Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Jurickson Profar returns, Jacob Lopez is on a heater

Yahoo

a day ago

Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season.
The premise is pretty straightforward. I'll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I'll list the category where I think he'll be helpful or the quick reason he's listed. I hope it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs.
Advertisement
For a player to qualify for this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, 'These players aren't available in my league,' and I 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.
MLB: New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays
2025 Fantasy Baseball Top 300 update: Aaron Judge leads the way and Chandler Simpson returns
Chandler Simpson returns to the rankings, and Chase Burns makes his highly awaited debut.
Waiver Wire Hitters
Jo Adell - OF, LAA: 36% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, POST-HYPE PROSPECT)
Advertisement
I know we've done this a bunch with Adell in the past, and I'm not sure I buy it, but I do feel the need to point out that he's been playing well of late and he's still just 26 years old, so it would be foolish to assume he's a finished product. In 24 games in June, Adell is batting .274/.358/.670 with 11 home runs, 18 runs scored, and 18 RBI. His strikeout rate has settled around 25% over that span, which isn't ideal but is an improvement for him. However, you're adding him for the 11 home runs in 24 games. His power is unquestioned, and if he can just hit .240 the rest of the way, he could be a big addition to your fantasy teams. Over the last three weeks, his roster rate has climbed from 6%, so I'd imagine he won't make the cut next week. Another option if you're looking for power is Kyle Stowers - OF, MIA (28% rostered). Stowers is proving to be a particularly streaky hitter in his first big league season, but that's not a shock from somebody who is primarily a power bat. He had a prolonged cold stretch from late May into early June, but Stowers has homered in three of his last seven games and has gone 11-for-39 (.282) over his last 13 games with three home runs, 10 runs scored, and seven RBI. The lineup context isn't great, hence the seven RBI on three home runs, but if you're in deeper formats and need power or just want to ride his hot stretch until it flames out, go for it.
Cam Smith - 3B/OF, HOU: 33% rostered
(PROSPECT GROWTH, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
Last week, I recorded a full video on why you should add Cam Smith, so you should check that out for more details than I can give in here, but I was optimistic that Smith would start to add back in some lift and power to his swing now that he had gotten confident with consistent contact. Additionally, if we use Pitcher List's Process+ stat, which measures the combined value of a hitter's Decision Value, Contact Ability, and Power, Smith has a Process+ score of 110. 100 is the league average, so we love to see that. Another option for primarily batting average is Ernie Clement - 2B/SS/3B - TOR (30% rostered). Clement is hitting .368/.411/.483 in 23 games in June with one home run, 17 runs scored, four RBI, and one steal. The 29-year-old has proved himself to be a solid batting average asset last season, and his multi-position eligibility makes him valuable in deeper leagues, even if he's not giving you much power or speed right now.
Jurickson Profar - OF, ATL: 32% rostered
(IMPENDING RETURN, COUNTING STATS UPSIDE)
Advertisement
This is the week. Despite the fact that I think the rule is stupid, Profar is allowed to play in rehab games even though he was suspended for 80 games for breaking league rules. Whatever. It's dumb. But he can return on July 2nd, which is Wednesday. When he comes back, he figures to be the regular left fielder in Atlanta, so he's probably worth an add in all formats to see what he can do without the PEDs. Lane Thomas - OF, CLE (23% rostered) also seems to be turning things around a bit. People love to pile on Thomas because he was terrible when the Guardians acquired him last year, but he eventually settled in and hit .264 in 25 games in September with seven home runs, 13 runs scored, and 20 RBI, and then was good in the playoffs. I think we forget about that stretch. He was cold to start this season, but he played just 8 games before getting hurt. He gritted it out for five more games before landing on the IL. He came back for four games and then got hurt again, so the rhythm to the season has been a mess for him. Over the last week, he's gone 5-for-18 with two home runs, four RBI, two runs scored, and two steals. Perhaps he's starting to settle in?
Michael Toglia: 1B/OF, COL: 22% rostered
(STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE)
Toglia is certainly more of a schedule-based add. I recorded a video explaining why I'm not really excited to add him in fantasy here. I just think his strikeout rates and contact issues are going to continue to be a problem. However, he has tons of power, and Colorado's next six games are in Coors Field and the six after that are in Fenway Park and Great American Ballpark, so these could be a solid two weeks of offense for Colorado. You could also add Mickey Moniak - OF, COL (11% rostered), who is hitting .292/.358/.750 over 15 games in June with six home runs, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored, and two steals. We've seen him go through these hot streaks before, and his strikeout rate remains high, so I don't expect this type of production to last, but he's seeing the ball well and has that same strong schedule that we mentioned with Toglia.
