Waiver Wire Week 24: Gasper the Friendly Ghost

It saddens me to say this, but this is one of my final articles of the season. There are only three weeks remaining, and the waiver wire is dying in front of our eyes. The good news is that only about half of your league will be using the waiver wire at this point, and now’s the time to play the sprint game. Betting on players to perform over a full season is no longer a thing, and the schedule is the most impactful variable when examining the waiver wire. You might even have a solid pitcher who has only 4-5 starts remaining, and all of them are terrible matchups! That sort of guy is waiver wire fodder at this point because you need to win now!

The stats and roster rates below are updated on 9/3. 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

Alejandro Kirk (TOR, 44% Rostership) – Why is Kirk’s rostership still so low? This lovable catcher has been back to his raking ways since being activated off the IL. Kirk has compiled a .319 AVG and .884 OPS over the last month. That average is far from surprising since Kirk collected a .282 AVG and .769 OPS across 130 games last season. That has earned him the three-hole in this Toronto lineup, and there aren’t many catchers with such a prominent lineup spot while flirting with a .300 AVG.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3-5%

QUICK HITS: Samuel Basallo (BAL, 31% Rostership), Ryan Jeffers (MIN, 42% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Mickey Gasper (BOS, 13% Rostership) – With Willson Contreras landing on the IL, Gasper has become an everyday player in Boston. That’ll likely end once Contreras returns, but he needs to be rostered until then. We say that because Gasper has been one of the best bats in baseball over the last month, generating a .519 OBP and 1.494 OPS across his last 15 fixtures. He’s literally an MVP candidate in that three-week span, but he’s being rostered at the same rate as guys like Tyler Stephenson and Carson Kelly.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Jonah Heim (ATH, 4% Rostership), Sean Murphy (ATL, 2% Rostership)

INFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Trevor Story (2B/SS, BOS, 44% Rostership) – Let’s keep the Boston bats rolling with Story. This former All-Star is definitely in the back-nine of his career but can still be a fantasy asset. We saw that last year when he closed the season with a .296 AVG and .849 OPS across the final 78 games. That’s a large sample size, and it looks even better since Story has a multi-hit game in three of four outings since his activation while doubling in all four games! That shows that Story is finally fully healthy, and he should be an everyday player in one of the hottest lineups in the game.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Zack Gelof (2B/3B, ATH, 34% Rostership), Chase Meidroth (2B/3B/SS, CWS, 41% Rostership), Ty France (1B, SD, 31% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Bryce Eldridge (1B, SF, 19% Rostership) – Eldridge isn’t a sexy fantasy option, but this guy is too good to be sitting on this many waiver wires. This 6’7″ beast has a .355 OBP and .801 OPS throughout his rookie season while hitting third every day in San Fran. He also had a .445 OBP and .963 OPS at Triple-A before his call-up, so we’re only scratching the surface of what he could become. Eldridge also has red all over his Statcast page, and there’s some thought this guy could be an All-Star caliber player in years to come.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Jeff McNeil (ATH, 1B/2B/3B, % Rostership), Tommy Edman (LAD, 2B/3B/SS, 23% Rostership), Christian Encarnacion-Strand (BAL, 1B/3B, 17% Rostership)

OUTFIELDERS

10/12 Team Adds

Jakob Marsee (MIA, 46% Rostership) – Marsee was a fantasy darling at times last season, but he was sent to numerous waiver wires after a nightmarish start to the year. That’s easy to understand, but now’s the time to go pick him up since he’s starting to recapture that 2025 form. Marsee has a .408 OBP and .947 OPS across the last two weeks. His speed is the true asset, with Marsee amassing 35 steals on 53 attempts since his call-up last year. Only a handful of players have attempted 50 steals in that span, and we expect more of those steals since he’s finally getting on base!

