The fantasy baseball season is flying by as we’re already approaching the mid-way point. There’s been a considerable amount of pleasant surprises this year, with more than a handful of players breaking out. Hopefully, you were able to snag a few of them before the rest of your league caught on. If not, there’s no need to panic as I’ve got another 11 players for you to add from the waiver wire this week that are on the verge of doing the same. Let’s get right to it. All players are rostered in no more than 50% of Yahoo leagues and have mostly never appeared on this list before. There should be something for everyone this week, so happy bidding. Here are your top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for this week.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Targets (2025)
Jacob Misiorowski (SP – MIL): 48%
I wrote about Jacob Misiorowski a few weeks back as a must-stash candidate, and he’s now reached the Big Leagues. The Brewers parted ways with Aaron Civale to make room for the young flamethrower, so a trip back down to the Minors seems highly unlikely.
Misiorowski came as advertised, throwing a no-hitter through five innings. He departed with cramps and did walk four batters, but his stuff was electric. Hitting 100 with ease, Misiorowski did what he has all season in the Minors, which was put up zeros. The 6-foot-7 righty held opponents to a minuscule 2.13 ERA while striking out 31.6% of batters. His fastball-slider combo is lethal, and if he’s still available in your league, run, don’t walk to get him.
Trevor Story (SS – BOS): 31%
Trevor Story’s start to the season had Sox fans rejoicing, as the Boston shortstop finally looked like his old self again. Story launched five homers, stole six bases, scored 15 runs and collected 16 RBI. It was a throwback to his Rockies days, making him an immediate must-add waiver wire target across all league types.
Then came the month of May. Story had one of the worst months in recent history, registering a .158 average while striking out over a third of the time. Putting those dismal 30 days behind him, Story seems to have re-emerged in June, producing a .302 average while knocking in 11 runs already in just 11 games. He’s also back to stealing bases (two) and hitting home runs (two as well).
Story has nine home runs and 11 steals on the season and seems to be on another hot streak at the moment. His bat could cool at any time, but it’s worth riding the wave for as long as he’ll take you.
Evan Carter (OF – TEX): 31%
Evan Carter kicked off his Major League Baseball career with a bang, launching five home runs while registering a .306 average and 1.058 OPS. His underlying metrics were not so kind, however, and he took a major step back in 2024. This season, he was off to a similar start, and the Rangers sent him back down to their Triple-A affiliate team, the Round Rock Express. After a brief stint in the Minors, Carter returned in June and seems to have found his groove once again.
It’s a small sample size, but the Rangers center fielder has been playing with his hair on fire. Over the last four games, Carter is 10-for-16 with three homers, two doubles, three walks and just one strikeout. He’s faced two different teams during that span, both on the road. Carter also knocked in seven runs, scored seven times and stole two bases. The electric 22-year-old will likely win Player of the Week honors if he can keep it rolling this weekend. Carter is once again fantasy-relevant.
Note: Carter injured his wrist on a diving play on Friday night, but manager Bruce Bochy said it’s minor and should only require a day off.
Alejandro Kirk (C – TOR): 37%
Over the past five years, Alejandro Kirk has been a good but not great fantasy catcher. He starts the majority of the time and hits for a solid average while knocking in a decent number of runs. This season, however, he is off to arguably his best start. Kirk is hitting .325 with five home runs and 31 runs batted in. He’s been especially effective of late, collecting 21 hits over his last 11 games. He also launched a pair of homers while striking out just four times.
Kirk has cut his soft contact rate from 15% to below 10%. With a strikeout rate that also hovers around 10% and more hard-hit balls this season, it’s no surprise Kirk’s average is well over .300. The Blue Jays backstop, who is built like a bowling ball, is a must-start while he’s hot.
Shelby Miller (RP – ARI): 34%
With Justin Martinez out for the season, the Diamondbacks will rely on Shelby Miller in the interim to close out games. Miller did well in his short stint as the closer, going six for seven in save opportunities after he was handed the job. Miller’s ERA sits at a cool 1.57 and his WHIP is down to a solid 1.05. The former Dodger also strikes out a batter per inning.
The Diamondbacks could eventually look to the trade market or to perhaps someone like David Robertson, who is still unsigned. For now, Miller should be the one closing out games in Arizona.
David Festa (SP – MIN): 7%
David Festa got pummeled against the Athletics last week, but if you watched the game, it wasn’t completely his fault. Plenty of bad luck was involved with a few untimely bloops falling in, balls getting past fielders and a handful of infield singles leading to a pair of disastrous innings. Yes, he gave up three dingers, but two came in innings that likely should have been over. The key takeaway from the outing was that his stuff still looked great and he never truly appeared rattled.