Evan Carter - OF, TEX: 21% rostered
(POST HYPE PROSPECT, HOT STRETCH)
Advertisement
Kennedi Landry had a good piece on Evan Carter last week, highlighting some of the changes that have led to his strong performance since coming off the IL...again. He admitted to putting a lot of pressure on himself after his injury, and cited playing looser and feeling like he had a better mental approach at the plate. In June, Carter is hitting .310/.403/.517 in 19 games with three homers, eight RBI, 11 runs scored, and three steals. We do know that Texas is not likely to play him against many lefties, so that could limit his value in weekly leagues, and he seems to get banged up quite frequently, so he remains an injury risk, but Carter is just 22 years old and has plenty of fantasy juice if he can stay healthy. An option primarily for batting average, who I have had on this list all season, is Jake Meyers - OF, HOU (12% rostered). Earlier this season, I published an article on hitters who were being more aggressive and swinging at the first pitch more often this year than last year. Myers popped up for me on that leaderboard, and I explained in detail why I'm a fan of his new approach. On the season, he's hitting .307 with 13 stolen bases, and he's slashing .337/.398/.386 in 23 games in June with 12 runs scored and five steals. That's valuable in most formats, as long as you don't need power or RBI.
Nolan Schanuel - 1B, LAA: 18% rostered
(BATTING AVERAGE ASSET, POTENTIAL POWER GROWTH)
I've always liked Schanuel. He has tremendous plate discipline. He makes an elite amount of contact. He pulls the ball enough to do damage, and I think he's trying to be more selective in getting pitches he can drive. The power numbers aren't great, but Schanuel now hits at the top of a batting order that includes Zach Neto, Mike Trout, Jorge Soler, Taylor Ward, and Logan O'Hoppe. It's not a bad spot, and he has delivered of late, going .277/.352/.479 in 23 games in June with four home runs, 11 runs scored, 18 RBI, and two steals. That's a little bit of help in all five categories. I think Schanuel is emerging as a 1B who I may target in 2026 drafts.
Brooks Lee - 2B/3B/SS, MIN: 18% rostered
(BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME)
Advertisement
Lee is another solid multi-position eligible player who has remained in the lineup even as the Twins have gotten healthy. With Royce Lewis on the IL with yet another lower-body injury, that should keep Lee as an everyday player in Minnesota, and, frankly, he has played enough to remain in the lineup even when Lewis does come back. Lee is hitting .365/.393/.533 in 23 games in June with four home runs, 11 runs scored, 16 RBI, and one steal. Interestingly, his power boom in June has come when he started pulling the ball LESS and hitting it in the air less, so I'm not sure if it will last, but he has a 28% line drive rate in June, and hard-hit line drives can leave the park too. I'd be primarily adding him for batting average, but some power may come too. If you're trying to get ahead of a hot stretch, Colt Keith - 1B/2B, DET (10% rostered) is a name to look at. Since June 1st, Colt Keith is 6th among all hitters who have seen at least 100 pitches in Process+. He's hitting .250/.324/.433 in 20 games over that stretch with two home runs, six runs scored, and eight RBI, but the swing decisions and contact suggest that those numbers should just continue to get better.
Tyler Freeman - SS/OF, COL: 15% rostered
(REGULAR STARTING ROLE, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
Yes, another Rockies hitter. We talked about the schedule earlier, but we've also seen Freeman emerge as the regular right fielder for the Rockies since being called up. He has hit .324/.409/.432 in 41 games with nine stolen bases and 20 runs scored. Freeman had a solid enough season last year for Cleveland, and moving to Colorado should help him. Freeman makes a lot of contact, but the hard contact is limited, and his BABIP has been low in years past. Coors Field tends to boost BABIP, so Freeman could emerge as a .270 hitter with some decent speed and multi-position eligibility. Freeman is also 15th in Process+ since June 1st, so the stats are backed up by a strong approach. Another multi-position option is Caleb Durbin - 2B/3B/SS, MIL (6% rostered), who has hit .292/.366/.444 in 21 games in June with three home runs, 17 runs scored, and eight RBI. I would like to see more steals, since that's been Durbin's calling card in the minors, but it's nice to see the rookie adjusting to MLB pitching and starting to get on base more often. I think the steals will come.
