Waiver Wire Week 11: Jesus And The Priest

This waiver wire article is always one of the most fascinating to develop throughout the week. I’m always thinking about who might be great pickups throughout the week, and it’s always interesting to monitor the trends and see how everything changes. It’s amazing how much adaptation there is throughout a fantasy baseball season, but that’s the nature of the waiver wire when the player pool is so deep. Most fantasy leagues have 250 players rostered at any given time, and it’s scary to think we know that many players as it is! That number also changes throughout the year, and the list is always changing due to the minor league system. All of those variables make fantasy baseball the best sport out there, so let’s dive into this week’s waiver wire!

The stats and roster rates below are updated on 5/29. All rostership percentages are on Yahoo.

Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions!

Also, check out my Streamers article dropping tomorrow. 

CATCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Yainer Diaz (HOU, 43% Rostership) – Diaz has been a forgotten man with all the breakouts at catcher, but he could be a sneaky pickup off the waiver wire for the second half of the season. He was dropped due to a lengthy IL stint, but rumors have it that Diaz should be back in about a week. Now’s the time to go add him if you need a catcher because Diaz has been a must-roster player in the past. This backstop had a .293 AVG and .796 OPS between 2023 and 2024 before struggling last season. Any catcher who could flirt with .300 is a godsend off the waiver wire, especially since he’s hitting in one of the best lineups in baseball.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Samuel Basallo (BAL, 54% Rostership), Gabriel Moreno (ARI, 35% Rostership), Carter Jensen (KC, 35% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Adrian Del Castillo (ARI, 2% Rostership) – There’s a reason why Castillo was a coveted catcher in fantasy just two years ago. He had a .313 AVG and .893 OPS in his rookie season in 2024, but regressed with a .682 OPS last year. He’s actually been even worse this season, but we expect some improvement since Castillo was clearly injured. He’s played the last three games and has a hit in all of them, while homering two days ago. Castillo also had a .389 OBP and .926 OPS throughout his minor league career, so some better play should be right on the horizon.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Keibert Ruiz (WAS, 19% Rostership), JT Realmuto (PHI, 18% Rostership), Tyler Stephenson (CIN, 8% Rostership)

INFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Jackson Holliday (2B/SS, BAL, 42% Rostership) – Holliday was a must-draft player before an injury sent him to numerous waiver wires. It was a slow build-up for Holliday to get fully healthy, but it seems like we’re finally there. Baby Holliday hit leadoff for the O’s earlier this week and has a .348 OBP and .763 OPS over the last week. He was the top pick in the draft for a reason, registering a .441 OBP and .928 OPS throughout his minor league career. That will translate at some point, and it’s a good time to bet on it since he was demoted to so many waiver wires throughout his IL stint.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3%

QUICK HITS: Travis Bazzana (2B, CLE, 44% Rostership), Jake Bauers (1B, MIL, 39% Rostership), Brooks Lee (1B/2B/3B, MIN, 32% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Spencer Horwitz (1B, PIT, 9% Rostership) – It’s hard to believe we have Horwitz in this waiver wire article, but we can’t overlook his stupendous stretch. This first baseman has actually been hitting leadoff for Pittsburgh recently, providing a .435 OBP and 1.014 OPS across the last three weeks. It’s actually surprising to see how good his on-base stuff has been throughout his career, collecting a .361 career OBP and .795 OPS. It’s hard to believe someone with career averages like those is so overlooked, but it’s mainly due to his lack of power and speed from a fantasy perspective. We don’t really care about that when evaluating these numbers, especially if he’s going to hit leadoff every day.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Curtis Mead (CWS, 1B/2B/3B, 7% Rostership), Zac Gelof (ATH, 2B/3B, 24% Rostership), Chase Meidroth (CWS, 2B/3B/SS, 16% Rostership)

OUTFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Jac Caglianone (KC, 47% Rostership) – There’s not a whole lot to get excited about when talking about Jac, but this is a great week to pick him up off the waiver wire. We say that because he has an amazing schedule this week. The Royals have seven games this week against the Twins and Reds. That has Caglinone in line to face five righties, collecting a .750 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. A schedule like that can change the season for Caglinone because he’s one of the most talented bats in the sport. He’s in the top 10 percent in exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard-hit rate, and bat speed this season while posting absurd averages at the lower levels in previous years (.333 AVG and 1.016 OPS).

