Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season.
The premise is pretty straightforward. I’ll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I’ll list the category where I think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. I hope it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs.
For a player to qualify for this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and I can’t help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they’re available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types.
Jordan Romano, Hayden Birdsong and Matt Shaw join the Top 300 this week.
Waiver Wire Hitters
Will Benson - OF, CIN: 35% rostered
(RECENT CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE)
Last week, Benson was just 1% rostered in his first week after being recalled. Now, he almost doesn't qualify for this list after going 12-for-32 (.375) with five home runs, 11 RBI, and one steal in his 11 games. Those are certainly exciting numbers, but we've seen this before from Benson. He has tremendous power/speed potential, but also a frustrating approach at the plate. Even in Triple-A this season, he was striking out 29% of the time with a 70% contact rate and 13% swinging strike rate. I think this will probably wind up just being a hot stretch, and there's a chance that you missed the best part of it, but I wouldn't begrudge you crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. If you're in a daily moves league, you could opt for Trevor Larnach - OF, MIN (14% rostered), who has gone 13-for-43 (.302) over his last 11 games with two home runs and nine runs scored. Larnach has seven home runs and 23 RBI on the season, and the Twins' lineup is getting healthier. He's going to play against all right-handed pitching, which makes him a valuable piece in a daily moves league.
Jordan Beck - OF, COL: 33% rostered
(HOME PARK BONUS, PROSPECT GROWTH)
Most of Jordan Beck's value comes from playing in Coors Field, but he's also a young hitter with some power and speed who has a 16% barrel rate on the season His exit velocities aren't great, but he's pulling and lifting the ball more this year, which is going to help him get to his power. He still has just a 70% contact rate and 14.4% swinging strike rate, so the batting average will likely regress, but the power is intriguing, and you can slot him into your lineup every time the Rockies are at home. Just keep in mind that the Rockies' next NINE GAMES will be on the road. If you're looking just for power, Daulton Varsho - OF, TOR (14% rostered) has changed his swing to maximize power output. He's not going to continue to have a 28% HR/FB ratio, but his average exit velocities are through the roof. He's also chasing out of the zone at a career-high rate and sporting a 17% swinging strike rate on the season, so I don't think you'll get much more than a .220 batting average. You may not be able to withstand that in a roto league if you have some other batting average drains.
Hyeseong Kim - 2B/SS, LAD: 28% rostered
(PLAYING TIME UPSIDE, STEALS UPSIDE)
Hyeseong Kim is another player who is better utilized in a daily moves league. He's gone 15-for-38 (.395) since being called up with nine runs scored, one home run, and three steals. However, his average exit velocity is just 85.3 mph, and he has a 75% contact rate overall, which jives with what he did in the minors, hitting .252 in 131 plate appearances at Triple-A with a 12% swinging strike rate. His overall contact rate of 75% at Triple-A is fine, but suggests there will be some swing and miss at the big league level, and even though he had a few huge home runs that we saw on Twitter, his average exit velocity at Triple-A was 87.3 mph. The Dodgers claim they're going to start him around four games a week, but with Michael Conforto, Andy Pages, Tommy Edman, and Teoscar Hernandez all needing to get at-bats, it's unclear just how consistent Kim's role will be. If you're just looking for speed, you can go with Jose Caballero - 2B/SS/3B/OF, TB (13% rostered), who is getting nearly every day playing time while moving all over the field, starting in 11 of the last 12 games for the Rays. He's hitting just .257 in that stretch with no home runs and three RBIs, but he does have six steals. Ha-Seong Kim - SS, TB (4% rostered) is currently in Triple-A on a rehab assignment, so it feels like maybe two more weeks with this consistently playing time for Caballero, and it might actually be a good time to stash Kim.
Chandler Simpson - OF, TB: 27% rostered
(EVERY DAY ROLE, SPEED UPSIDE)
I don't quite get why Simpson is still available in a lot of leagues. He's hitting .290 with 13 steals and 15 runs in 29 games. What did we expect him to be? He's not going to hit for power, but he hits at the top of the order against right-handed pitching and will run whenever he gets on. If you want a player who can "win you a category" with his speed, then Simpson is that dude.
