Welcome back to another edition of the top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups. There were a few solid standouts from last week’s piece, including Colson Montgomery and Andrew Vaughn, who continued to mash. While Carlos Correa also kept up his end of the bargain by upping his game in Houston. Being back in a pennant race and his comfortable digs are likely all he needs to perform at a high level again. All three players are worth rostering if they’re still available in your league.
If you missed out on those players or a few others from last week, do not fret because I’ve got plenty more diamonds in the rough for you. A few closer situations have become slightly clearer. While a pair of recent call-ups and players returning from injury have hit the ground running. There should be something for everyone this week, so let’s get right to it.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Targets
All players listed are rostered in 50% or fewer of Yahoo leagues.
Jakob Marsee (OF – MIA): 17%
Jakob Marsee hit the ground running in his Major League debut this week, connecting for five extra-base hits through his first five games. The youthful 24-year-old was also solid on the farm this year with a .807 OPS and 14 home runs to his credit. While the hitting barrage and power burst are nice, speed is likely his biggest asset. Marsee stole 47 bases in Triple-A this season and swiped 51 last year as well.
After launching his first Major League home run, the Marlins’ latest center fielder followed that performance with a stolen base in each of the next two games. He’s currently hitting .450 and could be an excellent five-category contributor over the final seven weeks of the season.
Luke Keaschall (2B, 1B, OF – MIN): 43%
The Twins’ third-ranked prospect, according to FanGraphs, is back on the field and raking once again. Luke Keaschall possesses the rare skill set of walking more than he strikes out. He also hits for decent power while sprinting at alarming speeds. Batting average and stolen bases will likely be his calling card, but Keaschall could produce handily in all five major categories.
In his short stint in the big leagues (nine games), Keaschall is hitting for a .393 batting average with five steals, eight RBI, five runs scored and a home run. He’s someone I’m kicking myself for missing out on in my leagues, so make haste and snag him while he’s still available.
Nestor Cortes (SP – SD): 23%
The Padres activated Nestor Cortes this week and the results were middling. While his control abandoned him a bit, the crafty lefty was still able to hold the Diamondbacks to just three hits and two earned runs over 4.2 innings.
Cortes was awful in his debut for the Brewers to begin the year, but he quickly redeemed himself by firing six near-perfect innings against the Reds. Injuries shelved the former Yankee after that, but now, as a part of the Padres’ organization (he was traded at the deadline), Cortes could prove worthy of a fantasy roster spot.
Cortes strikes out nearly a batter per inning and is capable of lasting fairly deep into games. By pitching into the sixth, Cortes should be able to obtain a few wins as well with such an outstanding bullpen behind him. He may not be your top priority this week but Cortes could surprise in the coming weeks.
Jorge Polanco (2B, 3B – SEA): 41%
After an electric start to the season (nine homers and a .384 average in 21 games), Jorge Polanco hit the skids in May and June. He found his stroke again in July and has continued the trend this month. After launching six homers in the last 30 days, the switch-hitting Polanco has registered a .353 average in August. He rarely strikes out and hits well in the clutch (.389 average in high-leverage situations), which has led to 53 RBI in just 325 at-bats. The Mariners’ lineup improved drastically at the trade deadline, so his RBI chances should increase.
Polanco mainly acts as a designated hitter, but qualifies at both second and third base, two of the hardest positions to fill in fantasy. His 18 homers and .255/.325/.465 slash line should continue to grow now that he’s consistently making hard contact again. He’s worth considering in 12-team leagues or larger.
Isaac Collins (OF – MIL): 18%
We’re nearing the point of the season where a red-hot hitter may be worth taking a gamble on over the steady-as-he-goes player. While steady and reliable is nice, if you need to move up a few slots in the standings quickly, slow and steady probably won’t get it done. That’s where a player like Isaac Collins comes in.
Collins has zero track record, but he did perform moderately well in the Minor Leagues. That said, the recently turned 28-year-old switch-hitter has been filling up the stat sheet of late. Over his last 16 games, the Brewers outfielder has gone 25-for-64 (.391 average) with 14 RBI, 11 runs, two homers and three steals.