Parker Meadows - OF, DET: 11% rostered
(POWER/SPEED UPSIDE, RETURN FROM THE IL)
Advertisement
Meadows has struggled since coming off the IL, but I often think that we're too quick to turn away from a player just because he doesn't hit the ground running. Adjusting to MLB pitching is hard, even if you've been at this level before. Meadows was out for almost three months; it's going to take some time for him to get his rhythm back. He's a talented hitter and is playing pretty much every day in Detroit, and has gone 5-for-20 over his last six games, so may be starting to put it together a bit. I would still try to scoop him up before he gets hot. You could also add his teammate Wenceel Pérez - OF, DET (7% rostered), who is hitting .288/.338/.616 in 22 games in June with five home runs, 14 RBI, and 13 runs scored. He also hit .242 with nine home runs and nine steals in 112 games as a rookie last season. He's the everyday right fielder in Detroit right now, and I don't see that changing unless his production falls off a cliff.
Kyle Teel - C, CWS: 6% rostered
(PROSPECT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
Kyle Teel has entered a bit of a timeshare with Edgar Quero, which is not an ideal situation, but I think Teel has more offensive upside. He slashed .295/.394/.492 in 50 games at Triple-A with eight home runs and seven steals, and struggled when he first got called up but has gone 9-for-29 (.310) over his last 10 games with two runs scored. I believe in his approach at the plate and his overall skill set, so I think he'll continue to adjust to big league pitching, and he's worth a look in all two-catcher leagues. If you're looking for an option in a two-catcher format, you can go with Gary Sanchez - C, BAL (7% rostered), who figures to be the starting catcher in Baltimore with Adley Rutschman landing on the IL. The veteran will be more valuable against left-handed pitching, but he has gone 13-for-34 (.382) in 10 games since coming off the IL with four home runs, 10 runs scored, and 14 RBI. That will play in most league types, and with Rutschman not back until after the All-Star Break, that's almost another month of time with Sanchez as the primary starter.
Christian Moore - 2B, LAA: 6% rostered
(RECENT CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE)
Advertisement
Moore hit two home runs in a win over the Red Sox this week, but he also went just 4-for-20 on the week, which is essentially what you're getting with him. The rookie struggled to start the season in Double-A, but was playing solid in Triple-A and had a .279/.374/.422 slash line in 54 games across Double-A and Triple-A with five home runs and eight steals. He also had a 14% swinging strike rate and just a 70% contact rate, so that tells us there will be swing-and-miss issues in the big leagues. I would expect a .230 average but with some intriguing power and speed hitting near the bottom of a solid but not great lineup. It's not much different than what we should expect from fellow rookie Brady House - 3B, WAS (5% rostered). The former 11th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft was hitting much better in the minors, going .304/.353/.519 in 65 games at Triple-A with 13 home runs. His average exit velocity was 90.2 mph with a 46% hard-hit rate. House was pulling the ball at a career-high rate, nearly 50% of the time, while lowering his chase rate by 6%. He still swings and misses a lot (15% swinging strike rate in the minors) and has a 47% groundball rate that will cap his upside, but the new approach and solid enough zone contact rate let's me think that House could hit .240 in Washington with decent power numbers the rest of the way.
Luke Raley - 1B/OF, SEA: 5% rostered
(RETURN FROM IL, POWER UPSIDE)
Raley has been out since late April with an oblique strain, but he returned last week and has gone 7-for-21 in six games with a homer and six RBIs. He hit 22 home runs with 11 steals for the Mariners last season, so he could be a decent source of power and chip in steals in deeper formats. He's likely to see most of his playing time in right field, but he could also play first base and designated hitter, which gives him added job security; although, he's unlikely to play against left-handed pitching. That's similar to the role that Pavin Smith - 1B/OF, ARI (7% rostered) has carved out for himself in Arizona. Smith is hitting just .200 in 20 games in June, but that comes with four home runs and 11 RBI. He's slashing .266/.380/.463 on the season but only has eight home runs, so if that home run production can tick up, he could provide real value in deeper formats.
