Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, our weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire guide. We'll be doing things a little differently this season, with Eric Samulski publishing the initial waiver-wire article on Friday afternoon. Then James Schiano updates it every Sunday to make sure you get the most up-to-date information.
The premise of the article is pretty straightforward. We'll give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When we list a player, we'll list the category where we think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. We hope this helps you determine whether the player fits your team's needs. Not every "trending" player will be a good addition to your specific roster.
To qualify for this list, a player needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. We understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and we 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.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters
Zack Gelof - 2B/3B/OF, ATH (37% rostered)
(OFF THE IL, POWER/SPEED COMBO)
Gelof returned from the IL on August 10th and has gone 5-for-12 with two home runs, five runs scored, and three RBI in his three games back. Gelof has been great for the A's this season, cutting down on his swing rate and being more selective in his approach, which has led to real gains in contact rate and zone contact rate. His bat speed is also up, and he remains a solid power/speed option with 13 home runs and eight steals in 70 games this season. If he was dropped, he needs to be added back.
Lawrence Butler - OF, ATH (34% rostered)
(POWER UPSIDE, REGULAR PLAYING TIME)
A few weeks ago, Eric had Butler in an article on players likely to have a second-half surge. In that article, Eric mentioned that the early part of the season was clearly a struggle for Butler after undergoing offseason surgery on both knees. He wasn't hitting well in May and June, but the hard-hit rate was going up, the groundball rates were coming down, and his bat speed was back up around 74.3 mph, so it seemed like better times were coming. In 25 games in the second half, Butler is hitting .241/.307/.468, but he has four home runs, 14 runs scored, 11 RBI, and three steals. That comes with an 11.5% barrel rate and 47.5% hard-hit rate, while he's also playing every day; even against lefties. That's a profile that works in 5-OF leagues or deeper formats.
Andruw Monasterio - 1B/2B/3B/SS, BOS (32% rostered)
(PLAYING TIME, HOT STREAK)
We've had Monasterio here for a bit, and the shine may be waning, but he's still playing regularly and putting together solid numbers. In 23 games since the All-Star break, he's hitting .351/.424/.506 with one home run, 12 runs scored, 16 RBI, and two steals. He's unlikely to keep playing at this level, but the Red Sox don't have another player that can play shortstop until Trevor Story is back from the IL or they call up top prospect Franklin Arias, so it makes sense to keep running Monasterio out there until he fully cools off.
Cole Carrigg - OF, COL (27% rostered)
(COORS FIELD, POWER UPSIDE)
Eric featured Cole Carrigg as a player who could gain fantasy value after the deadline, but we didn't think it would be as a shortstop. After the Rockies called up Zac Veen (more on that later), they've been using Carrigg as their starting shortstop because they have three other OFs they want to get into the lineup against righties. It's only been 24 innings, but the results have been fine considering he has very little minor league experience at shortstop over the last three years. If he gains SS eligibility and you can add that to his .292/.375/.489 slash line with five home runs, 35 runs scored, 30 RBI, and seven steals, you've got a solid profile. He has well below-average barrel and hard-hit rates, so he’s not tearing the cover off of the ball, but he has good bat speed and is making better-than-league-average zone contact, which is a nice profile in Coors Field.
Griffin Conine - OF, MIA (21% rostered)
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)
Back in July, James recorded on Griffin Conine, and he just keeps hitting.In 25 games since the break, he's hitting .293/.384/.640. That's a 1.024 OPS with eight home runs, 13 runs scored, and 15 RBI. He will sit against lefties, so he's a better option if you're in a daily moves league or a mid-week lineup change league, but there is plenty of power in his bat.
Cole Young - 2B, SEA (20% rostered)
(HOT STREAK, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
Since July 1st, Young has been second on the Mariners in wRC+, hitting .266 with five home runs, 15 runs scored, and 11 RBI in 33 games. Over that stretch, he has been one of the best contact hitters in baseball, with a 96.1% zone contact rate and an 87.6% contact rate overall. That gives him the fifth-best zone contact rate in baseball in that stretch behind only Liam Hicks, Jung Hoo Lee, Steven Kwan and Luis Arraez. Pretty nice company. He might be more of a fit in deeper formats because his main value is batting average, but he is contributing a little bit across the board. Andrés Giménez - 2B/SS, TOR (13% rostered) would be another option for batting average or stolen base needs. He had a strong start to the season, but then fell off a little bit. Yet, since the All-Star break, he's hitting .263/.318/.342 with one home run, eight runs, 10 RBI, and six steals in 24 games. The counting stats aren't there because he's hitting at the bottom of the lineup, but if he keeps a solid batting average and steals, he'll be usable in a lot of formats.