Collins has been especially hot of late, amassing a .500 batting average over his last 20 at-bats. Milwaukee has a nice home stand coming up this week against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, where I expect Collins to continue to produce. He’s rostered in just a handful of leagues at the moment, making him a fine target for the coming period.
Cade Cavalli (SP – WSH): 6%
Cade Cavalli finally returned this week after a brutally long Tommy John surgery recovery, including a few setbacks. Not much was expected of him in his debut because he hadn’t pitched in so long, and he hardly set the world on fire in his rehab assignment. After registering an unsightly 6.09 ERA in 15 Triple-A starts, Cavalli was an afterthought in most fantasy circles.
The good news is he may have just been biding his time. Cavalli showed out on Wednesday, holding the Athletics to just three hits and no walks or runs with seven strikeouts. It was his second game ever pitching in the Major Leagues and his first since 2022.
Besides looking great this week, Cavalli was also once thought of as a near can’t-miss prospect, ranking in the top 10 of up-and-coming starting pitchers. He even ranked above Eury Perez back in 2022. Of course, prospect rankings tend to mean very little, and it was from a couple of years ago.
However, going off of how he looked in his return, the Nationals could have a nice starter on their hands. He led the Minors in strikeouts in 2021 and could finally be ready to take the next major step in his progression. For now, Cavalli is best left for deeper leagues, but he’s worth monitoring just in case.
Daulton Varsho (OF – TOR): 13%
Daulton Varsho is back, and he’s hitting more homers. The former catcher won’t help your average, and he hasn’t been stealing like he has in the past, but the lefty swinging Gold Glover can rip the cover off the ball. Injuries have vastly limited Varsho’s playing time this year as two lengthy trips to the injured list (IL) have limited him to just 28 games.
However, over his 28 games, few, if any, can match the stocky Varsho’s home run to at-bat ratio. The former prospect is averaging a gopher ball once every 9.8 at-bats, which translates to roughly a home run per every 2.5 games. His barrel rate sits at a ridiculous 18.4% and his current xSLG is registered at .572. Admittedly, those ratios have come over a small sample size, but they do outrank both of his superstar teammates, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.
Not only is Varsho knocking the cover off the ball, since he hits in such a prime spot for the red-hot Jays, the slugging outfielder has also managed to collect 30 RBI. Averaging better than an RBI per game is not to be ignored, even if it’s come in just a month’s worth of games.
Varsho may not be for everyone, but if your team is lacking in pop, he may just be the answer.
Phil Maton (RP – TEX): 20%
Robert Garcia has not been good lately for the Rangers. He’s also been dealing with a bit of a back issue. The lefty has been decent for most of the season, but now with Phil Maton added to the mix, Garcia’s role becomes slightly obscure.
Maton’s been the better pitcher this year posting some of the top relief numbers in the game. The breaking ball specialist has registered a 2.18 ERA with a 2.48 FIP. He strikes out just over 30% of batters and produces a ground ball 52% of the time. Maton’s also only surrendered just one home run in 43 appearances.
The journeyman reliever collected his third save of the year this week (his first for Texas) and could be the man Bruce Bochy turns to the rest of the way. Maton’s also a righty while Garcia is a lefty. The newly acquired Maton is worth adding in most leagues.
Justin Topa (RP – MIN): 2%
While the Twins did turn to Erasmo Ramirez for one of their two save opportunities this week, my money is on Justin Topa to receive the bulk of the work. Early projections had Cole Sands as the likely new stopper in Minnesota, but the club elected to go with more established arms to wrap up their wins.
Topa is a 6-foot-4 righty who doesn’t get a ton of strikeouts, but he does keep the ball in the yard and keeps his walks in check. The 3.86 ERA leaves a bit to be desired, but the much more favorable 2.81 FIP should ease fears a bit. Topa’s not a must add by any means, but for those in desperate need of saves, it’s not a bad idea to look his way.
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Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.
