Waiver Wire Week 4: Taking Ws

I don’t know why, but this week’s waiver wire article is full of W’s. We have guys like Walker, Warren, and Wacha in search of wins for our fantasy teams from the waiver wire. I wonder why weird wonders like that happen across the waiver wire, but who would know? Ok, sorry, I’m done. But anyway, we had a good showing with last week’s waiver wire, but things are starting to thin out a bit. We do have fantasy managers making some brash drops, though, so be sure to check your waiver wire every day to capitalize on some of those mistakes!

The stats and roster rates below are updated on 4/9. All rostership percentages are on Yahoo.

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

CATCHERS

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Carter Jensen (KC, 25% Rostership) – Hopefully, Jensen will get his beauty sleep this week. This rookie had that unfortunate mishap with his alarm, but he’s been stepping up since then. Jensen has homered in two of his last four outings while posting a .412 OBP and 1.212 OPS across his last five fixtures. That’s the stud KC saw in the minors, with Jensen generating a .404 OBP and 1.051 OPS at Triple-A last season. He also had a .391 OBP and .941 OPS in two months with the Royals, so a full-on breakout could be in play as well.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: JT Realmuto (PHI, 22% Rostership), Francisco Alvarez (NYM, 36% Rostership)

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Gary Sanchez (MIL, 2% Rostership) – It’s funny that we’re back to Sanchez because this guy was a must-roster player 25 years ago. Ok, it wasn’t that long ago, but he had an .846 OPS in his first five years with the Yankees. He’s had trouble recapturing that form since then, but his .417 OBP and 1.154 OPS through seven games is an encouraging start to the season. That’s why the Brewers have been batting him fourth or fifth, while playing in four of the last five outings. It’s rare to find a catcher with this sort of ability and lineup spot off the waiver wire, especially at just 2% rostership.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1%

QUICK HITS: Ryan Jeffers (MIN, 7% Rostership), Victor Caratini (MIN, 2% Rostership), Tyler Stephenson (CIN, 5% Rostership)

INFIELDERS

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Carlos Correa (3B/SS, HOU, 56% Rostership) – It’s hard to understand why Correa is still hovering around 50% rostership on Yahoo. This guy has refound something with the Stros, recording a .386 OBP and .807 OPS since Opening Day. Most importantly, he’s been hitting cleanup for a scorching-hot Houston lineup. This guy always had an .800 OPS in his time with the Astros early on in his career, and we’ll bet on him recapturing that in the heart of this dangerous lineup. We love this week’s schedule, too, with the Astros playing seven games against the Rockies and Cardinals.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5-10%

QUICK HITS: Miguel Vargas (1B/3B, CWS, 38% Rostership), Colt Keith (3B/SS/2B/1B, DET, 26% Rostership), Max Muncy (3B/SS/2B, ATH, 43% Rostership)

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Nasim Nunez (2B/SS, WAS, 4% Rostership) –I honestly never even heard of this guy before this season, but seeing speed like this will always open up eyes. Anytime you can get steals off the waiver wire, you have to consider them a pickup. Nunez is one of the league leaders in steals through the opening weeks, swiping seven bases across 10 games. He’s done that despite hitting below .200, so it’s scary to think how many he’d steal if he could actually get on base. He also had 46 steals across 102 games between Triple-A and the Majors last year, so this could be a sneaky source of steals going forward if you’re desperate.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

QUICK HITS: TJ Rumfield (COL, 1B/OF, 16% Rostership), Brady House (WAS, 3B, 10% Rostership), Jake Bauers (MIL, 1B, 8% Rostership)

OUTFIELDERS

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Jordan Walker (STL, 56% Rostership) – This is the last time Walker will be in this article because his rostership numbers have been skyrocketing. It’s easy to see why, because this former top prospect is finally breaking out. Walker has a .367 OBP and 1.049 OPS this season while homering in four of his last five fixtures. That’s the power fantasy managers have been praying for because his hard-hit metrics have always indicated this type of potential. The Cardinals’ trust has also waned in the past, but he’s playing every day and is up to the cleanup spot in their order. If Walker is somehow sitting on your waiver wire, go pick him up!

% of Recommended FAAB: 20-30%

QUICK HITS: Lawrence Butler (ATH, 68% Rostership), Trent Grisham (NYY, 50% Rostership), Ramon Laureano (SD, 56% Rostership)

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Mickey Moniak (COL, 14% Rostership) – As someone who lives in Colorado, the Rockies have been a pleasant surprise so far this season. We all know it won’t last, but Moniak was a sneaky pickup last year. This former top pick has been one of the Rockies’ best players since signing last season, sporting a .269 AVG, .524 SLG and .828 OPS since the start of last year. That’s an impressive run, with Moniak maintaining a .894 OPS so far this season. That’s why this guy bats second or third every day, and he should have some monster games in a hitter’s haven like Coors Field.