Drake Baldwin - C, ATL: 24% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, TOP TIER PROSPECT)
Baldwin is in a timeshare with Sean Murphy in Atlanta, but it seems like Baldwin has become the preferred option against right-handed pitching since he hits left-handed. On the season, Baldwin is hitting .355/.400./559 in 100 plate appearances with five home runs, 14 strikeouts, and seven walks. The production has been there, and if he's now going to start 60-70% of the games, that makes him worth adding in all two-catcher formats. I'm still not 100% sure I can get there in a one-catcher league, but if you're starting a fringe top-ten guy, then I could see pivoting to Baldwin. It also seems as though Carlos Narvaez - C, BOS (4% rostered) has emerged as the starting catcher and one of the better rookies in the AL. He was known primarily for his plus defense when he was acquired from the Yankees in a trade this off-season, but he's hitting .291/.357/.480 in 140 plate appearances with five home runs and 17 RBI. He provides top-tier defense behind the plate and is going to start about two-thirds of the games for the Red Sox while hitting near the middle of the order. He should be rostered in all two-catcher leagues.
Alec Burleson - 1B/OF, STL: 23% rostered
(PLAYING TIME REGAINED, POWER UPSIDE)
After losing playing time early in the season to Jordan Walker, Burleson is back to starting essentially every day against right-handed pitching. In 16 games in May, Burleson is hitting .347/.396/.653 with four home runs, 10 RBI, and one steal. The Cardinals have been a solid offense so far this season, and Burleson is a big component of that. He won't play versus lefties, which makes him a better fit in daily moves leagues, but he can be solid in NFBC-type formats when you can change your lineup mid-week as well. Gavin Sheets - 1B/OF, SD (13% rostered) had been in a similar boat, but he has started playing against some lefties recently as well. Sheets is hitting .285/.331/.510 on the season with nine home runs, so he has been productive for the Padres this year. He's hitting in the middle of a lineup that features a lot of strong bats, which means he has a good chance for RBI upside. His multi-position eligibility also makes him a bit more valuable, and he's an add I like in daily moves leagues.
Nick Kurtz - 1B, ATH: 21% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, PROSPECT GROWTH IS NOT LINEAR)
I covered Nick Kurtz inmy article this week, where I used Statcast's new bat path metrics to find potential power breakouts. You can read that here. But I also recorded a video on him, which is embedded above, because I think people gave up on him too quickly. He did have a hip flexor injury on Saturday, so keep an eye on that, but the A's have called him day-to-day so far. A similar argument about patience can be made about Cam Smith - 3B/OF, HOU (21% rostered), who is a young player who jumped straight to the big leagues from High-A ball. After struggling in April, he's hitting .314/.397/.392 in May with eight runs scored. Part of the bump in batting average is that his groundball rate has skyrocketed and his power has diminished, but he's a young hitter who is adjusting to MLB pitching and having some success. I'm willing to bet on him continuing to adjust and finding the power stroke again.
Chase Meidroth - 2B/3B/SS, CWS: 21% rostered
(EVERY DAY JOB, MODEST STEALS UPSIDE)
In 18 games in May, Meidroth is hitting .324/.385/.423 with 11 runs scored and seven steals. He had never stolen more than 13 bases in a season at the minor league level, so that number is a bit shocking to me, but he can run a bit and is a smart baseball player on a bad team that has no problem taking chances on the bases. Meidroth is also hitting leadoff and playing every day, so he could accumulate runs and steals while hitting for a solid batting average. That works in a lot of leagues. You could also roster Meidroth's teammate, Miguel Vargas - 3B/OF, CWS (17% rostered), who appeared in my article two weeks ago on hitters to add based on their plate discipline and contact rates. Vargas is chasing at a super low rate, making 85% contact overall and rarely swinging and missing. He's pulling the ball slightly less this season and has focused less on lifting the ball, which is a good change. He doesn't smoke the ball, but a 90 mph average exit velocity is pretty good, and he's playing every day in Chicago. The production he's put up over the last month matches the process, with him hitting .253/.321/.520 in 20 games in May with five home runs, 10 runs scored, and 13 RBI. The team context is not good, but the playing time and production have been solid.
Marcelo Mayer - SS, BOS: 21% rostered
(RECENT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
If you spend any time on social media, then you know that everybody is clamoring to find out how the Red Sox are going to call up Mayer and Roman Anthony to "save" their big league club. Unfortunately, with Alex Bregman suffering a "significant" quad strain, the path for Mayer became clear, and he was called up on Saturday for his MLB debut. While that debut didn't go well, we should keep in mind that he spent the entire first half of the day in the locker room at Worcester, not playing in the team's doubleheader and waiting to see if he would be called up. Then he found out he was going to the big leagues, packed up all of his stuff, got into his car, lost his car keys, and drove to Boston in time to play the second game of their doubleheader. He had no time to scout the pitcher or really adjust to being a big leaguer at all, so I would not overreact to his poor start on Saturday. On the season, Mayer is hitting .271/.347/.471 in 43 games at Triple-A with nine home runs and 43 RBI. Just like what we discussed above with Nick Kurtz, there will be struggles for Mayer, and his power is not going to immediately carry over. That being said, he is an MLB-ready hitter, and he's going to be a strong fantasy add in deeper formats. Another stash option would be Jac Caglionne - 1B, KC (13% rostered), who the team promoted to Triple-A recently. He's gone 6-for-21 at the level with three home runs and seven RBI. The Royals have also been playing him in the outfield to expedite his path to the big leagues, and with the team waiving Hunter Renfroe, we may see Caglionne get a shot in the coming weeks. Keep in mind that he has played only 43 games above High-A and had a nearly 13% swinging strike rate in Double-A, so this may be a similar situation to Nick Kurtz as well, where we see good power but some stretches where the swing-and-miss takes over as he adjusts to MLB pitching.
