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Welcome to another fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups by category column. Last week, a few recommended players really made me look good. We’ll look to keep the positive momentum rolling this week as we break down a few more potential adds.
This weekly piece covers players who can help in at least one specific category. For example, if your team is scoring plenty of runs and hitting for a strong average but struggling to steal bases, you can scroll directly to the stolen bases section for a targeted pickup.
I have to quickly mention Hunter Greene. While he won’t meet this week’s availability threshold, if he’s still available in your league, now is the time to pounce. He could be a league winner in the second half, and he’s still left on the wire in a number of leagues. If he is rostered, there’s no need to fret, as another solid veteran duo is set to make their return. They’ve got you covered in the ERA and WHIP categories.
While most of these players will contribute across multiple categories, their primary value comes from the one they’re listed under. I also rarely repeat players week to week, so it’s not a bad idea to read previous articles to see if any of those players are still available.
Without further delay, here are this week’s top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups by category. All players listed are rostered in fewer than 56% of Yahoo leagues.
Bryce Eldridge took a minute to adjust to Major League pitching, but after last week’s home run barrage, he seems to have settled in.
Eldridge is hitting just below .300 with six homers, 19 runs scored and 16 runs batted in through 36 games. More importantly, he’s hitting .364 over the last month with five homers and 14 RBI. According to Yahoo, he ranks as the 41st overall player in standard leagues during that span.
Eldridge cooled off a bit during the recent Miami series, but the team as a whole failed to produce. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Giants’ top prospect go on a hitting barrage once again as he faces off against the Braves, whom he just took deep on Wednesday and went 3-for-9 against in two games.
Samad Taylor has been on a roll since his call-up on June 7th, and he has now hit his way into the leadoff spot for the Padres. I briefly mentioned Taylor last week as a batting average candidate, but this week I’m placing him in the runs scored category.
Samad is 17-for-47 (.362) with a .423 on-base percentage (OBP). Since joining the club two weeks ago, the soon-to-be 28-year-old has scored 11 runs in 13 games. He also swiped four bases, hit a home run and collected eight RBI. Taylor qualifies at both second base and as an outfielder. He is useful in all league types for now.
This one’s a slightly tougher sell because Joshua Baez has yet to reach the Majors. But when he does, you’re going to wish you had him.
Baez currently leads Triple-A with 25 homers. The power-speed threat has also chipped in a solid 12 stolen bases while knocking in a whopping 64 runs. The high strikeout totals remain a concern, but as long as Baez is mashing the ball when he does make contact, the strikeouts won’t matter much.
The Cardinals currently deploy a platoon of Nathan Church and Jose Fermin in center field. While they are serviceable, they hardly bring to the table what Baez does. He’s already on the team’s 40-man roster, so his promotion won’t require anyone to be cut, making his arrival that much more imminent.
There’s a good chance Baez is brought up before his 23rd birthday on the 28th of this month, so now is the time to lock in his services.
Cooper Pratt received a nice contract earlier this month and has since joined the Brewers. Pratt does everything fairly well, but it’s been his aggressiveness on the basepaths that has really stood out so far.
In just six games, Pratt already has three steals on three attempts. The Brewers love to run, and Pratt fits in perfectly with their culture. Milwaukee’s latest shortstop is also hitting for a robust .368 average with a .409 OBP.
Pratt has a history of putting the ball in play, and as long as he continues to get on base, the steals should continue to mount. He makes for a solid middle-infield option for leagues that require it.
I was tempted to put Tommy Edman here. Since coming off the injured list (IL), Edman has been locked in at the dish and has started three out of four games. He is also surrounded by the Dodgers’ prolific supporting cast.
That said, Edman hasn’t hit above .240 the last two seasons and really hasn’t produced a solid batting average since his rookie campaign in 2019. Still, Edman is a clutch hitter, qualifies all over the field and is 5-for-13 to begin his 2026 season. He’s not a bad option in 15+ team leagues.
Edman aside, I’m pretty excited about what I’ve seen from Anthony Volpe lately. The Yankees’ polarizing shortstop has started six of the past seven games and has amassed 10 hits during that span. He seems to be aiming more for solid contact rather than selling out for the home run ball, and it’s paying dividends.
The 25-year-old and former first-round draft pick has cut his strikeout rate this year to below 20% while upping his free passes to nearly 15%. Those numbers are a vast improvement on his career norms. If he continues to be a solid contact hitter, Volpe could produce across the board.
It’s still a bit early to board the ship in shallow leagues, but in deeper ones, Volpe could be worth keeping an eye on in the coming days.
Matt Boyd suffered a slight setback in his ramp-up but is once again set to rejoin the Cubs in the coming days. Boyd’s been nursing a shoulder injury for quite some time, and while the organization slow-played his recovery timeline a bit, he should be set to go later this week.
Boyd has been excellent these past two seasons, posting 2.72 and 3.21 ERAs. He had some trouble to begin this season, but I wouldn’t hold these two bad starts against him.
Boyd is as consistent as you’re going to find on the waiver wire right now, and while he may not be the flashiest, his numbers across the board should be beneficial. He’s worth adding in most leagues where he’s still available.
Joey Cantillo has had an up-and-down season so far, but appears to be on an upswing. Coming off back-to-back impressive outings, Cantillo will look to keep the good times rolling against a Seattle team striking out an average of 8.5 times per game.
The 26-year-old lefty held Houston and Detroit to one run apiece last week while striking out 13 and earning the victory in both outings.
