The waiver wire is often loaded in April. Everyone is excited for the shiny new thing or the hot old thing that might finally have its year. We have you covered from all angles with our top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.
Injuries and FOMO (fear of missing out) are real factors when it comes to making lineup decisions. You are often not harming your fantasy team by dropping a steady, boring vet for a league-ready prospect or post-hype player.
Typically, the boring vet you drop can be attained soon after letting go (either via waivers or trade), while that new thing is often a hot commodity. Here are the top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for the week.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
All players listed are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
Carter Jensen (C – KC): 39% Rostered
The clock is ticking to roster Jensen in all formats. He is transforming into Kansas City’s next-best hitter behind Bobby Witt Jr. Well, technically, it would be “ahead” of Witt Jr. given that Jensen hit leadoff this weekend with Maikel Garcia (elbow) injured.
There is a lot to like about Jensen’s profile. He is a near-everyday player despite being a left-handed catcher and has a great combination of power and average. Jensen’s MLB career thus far may be short, but it is impressive. He has a .290/.373/.543 slash line and 150 wRC+ through 45 games.
The only concern in Jensen’s profile is his strikeout rate. He has jumped from 17.4% last season to 27% this season. Strikeouts have nagged him throughout the minors, but we can give grace to a 22-year-old who is in a struggling offense and playing more often.
There should be universal rostering for Jensen if he continues playing every day. The Royals’ offense should heat up in the coming weeks as cornerstones Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pastquantino hit more consistently.
Angel Martinez (2B, OF – CLE): 24% Rostered
Angel Martinez has been an angel for deeper league managers who picked him up earlier this season. The switch-hitting Guardians utility man is knocking on the door of 12-team leagues. He has five HR, 12 runs, 14 RBI, and five SB through 25 games, with a .282/.325/.526 slash-line.
Martinez is not a prototypical modern hitter, but has embraced pulling the baseball in the air for results. He has a top-30 pulled air rate among qualified hitters, which allows him to hit home runs despite a mild power profile. The sample for this is not large, but it is something. He has raised his pulled air rate in each of the past two seasons.
Martinez has not been a full-time player this season, but after a two-home run game against the Blue Jays on Friday, he may be making a claim to remain in the lineup. This will determine whether he is worth rostering beyond 15+ team leagues. 12+ teamers can pick him up and see how he performs across the next two weeks with matchups in Sacramento’s hitter-friendly home park and Kansas City’s more home-run-friendly outfield.
Ronny Mauricio (3B – NYM): 4% Rostered
The Mets called up Ronny Mauricio this week after losing star SS Francisco Lindor to a calf injury. Ironically, this comes immediately after Juan Soto returned from a similar calf injury, but that’s just a normal week for the Mets.
Mauricio has had opportunities in the league before, but with sporadic playing time. This stint should present him with an everyday role as the starting shortstop. He is reaching the breaking point of “prospect” grace at 25, but baseball is not an easy sport. Also, playing semi-regularly and having every play impact your next game is mentally straining.
Maybe Mauricio finally puts it together with the opportunity to play every day? The right-handed infielder showed that he was too good for the minors already, with six HR and a 150 wRC+ in 15 Triple-A games. He should not be picked up in shallower leagues yet, but 15+ teamers should take the bait and see if this next week is promising.
Carlos Cortes (OF – ATH): 10% Rostered
Carlos Cortes is on fire. In 19 PA this week, he has three HR, four runs, and five RBI. Cortes is producing and backing up his stats with stellar peripherals.
He ranks fifth in qualified xwOBA this season and sixth in wOBA. He is in the top two percentiles for expected average and slugging. His 6.5% strikeout rate is in the 99th percentile, making this elite start to the season difficult to ignore. Cortes should remain in the lineup and continue hitting in the middle of the order upon Brent Rooker‘s eventual return.
The only caveat for picking up Cortes is that he is a strong-side platoon hitter. This makes it difficult to play him regularly, especially in leagues with weekly lineups locking. Also, Cortes is projected to face four left-handed pitchers in the coming six-game week. He is absolutely worth picking up if you need a power bat, but not if you need to fill a starting slot for the week.
Payton Tolle (SP – BOS): 42% Rostered
The Red Sox finally called up star SP prospect Payton Tolle. Tolle struggled in his first taste of the majors last season, but that was just a 16 1/3 inning sample. We can throw his 6.06 ERA and 1.59 WHIP out. He is a brand-new man this season with a clean slate.
Tolle’s first start of the season is everything we needed to see. He struck out 11 Yankees batters in six innings, while allowing just one run and four baserunners. He was nothing short of dominant, much like his performance in three Triple-A games this season.
Tolle’s 3.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and most importantly, 24.6% K-BB in the minors this season did not deserve to be stuck there. Even when Sonny Gray returns, the Red Sox should have a place for him in the rotation. Veteran Brayan Bello is close to losing his rotation spot due to a 9.00 ERA through five starts. Grab Tolle in any league possible.
Connor Prielipp (SP – MIN): 1% Rostered
The Twins called up former second-round pick Connor Prielipp this past week and may be forced to keep him in the rotation. Prielipp replaced the injured Mick Abel (elbow) and looked like a special talent. He posted six strikeouts in four innings, but gave up two earned runs on four hits. Luckily, he did not walk anyone and lines up for a two-start week against the Mariners and Blue Jays this week.
Prielipp is a talented SP with a quality pedigree, but he is a step below Payton Tolle. He should have a roster spot for the coming weeks, but when Mick Abel returns, his opportunity to stay in the rotation will hinge heavily on his performance. If it is just good, rather than great, he may be sent down for Abel, who is younger but with fewer MLB options.
Prielipp is very skilled. This is displayed with a K-BB in the minors that sat above 20% at most levels. It would not be shocking if he outperformed this week’s other waiver wire darling, J.R. Ritchie, this season.
Louis Varland (RP – TOR): 37% Rostered
Louie Varland has a 2.52 ERA, 3.56 xERA, 2.85 xFIP, and 2.87 SIERA since 2025 as a full-time reliever across 85 2/3 IP. He is generating a 2.11 groundball-to-flyball ratio, while posting a very good 20.2% K-BB. Varland has even improved this year and is being inserted as the closer after Jeff Hoffman‘s difficult start to the season.
Varland struggled in his most recent opportunity on Saturday, but managed to earn a save and limit damage with just one run allowed. While this one outing will not hurt his case to close, he has to be careful, given how Hoffman’s struggles are rooted in bad luck.
Hoffman has a 7.59 ERA this season, backed by a 3.35 xERA, 1.68 xFIP, and 1.94 SIERA. His .609 BABIP and 33.3% HR/FB rate are unsustainable, even for a struggling reliever. Nevertheless, even with his contract, Hoffman has to earn back his trust and beat out Louie Varland in the meantime. Hoffman can safely be dropped, while Varland should be rostered everywhere.
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