% of Recommended FAAB: 3%

QUICK HITS: TJ Friedl (CIN, 20% Rostership), Matt Wallner (MIN, 6% Rostership), Luisangel Acuna (CWS, 4% Rostership)

STARTING PITCHERS

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Will Warren (NYY, 57% Rostership) – Warren was in this article last week, and he’s approaching must-roster territory. The Yankees righty has allowed two runs or fewer in all three starts this season en route to a 3.07 ERA and 8.6 K/9 rate. We saw glimpses of that last year whenever Warren avoided a daunting lineup, allowing four runs or fewer in 28 of 33 outings. That makes him an easy pickup off the waiver wire because Warren has a two-start week. It’s not any two-start week, with Warren hosting the Angels and Royals, who look like two of the worst lineups in baseball.

% of Recommended FAAB: 10-15%

Michael Wacha (KC, 49% Rostership) – Wacha was actually one of my favorite pitchers early in his career with the Cardinals, but his career has been all over the map since then. The one thing we do know is that Wacha is talented, and that’s just what we’ve seen this year. The Royals righty has a 0.69 ERA and 0.77 WHIP through two starts. He also has a 3.40 ERA and 1.17 WHIP since 2022, finding some new form in his time with KC. It’s hard to believe someone with numbers like those would be on the waiver wire, but Wacha needs to be picked up now before he’s rostered everywhere.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5-10%

QUICK HITS: Joey Cantillo (KC, 26% Rostership), Parker Messick (CLE, 46% Rostership), Seth Lugo (KC, 35% Rostership), Matthew Liberatore (STL, 25% Rostership)

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Jeffrey Springs (ATH, 9% Rostership) – I just want to say that I had Springs in this section before his gem on Thursday. Now that we saw that near no-hitter in Yankee Stadium, Springs is one of the best waiver wire options of the week. This southpaw has always showcased some nasty stuff, amassing a 3.18 ERA and 1.18 WHIP since 2021. His 1.47 ERA and 0.76 WHIP has been even more impressive this year. He’s done that damage against the Yankees, Astros and Blue Jays, so some easier matchups could be right around the corner. That’s certainly the case this week because Springs is a two-start streamer against the Rangers and White Sox.

% of Recommended FAAB: 1-3%

Didier Fuentes (ATL, 12% Rostership) – This is one of the waiver wire steals of the season. Every fantasy manager picked up Fuentes after a ridiculous spring training run, but everyone dropped him once he was sent to the bullpen. The good news is that Atlanta demoted him, but did it for all the right reasons! They sent him down to Triple-A to get stretched out as a starter. That’s what we needed to see, with Fuentes throwing 9.2 scoreless innings at Triple-A while striking out 15 batters. That’s on par with the stud we saw in spring training, throwing nine no-hit innings while striking out 17 batters. This truly feels like a game-changer, and he’s just sitting on waiver wires due to circumstance.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: Spencer Arrighetti (HOU, 3% Rostership), Foster Griffin (WAS, 1% Rostership), Joe Boyle (TB, 19% Rostership), Luis Gil (NYY, 1% Rostership)

RELIEVERS

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Riley O’Brien (STL, 43% Rostership) – The Cardinals didn’t have a designated closer coming into the season, but O’Reilly looked like the best bet. He closed the 2024-25 season with three wins and six saves after August 1 while accruing a 2.57 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. That’s really elevated him this year, recording three saves across seven scoreless appearances. That looks even better with every other reliever in St. Louis struggling, so O’Brien could secure this closer’s gig by the end of the month.

% of Recommended FAAB: 10%

QUICK HITS: Lucas Erceg (KC, 51% Rostership), Seranthony Dominguez (CWS, 43% Rostership)

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Jakob Junis (TEX, 16% Rostership) – The Rangers have been looking for a closer for two years since parting ways with Kirby Yates, with Robert Garcia getting the most opportunities. It’s difficult to understand why they’ve done that, but it appears the tide is turning toward Junis. It’s wild to see this former starter get that type of opportunity, but Junis has two saves over his last two appearances. It just takes a few good weeks for someone to secure an unsecure closer’s gig, and Junis has allowed no runs across seven innings this season while accumulating a 0.43 WHIP. This is a solid Texas team, and it would be quite the find to stumble into their closer for the remainder of the season.

% of Recommended FAAB: 5%

QUICK HITS: Bryan Baker (TB, 7% Rostership), Colin Rea (CHC, 4% Rostership)