Cantillo has averaged better than a strikeout per inning over his last six starts. With one of the more devastating change-ups across the league, those numbers should continue. His curveball has also been lights out, holding opponents to a .200 batting average with a 33.3% whiff rate.
Cantillo’s a solid addition in deeper leagues to help boost those strikeout totals. He also qualifies as a reliever, which is a nice bonus in head-to-head leagues.
Shane Bieber didn’t look too sharp over his minor league rehab sessions, but I wouldn’t read too deeply into those numbers when considering a veteran of his caliber.
Bieber is still young enough (31) to be considered in his prime while having enough years under his belt to feel like a safe bet. The two-time All-Star has dealt with his fair share of injuries in the past, but is set to join the Blue Jays’ rotation as early as Tuesday this week.
The 6-foot-3 righty exhibits great control and rarely walks opposing hitters. His career 5.5% walk rate, including a 4.4% mark last season, has helped produce one of the top WHIPs in the league over the past seven years (1.08).
Bieber will likely be on a limited pitch count his first few times out, but if he can stay healthy, he could be a valuable asset from here on out.
Peter Lambert just keeps winning games. I’ve been wary of Lambert because of his Colorado days, but he looks like a reborn pitcher in Houston.
Lasting deep into games, Lambert has earned six wins through 11 starts. He also now has Josh Hader and Bryan King to help secure those victories. Lambert won four of his last five starts and is sporting an impressive 1.88 ERA during that span. He’s set to take on Toronto and Minnesota over the next week and is a decent option in most leagues.
Tony Santillan seems to have cleared his early-season woes by posting seven straight scoreless outings. Regaining his authority, Tony Francona has trusted him in the ninth for three straight save opportunities, all of which he has secured.
Santillan is up to five saves on the year and looks to be the sole closer in Cincinnati while Emilio Pagan remains out. The 35-year-old Pagan was hardly sharp in his 15 games before going down with a hamstring injury, so Santillan could potentially hold onto the role even after Pagan returns.
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Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.
You should be grinding fantasy baseball two-start pitchers to give you an advantage over your competition.
Each week, I will be giving you a breakdown of the two-start options for your fantasy leagues, broken up into the following tiers:
Make sure you are aware that when making fantasy baseball start or sit decisions, these projected two-start pitchers are subject to change.
Let’s explore this week’s fantasy baseball two-start pitchers, ranging from must-start options to those you should probably avoid.
Foster Griffin has quietly been fantastic this season, throwing 84 innings with a 3.32 ERA and 80 strikeouts. He is due for some regression as he has a 4.36 xERA and a home run problem.
However, Griffin does a great job of mixing and matching his deep arsenal, and these aren’t matchups you are running from.
Anthony Kay’s overall line does not look great — 4.61 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 70.1 innings. However, much of the damage came in two starts at Philadelphia and Arizona, which accounted for 14 of his 36 earned runs this season.
Kay has been a lot more stable in his other 11 starts. He has great matchups this week and is a fantastic under-the-radar streamer.
Andre Pallante is not an overly talented pitcher, but he has a full arsenal and mixes and matches well to keep hitters off balance. He has been great over his last six starts, throwing 34.1 innings with a 2.88 ERA, 29 strikeouts and four wins.
There is a risk that Pallante regresses and gets blown up, but the Marlins and Diamondbacks have struggled offensively over the last month. Pallante is worth streaming while he is hot.
Kyle Bradish has been one of the most frustrating pitchers to roster this season. He will get destroyed in what seems like a great matchup and then go out and dominate like he just did against the Mariners — one run, two walks, one hit and 12 strikeouts in 7.2 innings. The upside is why you are starting him, but there is always risk.
Ryan Weathers has been up and down lately, throwing two gems and having three disaster outings in his last five starts. He has decent matchups this week as both the Red Sox and Tigers have been poor offensively over the last 30 days.
Both starts are on the road, where Weathers has struggled. There is a strikeout and win upside here, but also risk.
Framber Valdez has been alternating good starts with bad ones over the last two months, which has made rostering him frustrating.
Valdez has a good matchup to end the week versus the Rangers, but a tough one against a good Astros offense. He did just shut down the Astros in his last start, so he could bounce back and have a nice week.
Michael Wacha is a boring pitcher who doesn’t offer much in the way of strikeouts and wins, but he can give solid ratios week in and week out.
Wacha is facing a struggling Rays offense in a good park to pitch in and a powerful White Sox team that can be dangerous. You should be starting him if you are looking for help with ratios. But you may want to look elsewhere if wins or strikeouts are what you seek.
Grant Holmes has been up and down most of the season, throwing 68.2 innings with a 4.33 ERA and 61 strikeouts. He struggles with command and control, but has good win potential on the Braves. These are two poachable games against a struggling Padres offense and a 31-44 Giants team.
Edward Cabrera has been up and down this season and has been battered in two of his last three outings. You still get strikeouts and win potential. With a good matchup to start the week and a bad one to end it, he is a risky play.
Kodai Senga came off the injured list (IL) last week and pitched poorly, walking four in four innings, but also notching five strikeouts.
Senga has a tough matchup to start the week versus the Cubs, but then gets to face a Phillies offense that has the worst wOBA in baseball over the last 30 days.
Shane Bieber is making his season debut this week with a bad and good matchup. He wasn’t great while on his rehab assignment, but he went five innings in each of his last two AAA starts. Bieber has the ability to go deep enough to qualify for wins, but it’s risky starting pitchers off the IL.
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