Jake Meyers - OF, HOU: 10% rostered
(SPEED UPSIDE, STARTING JOB)
Two weeks ago,I published an article on hitters who were being more aggressive and swinging at the first pitch more often this year than last year. Myers popped up for me on that leaderboard, and I explained in detail why I’m a fan of his new approach, so you should read that article to check out the analysis; however, I think he’s a solid add for steals and something close to a .270 batting average. Fantasy managers in deep leagues could also gamble on recent Rangers call-up Alejandro Osuna - OF, TEX (1% rostered), who is joining the big league team after Joc Pederson fractured his hand. Osuna impressed in spring training but was sent to Double-A to start the season. After hitting .283 with two home runs and seven steals in 31 games, he was promoted to Triple-A, where he has slashed .259/.474/.444 in eight games with two steals and an 8/9 K/BB ratio. Any time you have a young player who is walking more than he's striking out, that's always eye-catching, and Osuna has shown good plate discipline in the minors. He had 18 home runs and 17 steals in 102 games last year, so there is some modest power and speed here, and the lineup around him will be good. The big question is how much you buy his current contact gains because he had an 11.4% swinging strike rate in Double-A last year, and if that hitter shows up, he might be eaten alive in the big leagues. Expect him to take the Joc Pederson role as a strong-side platoon bat, but he can play good defense, so there's a chance Osuna works himself into a bigger role if he produces.
Nolan Schanuel - 1B, LAA: 10% rostered
(BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, HOT STREAK)
Nolan Schanuel has always intrigued me because he's a big dude at 6'2", 220 pounds who makes an elite amount of contact (87% overall) and a good feel for the strike zone. He's just 23 years old, and so I tell myself a story where he continues to get comfortable in the big leagues and works himself into a 15-20 home run batting with a strong batting average, kind of like Nathaniel Lowe. So far this season, he has just three home runs, and the exit velocities are not there to suggest power growth. However, the contact skills remain elite, and he's hitting .333/.442/.431 in 21 games in May with 15 runs scored and five RBI while hitting second every day for an Angels team that has come alive a little bit. Mike Trout is also set to come back in the next week or two, which means Schanuel could continue to be a solid source of batting average and runs into the summer months.
Addison Barger - 3B/OF, TOR: 6% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)
I was a fan of Addison Barger in the spring when he was all over the spring training leaderboards, and then I read about how the Blue Jays tried to change his swing upon his arrival in the big leagues and how it didn't work. He has now gone back to a more "free" swing that he says stops him from overthinking in the box and just lets him be loose. We obviously love to hear that, and I think Barger has a profile that the Blue Jays need. So many of their hitters are contact-first bats (Bichette, Clement, Springer, Kirk). I think Barger is a nice fit as more of a pull-heavy hitter who tries to do damage when he swings. That may lead to a .240-.250 type of hitter, but I believe in his batted ball quality and think he could push to be the Blue Jays' third baseman for the season. I also think it's time we take what Brett Baty - 3B, NYM (9% rostered) is doing more seriously. In 14 games since being called back up from Triple-A, Baty is hitting .326/.356/.698 with five home runs and 13 RBI. He's also pulling the ball nearly 50% of the time as he starts to get a little more aggressive in the batter's box. That's huge for him because a lot of his early-season struggles were connected to being too passive and getting himself into terrible counts. With Mark Vientos continuing to look lost a third base, there's a real chance for Baty to emerge as the regular third baseman for the Mets.
