Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Owen Caissie, Gregory Soto lead early waiver adds

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 it helps you determine if the player fits what your team needs. Not every “trending” player will be a good addition for 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

Jake Burger – 1B, TEX (34% rostered)

(BOUNCE-BACK CANDIDATE, POWER UPSIDE)

We had Burger here last week, so we’re going to run it back after he has gone 9-for-26 (.346) with two home runs and six RBI in his first six games of the season. Burger struggled to get started last season and then put tremendous pressure on himself to produce for his new team, which led to mechanical changes in his swing that he identified in the offseason while watching tape. He spent the offseason simply trying to get back to the swing path and contact point he had in 2023 and 2024 when he put up back-to-back seasons with a .250 batting average and at least 29 home runs. We don’t have to argue that Burger will be better than that.

Andres Gimenez – 2B/SS, TOR (31% rostered)

(BOUNCE-BACK CANDIDATE, STOLEN BASE UPSIDE)

Gimenez battled an ankle injury last year that he said really impacted his overall performance. So far this season, that doesn’t seem to be a factor. He’s gone 8-for-22 (.364) with one home run, five RBI, and two steals. His defense is going to keep him in the lineup, and the true talent of Gimenez is probably somewhere in the middle between his elite 2022 season and his down 2024 season. He seems like a good bet to steal 30 bases and hit double-digit home runs while also hitting around .260. He hits at the bottom of the order, which will hurt his counting stats, but that’s still a valuable profile.

Ryan O’Hearn – 1B/OF, PIT (27% rostered)

(STRONG SIDE PLATOON, COUNTING STAT UPSIDE)

O’Hearn was one of the big additions for the Pirates in the offseason, and he’s off to a good start, going 8-for-19 (.421) with two home runs, six RBI, and a 3/4 K/BB ratio. He has always had a really good understanding of the strike zone, which has helped him to produce good batting averages over the last few seasons. He should also club 15 home runs or more while hitting in the middle of the lineup, which will give him decent RBI totals. He has been sitting against left-handed pitching so far this season, so you need to factor that into your calculus, and he may be better in daily moves leagues because of it.

Owen Caissie – OF, MIA (22% rostered)

(PROSPECT PEDIGREE, POWER UPSIDE)

We had Caissie in the article last week, and his roster rate has jumped from 7% to 22%. That’s not high enough. Caissie was the key piece the Marlins acquired from the Cubs for Edward Cabrera this winter and has already made his presence known by going 7-for-20 (.350) with one home run, eight RBI, and one steal in his first six games. He has freakish raw power, but concerns have persisted about what was troubling swing-and-miss as a minor leaguer. So far, he is answering those. Another prospect to keep an eye on is Jordan Walker – OF, STL (11% rostered). Yes, I’m still calling him a prospect because he’s only 24 years old. Walker still has elite bat speed and posted an 11% barrel rate last season. He’s hitting the ball incredibly hard to start this season and has seen his fast swing rate (percentage of swings over 75 mph) jump to 90%. He’s also lifting the ball more, so something could come from all of this.

Liam Hicks – C, MIA (22% rostered)

(TWO-CATCHER LEAGUE TARGET, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

Liam Hicks popped in one of Eric’s preseason articles on hitters with a strong process at the plate. Hicks has a tremendous understanding of the strike zone and an elite feel for contact. Historically speaking, he has not hit for much power, and never even had more than six home runs in any minor league season, so the three home runs he’s alrady hit feel a bit flukey; however, his bat speed is up nearly 3 mph, and he’s making much more hard contact this season than in year’s past, so perhaps some of those gains are real. His ability to play the field allows him to play most days for the Marlins, and he has a safe batting average floor, which makes him a pretty strong target in two-catcher leagues. Colt Keith – 1B/2B/3B, DET (20% rostered) is another player who has seen his early bat speed surge 3 mph. He’s gone 8-for-22 (.364) to start the season with four runs scored and two RBI. Keith was a high-end prospect coming up, and he’s been a fine MLB player. If the added bat speed and quality of contact gains are real, we could see a real breakout from him.