Josh Bell - 1B, MIN (20% rostered)
(POWER UPSIDE, REGULAR PLAYING TIME)
We've done this throughout the season with Bell, but he's hitting well again. In 24 games in the second half, he's hitting .272/.350/.402 with three home runs, 12 runs scored, and 12 RBI. The Twins remain a bit of a feisty offense, so you can roll the dice on Bell for now, but just remember that he's a streaky hitter and there will likely be a colder stretch on the other end of this. Nathaniel Lowe - 1B, CLE (3% rostered) is also an interesting target. Yes, he left the friendly confines of Great American Ballpark, but he's starting for the Guardians against all right-handed pitchers. On the season, he's slashing .283/.355/.516 against righties with a .234 ISO, 24.9% strikeout rate, and 13 home runs. If you're in a league where you can sit him when the Guardians face a lot of lefties, we still think he'll give you solid value.
Luis Rengifo- 2B/3B/OF, SD (18% rostered)
(HOT STREAK, STOLEN BASE UPSIDE)
We mentioned last week that it's unclear how long this will last, but Rengifo keeps producing. Since the All-Star break, Rengifo is hitting .325/.423/.458 in 24 games with three home runs, 15 runs scored, 12 RBI, and three steals. He's been playing every day and even hitting second against lefties. This isn't something we're buying into full-time, but it's worth taking note of now.
Cam Smith - OF, HOU (18% rostered)
(PROSPECT PEDIGREE, POTENTIAL HOT STREAK)
Is it possible that Cam Smith is finally turning a corner? James recorded a video this week on that very idea. In 20 games since the All-Star break, he is hitting .254 with a .791 OPS. His fly ball rate over that stretch is 42.9%, and, more importantly, his Pull Air rate is 28.3%, which is well up from his 14.4% career mark, so he is continuing to work to lift the ball. That's been a big issue preventing Smith from truly turning a corner in the past. Smith has a 94.1 mph exit velocity on fly balls and line drives, which is better than Julio Rodriguez, Randy Arozarena, and Jo Adell, so getting the ball in the air more often to the pull side could continue to unlock success for him. Now he just needs to do it consistently.
Joshua Báez - OF, STL (16% rostered)
(PROSPECT STASH, POWER UPSIDE)
We're starting to see plenty of prospects getting called up, and we thought Báez's time would be coming. But the Cardinals have said they have no plans to call him up this weekend. Still, we have to assume he will be up soon. The 23-year-old outfielder is one of the team’s top hitting prospects and possesses tantalizing power and speed upside to make an impact for fantasy managers down the stretch, even if he struggles with some swing-and-miss. Báez has hit 33 homers with 21 steals with a .893 OPS across 102 games with Triple-A Memphis. This comes after a 20/54 season across High-A and Double-A in 2025. Those tools make him one of the better lottery tickets to stash for a final push in fantasy leagues. Yes, he strikes out a lot, and there will be swing-and-misses, but the other tools should make up for it. It could also be the time to stash Charlie Condon - 1B/OF, COL (8% rostered). The 23-year-old is hitting .279/.395/.538 with 22 home runs, 73 RBI, and six steals in 98 games at Triple-A this season. If Cole Carrigg can truly hang at shortstop, then the DH spot in Colorado could be Condon's in a week or so.
Angel Genao - 2B/3B/SS, CLE (15% rostered)
(PROSPECT CALL-UP, SNEAKY POWER/SPEED)
We had Genao on here last week when he was called up, and James highlighted his potential in a video this past week. In 72 games at Triple-A, Genao hit .309/.395/.494 with 13 home runs, 53 RBI, and 11 steals. If you're comparing him to Lombard Jr., Genao had slightly worse batted ball data in Triple-A, with a 45% hard-hit rate and 89.7 mph average exit velocity. He also has a 71.1 mph bat speed in his brief MLB sample, but he also pulled the ball a ton in Triple-A, with a 49% pull rate. Most of that was on the ground, so we're not expecting to see tons of home run power right away, but Genao also had a 92% zone contact rate and 7% swinging strike rate in Triple-A, so he makes plenty of contact. So far, he has acclimated himself well, going 8-for-27 in eight games with a home run, five runs scored, and a 2/2 K/BB ratio. We think there's a good chance he plays most days with the Guardians using the DH spot to rotate other hitters through to keep them in the lineup.
