Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 6 (2026)

The waiver wire is often loaded in May. 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.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

All players listed are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues.

Travis Bazzana (2B – CLE): 31% Rostered

The Guardians called up top prospect Travis Bazzana this past week and are currently on a three-game win streak. Coincidence? I think not.

Bazzana’s profile is weird. He strikes out often, but also walks often. This type of patience is not bad, yet we will not reap as much fantasy value from Bazzana if he is not swinging. The former first overall pick has a keen eye, solid power and quality speed. Unfortunately, he did not produce many home runs or stolen bases in the minors until this season’s stint in Triple-A. The good news is that he is capable and was not rushed to the league.

Bazzana has five walks in 18 plate appearances through four games, with just one hit, two RBI and three runs. As things stand, he is hitting towards the bottom of the Guardians’ lineup, but could move up if his walk rate sustains an elite mark.

Incumbent leadoff hitter Steven Kwan is struggling this season (81 wRC+), and the Guardians’ offense is in the bottom 10 this season. A spark, like moving Kwan down and moving Bazanna up, is possible if Kwan’s slow start continues.

In n-base percentage (OBP) leagues of 10+ teams, Bazzana should be universally rostered. In shallow leagues with average as a category or in points leagues that count strikeouts, you can hold off for the time being.

Nathaniel Lowe (1B – CIN): 6% Rostered

The Reds lost Eugenio Suarez (oblique) to the 15-day injured list (IL) last week, but have gained a boost with Nathaniel Lowe in the lineup regularly. Lowe is slashing .288/.364/.627 this season with five home runs, eight runs and 15 RBI.

The former (current?) fantasy baseball staple had a down season with the Nationals last year. He posted a career-low 86 wrC+ with his worst strikeout rate (26.5%) since 2020 with the Rays. However, Lowe showed signs of life with the Red Sox in 34 games and earned a roster spot with the Reds this season.

Lowe’s torrid pace will slow down in the coming weeks. Nevertheless, with the hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ball Park, a talented Reds’ offense in front of him and an improved approach, he could be valuable in fantasy, even when Suarez returns. Lowe should be rostered in 12+ team leagues for the time being.

Casey Schmitt (1B, 2B, 3B – SFG): 16% Rostered

The Giants are not producing much fantasy or real-life value, but Casey Schmitt is intriguing nonetheless. He is a former second-round pick who has three years of sporadic MLB experience. He has not played a full season yet, but he is playing every day to start this season.

From 2023 to 2024, Schmitt had better splits against left-handed pitching and was likely left in a short-side platoon to optimize his production. However, he produced an extreme split in favor of him against right-handed pitching last season.

With an everyday role this season, Schmitt has four home runs, a 142 wRC+ and a .300/.349/.520 slash-line through 109 plate appearances. He is not amassing significant counting stats due to the lowly state of the Giants’ offense.

Even with expected regression from the brand names (Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman) in San Francisco’s lineup, Schmitt is stuck in an average offense. The good news is that he is hitting toward the top of the order in recent games and should at least get an extra plate appearance per game, relative to his early-season starts at the bottom of the order.

Schmitt is best left alone in shallower leagues, but in deeper formats, he should be rostered as a second base or middle infield option.

Max Meyer (SP – MIA): 26% Rostered

Max Meyer just finished an excellent two-start week. He pitched a combined 12 innings between his April 26th and May 2nd starts, with 12 strikeouts, five hits, two walks and zero earned runs allowed. Meyer’s ERA this season is an excellent 2.68, but his peripherals lag by a full run.

Some luck is at play with Meyer’s start to the 2026 season. He has a .240 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) against him (his career rate is .295) and a 5.7% home runs to fly ball rate (career rate is 17.8%).

Meanwhile, there have not been significant changes to Meyer’s pitching profile, aside from increased slider usage. Meyer is a rare slider-first starting pitcher, with a 53% rate this season. This is helping him achieve career-high strikeout and walk rates of 26% and 8.4%, respectively.

Meyer should be rostered in most leagues given his pedigree and performance thus far, but he should be expected to perform closer to a mid-3.00 ERA rather than a mid-2.00 ERA as we have seen this season.

Christian Scott (SP – NYM): 4% Rostered

Christian Scott made his presence known in his second opportunity this season. He pitched a gem in Anaheim with eight strikeouts in five innings. Scott gave up three hits and two earned runs, but allowed zero walks. This start makes up for Scott’s disastrous first outing against the Twins last month.

With David Peterson struggling, Kodai Senga on IL and the Mets needing a real spark, Scott should remain in the rotation for as long as he can perform well. The former top pitching prospect initially debuted in 2024, but Tommy John surgery took away his entire 2025 season.

With his pedigree, increased velocity and recent performance, Scott should be rostered in all 12+ team leagues for the time being. His next start comes in Colorado, but he can be forgiven if it goes poorly.

Kyle Finnegan (RP – DET): 10% Rostered

The Tigers will likely be making a change at closer. Veteran Kenley Jansen (groin) is struggling and day-to-day, while last year’s primary closer Will Vest (forearm) is on the IL. Kyle Finnegan is the logical replacement, despite his poor peripheral stats to start 2026.

Finnegan has not generated many strikeouts this season, which explains his 5.08 xFIP. However, through his last five outings, Finnegan has eight strikeouts and one run allowed in 5.2 innings. This is a small sample trend, but it carried over the gains the former Nationals closer has made with the Tigers.

In 18 innings with Detroit after being traded, Finnegan posted an incredible 1.50 ERA, 2.21 xERA, 2.10 xFIP and 2.14 SIERA. Finnegan has five saves with the Tigers already, but just one this season. If he can somehow regain that 2025 Detroit form, he could be one of the more valuable closers in baseball on a winning Tigers team.

Jack Perkins (RP – ATH): 23% Rostered

Jack Perkins has a 2.70 ERA this season backed by a 3.41 xERA, 3.00 xFIP and a 2.43 SIERA. His K-BB is an elite 25.5%, and he has three of the Athletics’ past four saves. While he is one of three Athletics with at least three saves, his performance this season has been the most dominant.

The only concern with Perkins is whether the Athletics convert him back to a starter, given their poor team performance and his stuff playing so well. This will come down to whether they value Perkins as a future core piece of the organization or a trade piece.

If Perkins is a trade piece, they will likely keep him in the ninth inning to display his shut-down ability, while his stuff plays up. In this case, expect Perkins to be one of the better closers in baseball until the trade deadline. He should be picked up in all formats.

Jacob Latz (SP, RP – TEX): 24% Rostered

The Rangers have a new closer as well. After experimenting with former starter Jakob Junis, lefty Jacob Latz has established himself as the best ninth-inning option. Latz has a 1.02 ERA in 17.2 innings, backed by a 1.74 xERA, 3.81 xFIP and 3.33 SIERA. He is getting lucky on fly balls, but should remain a valuable reliever even with impending regression.

The Rangers did not address the bullpen significantly in the offseason, leaving Latz as the best option for closing duties, despite beginning the season as a spot starter/long reliever.

Notably, Latz has all of the Rangers’ past three save opportunities. He should be rostered in every league where he is eligible as a starting pitcher. Still, he can be left as a tertiary relief pitcher option in leagues where the other two relievers discussed in this piece are available.