Dominic Canzone – OF, SEA (12% rostered)

(STRONG-SIDE PLATOON, POWER UPSIDE)

Last season, Canzone posted a 14.5% barrel rate and 50% hard-hit rate in 82 games while cutting his strikeout rate by 6%. He’s now shown up with his bat speed up two mph and slashing .333/.412/.800 with two home runs, five runs scored, and three RBI in six games. There is some swing and miss in his game, and Canzone will sit against all left-handed pitchers, so there are some flaws in his profile from a fantasy standpoint, but if you’re in a daily moves league or a league with mid-week lineup changes, you can make this work for you. You could also roster his teammate, Luke Raley – 1B/OF, SEA (18% rostered), who is in a similar situation. Raley had a down year last year and has more strikeout concern than Canzone, but he does have a track record of MLB success, with two strong seasons in 2023 and 2024. The batting average likely won’t be above .250, and he sits versus lefties, so it’s more of a deep league play for me.

Jose Fernandez – SS, ARI (11% rostered)

(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE

Fernandez was a popular waiver add after he hit two home runs in his MLB debut on Tuesday and also showed off elite speed. The 22-year-old was not a top prospect in Arizona’s system, but he made big strides in Double-A last year to cut his strikeout rate. He has elite bat speed and elite foot speed, so the raw tools here are exciting. He can also play all over the infield, which should give him a chance to earn playing time with Pavin Smith out, but he is not a lock for everyday at-bats. He has very little experience above Double-A and no long track record of minor league success, so there may be some bumps along the way. I’d probably rather roster Fernandez’s teammate, Jordan Lawlar – 3B, ARI (11% rostered), who is hitting .333 in the first seven games of the season with one home run, three runs scored, and one steal. I know the steals and power haven’t been eye-popping so far, but the fact that Lawlar is playing every day and making consistent contact is what I want to see. He’s a top 10 prospect in all of baseball and has a much longer track record of success than Fernandez does.

Jake Bauers – 1B/OF, MIL (8% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE)

Jake Bauers was in here last week, and his roster rate has only jumped 1%. He’s gone 6-for-22 (.273) to start the season with two home runs, four RBI, and two steals. He’s going to start against all right-handers until Jackson Chourio (hand) returns in a month, and Bauers hit .462/.571/1.154 with seven home runs and three steals in 49 plate appearances this spring. He’s worth a look in deeper formats. Another hitter in the same situation is Jesus Sanchez – OF, TOR (8% rostered), who will start against all right-handed pitchers for the Blue Jays. Sanchez is coming off a down year last season, but he’s 6-for-16 with a home run and four RBI to start the season. Sanchez has an 11.6% career barrel rate and will be hitting with a good lineup around him. That will work in deeper formats.

Brady House – 3B, WAS (7% rostered)

(PROSPECT PEDIGREE, POWER UPSIDE)

Brady House is a former first-round pick who pushed his way into the big leagues after hitting .304 with 13 home runs in 65 Triple-A games. The stats didn’t carry over into his 73 MLB games, but he had a 46.3% hard-hit rate and had some flashes of success. This season, his bat speed is up, and he’s crushing the baseball early on with a 56% hard-hit rate. I don’t love the overall contact profile, but I think there can be some power in this bat, and I’d be willing to take a gamble in deeper leagues.

Kyle Isbel – OF, KC (5% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, STOLEN BASE UPSIDE)

We’ve rostered Kyle Isbel before because he has good speed and plays every day in Kansas City, or that was the argument, at least. The production never quite materialized, but Isbel is another guy who’s crushing the ball right now. His bat speed is up 1.5 mph, he already has two home runs, and his 91.3 mph average exit velocity is higher than anything he’s ever posted. These are really small sample sizes, so we don’t want to overreact, but we do want to take note of it. His ideal attack angle rate has also more than doubled, so perhaps there is some bat speed and swing path work that’s being rewarded here. I would go ahead and take a shot in 15-team leagues. Another option would be Jonny DeLuca – OF, TB (1% rostered), who seems like he’s back to being a near full-time player in Tampa Bay. The 27-year-old had a good start to the season last year, but injuries derailed his season. He has good speed and is another player who has increased his bat speed by 2 mph so far this season. Again, we know these are small sample sizes, but we’re trying to look for clues to suggest players could be on the verge of surpassing our expectations. DeLuca is possibly doing so with playing time, health, and offseason bat speed work.

