Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups & Advice

Fantasy baseball managers looking for an edge heading into the holiday weekend got a handful of intriguing names from the latest FantasyPros MLB podcast. The focus was simple: under-rostered pitchers worth streaming and a couple hitters who could provide a short-term boost in deeper formats.

Fantasy Baseball Streaming Pitchers: Rankings

A few of these arms are starting to build real momentum, while others are more matchup-driven plays. Either way, if you are chasing strikeouts, innings, or a sneaky power weekend, there are some useful names to monitor.

Grant Holmes (SP – ATL)

Grant Holmes was highlighted as a viable fringe starter against Washington, mostly because Atlanta has been playing strong baseball and the matchup lines up well enough to take a shot. The biggest concern remains the walks. Holmes has issued too many free passes this season, which has made his outings inconsistent.

Still, the overall production has been serviceable. Holmes owns a 3.80 ERA through 47 innings with 38 strikeouts, and his most recent outing showed some improvement in the command department after walking only two hitters across five innings.

This is more of a volume and win-chasing streamer than a pure upside play. If you are deciding between back-end rotation options in deeper formats, Holmes fits the profile of someone who can stabilize ratios enough to help over a weekend scoring period.

J.T. Ginn (SP – ATH)

J.T. Ginn continues to look like one of the better under-rostered streaming options available right now. The discussion centered around how reliable he has been lately, especially after nearly throwing a no-hitter before losing it in the ninth inning.

The recent workload stands out. Ginn has logged at least eight innings in two of his last three starts and has started piling up strikeouts, including a 10-strikeout performance in his latest outing. His season numbers back up the breakout conversation with a 2.98 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.

The matchup against San Diego was also viewed favorably because the Padres offense has struggled badly and the game takes place in a pitcher-friendly environment. For fantasy purposes, Ginn is quickly moving beyond streamer territory in competitive leagues. If he is still available, he looks more like a long-term roster piece than a one-week rental.

Bryan Torres (OF – CLE)

Bryan Torres was mentioned as a deeper-league outfield dart throw after earning a call-up due to an injury opening. The appeal here is straightforward: contact skills and speed.

Torres has been hitting .336 with a massive .454 on-base percentage while also stealing 10 bases. There is not much power in the profile right now, but the ability to get on base consistently gives him a path to fantasy relevance if the playing time holds.

For fantasy managers in deeper roto leagues or formats where stolen bases are difficult to find, Torres makes sense as a speculative add. The key point from the conversation was that teams generally do not promote young hitters just to let them sit. Opportunity matters, and Torres could carve out enough at-bats to matter quickly.

Jake Burger (1B – TEX)

Jake Burger was the featured veteran bat of the group, and the reasoning was pretty simple: he is scorching hot right now. Over the last two weeks, Burger has been hitting .371 with three home runs, and the upcoming pitching matchups were viewed as extremely favorable.

The expectation was aggressive too, with predictions that Burger could leave the yard at least once, possibly twice, over the weekend. That kind of confidence usually comes down to matchups and timing, and Burger appears to have both working for him right now.

When Burger gets rolling, he can carry fantasy lineups in short bursts because the power comes in bunches. If he is available in shallower leagues, this may be one of the better short-term corner infield adds.

Lucas Giolito (SP – SD)

Lucas Giolito returned to the majors recently, and while the first outing back looked rusty, there was still optimism about what comes next. In his return, Giolito worked five innings with three strikeouts and three walks, which was described as feeling closer to a rehab start than a fully polished outing.

The belief here is that Giolito may improve quickly as he settles back into a rhythm. The conversation pointed out that he is not far removed from being a productive fantasy starter capable of posting useful strikeout totals and stable ratios.

At low roster percentages, Giolito represents the classic upside streaming play. There is definitely risk attached, but if the command sharpens even a little, there could be value here over the next few weeks.

Bailey Ober (SP – MIN)

Bailey Ober may have been the most surprising name discussed because his recent success has come despite declining velocity. His fastball has dipped into the upper-80s, yet he has still managed a 3.19 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over the last month.

The explanation centered around deception and extension thanks to Ober’s size, allowing his stuff to play better than the radar gun suggests. There is still some hesitation about trusting him every single start, but the matchup against a struggling Boston lineup was viewed as highly streamable.

For fantasy managers, Ober fits into that category of pitcher who may never look dominant but can still quietly deliver value when the matchup is right.

Fantasy Baseball Takeaways

J.T. Ginn (SP – ATH) looks like the best combination of current production and upside among these streaming pitchers.
Grant Holmes (SP – ATL) is a reasonable back-end starter if you need innings and a chance at a win.
Bryan Torres (OF – CLE) is a deeper-league speed target with strong on-base skills.
Jake Burger (1B – TEX) is riding a hot streak and has favorable matchups for power production this weekend.
Lucas Giolito (SP – SD) remains a speculative upside add as he works back into form.
Bailey Ober (SP – MIN) continues to outperform expectations despite diminished velocity and is usable in favorable matchups.