As predicted, Festa’s next turn in the rotation resulted in a much better outcome. In Wednesday’s game against a scorching hot Texas team, Festa held the Rangers to just three hits and two walks over six innings. He recorded his first win of the season while allowing just two runs. Festa was great in his first three starts as well, yielding just two total runs but never lasting the required five innings to record a victory.
Festa also offers a decent amount of strikeouts. In his 13 starts last year for the Twinkies, Festa recorded a 10.7 K/9. This year, he’s off to a similar start, recording a 9.33 K/9.
The 6-foot-6 righty produced a 2.83 ERA with an even lower 2.53 FIP in Triple-A this season, helping support his case. Minnesota lost two of their starting arms, including ace Pablo Lopez for a few months, so Festa should be a near lock to remain in the starting rotation. Now that he’s throwing deeper into games, Festa is a solid fantasy asset in most leagues.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand (1B – CIN): 37%
Christian Encarnacion-Strand came off the injured list (IL) a week ago and announced his arrival by hitting a home run in three consecutive days. He’s cooled off a bit since, but Encarnacion-Strand’s power is real and could strike at any moment.
During his rookie campaign, the Reds first baseman mashed 13 home runs over 222 at-bats. All those long balls helped lead to a robust triple slash line of .270/.328/.427. Before his promotion, he also produced on the farm, launching 20 home runs in just 278 at-bats. Encarnacion-Strand dealt with injuries for most of last year, but now healthy once again, the stout 25-year-old can help boost your power numbers.
Christian Moore (2B – LAA): 9%
The Angels are calling up their top-hitting prospect, and it comes as no surprise. The Halos are notorious for rushing their top players just to see many fail at the highest level. That said, there have been some success stories of late, like Zach Neto and Logan O’Hoppe (although he came over in a trade).
Christian Moore is more of a deep league candidate right now, considering he didn’t exactly set the world on fire in the Minors. He does come with a considerable level of talent, however, backed up by his final monster season at the University of Tennessee. The Angels took him eighth overall in the draft last year, and he has all the tools to put up decent numbers in the major categories. He could struggle a bit to start, but is worth a speculative add in deeper leagues.
Brandon Walter (SP, RP – HOU): 8%
I’m a fan of the young Brandon Walter. He’s a crafty lefty who keeps hitters off balance by working in a slew of off-speed pitches. He also rarely throws a fastball. When he does, it tends to catch hitters napping and flies right by. Walter was impressive in his first two outings, nearly shutting out his opponents over 11 innings of work. He also racked up 10 strikeouts while walking just one.
Walter was a late-round selection out of the University of Delaware. Never given much thought by analysts, he quickly moved through the ranks, striking out better than a batter per inning. Walter also kept free passes to a minimum and rarely surrendered a home run. Those attributes consistently led to a low ERA, which has now earned him a spot at the Major League level. This year, he’s been at his best, posting a 2.08 ERA over 47.2 innings in Triple-A.
Walter is slated to take on Minnesota in his next outing. While I do have mixed feelings about that matchup, I believe he possesses long-term value. The Astros are currently utilizing a six-man rotation to keep him active, but if he produces again this weekend, he’s going to be a mainstay for quite some time. Walter is worth monitoring in most leagues and is a decent addition in deeper ones.
Ronny Mauricio (2B, 3B – NYM): 16%
Ronny Mauricio isn’t a must-add by any means, but he does contain a certain amount of upside. The Mets infielder may take some patience, but before he got hurt, the 24-year-old Dominican was one of the most hyped prospects in the game.
Mauricio missed nearly all of last year, but in 2023, the second baseman hit for a .292 average with 30 doubles and 23 home runs, while swiping 24 bags. He was just 22 at the time, and the future looked bright at the keyhole position for the Metropolitans. Finally back in playing shape, the 6-foot-4 Mauricio will get every chance to shine in an infield full of stars. How long that takes is anyone’s guess, but as long as Mark Vientos is out with a hamstring, Mauricio should continue to start. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues or if you’re in desperate need of a middle or corner infielder.
Ben Casparius (RP – LAD): 14%
Ben Casparius has been a godsend for the Dodgers’ injury-ridden bullpen this year. He has shuffled back and forth from multi-inning swingman to late-inning reliever, and now he’s getting his chance to start.
The 6-foot-2 righty features a four-pitch mix that has led to an impressive 2.86 ERA and 1.89 FIP. The 26-year-old also strikes out hitters at a decent clip (26% strikeout rate) and limits free passes (5.1% walk rate). Casparius threw 4.1 innings against the Padres in his latest outing. He allowed just one run on three hits while striking out two and walking two.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced after that showing Casparius would join the rotation for the foreseeable future, making him a somewhat solid add for the coming weeks.
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Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.