TJ Rumfield- 1B, COL (5% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

TJ Rumfield was traded from the Yankees to the Rockies this offseason and was able to win the starting first base job after Blaine Crim suffered a spring training injury. Rumfield is a career .271 hitter in the minor leagues and slashed .285/.378/.447 with 16 home runs in 138 games in Triple-A last year. We know that hitting in Colorado improves batting average, so there is a chance that Rumfield could be a solid batting average asset while playing in Coors. He’s not going to hit for huge power, and the Rockies lineup around him isn’t great, which could cap his counting stats and make him more of a deeper league target. Another deeper league first base option would be Dominic Smith – 1B, ATL (1% rostered), who has emerged as the Braves’ designated hitter against right-handed pitching. He is coming off a solid season in a part-time role in San Francisco, slashing .284/.333/.417 with five home runs in 225 plate appearances. He is now hitting in a much more hitter-friendly environment and could be a decent corner infield option in the deepest formats.

David Hamilton – 2B/SS, MIL (4% rostered)

(OBP LEAGUE BOOST, STOLEN BASE UPSIDE)

We had Hamilton here last week, but he continues to steal bases, so we have to include him again. Hamilton beat out Luis Rengifo for the third base job in Milwaukee and has gone 2-for-12 (.167) to start the season with four runs scored and four steals. He also has four walks and a .375 on-base percentage, so even though the average has not been good, he’s getting on base and swiping bags, which has led him to be a huge fantasy asset for stretches before. He’s also a .222/.283/.359 career hitter in 550 MLB plate appearances, and Jett Williams is off to a good start in Triple-A, so it’s unclear how long this lasts. Another deep league multi-position option is Oswald Peraza – 1B/2B/3B/SS, LAA (3% rosterd), who appears to have a starting job with the Angels. He’s gone 6-for-21 (.286) to start the season with one home run, two RBIs, and one steal. That kind of position flexibility is valuable in deeper formats, and it wasn’t long ago that Peraza was a more highly regarded prospect than Anthony Volpe when they were both on the Yankees.

Garett Mitchell – OF, MIL (2% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)

Garrett Mitchell is a former first-round pick and an intriguing prospect who has never played more than 69 games in a big league season due to injuries. He’s healthy now and has gone 4-for-14 with a double, five RBI, and three steals to start the season. Mitchell has an 8.7% career barrel rate, so he’s not swinging a wet noodle, but he also has the speed to swipe 20+ bases if he gets a full season of playing time. We doubt he’ll get a full season of playing time, but he’s healthy now, so it could be worth taking a gamble and riding the production as long as he’s on the field. However, much like many of the names on this list, it seems like Mitchell will sit against left-handed pitching, so that needs to be part of your calculus.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Kyle Harrison – SP, MIL (30% rostered)

Harrison was here last week when we discussed that he seemed to unlock a changeup that worked for him over the summer. Apparently, the Red Sox worked extensively with him on it, but he didn’t find a grip he liked. He spent the offseason with some former Giants teammates and found a changeup grip that felt comfortable, and the pitch has looked electric this spring. Harrison also looked good in his first start, allowing one run on four hits in five innings while striking out eight. While that was nice to see, his changeup was only used 8% more against righties, so it wasn’t a huge pitch for him. He’s still mainly a fastball-curveball pitcher, and his fastball did have two inches of “rise,” which helped him get more whiffs. However, he seems pretty similar to the pitcher we’ve seen before, so I’m intrigued but not saying he’s a “must add.”

Ryan Weathers – SP, NYY (30% rostered)

I’d probably rather add Weathers over Harrison. We’ve seen Weathers be elite when he’s healthy, and I liked the changes that the Yankees made in his first outing. His sinker usage was up 61% to leftties and he added 1.3” of run, which is tremendous. He had just a 57% strike rate on it, so I’d love to see him command that pitch better, but him using that is much better than him using his four-seamer so much. He also tweaked his sweeper, lowering the velocity by two mph, but adding 5” of run. He was able to throw it for strikes against righties and whiffs and lefties, so I think this could be a solid foundation for Weathers.