Jake Mangum - OF, PIT (14% rostered)
(REGULAR PLAYING TIME, STOLEN BASE UPSIDE)
Mangum has been on a little heater of late and is now slashing .280/.330/.410 in 20 games since the All-Star break. That has come with two home runs, 12 runs scored, nine RBI, and three steals. Over his last 50 plate appearances, his hard-hit rate and barrel rate have doubled. He's chasing less outside of the zone and has gotten a little more patient. He's been hitting in the top third of the order most of the time, so there's potential for decent value here. If you're just looking for speed, then Esteury Ruiz - OF, MIA (3% rostered) could be an option. He's not playing every day, but he has eight steals in 18 games since the All-Star break. So if that's your main priority, then he can help you there.
Zac Veen - OF, COL (13% rostered)
(RECENT PROSPECT CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE)
Veen was called up this week after putting together a really impressive season at Triple-A. There remain some questions about playing time and his ability to hit breaking balls, but Eric covered it all in a video on Thursday.
Kaelen Culpepper - SS, MIN (9% rostered)
(PROSPECT PROMOTION, POWER/SPEED COMBO)
Culpepper was called up last Friday, and James recorded this video ahead of his debut about how his skills could translate to the big leagues. While he hasn't started every day, he's playing the vast majority of games at shortstop since coming up. Culpepper is the Twins' second-ranked prospect and the 29th-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. He has a .271 average with 14 home runs, 46 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 74 games for Triple-A St. Paul this season, but has gone 11-for-40 (.275) in 10 games since returning from a glute injury in mid-July. He didn't hit the ground running in the big leagues, but it's been only five games, so we'll give him some more time. Culpepper is one of the highest-ranked prospect hitters we're likely to see called up this summer and has a power/speed combination that's worth a gamble in most fantasy leagues.
Justin Crawford - OF, PHI (8% rostered)
(REGULAR PLAYING TIME, STOLEN BASE UPSIDE)
Over his last 50 plate appearances, Justin Crawford has a 90.3 mph average exit velocity, which is well up from his 84.5 mph rate previously, and his 4.9% barrel rate over this recent stretch isn't tremendous, but it's far better than the 1% mark he had before. Over this stretch, he's hitting .319/.365/.426 in 16 games with eight runs, seven RBI, and three steals. Again, these are not numbers that are jumping off the page, but it's a young hitter who is making better contact and seeing more results because of it. That works in deeper formats. If you're just looking for batting average, then Nathan Church - OF, STL (2% rostered) should be an option. Over his last 15 games, Church is hitting .313/.357/.396 with one home run, six runs, nine RBI, and two steals. He continues to play regularly against right-handers and can help you in enough categories to be useful in deeper formats.
Abimelec Ortiz - 1B, WAS (6% rostered)
(STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE)
Last week we mentioned that it seemed like Abimelec Ortiz was getting the first crack at the starting first base job after Luis Garcia Jr. was traded to the Yankees. In his 11-game MLB sample, Ortiz has gone 10-for-30 with four home runs and eight RBI. That's a pretty nice introduction to the league. Ortiz, who came over in the MacKenzie Gore trade, had a slow month of April, but then began to warm up, hitting .249/.336/.557 in 58 games at Triple-A. His 17 home runs over that 58-game span ranked 4th in the International League behind Joshua Baez, Hector Rodriguez, and Matt Wallner. His .308 ISO ranked 2nd, trailing only Baez, and his .893 OPS ranked 22nd. On the season at Triple-A, Ortiz had a 14.8% barrel rate and 45.3% hard-hit rate, with just a 19.5% strikeout rate and 9.7% swinging strike rate, so this is not an empty power profile. Ortiz’s 75.5 mph bat speed would also rank 23rd among qualified hitters this season, tied with Elly De La Cruz, and he homered off Cam Schlittler on Monday in New York. His power is legit, and he figures to play against all right-handers in a good lineup.
