Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups by Category (2025)

It’s important to have a plan when scouring the fantasy baseball waiver wire or placing your weekly free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) bids. Below are some players rostered in fewer than 50% of fantasy baseball leagues to consider who have gotten hot recently.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

Runs

Warming Bernabel (1B, 3B – COL) | 15% on Yahoo; 13% on ESPN

Warming Bernabel has started to pick his production back up over the past week. He started his career on fire, cooled off for a bit in the first half of August, but is batting .368 since August 16th.

In his first 25 career games, Bernabel is slashing .308/.337/.538 with 13 runs scored, four home runs and 13 RBI. He doesn’t have a steal yet, and he wasn’t a big base stealer in the Minors. However, his sprint speed is in the 81st percentile, so maybe there’s potential there.

Home Runs

Trent Grisham (OF – NYY) | 21% on Yahoo; 22% on ESPN

Trent Grisham is having a career season for the Yankees. He’s slashing .246/.348/.455 with 63 runs scored, a career-high 23 home runs, 48 RBI and a stolen base. His RBI total with 23 home runs is disappointing, but batting mostly leadoff, it’s not uncommon.

Grisham’s plate discipline has taken a big step forward. His strikeout rate is a career-low 21%, and his walk rate is the second-highest of his career and in the 92nd percentile of the league. The Yankees play seven games next week and have the third-best hitter matchups.

RBI

Lenyn Sosa (1B, 2B, 3B – CWS) | 41% on Yahoo; 16% on ESPN

Lenyn Sosa is breaking out for the White Sox. His .272 average, 47 runs, 17 home runs, 57 RBI and 90.9 average exit velocity are all career highs. He has eight RBI in the past week and has only walked once. He’s the type of player who is going to be swinging when the RBI opportunities arise.

Sosa increased his bat speed by one mile per hour (MPH) from last season, and it has led to a two MPH increase in average exit velocity. He’s not a difference-maker, but the White Sox have the sixth-best hitter matchups next week, playing seven games at home.

Stolen Bases

Dylan Crews (OF – WSH) | 46% on Yahoo; 18% on ESPN

Dylan Crews was activated from the injured list (IL) after an almost three-month absence. He stole a base in his first game, but has attempted one since.

Crews’ plate discipline has been great since his return (four walks and five strikeouts), and he’s scored seven runs in eight games. Crews’ sprint speed is in the 93rd percentile, and he should be aggressive on the basepaths as long as he’s healthy.

Batting Average

Sal Frelick (OF – MIL)| 45% on Yahoo; 35% on ESPN

Sal Frelick is still underrostered. He’s batting .301 with a strikeout rate in the 92nd percentile and sprint speed in the 87th percentile.

The Brewers are still one of the hottest teams in the league, and Frelick is batting (mostly) leadoff. Frelick’s bat speed is one of the slowest in the league, but it’s led to a high squared-up rate, allowing him to maintain a high average.

Wins

Tomoyuki Sugano (SP – BAL) | 22% on Yahoo; 10% on ESPN

Tomoyuki Sugano is 4-0 in his last seven starts. During that stretch, he’s put up a 2.84 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 6.6 K/9 across 38 innings.

Sugano has gone the minimum length to qualify for a win in each of his last five outings, and he has a two-start week coming up. He’s pitching at home versus the Red Sox and on the road at San Francisco.

Strikeouts

Sean Manaea (SP – NYM) | 42% on Yahoo; 30% on ESPN

Sean Manaea has struggled when healthy this year. He has a 5.15 ERA, but a 1.12 WHIP, 11 K/9 and 3.77 xERA. His strikeout rate is a career high, and his walk rate is the lowest it’s been in five years.

Manaea has been mostly unlucky and could see some regression to the mean soon. He gets the Phillies and Marlins next week.

ERA & WHIP

Jeremiah Estrada (RP – SD) | 24% on Yahoo; 14% on ESPN

Jeremiah Estrada has been one of the best relievers in all of baseball. His strikeout-minus-walk rate (K-BB%) ranks 10th among relievers, and his xERA and xBA are in the 98th and 99th percentile, respectively. Estrada has a 2.48 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 58 innings.

Saves

JoJo Romero (RP – STL) | 24% on Yahoo; 6% on ESPN

JoJo Romero has picked up four saves and two holds since Ryan Helsley was sent out at the trade deadline. Since then, he has a 3.18 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 7.9 K/9.

Romero is tied for the eighth-most saves in the league in that timeframe, and he has a 3.08 xERA for the season. The Cardinals have remained competitive and can be a sneaky play for saves down the stretch.