Isaac Collins - OF, MIL: 4% rostered
(HOT STREAK, EVERY DAY PLAYING TIME)
Advertisement
Collins has been on a bit of a heater since June 1st, hitting .315/.441/.556 in 19 games with three home runs, 14 runs scored, 12 RBI, and one steal. He also has 13 walks to 16 strikeouts, so the plate discipline overall has been pretty solid. He's pulling the ball near 50% of the time, mostly on the ground and on a line, which is good for his batting average but might cap the overall power upside. His average exit velocity is also only 87 mph in June, so this is not a hitter you're adding for power, but he has a solid approach that should lead to plenty of doubles and decent counting stats, hitting fifth or sixth in Milwaukee.
Nolan Gorman - 2B/3B, STL: 3% rostered
(INCREASED PLAYING TIME, POWER UPSIDE)
I'll admit that I'm skeptical Gorman will ever make enough contact for me to truly like him in fantasy baseball; however, he's hitting .254/.342/.522 in 22 games in June with five home runs, 12 RBI, and 10 runs scored. His Process+ score of 110 is well above average for the same time period, but I do hate his 32% strikeout rate over that same span. I'm not sure how long this will last for Donovan Solano - 1B/3B, SEA (2% rostered), but we need to acknowledge that he's 17-for-41 (.415) in his last 14 games with three home runs and 13 RBI. He plays 1B around four times a week, so that makes him harder to roster outside of the deepest formats, but he hit .278/.331/.443 in 44 games in the second half last year, and has a .279 career MLB batting average, so he can help you there.
Andrew McCutchen - OF, PIT: 3% rostered
(CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, HOT STREAK)
Advertisement
This may be more of a Yahoo pick-up because McCutchen is OF-eligible there and isn't in many other formats. However, the veteran has been producing of late, hitting .270/.331/.423 over his last 35 games with five home runs, 14 RBI, and 15 runs scored. We know the lineup around him isn't great, which will limit his overall fantasy upside, but McCutchen should remain solid for fantasy managers in deeper formats. Similarly, Andrew Benintendi - OF, CWS (2% rostered) is a veteran outfielder we've forgotten about a bit, granted, some of that is because he can't stay healthy. Still, Benintendi is hitting .248/.303/.477 in 30 games since coming off the IL with four home runs, 11 runs scored, and 18 RBI. He plays every day and hits third, which should help with some of the counting stats, and that could make him useful in deeper formats.
Waiver Wire Pitchers
Shelby Miller - RP, ARI: 37% rostered
I'm pretty surprised Miller's roster rate remains this low. We know that both Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk are out for the season, so Shelby Miller is going to be the primary closer in Arizona for a while. He has a 2.18 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 33 innings and nine saves. Why are people chasing guys like Camilo Doval over Miller? Yes, with Corbin Burnes also out for the season, there's a chance that the Diamondbacks sell at the deadline. But that also means it's unlikely they bring in competition for Miller. The question is whether or not Miller himself gets dealt. It also seems like Calvin Faucher - RP, MIA (18% rostered) has taken the closer role in Miami again. I'm not sure how many saves you're going to get out of this, and Miami can't seem to settle on one guy, but if you're hurting for saves, Faucher could be a solid option.
Landen Roupp - SP, SF: 33% rostered
Roupp is one of my favorite starters on this list to roster. He impressed me in spring training and then took a little while during the regular season to get going, but has a 2.18 ERA over his last eight starts. The strikeouts haven't been what they were in the minors or in spring training, but it appears that Roupp has traded some swing-and-miss for better overall results, and I'm OK with that. Perhaps this is the pitcher version of Cam Smith, where he focuses less on striking guys out and more on just getting MLB hitters out consistently, and then once the confidence comes, he starts to tinker back towards trying for punchouts more often. Regardless, I'm buying in.
Advertisement
Bryan Bello - SP, BOS: 28% rostered
Over the last month, Bello has seen a real surge on the back of a new pitch mix, which I covered here. Bello has leaned into his cutter as his most-used pitch and started to dial back on his slider a bit. You can check out that article for more info, but I'm slowly buying back in on Bello; although, I'd love it even more if his changeup was as good as it used to be.
Edward Cabrera - SP, MIA: 24% rostered
Cabrera is another of my favorite starters to add on waivers. I was a fan of his pitch mix changes when he first debuted this season, and he has started to produce against good teams lately, too. Over his last two starts (against Philadelphia and San Francisco), Cabrera allowed three runs on five hits in 11.2 innings with 11 strikeouts and six walks. I am happy to add Cabrera in all leagues, but he's more of a streamer in 10 and 12-team formats.
