every single plate appearance. He has notched multiple extra-base hits, including a clutch RBI double against the Red Sox, while chipping in three stolen bases over the last week alone to bring his season total to nine. Stott has slashed his strikeout rate significantly over his last 30 at-bats. If you need a middle-infield option with premium speed and an RBI opportunity, check your waiver wire to see if he is still there.
He is currently rostered in 37% of Yahoo leagues and 37% of ESPN leagues.
OF – A.J. Ewing, New York Mets – It is time to burn a waiver claim on the New York Mets top prospect, A.J. Ewing. With the Mets’ offense searching for absolutely any success, the front office made the aggressive decision to call up the phenom. In his highly anticipated MLB debut against the Tigers, he showcased elite plate discipline by drawing three walks, flashing his wheels with a stolen base, and blasting a triple. He followed that up a couple of days later by hitting his first major league home run off Keider Montero. The statistical backdrop here is absurd: before his call-up, Ewing was tearing through the upper minors, hitting .339 with a massive .447 OBP and 17 stolen bases in just over 100 at-bats. He has elite contact skills, walks more than he strikes out, and possesses the kind of game-changing speed that saw him swipe 70 bags across three minor-league levels last season. He came up as a second baseman but has been splitting time in center field for the Mets, giving him valuable positional flexibility.
He is currently rostered in 39% of Yahoo leagues and 17% of ESPN leagues.
OF – JJ Bleday, Cincinnati Reds – Oh, would you look at that. Another Cincinnati Red is on this week’s Stream Team and is on an absolute tear. After being non-tendered by the Athletics over the offseason, the Reds snagged JJ Bleday, and it’s paying off immediately. Bleday boasted a monster two-homer, six RBI performance against the Nationals and a clutch 3-for-5 day with two doubles on May 15th against the Guardians. Over his last five games alone, he is hitting a ridiculous .556 with two longballs, three doubles, and 12 RBI. His average bat speed has jumped from 71.7 mph last season to 74.9 mph, one of the largest single-season jumps in baseball. He owns a ridiculous 1.526 OPS over his last seven days, slashing .383/.491/.851. By opening his batting stance, he has transformed into one of the league’s most dangerous airball hitters, pulling a whopping 33.3% of his batted balls in the air.
He is currently rostered in 45% of Yahoo leagues and 35% of ESPN leagues.
