Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups by Category (2026)

Welcome back to another fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups by category column. This weekly piece covers players who can help in at least one specific category. For example, if your team is scoring plenty of runs and hitting for a strong average but struggling to steal bases, you can scroll directly to the stolen bases section for a targeted pickup.

While most of these players will contribute across multiple categories, their primary value comes from the one they’re listed under. I also rarely repeat players week to week, so it’s not a bad idea to read previous articles to see if any of those players are still available.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups by Category

Without further delay, here are this week’s top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups by category. All players listed are rostered in fewer than 45% of Yahoo leagues.

Runs

Tristan Peters (OF – CWS): 38%

Tristan Peters went off last week, launching five home runs in five straight days. He pushed his home run total to 12 while driving his average up to .279. He’s also now scored 54 times and knocked in 52 runs. Peters even has seven stolen bases.

The White Sox outfielder has been an on-base machine lately, maintaining an on-base percentage (OBP) over .400, which has allowed his teammates to consistently knock him in. Peters has scored 14 times over his last 73 at-bats, and eight times over his last 42.

The White Sox are in a division race, and with a trip to Houston coming up and seven games on this week’s schedule, look for Peters to continue his run-scoring ways.

Stolen Bases

Walker Jenkins (OF – MIN): 20%

With Byron Buxton back on the injured list (IL), the league’s 15th-ranked prospect now gets his chance. Walker Jenkins may not be the best base stealer, but he will run on occasion while doing a bit of everything else. Unlike those other one-trick pony speedsters, Jenkins possesses a skill set that covers most areas.

The fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft, Jenkins has been on the top prospects list for quite some time. He’s a prime 20/20 candidate next year who can hit over .300, and he walks as much as he strikes out. Jenkins already stole a base in his second MLB game and had a hit in both contests to begin his career.

With Brooks Lee, Kaelen Culpepper and Walker Jenkins, the Twins have a solid nucleus of up-and-coming players. Jenkins and his teammates are worth a look in most leagues.

Batting Average

Javier Sanoja (2B, 3B, SS, OF – MIA): 21%

I still like Alec Bohm here or perhaps Tim Tawa, but I’ve mentioned them in the past, so this week we’re going with Javier Sanoja. Sanoja qualifies at nearly every position, which significantly increases his value. He’s also been hitting consistently.

Sanoja’s hit .318 over the last month and .333 over the last two weeks. He also slugged three homers, stole three bases and drove in 16 RBI this month. He doesn’t get a lot of publicity batting down in the order and playing in Miami, but he’s a solid player who can help raise your batting average and fill in all over the diamond.

RBI

Colton Cowser (OF – BAL): 4%

Colton Cowser‘s more of a short-term pickup, but he’s been mashing lately and has a favorable schedule coming up. Three games in Colorado against subpar righties is exactly the type of matchup fantasy managers are searching for.

Cowser is hitting .340 this month against righties with four home runs. Late summer games in Colorado have all the makings for a high-scoring affair, and with Baltimore still in the playoff hunt, look for the offense to take advantage. Cowser makes for a sneaky add to start the week.

Home Runs

Lazaro Montes (OF – SEA): 3%

The Mariners are calling up their top minor league slugger in Lazaro Montes. He could easily be Joshua Baez 2.0 with all the strikeouts, but his upside is huge. Montes also lacks Baez’s speed. That said, few can come close to Montes’ power output with 38 home runs in the minors.

Montes sports a solid frame at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, and he bats left-handed. The Mariners are dead last in runs scored, so the organization is hoping he can bring some life to an underperforming lineup. He’ll likely sit against left-handed starters, but if you play in a deep enough league and are in a tight race for home runs, Montes could put you over the top.

ERA

Cal Quantrill (SP, RP – TEX): 41%

Cal Quantrill has been electric. The sinkerball specialist has allowed just six earned runs over his last seven games. Since July 28th, the former Guardian has pitched 36.1 innings, posting a 1.48 ERA and an eye-popping 0.798 WHIP. He’s also struck out 36 batters.

The Rangers were wise to move Quantrill into the starting rotation. He’s won two out of his last three starts and hasn’t walked a batter in 20 innings. Quantrill was a solid fantasy asset back in his early days in Cleveland. He’s now once again an excellent addition to help lower your ERA or WHIP.

WHIP

Randy Vasquez (SP, RP – SDP): 22%

Randy Vasquez continues to impress despite not striking many hitters out. Vasquez has a knack for inducing weak contact and regularly missing barrels while filling up the strike zone. Vasquez has allowed just 22 batters to reach base over his last 32.2 innings. Those numbers translate to an impressive WHIP of 0.673.

Vasquez has also done well keeping the opponents off the scoreboard, registering a 2.29 ERA during that time. He’s set up to take on Cincinnati and likely Washington after that. He’s a strong addition while continuing to put up zeros.

Strikeouts

Andrew Painter (SP – PHI): 25%

Andrew Painter has been pitching well lately. The former top prospect struck out 14 batters over his last two starts. He has put together arguably his best run in the Majors, holding opponents to 14 runs over his last six starts. In five out of the last six, Painter has produced a 2.43 ERA. He’s averaging a strikeout per inning over his last six games and is a decent arm to help boost your strikeouts over the final few weeks.

Wins

Eric Lauer (SP, RP – LAD): 11%

Eric Lauer‘s been a bit all over the place this season, but he’s pitched well since joining the Dodgers two months ago. In 13 games with L.A., Lauer’s produced a 3.78 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP.

With Roki Sasaki hitting the IL, the Dodgers are back to using a five-man rotation, which sets up Lauer for two solid starts this week. Lauer’s scheduled to face the Cardinals and Nationals at home — both very winnable matchups. He already has eight wins to his credit and could be in store for a couple more.

Saves

Elvis Alvarado (RP – ATH): 10%

Elvis Alvarado is the new man for saves in Sacramento. The Athletics have finally turned to their flame-throwing righty who regularly reaches 100 miles per hour (MPH) with his heater. He’s racked up three saves over the last seven days and has only allowed the opposing team to score in one out of his last 19 appearances.

Alvarado has been as shut down as they get, and if the Athletics can manage to win a few games, Alvarado should be there to claim the save. He’s worth adding in deeper leagues or anywhere you’re desperate for saves.

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

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Austin Lowell

@AustinLowellMLB

Fantasy baseball is life! I run a site that focuses solely on fantasy baseball. We cover all things such as rankings, projections, updates, strategies, one on one advice, etc. I played baseball growing up, never made it to pro ball, but always had a knack for spotting talent and was always pretty successful betting on games. I am constantly keeping tabs on all things baseball, looking for anything to gain that competitive edge.