Austin Lowell | Sun, Jun 7th 2026, 7:59pm EDT

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups by Category (Week 11)

Welcome back to another fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups by category column. If you passed on Roki Sasaki or Jacob Gonzalez last week, make the move for them now. Sasaki is likely already rostered, but Gonzalez is still widely available. The White Sox infielder is going to be a fixture in that lineup even after Munetaka Murakami returns.

You could also look to add back Spencer Jones with Aaron Judge‘s injury. He likely won’t start against lefties, and Giancarlo Stanton‘s return is imminent, but how much time, if any, he can play in the outfield remains to be seen.

This week, we will focus on waiver wire pickups who are widely available. Too often in these types of articles, experts name players who, if you didn’t get in on them early enough, are already long gone.

Only in the shallowest leagues are some of those players available, which isn’t very helpful for a large portion of our readers. I’m here to help those of you who play in leagues where players aren’t readily available.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups by Category

All players listed below are rostered in no more than 28% of Yahoo leagues, with many falling below the 10% mark. Their primary contributions should be attributed under the category in which they’re listed, but most of these players will help you in multiple ways. Without further delay, here are this week’s top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups by category.

RBI

Wade Meckler (OF – LAA): 2%

This is more for extremely deep leagues, but Wade Meckler is now in a prime RBI spot. He has moved up to the third spot in the Angels’ batting order, where he is beneficially slotted in behind Zach Neto and Mike Trout. He’s already collected 10 RBI in 14 games and could be in for a sizable amount more.

Meckler spent five years in the minors honing his craft. He was always a tough out, often hitting above .300 while walking nearly as much as he struck out.

Now the 26-year-old seems to have found a nice home for himself with the team he grew up watching. The former Giant and Orange County native is not only knocking in runs, but he is also hitting .349 with two homers and two stolen bases.

Hitting behind two of the league’s finest makes Meckler a decent addition for those in search of RBI production in deeper leagues.

Batting Average

Jung Hoo Lee (OF – SFG): 28%

Jung Hoo Lee has more hits than outs since his activation nine days ago. He has miraculously gone 22-for-37 (.595) during that span and has shown no signs of slowing down. There’s no reason to overthink it.

Lee had no problem facing the Brewers’ top-notch staff, nor have the Cubs given him any trouble this weekend. He’s set to face Washington to start the week and is a priority pickup for those in search of boosting their batting average.

Runs

Nathan Lukes (OF – TOR): 3%

Nathan Lukes has been extremely effective batting at the top of the order against righties. Since coming off the injured list (IL) just two weeks ago, Lukes is hitting .395 (in 43 at-bats) with seven runs scored.

Lukes doesn’t have much power and doesn’t steal often, but he did score a run every seven at-bats last season. That ratio should continue to climb while he’s hitting well and in front of the Blue Jays’ heart of the order.

The Blue Jays outfielder doesn’t normally start against lefties, so he may be better left to those in daily leagues, but he is hitting .322 on the year against righties. In the prime spot of the order, Lukes should score plenty of runs with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hitting behind him.

Home Runs

Colton Cowser (OF – BAL): 8%

Colton Cowser hit 24 home runs in fewer than 500 at-bats in 2024 and smacked another 16 last year in just over 300 at-bats. After getting off to a slow start this season, Cowser has been raking, knocking out five long balls over his last seven starts.

The bad news is that Cowser doesn’t always start because the Brewers tend to platoon him against left-handed pitchers. He has started the last four games, however, and the team is set to face six righties in a row this week. Cowser is a strong candidate to boost his home run totals for the coming period and beyond.

Stolen Bases

Jake Mangum (OF – PIT): 3%

Jake Mangum has seen his playing time increase in recent days, and the output has been abundant. Not only is he hitting over .500 for the week, but he is also stealing bases. After swiping four this week, he’s up to 10 steals on the season despite rarely starting. Mangum will almost assuredly continue to run as long as he’s given the opportunity to play.

Mangum racked up 27 steals last season for the Rays, and starting often for the Pirates, he could meet or even surpass that number this year. He won’t hit many homers, but his batting average and runs scored complement each other well, with all the steals.

ERA

Christian Scott (SP – NYM): 25%

Christian Scott has been one of the few bright spots in the Mets’ pitching rotation lately, holding opponents to just one run over his last three starts. Even with Kodai Senga set to return, Scott seems to have secured a spot in the rotation, with David Peterson moving to the bullpen.

Scott’s ERA is 2.50 on the season (eight starts), and it is 2.16 over the last month. He has also struck out 41 batters in 36 innings. The 6-foot-4, 26-year-old has given up just one home run this season and deserves consideration in most league types.

WHIP

Troy Melton (SP – DET): 25%

Troy Melton has been nothing short of sensational since coming off the IL. In three starts, the 25-year-old SoCal native has allowed just 12 hits and six walks over 20.1 innings (0.87 WHIP).

Melton is lasting deep into games and is keeping the ball in the park with just one home run allowed. He offers six different pitches, which he’ll throw in any count. The variety has been good enough to keep hitters off balance while putting up zeros.

Melton’s in line for a two-week stretch for the upcoming period, with dual division matchups coming against the Twins and the Guardians. He’s worth a look in most leagues.

Strikeouts

Dustin May (SP – STL): 24%

Dustin May has revamped his pitching arsenal, and it has suddenly become a strikeout-heavy approach. Going with the cutter and curveball more, while throwing fewer sinkers and sliders, May has struck out 25 batters over his last 18 innings.

And it’s not as if he’s facing a lot of hitters — the former Dodger has allowed just 17 base runners during that span. Since April 5th, May has only allowed more than three runs once, when he surrendered four against the Pirates in mid-May.

With the strikeouts continuing to mount and a two-start week on the horizon, May is worth taking the slight risk on.

Wins

Zack Littell (SP – WSH): 18%

Zack Littell has won five games in a row, and yet still no one wants him. He’s allowed just 26 base runners over his last 28 innings and six total runs.

Littell was a top-40 free agent signing this offseason after coming off back-to-back seasons where he produced an ERA below 4.00 and a WHIP below 1.25. He was especially good last season, registering a 1.10 WHIP while nearly covering 200 innings.

The Nationals have been much better than many had predicted, and Littell has been a big reason why. He’s an excellent pickup in deeper leagues and should be considered in some shallow ones to see if the winning streak can continue.

Saves

Alex Lange (RP – KCR): 11%

Alex Lange is the new closer in Kansas City, and there’s little reason to doubt it. Don’t be fooled by the late Sunday afternoon save by Lucas Erceg. Erceg has surrendered 11 runs over his last nine appearances, including at least one run allowed in six of those games. Lange pitching in three of the past four games made him unavailable for Sunday’s game.

Lange collected three saves earlier this week and has allowed just one run dating back to May 10th. The former first-round pick out of LSU secured 26 saves back in 2023 for the Tigers. After dealing with a few injury-plagued seasons, Lange seems ready to be called upon in the ninth inning once again.

Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.

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