Moisés Ballesteros - C, LAA (4% rostered)
(STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE)
Ballesteros now has catcher eligibility in all formats, which is no small feat. It hasn’t been a great rookie season for him, and he's gone just 6-for-36 since coming to the Angels, but we know he has power in his bat. The 22-year-old has shown good plate discipline and has a 9% barrel rate and 48% hard-hit rate during this whole season. We think the hits are going to start to fall, but understand if you're limiting this to two-catcher formats right now. When Agustín Ramírez - C, MIA (31% rostered) was called back up, he seemed to be in a short side of a platoon. However, the injury to Kyle Stowers has opened up some DH at-bats to go along with his backup catcher role. Since returning, Ramirez has gone 5-for-16 with a 7/2 K/B ratio and one extra base hit. It's not electric production, but we know he can hit, so if he's going to play more regularly, he's valuable enough to use in many formats.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers
Clay Holmes - SP, CHC (39% rostered)
Clay Holmes made his return from the injured list and his Cubs debut on Saturday, and it did not go well. However, he had also missed three months with an injury, so we should have expected some rust. Before fracturing his fibula, the veteran had a 2.39 ERA and 1,10 WHIP in 52.2 innings for the Mets this season, and while he's unlikely to produce at that level going forward, and he won't give you strikeouts, he's still likely going to be a great source of ratios, especially on a team with that kind of infield defense which will vacuum up his grounders.
Dustin May - SP, MIL (38% rostered)
May got traded to the Brewers at the deadline, which is a big team context upgrade. In his first two starts with his new team, he has allowed three runs on seven hits in 13 innings with 11 strikeouts and five walks. The Brewers seem to be having him lean into his cutter more (shocking) and then elevate his four-seamer for whiffs. It's a plan that has worked for many other pitchers and should work for May too. He's also now a much better bet for wins.
Brandon Pfaadt - SP, ARI (35% rostered)
When Brandon Pfaadt first came back up, Eric noted how he had changed his pitch mix to trade strikeout upside for weak contact. Well, he continues to do just that, and it continues to work. In eight starts since rejoining the rotation, he has a 1.32 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and just a 12.4% strikeout rate in 47.2 innings. Now, those ratios will certainly help you, but the lack of strikeouts lowers his ceiling and means that you may not want to use him in harder matchups because the upside may not be worth the risk.
Keider Montero - SP/RP, DET (35% rostered)
The injury to Jack Flaherty meant that Montero got another shot in the Tigers' rotation, and then both Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize were traded, so Montero is locked into the rotation. We had him in this column for the last two weeks, and Eric also mentioned him in an article on starting pitchers without elite stuff who produce value with command and a deep pitch mix. Montero then went out and did basically what Eric had written about on Thursday, blanking the Guardians for 6/13 innings while allowing just three hits but not striking out a single batter. Much like Pfaadt, this is a low-ceiling ratios play, but it's working.
Jackson Jobe - SP, DET (31% rostered)
The Tigers freed up two spots in their starting rotation after trading away Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize. Jobe then took one of those spots and had a pretty good season debut after returning from Tommy John surgery. Eric covered it all in a video this week.
Martin Perez - SP, ATL (30% rostered)
Over his last 10 starts, Martin Perez has a 2.90 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and a 16% strikeout rate in 49.2 innings. You're sensing a trend of pitchers with low strikeout rates but good ratios being available on waivers. Perez gets a two-start week next week at Minnesota and Milwaukee, and while we don't love that last start, he's pitching well enough to be usable in deeper formats.
Sean Manaea - SP, NYM (28% rostered)
Oh, look, Manaea is throwing 93 mph again. That's nice. He's averaged at least 92 mph in each of his last three starts, and velo has always been such a huge indicator of success for Manaea in his career. In his last six starts, he has a 2.95 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, and 25.2% strikeout rate. At this point, you just need to keep rolling with him.
Luke Weaver - RP, NYM (28% rostered)
When Eric published an article a few weeks ago about players who could gain value after the trade deadline, he mentioned Weaver as his favorite relief pitcher stash. The 32-year-old had been great for the Mets with a 2.03 ERA and 28% strikeout rate in 40 innings, and the belief was that Weaver's $11 million salary next year was not a total burden for a team to take on. Well, he winds up with the Pirates, and should be their closer. If only the Pirates would generate a single save chance.