Denzel Clarke - OF, ATH: 1% rostered
(PROSPECT CALL UP, SPEEDUPSIDE)
The Athletics called up Denzel Clarke to the big league roster on Friday morning after their team stated they wanted to prioritize his elite defense in center field. From a fantasy perspective, Denzel Clarke can run. He had 36 steals last year and was off to a strong start in Triple-A, hitting .286/.436/419 with seven steals in 133 plate appearances. As you can tell from that slash line, there was basically no power as he went to a more ground ball-heavy approach this year has helped curb his swing and miss and lower his strikeout rate. There is some pop in his bat, but this new approach would make him an OK source if batting average with some speed, which kind of keeps him to deep leagues only for now. The Nationals also called up Robert Hassell III - OF, WAS (6% rostered) after having to place both Jacob Young and Dylan Crews on the IL. The former top prospect, who is one of the players who came over in the Juan Soto trade years ago, was hitting .288 with four home runs, nine steals, and a .742 OPS in Triple-A this season. He had made clear gains in his exit velocity and shown a little bit more pop than in years past. I don't expect him to hit for much power at the big league level, but, like Clarke, he could also hit for a solid average with speed. I'd rather have Clarke because the lineup and ballpark are better, and I think he'll have a longer leash.
Waiver Wire Pitchers
Gavin Williams - SP, CLE: 40% rostered
Gavin Williams is back! The right-hander started mixing in his cutter and a new sinker over his last three starts, and the results have taken off.I recorded a video on him here, so I encourage you to watch that for more detail.
Hayden Birdsong - SP, SF: 34% rostered
Birdsong moved into the Giants' rotation with Jordan Hicks moving to the bullpen. The right-hander had a great spring training and showed off improved command that had him on the verge of winning a starting spot in the rotation. However, he was sent down to the minors and then returned to pitch out of the bullpen, where he produced a solid 2.31 ERA in 23.1 innings. He did have a 1.3 WHIP over that stretch, which is not ideal, so command may still be something we need to keep an eye on here, even if he didn't have any issues with it in his first start. Even if I'm not 100% sold on Birdsong, he has a four-pitch mix and plenty of swing-and-miss in the arsenal, so he's worth a gamble if he can carry over these command gains. I do still prefer his teammate Landen Roupp - SP, SF (20% rostered), who was struggling with efficiency in his first outings, but has settled down a bit lately. He has more swing and miss upside, in my eyes, and I'm always a sucker for that.
Eury Perez - SP, MIA: 32% rostered
Eury Perez was up to 61 pitches in his last rehab start at Triple-A on Thursday. He only threw 37 of those pitches for strikes, but he struck out seven and showed off a new sinker that should help him as a second fastball variation and a pitch to attack righties with inside. I would expect Perez to likely make one or two more rehab starts, and his chances of wins are not going to be great in Miami, but there are few pitchers with his upside on the waiver wire. Richard Fitts - SP, BOS (3% rostered) also made his first rehab start after being on the IL with a pectoral injury. With Tanner Houck on the IL, I expect Fitts to come back and take Hunter Dobbins' place in the rotation. He may only need to make one more rehab start, so if you have the space to stash a pitcher, now could be the time.
Tommy Kahnle - RP, DET: 32% rostered
I guess people don't want to add Kahnle because he doesn't throw hard, and the Tigers mix and match their late-inning relievers, but Kahnle has looked good so far, and Detroit has no problem running out a closer who doesn't have elite strikeout upside or a big fastball. Kahnle has five saves and a 0.61 ERA in 14 appearances so far this year, so I'm scooping if he's available. However, just note that the Tigers like to use Kahnle in high-leverage situations, which will also mean save opportunities for Will Vest - RP, DET (40% rostered), who is worth an add if you need saves as well. I know Vest blew an opportunity two weeks ago, which made him one of the most dropped players in Yahoo formats, but he has allowed just four runs on 10 hits in 17 innings this season. He'll still be back in high-leverage innings and will get some save chances.
Bubba Chandler - SP, PIT: 32% rostered
It seems like it’s only a matter of time before Bubba Chandler is up in the Pirates rotation. He has dominated the level this year, and now that the super two deadline has passed, the Pirates can call him up and still retain an extra year of control over him. This is also right around the time they called up Paul Skenes last year, and they saw that it was enough time for him to win and our rookie of the year, and the Pirates another draft pick. I know waiting is hard, but if you have the bench space for a stash, I think Chandler is the one.
Shelby Miller - RP, ARI: 29% rostered
Justin Martinez is back and throwing 100 mph, but he also gave up two runs on Saturday, so I think it's premature to assume that Martinez will simply be given the closer's role. There's a good chance they use Miller to help lessen some of Martinez's workload after coming back, by using him in the eighth inning or mixing in Miller for some save opportunities as well. If somebody in your league has dropped Miller, I'd put in a small bid just until we see how this situation plays out.