Reid Detmers – SP, LAA (29% rostered)

Yes, I’m still cautiously optimistic about Detmers. He had a really solid start going in his first time out, until he tired in the fifth inning, and then the reliever that came in after him allowed all of his baserunners to score. He showed off a new changeup, which sometimes gets referenced as a splitter because of its movement profile. It wasn’t a huge part of his arsenal in start one, but perhaps it could grow into a bigger one. I also like that he kept his slider-heavy approach from when he was a reliever. I think this could work.

Parker Messick – SP, CLE (28% rostered)

Eric recorded a video with his full thoughts on Parker Messick here, so that’s worth a watch, but this is a high-floor pitcher who doesn’t have elite stuff but has good command and a plus changeup. That worked for many left-handed starters last year.

Randy Vásquez – SP, SD (28% rostered)

Vásquez is a popular addition after a good spring training and a strong first start of the season, but I remain a bit skeptical. His velocity is up, but his extension is down, which kind of negates the added velocity on his fastball types. However, he also changed the shape of his cutter and curve (perhaps due to the velocity changes) and is using those pitches more often this season. That’s helped him add a bit more swing and miss, but he’s probably just a streamer for now.

Riley O’Brien – RP, STL (27% rostered)

It’s unclear if the Cardinals have a clear bullpen pecking order because their relievers have been used all over the place, but O’Brien has been the best of the bunch so far. He’s tied for the most shutdowns in baseball with three and has thrown 4.1 scoreless innings while securing one of their saves. The concern is that he has just a 9.4% swinging strike rate, and the Cardinals could use him in high-leverage spots, regardless of whether or not a save is on the line. That means that another option in the same bullpen is Ryne Stanek – RP, STL (10% rostered), who also has a save and is missing more bats than O’Brien to start the season.

Cole Sands – RP, MIN (16% rostered)

It seems like Sands may be the preferred closer option in Minnesota since he has the only save chances for them. However, with the Twins up 2-0 in the eighth inning on Thursday, Sands was brought in to face the top of the Royals’ batting order. That makes it seem like Sands might be the “high leverage” reliever for the Twins, which means some save chances could also be passed to Justin Topa or Taylor Rogers. That makes it tough to really prioritize Sands on the waiver wire, especially since he has below-average Stuff+ grades and has a 4.16 ERA in 196.2 career MLB innings.

Landen Roupp – SP, SF (9% rostered)

Roupp had a solid first outing after having a quietly solid season in 2025. He made a few tweaks in that first start, upping his cutter usage 24% to left-handed hitters and adding 6” more break. That created a really nice pairing with his sinker since they both move a lot in opposite directions. He also added drop and run to his changeup, which helped it register a 25% SwStr% in that first outing. We’d like to see more strikes on it, but this is a nice start. Roupp had strong strikeout rates in the minors, so perhaps some of these changes can unlock that at the MLB level.

Gregory Soto – RP, PIT (5% rostered)

We had Gregory Soto on this list last week, and he has yet to record a save so far, but he’s been close a few times. On Thursday, Soto was warming for a save chance when the Pirates were up just 4-3 in the top of the ninth. That was also with three right-handed hitters due up. The save chance never materialized because the Pirates scored four runs in the inning, but that’s a good sign for Soto’s role in this Pirates bullpen. He’s worth adding if you want to speculate on saves.

Bryan Baker – RP, TB (2% rostered)

It’s been a really tough start to the season for Griffin Jax, who has allowed eight runs (five earned) on five hits in two innings while walking two and striking out one. That could open the door for Baker, who has two hitless innings so far this season and some of the best Stuff+ grades in the Rays’ bullpen, thanks to a strong slider and changeup. Jax’s struggles also make Edwin Uceta – RP, TB (11% rostered) a good IL stash. He battled a “cranky shoulder” in spring training but should begin a rehab assignment in Triple-A shortly.

Cole Winn – RP, TEX (0% rostered)

Texas is another messy bullpen situation. Yet, even while no closer has emerged, Cole Winn has thrown three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Winn also posted a 1.51 ERA in 41.2 innings last season for Texas. The issue for Winn is that he doesn’t have elite stuff or strikeout rates, which could hurt his chances of earning a late-inning gig. However, if you’re in really deep formats, he could be worth a gamble.