Jacob Webb - RP, CHC (22% rostered)
In three save chances since Ryan Zeferjahn joined the team, it was Webb who got all of the chances and converted. On the year, Webb has a 2.38 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 27.4% strikeout rate with eight saves in 53 innings. He will remain the closer until Daniel Palencia (shoulder) comes back, but Palencia's health is no sure thing, and he's not pitching well in Triple-A right now.
Kade Anderson - SP, SEA (22% rostered)
Will Kade Anderson be called up? Probably, but likely not until the middle of August. However, now could be the time to stash him. The left-hander certainly seems ready. He has a 1.13 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, and 40.9% strikeout rate in Double-A. The Mariners have said that they will use him as a starter when he's up, and Bryce Miller's struggles may make that happen sooner rather than later.
Gage Jump - SP, ATH (15% rostered)
Gage Jump is pitching on the road, so you know we're going to be interested. He has one brutal start on the road so far this season, but even including that, he has a 2.60 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 28.6% strikeout rate in 34.2 innings away from Sacramento. You have to fire him up this week.
Kodai Senga - SP/RP, NYM (15% rostered)
With Devin Williams landing on the IL, it seems that Kodai Senga will get a shot to be the closer in New York. Eric covered the potential upside of that in a video this week.
Jacob Lopez - SP, ATH (15% rostered)
Remember when Lopez went on that insane 11-13 start stretch of tremendous production last year? Well, last week we said it was happening again, and it has continued to happen. In five starts since rejoining the rotation, he has a 2.36 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 29.1% strikeout rate in 26.2 innings. He also did that against Washington (before all the trades), Boston, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and Cincinnati in Cincinnati. We know Sacramento is scary, but we also know that finding good pitchers in deeper formats is incredibly challenging.
Andrew Painter - SP, PHI (12% rostered)
Last week we had Andrew Painter here and mentioned that he remained as inconsistent as ever after he had one pretty solid start where he led with his secondaries to hide his average fastball and then had another start where he threw too many fastballs and left the start with hamstring cramps or tightness. Well, he had another tremendous start this week where he used his new changeup (was previously a splitter) more than any other pitch. That would be an approach we can get behind, so we're down to take a gamble on Painter.
Cristian Javier - SP, HOU (7% rostered)
Yes, we know Javier's last start wasn't great, but we're fans of what Javier has done the last three games, adding in a cutter and using it over 15% of the time. It has lessened his need to rely on the four-seamer and also increased the whiff on his sweeper. Those are good things, and we think it's an approach that will continue to work, even if Fernando Tatis Jr. crushed him for a big home run last Sunday.
Ben Joyce - RP, LAA (5% rostered)
Joyce was activated off the injured list last week and was back to hitting 103 mph on the radar gun. He then picked up his first save on Wednesday night. The Angels don't create many save opportunities, but Joyce could wind up as their primary closer down the stretch. For now, it seems like he may be splitting chances with Sammy Natera Jr. - RP, LAA (4% rostered). In our fantasy winners and losers article after the trade, D.J. Short wrote up Natera Jr. and said, "Well, somebody has to close games for the Angels, right? Ryan Zeferjahn, Kirby Yates, and Brent Suter were all shipped out of town on Monday, so Natera could earn a role by default. The 26-year-old southpaw has been awesome since his call-up in June, posting a 2.28 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. He began his professional career as a starter, but has found a home as a reliever over the past two seasons while getting a ton of whiffs on his fastball and slider. If Natera can continue to limit the walks, he has a real future."
George Klassen - SP, LAA (1% rostered)
Eric had Klassen in that same article on players who could see a boost after the trade deadline. There were some big-time command issues with Klassen throughout his minor league career and in his early MLB starts, but in six Triple-A starts in July, he had a 2.48 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 38/11 K/BB ratio in 36.1 innings. We thought he might be figuring it out, but then he walked four guys in four innings in his first start back with the Angels. Yet, this week, he seemed to get back on track, allowing two runs on five hits and walking one over six innings against the Rangers. A 69% strike rate overall is really nice to see from Klassen, and he had 73% strikes on his four-seamer alone. The slider also missed plenty of bats, which is nice to see. However, we would caution that this was mainly a game where he just threw strikes but wasn't a game where he showed precise command inside the strike zone. He remains a true work in progress.
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