% of Recommended FAAB: 3%

QUICK HITS: Daulton Varsho (TOR, 37% Rostership), JJ Bleday (CIN, 40% Rostership), Jorge Soler (LAA, 32% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Jesus Sanchez (TOR, 6% Rostership) – Sanchez was Toronto’s big signing in the offseason, but they didn’t want to seem to play him every day until recently. It’s hard to understand why they did that, but Sanchez has a .396 AVG and 1.080 OPS across his last 18 outings. That’s three weeks of All-Star play, and it has Sanchez hitting either third or fifth whenever they match up with a right-hander. That will happen more often than not, with Sanchez posting a .305 AVG and .838 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Luke Raley (SEA, 22% Rostership), Trevor Larnach (MIN, 2% Rostership), Cameron Smith (HOU, 12% Rostership)

STARTING PITCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Andrew Abbott (CIN, 69% Rostership) – I only play in one 10-team league, but Abbott was on that waiver wire earlier this week. That’s clearly not the only league that’s the case, and it’s hard to believe people gave up on this lefty so fast. He had a 2.87 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 29 starts last season. A 6.59 ERA and 1.78 WHIP sent him to numerous waiver wires a month ago, but Abbott has accrued a 1.59 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in six starts since then. He’ll be rostered in every league after this because he faces a Rangers team that ranks 26th in wOBA and 28th in runs scored.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

Aaron Nola (PHI, 53% Rostership) – It’s easy to understand why Nola was dropped in so many leagues, but I’m always looking for a glimmer of hope from this former ace. We didn’t see many of those when he had a 6.01 ERA last season, but we saw one last week. Nola surrendered just three hits and one run across six innings in his last start and threw another six scoreless innings earlier this month. Those sorts of games show the potential is still there, and this schedule is where he could continue that success. This righty has two home starts against the Padres and White Sox. Chicago sits 29th in K rate, while the Padres rank 26th in runs scored and 29th in wOBA.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3%

QUICK HITS: Taj Bradley (MIN, 70% Rostership), Roki Sasaki (LAD, 38% Rostership), Cade Cavalli (WAS, 33% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Quinn Priester (MIL, 16% Rostership) – It sounds like Priester is close to making his return off the IL. He struggled in his most recent rehab start but is expected to be activated after the next one. That makes him an enticing addition off the waiver wire, with Priester providing a 3.32 ERA and 1.24 WHIP across 24 starts last season. He actually had a 2.89 ERA and 1.15 WHIP after the opening month. That sort of potential should not be sitting on waiver wires, especially since Milwaukee seems to turn every pitcher into gold over recent years. There’s also a chance he faces San Fran in his debut, with the Giants ranked bottom three in runs scored, OPS, wOBA and xwOBA.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

Grayson Rodriguez (LAA, 15% Rostership) – G-Rod was once one of the highest pitching prospects in baseball, and it’s not that long ago that fantasy managers invested heavy draft stock into him in the early rounds. Injuries have derailed his career since then, but the potential is still there. Rodriguez had a 2.40 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 12.8 K/9 rate throughout his minor league career. He’s obviously not that same guy, but seeing him allow just two hits across five one-run innings in his most recent start is an encouraging sign. He’s also got a home start against Colorado this week, which is wonderful since the Rockies rank near the bottom of every road statistic over the last decade.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Keider Montero (DET, 10% Rostership), Dustin May (BOS, 14% Rostership), Connor Prielipp (MIN, 18% Rostership)

RELIEVERS

10/12 Team Adds

Jacob Latz (TEX, 33% Rostership) – Texas has been looking for a closer all season, but Latz looks like their guy right now. This lefty has an absurd 2.16 ERA and 0.60 WHIP this season while recording six saves over his last nine appearances. It’s hard to believe he’s sitting on so many Yahoo waiver wires because he’s clearly the Rangers closer for the time being.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: Reid Detmers (LAA, 39% Rostership), Gregory Soto (PIT, 44% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Kirby Yates (LAA, 8% Rostership) – The Angels have possessed one of the worst bullpens in MLB history this season, but Yates was a welcome sight. He gives this bullpen a veteran presence, and it appears they want him to be their closer. He has the team’s most recent save last week and came in with a four-run lead in the ninth inning in his most recent outing. That’s the role of a closer, and LA has to trust this guy since he had 33 saves with the Rangers just two years ago.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Ryan Lovelady (WAS, 4% Rostership), Caleb Kilian (SF, 9% Rostership)