Ryan Weathers - SP, MIA: 26% rostered
Weathers has come back and had to face the Cubs twice, but looked great against them both times. His spring training velocity has held, and he's struck out nine while walking just one in 10 innings, which is command that we love to see. He has gone only five innings in each start, and things don't get much easier for him against San Diego this week, but Weathers should be up around 90 pitches in that start, and he has looked really strong so far through two starts. I like him as an upside play.
Cade Horton - SP, CHC: 21% rostered
It's been a fine start to Horton's MLB career with seven runs allowed on 17 hits in his first 14.1 innings with 10 strikeouts and three walks. In his last two starts, I have been heartened to see him lean into his changeup and curveball more and even throw a few sinkers. That's a true five-pitch mix that he'll continue to gain confidence in the more he pitches to big league hitters. The upcoming schedule is also enticing as he gets his feet wet at this level, so Horton remains a solid add for now, even if we don't know how long he'll remain in the rotation.
Lucas Giolito - SP, BOS: 16% rostered
Giolito had a great start on Saturday against the Orioles as he continues to alternate between strong starts and bad starts. Remember that he missed all of last season following elbow surgery, so that inconsistency shouldn't be a surprise. What we should be focusing on is the fact that his velocity is up around 94 mph on the four-seam fastball and, after his bad start in the rain, he changed the grip on his slider and has started to gain more confidence in the pitch. That's making him a three-pitch guy with a curve that he can mix in as well. I still think Giolito is not getting nearly enough respect.
Daniel Palencia - RP, CHC: 9% rostered
The Cubs placed Porter Hodge on the IL with an oblique injury and then immediately gave their first two save opportunities to Palencia. He blew one of them and converted the other. The right-hander has limited experience and some previous control concerns, but he throws hard and has a 2.16 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 16/7 K/BB ratio on the season. However, before we spend big money on him in FAAB, we also have to acknowledge that Ryan Pressly has had decent numbers apart from his one blow-up outing, and we're seeing a resurgence for Drew Pomeranz - RP, CHC (7% rostered), who should also work into the mix against left-handed batters. You can pick up either of those guys, but just keep the bids modest.
Slade Cecconi - SP, CLE (3% rostered)
Cecconi has had two really good starts since he joined the rotation with Ben Lively out for the season with an elbow injury. I covered Cecconi's increased velocity and new pitch mix in my starting pitcher column for this week, so I'd encourage you to check that out for my thoughts.
STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS
MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order)
Week of 5/26 |
Strong Preference |
| Pitcher | Roster% | Opponent |
| David Peterson | 40% | vs COL |
| Jameson Taillon | 30% | vs COL, vs CIN |
| Hayden Birdsong | 32% | at DET, at MIA |
| Cade Horton | 26% | vs COL |
| Kyle Harrison | 5% | at MIA |
| Noah Cameron | 25% | vs CIN |
| Dean Kremer | 6% | vs CWS |
| Ryne Nelson | 1% | vs PIT |
Fairly Confident |
| Ben Brown | 26% | vs CIN |
| Landen Roupp | 20% | at DET |
| Grant Holmes | 36% | vs BOS |
| Luis L. Ortiz | 21% | vs LAA |
| Zebby Matthews | 20% | at SEA |
| Gavin Williams | 40% | vs LAD, vs LAA |
| Jose Soriano | 37% | at CLE |
| Ryan Weathers | 26% | at SD, vs SF |
Some Hesitation |
| Edward Cabrera | 4% | vs SF |
| Brayan Bello | 19% | at MIL |
| Luis Severino | 32% | at HOU |
| Aaron Civale | 2% | vs BOS |
| Logan Evans | 2% | vs WAS |
| Logan Allen | 8% | vs LAA |
| Lucas Giolito | 16% | at ATL |
| Cade Povich | 2% | vs STL |
| Davis Martin | 4% | at BAL |
| Shane Smith | 26% | at NYM |
| Slade Cecconi | 3% | vs LAD |
| Randy Vasquez | 5% | vs MIA, vs PIT |
If I'm Desperate |
| Tomoyuki Sugano | 35% | vs STL, vs CWS |
| Hunter Dobbins | 8% | at ATL |
| Colton Gordon | 1% | vs TB |
| Ryan Yarbrough | 2% | at LAA, at LAD |
| Michal Soroka | 6% | at ARI |
| Patrick Corbin | 12% | vs STL |
| Mike Burrows | 2% | at ARI |
| Andrew Heaney | 27% | at ARI, at SD |
| Bailey Falter | 9% | at SD |
| Keider Montero | 0% | vs SF, at KC |
| | |
Matthew Pouliot