Orion Kerkering - RP, PHI: 23% rostered)
Kerkering seems to be emerging as the primary reliever in Philadelphia. After Jordan Romano seemed to take the closer's role back over, Kerkering has been the team's most trusted reliever of late. He had gone 19 straight appearances without allowing a run before he struggled on Thursday. The strikeouts haven't been where they were last year, but the results have been good for most of the season. I expect the Phillies to mix and match some save opportunities going forward, so Matt Strahm - RP, PHI (15% rostered) is also worth rostering, but we also should expect Philadelphia to be buyers at the deadline, which could also mean a reliever gets added as well. Just something to keep in mind.
Jacob Lopez - SP, ATH: 21% rostered
I recorded a video this week on Jacob Lopez's outrageously good last four starts, so watch that to hear more about my thoughts on him and why I'm fine with rolling him out there to see how long this lasts.
Advertisement
Robert Garcia - RP, TEX: 18% rostered
Garcia is now the closer in Texas. I think. He has three saves in the last month, but his ratios have been pretty problematic. Although, his last five outings have been much better in that regard. The other issue is that Texas is not winning as many games as we thought they would at the start of the season. They could get hot at any moment, but Garcia has not proven to be a truly lockdown reliever, and he's a left-handed reliever, which gives him a platoon disadvantage against most of the hitters he's going to face. Chris Martin - RP, TEX (20% rostered) has also picked up two saves recently. I think Texas would rather have Martin in the "fireman" role, but it's hard to tell at this point, so if you wanted to roster him for general solid ratios and the occasional save, that could work.
Emmett Sheehan - SP, LAD: 12% rostered
Sheehan made his season debut last week and looked good, throwing four scoreless innings against the Padres with six strikeouts. It was his first MLB start since undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he showcased a solid three-pitch mix with a four-seamer, slider, and changeup. He was 95 mph on the four-seamer with two inches more iVB, which got him to 17", and he also threw them upstairs. The slider and changeup were solid, and even if he's not a huge upside arm, he has a solid arsenal with command that should continue to improve as the year progresses. The Dodgers then demoted Sheehan and also said his next start will be at Triple-A; however, he might be up in two weeks and could have a spot in the rotation for a while. However, Tyler Glasnow is also working his way back, so this could be a messy situation going forward. Joe Boyle - SP, TB (7% rostered) is in a similar situation. I will fully admit that I was out on Boyle as a starter. I thought Tampa Bay might "fix" him by moving him into the bullpen, but they turned him into a solid starter by REDUCING the movement on his pitches. Boyle was unable to harness his pitch mix and throw them in the strike zone, so they gave him a splinker and refused the use of his slider so that he had an easier time throwing strikes. It has worked wonders. In his nine starts since he got a spot start in Tampa Bay earlier in the season, Boyle has a 1.17 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and 54/16 K/BB in 46 innings. With Taj Bradley continuing to struggle in Tampa Bay, you'd have to think that the team makes the swap sooner rather than later.
Frankie Montas - SP, NYM: 5% rostered
I recovered a video on Montas after his season debut this week, so I encourage you to watch that for my detailed thoughts. I'll treat him as a streamer going forward.
Grant Taylor - SP/RP, CWS: 5% rostered
Taylor has legit electric stuff, and I think he could be closing for the White Sox in short order, but it's anybody's guess what Will Venable wants to do. Taylor locked down a traditional save last weekend, but then he pitched the seventh inning during the week, and then he had a two-inning save on Saturday. His usage is all over the place, but he has been lights out no matter what role he has, which is why I think he's worth an add everywhere.
Advertisement
Matt Brash - RP, SEA: 4% rostered
Matt Brash is back and continues to show dominant stuff out of the bullpen. He has not allowed a run in 16.1 innings this year while striking out 17 batters. The Mariners love to use Andres Munoz as their "stopper" or highest leverage reliever, so Brash could find his way into a few saves when Munoz has to put out a fire in the eighth inning.
Richard Fitts - SP, BOS: 4% rostered
Fitts is back in Boston's rotation and while I don't think he's a future stud, I'm still in the bag for him a bit. He was rushed back from his earlier rehab assignment after a pectoral injury because the Red Sox were without Walker Buehler and Tanner Houck at the time and weren't comfortable with Dobbins pitching three times through a batting order. That clearly backfired, and Fitts returned to Triple-A to essentially finish his rehab assignment, where he has looked sharp. His fastball maintained its velocity in his first start back, and I think Fitts has some decent upside in deeper formats.
STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS
MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order)