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Luis Robert (BAL, 41% Rostership), Spencer Jones (NYY, 29% Rostership), Lawrence Butler (ATH, 59% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Hector Rodriguez (CIN, 19% Rostership) – How often can you find a leadoff hitter on the waiver wire? That’s just what we have with Rodriguez, hitting leadoff in Cincy over the last two weeks. He’s earned that spot with the best stretch of his career, registering a .341 AVG and 1.123 OPS across the last 13 days. It’s wild that we haven’t seen any steals yet because we’re talking about a guy who had a 25-25 pace across 150 games throughout his minor league career.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Henry Bolte (ATH, 10% Rostership), Jonah Cox (SF, 5% Rostership), Jung Hoo-Lee (SF, 26% Rostership)

STARTING PITCHERS

10/12 Team Adds

Nick Pivetta (SD, 66% Rostership) – I’ve seen Pivetta sitting on a few waiver wires in some of my shallower leagues, but he needs to be stashed right now. This righty is close to making his season debut for the Padres, throwing 4.1 scoreless innings in his most recent rehab start a few days ago. Pivetta also struck out seven batters and looks to have recaptured the form that made him a fantasy stud in the past. He had a 2.87 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 31 starts in San Diego last season! Don’t let that sit on the waiver wire, especially since he’s projected to face a 23rd-ranked Giants offense in his debut.

% of Recommended FAAB: 10%

Jacob Lopez (ATH, 40% Rostership) – This is another guy who needs to be rostered everywhere. Many people forget just how special Lopez was at the end of last season, producing a 2.17 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 10.8 K/9 rate in the final three months before getting shelled in the finale. That’s a very similar stretch to what we’ve seen recently, with Lopez totaling a 2.28 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 10.7 K/9 rate across his last 10 starts. Lopez also hasn’t surrendered more than two runs in any of those and could be in for a big week since he’s scheduled to have two starts against the Mariners and Blue Jays. Those teams are bottom four in runs scored and OPS.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: Kade Anderson (SEA, 49% Rostership), Zebby Matthews (MIN, 35% Rostership), Shane Baz (BAL, 53% Rostership), Waulbert Urena (LAA, 42% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Dustin May (MIL, 26% Rostership) – It’s been a bizarre season for May, but he’s proven to be a talented pitcher. That’s all you can really ask for from a deep-league waiver wire add, with May maintaining a 4.01 ERA and 1.24 WHIP since his first two starts. Those two shellings are clearly the outliers, and we love that he’s pitching for one of the best staffs in baseball. May had a 2.08 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in his first two starts for the Brewers before struggling in the last two. We’ll bet on him finishing the season strong, and a home matchup with Cincy is a great way to get him back on track. The Reds have the worst K rate in baseball, with May likely entering this home matchup as a -200 favorite.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3%

Corbin Burnes (ARI, 20% Rostership) – I would probably keep Burnes on the shelf this season if I were in charge of the D’Backs, but they want their ace back. That’s just what Burnes is, posting a 2.86 ERA and 1.03 WHIP since 2020. Burnes is a perennial Cy Young candidate behind averages like those, but fantasy managers are scared to pick him up since he’s yet to debut from Tommy John surgery. He threw two perfect innings in his first rehab start and threw 40-45 pitches in a bridge game on Thursday. That means we expect him back within a week, and you can’t leave someone with this sort of ability on any waiver wire.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3%

QUICK HITS: Jonah Tong (NYM, 4% Rostership), Connor Prielipp (MIN, 5% Rostership), Jackson Jobe (DET, 18% Rostership)

RELIEVERS

10/12 Team Adds

Mason Montgomery (PIT, 21% Rostership) – Montgomery needs to be rostered in every league right now. He’s run away with the Pirates’ closer gig, recording seven saves since August 3. The peripherals are even more impressive, with Montgomery tallying a 0.69 ERA, 0.62 WHIP and 15.9 K/9 rate since June 28. Is there a better reliever in baseball right now?

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: Kodai Senga (NYM, 28% Rostership), Jacob Webb (CHC, 27% Rostership)

Deep League Adds

Elvis Alvarado (ATH, 12% Rostership) – Betting on an A’s closer has been a losing wager all season, but Elvis is in the building! This guy has been their best reliever, registering a 1.06 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 rate since July 20. More importantly, Alvarado has three saves over his last four appearances!

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: Jordan Romano (COL, 18% Rostership), Calvin Faucher (MIA, 7% Rostership), Andrew Kittredge (BAL, 11% Rostership)