4 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Targets (Week 9)

The fantasy baseball waiver wire starts to get a little strange this time of year. The early-season prospect callups have mostly happened. Managers are dealing with injuries, underperforming veterans, and trying to survive until the next wave of promotions arrives. That’s where short-term bats and streaky hitters can suddenly become valuable.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups to Target

This week’s waiver wire discussion focused on four hitters who are widely available in fantasy leagues but showing signs of usefulness in different formats. Some bring power. Some bring category juice. Others are simply hot enough right now to deserve attention.

Jacob Young (CF – WSH)

Jacob Young is quietly putting together one of the better short-term hot streaks available on most waiver wires.

Over his last 15 games, Young has hit .316 with four home runs, seven RBI, a .381 OBP, and a .658 slugging percentage. For a player rostered in barely more than 10 percent of leagues, that kind of production immediately grabs attention.

The profile still comes with some flaws. Strikeouts remain part of the equation, and the season-long batting average sits at just .237. But the recent power surge is what fantasy managers should care about right now.

This feels less like a season-long breakout and more like a useful ride-the-heater situation.

If you’re trying to patch together outfield production while waiting on injured players or slumping bats to recover, Young fits the mold of a temporary spark plug who can help in deeper leagues.

There’s enough speed in the profile to add a little category flexibility too, even if the power output probably won’t sustain at this pace long term.

Jake Burger (1B – TEX)

Fantasy managers know the Jake Burger experience by now.

When he gets hot, the power comes in bunches.

Burger already has 10 home runs with a respectable .240 batting average, and the underlying quality-of-contact metrics discussed in the podcast suggest the power pace could continue. His max exit velocity sits at 113 mph, while both his average exit velocity and hard-hit rate are trending upward compared to previous seasons.

The biggest adjustment may be how he’s getting to the power.

Burger is pulling the ball in the air more than he ever has before, and that approach change is helping unlock more home run opportunities. He’s also walking more frequently while swinging less often at pitches in the zone.

Nobody in the conversation framed Burger as a superstar fantasy bat. That’s not really the point here.

The value comes from cheap, accessible power that still hasn’t been fully rostered across fantasy leagues.

There’s a very realistic path where Burger finishes with 25-plus home runs while spending most of the season sitting on waiver wires in shallow formats. That alone makes him worth a look if you need power help immediately.

Spencer Horwitz (1B – PIT)

Spencer Horwitz brings a very different fantasy profile than Burger.

This is less about massive power upside and more about steady offensive production that quietly fills categories.

Horwitz has reached base safely in 17 of his last 21 games while raising his batting average significantly during that stretch. Over the past two weeks, he’s been especially productive, hitting .342 with a strong OBP profile.

The plate discipline stands out most.

Horwitz has more walks than strikeouts this season, something that has become increasingly rare in modern baseball. That makes him particularly useful in points leagues and OBP formats where consistent on-base skills carry extra value.

There’s some modest power mixed in with six home runs, but fantasy managers adding Horwitz are mostly looking for batting average stability and lineup consistency rather than explosive upside.

At this stage of the fantasy season, that can still be extremely useful.

Anthony Volpe (SS – NYY)

Anthony Volpe might be one of the more polarizing waiver wire names discussed this week.

The overall production still comes with major questions, and even the conversation itself acknowledged the frustration surrounding his profile. But there are also a few subtle changes happening underneath the surface that make him at least worth monitoring in deeper leagues.

Volpe is hitting .281 in a small sample, though much of that jump came after a recent three-hit game. More importantly, some of the underlying approach changes appear different from last season.

His zone contact rate is improving, and there was discussion that he may be simplifying his swing rather than constantly trying to generate maximum bat speed. He’s also pulling the ball more frequently while maintaining a steep launch angle.

The fantasy appeal here is obvious if things click.

We’ve already seen Volpe flash power-speed production in the past, including seasons with close to 15 home runs and 30 stolen bases. The issue has always been consistency and contact quality.

There are still warning signs. The strikeout rate remains concerning, and the expected batting average metrics weren’t exactly glowing in the discussion.

But in deeper leagues, Volpe is at least becoming a name to monitor again if these adjustments continue showing up in the results.

Fantasy Baseball Takeaways

Jacob Young (CF – WSH) is a short-term hot bat worth streaming while the recent power surge lasts.
Jake Burger (1B – TEX) remains one of the better low-cost power targets available on many waiver wires.
Spencer Horwitz (1B – PIT) offers strong OBP and points-league value thanks to elite plate discipline.
Anthony Volpe (SS – NYY) is still risky, but subtle swing and contact changes make him an interesting deeper-league stash.
This stage of the fantasy baseball season is often about surviving with productive short-term bats until the next prospect wave arrives.