Welcome back to another fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups by category column. While last week’s piece focused on widely available players (10% or lower rostership), this week I’ll turn my attention to recent call-ups and categorize how they can help you.
With so many promotions, it’s hard to keep track. Do you drop your struggling veteran or middle-of-the-road starter for the league’s hottest new additions? Will the early performances last?
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I tend to weigh each one of these potential moves individually. But my overall take is that if an offensive player is putting up big numbers in the minors while keeping strikeouts low, he’s worth a shot. That goes for any player brought up, regardless of whether they were ever considered a top prospect.
For pitchers, it’s a bit more complicated, but a good barometer is always the strikeout-to-walk ratio. If a pitcher is striking out a ton of batters (over 10 K/9 or a strikeout rate above 28%) and keeping their walks low (below 2.5 BB/9 or an 8% walk rate), that is usually a high-priority pickup. There are, of course, other factors to weigh in, but these are good places to start.
There are also players who are just extremely talented athletes who can help you in a multitude of ways. We’ve got a few of those players right off the bat, so let’s get right to it.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups by Category
All listed players are rostered in fewer than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
Stolen Bases
Cole Carrigg (OF – COL): 10%
Cole Carrigg is a lightning-quick, athletic baseball player. Rockies fans have long awaited his promotion, and after a slew of injuries to Colorado’s outfield, he’s finally getting his opportunity.
Carrigg stole 30 bags this year in Triple-A. He had just 257 plate appearances. Carrigg swiped 46 bases last season in the minors and 53 the year prior. Carrigg’s .338 batting average this season is a strong reflection of his 5% K-BB rate.
Carrigg hasn’t attempted a stolen base in the Majors, but for good reason. Two of his four hits so far left the yard, and another was a triple. Carrigg slugged .529 this year down on the farm and is exactly the type of jack-of-all-trades player you want on your roster. He’s worth starting in five-outfielder leagues.
Runs
Braden Montgomery (OF – CWS): 37%
The former 12th overall pick from just two years ago is off to a solid start for the White Sox. Braden Montgomery has already scored four runs in his first five MLB games. He’s an outfielder who can do it all with the bat and glove, and he also has plenty of speed on the basepaths.
The former college star should receive ample playing time and is an excellent addition to any deep league roster. The ChiSox are all in on their youth movement, and the switch-hitting Montgomery should be a big part of it moving forward.
Home Runs
Royce Lewis (1B, 3B – MIN): 34%
Royce Lewis was terrible to start the year, but after a quick turnaround in the minor leagues, Lewis is back up and mashing homers.
Lewis spent just over two weeks in Triple-A, where he launched 10 home runs, drove in 26 RBI and hit over .300. Whatever seemed to click there has carried over so far. A former top prospect, Lewis has hit three homers this week and is now acting as the Twins’ cleanup hitter.
Lewis is 10 for his last 24 with just three strikeouts and a 47% hard-hit rate. He should be starting in all leagues.
RBI
Dalton Rushing (C – LAD): 28%
Will Smith hitting the injured list (IL) opens up a nice opportunity for one of the league’s better backup catchers. Dalton Rushing would be starting on a number of other MLB clubs, but with the Dodgers, he’s been limited to backup duty. With that no longer being the case, Rushing could produce like a top-10 option at the position while Smith is out.
Rushing has 21 RBI in just 115 at-bats. He’s also clubbed eight home runs and is sporting an impressive .886 OPS. Rushing is worth an immediate add everywhere he’s still available.
Batting Average
Blaze Jordan (1B, 3B – STL): 11%
Blaze Jordan has hit the ground running for the Cardinals, connecting for a home run, a triple and two singles in just his first two games.
Similarly, Jordan was an extremely tough out down on the farm this year, striking out just over 10% of the time while hitting above .300 and slugging nearly .550.
The Red Sox are feeling the impact of this trade after moving Jordan for Steven Matz at the 2025 deadline. Blaze should continue to start for the Cardinals in the near future, where he’ll likely keep racking up hits in bunches.
Samad Taylor (2B, OF – SDP): 4%
Samad Taylor isn’t a bad option for average either, but he’s striking out a bit too much for my liking. He also doesn’t possess a ton of power. But in the deepest of leagues, Taylor is worth considering after going seven for 24 with eight RBI to start his tenure with the Padres.
WHIP
Stephen Kolek (SP – KCR): 36%
Stephen Kolek has been quietly one of the better arms in the American League over the last month. He limits hard contact and rarely gives up a home run. He also doesn’t allow many free passes.
Kolek won’t strike out the world, but he works the zone well and keeps exit velocities to a minimum. He just shut down the Astros on Sunday and is in line to face the Cardinals at home later this week. Kolek will take a 2.68 ERA and 1.08 WHIP into that contest.
ERA
Javier Assad (SP – CHC): 8%
Javier Assad has never finished a season with an ERA above 3.75. He was once considered a big part of the Cubs’ future, but inconsistencies and injuries slowly derailed the righty from Mexico.
With those injuries behind him, Assad seems to have found his footing, producing back-to-back dominant outings. Assad held the Giants to zero runs and just four hits with two walks over 12.1 innings in back-to-back outings.
The 28-year-old was called up to fill in for an injury-ravaged rotation, and Assad could be just what the doctor ordered. It’ll be interesting to see how he does next time out against the Rockies. Thankfully, he gets to face them at home. Assad is worth a look in deeper leagues.
Wins
Ian Seymour (RP – TBR): 9%
Ian Seymour is likely to continue working with an opener, but that could work in his favor. He may not last the required five innings every time out, but working as the bulk reliever, Seymour could be in line for a handful of victories.
It was a somewhat surprising move when the Rays decided to put Seymour in the bullpen last season. Granted, they didn’t have a lot of room in their starting rotation, but Seymour was one of their top young starters in the minor leagues and hasn’t been great out of the bullpen so far.
As a starter or bulk reliever, though, Seymour has fared much better. Last season, he posted a 3.16 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP, and this season he’s off to a similar start.
Seymour allowed just one hit in his start against Boston earlier this week. He’s much more comfortable starting or working in bulk and makes for a nice sleeper in deeper leagues.
Strikeouts
Sean Burke (RP, SP – CWS): 23%
Sean Burke has faced tough competition recently, leading to less-than-ideal results. However, the strikeouts continue to mount, as he’s now reached 73 in as many innings. He’s been especially dominant in the whiff category lately, amassing 27 strikeouts over 20.2 innings.
The Dodgers and Phillies roughed him up a bit, but he’s set to take on Detroit later this week, whom he held to just one run to go along with six strikeouts back on May 31st.
Burke isn’t the most exciting addition, but if you can add him later in the week, he could reward you with some solid strikeout totals over the next few rotations.
Saves
Jacob Latz (SP, RP – TEX): 46%
How is Jacob Latz still available in over half of Yahoo leagues? If you play in a league where saves count, Latz should absolutely be rostered and started. I mentioned him back at the beginning of the season, but after such a dominant stretch, I figured I’d highlight him once again.
Over his last seven innings, Latz has struck out 10 batters while allowing zero runs. Only five baserunners have reached base in those appearances, and he’s racked up four saves during that span. Latz is the standalone closer in Texas and has the stuff to hold onto the job all season long.
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Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.
