Welcome to The Game Day’s weekly Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Report, which features a detailed breakdown of the latest free agent recommendations.
This column will feature a description of each player provided, including recent performance and upcoming matchups. Since league formats can vary, I will include a description of where it’s best to pick up each player instead of FAAB projections.
The only players included on this page are those rostered in less than 30% of Yahoo! leagues.
So without further ado, let’s get right into the Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire report for Week 4.
Stats included in the Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Report are as of Sunday, April 21 at noon E.T.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Top Pickups
Catchers
C Travis d’Arnaud (18%) - Atlanta Braves
Travis d’Arnaud has four homers in his last two games. While the former Met hits at the bottom of the Braves lineup (7th/8th), this is a stacked offense providing plenty of RBI opportunities. This is my favorite replacement for Francisco Alvarez.
Tyler Stephenson (9%) - Cincinnati Reds
Tyler Stephenson has homered twice in his last two games, including a grand slam against the Angels. Let’s remember that this is a player who put up a .319 BA with 6 HR in 183 plate appearances. Pick up the Reds catcher in 2-C formats.
Patrick Bailey (6%)
Patrick Bailey is coming off a 4-for-4 game against the Diamondbacks. While it’s a small sample, Bailey has increased his walk rate and trimmed his strikeout rate this season. Perhaps this is the start of a hot streak, making him worth a look in two-catcher formats.
Connor Wong (5%)
Connor Wong has homered twice in his last five games. The Red Sox catcher stole eight bases last season, so there’s some sneaky speed potential here. This is more of a short-term pickup in two-catcher leagues if you’re desperate.
Danny Jansen (4%)
Danny Jansen has returned to the Blue Jays. Let’s remember that this is a hitter who has crushed the ball when healthy, homering 17 times in 301 plate appearances last season. While Jansen will split time with Alejandro Kirk, there’s some long-term appeal in 2-C formats.
Corner Infielders
Josh Bell (25%)
Josh Bell is an everyday player who is slowly starting to get going, hitting two homers in last eight games. The veteran has been a mainstay in the heart of the Marlins lineup, so the counting stats should start to come. Bell has more appeal in OBP leagues due to his strong walk rate.
Alex Kirilloff (13%)
Alex Kirilloff is a platoon bat who gets three righties against the White Sox in the first half of this week. We’ve seen Kirilloff perform well vs right-handed pitching this season, putting up an .849 OPS against them. Grab Kirilloff as a short-term pickup in deeper formats.
Ty France (12%)
Ty France went to Driveline this offseason and we’re seeing positive results, as the veteran has increased his xwOBA from .342 to .379. In other words, he’s generating harder contact at a higher rate. France has some long-term appeal in deeper leagues.
Gabriel Arias (8%)
Gabriel Arias is eligible at 1B, 3B, SS, and OF on Yahoo! The Guardians infielder has gone 11-for-27 (.4o7) with four runs, one homer, and four RBI in his last seven games. If you need some versatility on your bench in a 15-teamer, Arias looks a bit intriguing.
Willi Castro (5%)
Willi Castro can be played at 2B, 3B, SS, and OF on Yahoo! The veteran has started in seven of the last eight games. There’s some stolen base upside here, as Castro swiped 33 bags in only 409 plate appearances in 2023. Pick him up if you need some speed and versatility.
Nolan Schanuel (4%)
Nolan Schanuel finds himself in the Angels lineup against righties. Los Angeles faces seven right-handed pitchers this week. The young first baseman has struggled this year, but this could be the type of week where he gets going. There’s some streaming appeal in deeper leagues.
Wilmer Flores (4%)
Wilmer Flores is a lefty-masher, posting a career .811 OPS against southpaws. The Giants face four lefties this week, including Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea, Marin Perez, and Bailey Falter. Flores looks like a nice streamer, especially in deeper formats.
Ezequiel Duran (3%)
Ezequiel Duran is eligible at 1B, 3B, SS, OF on Yahoo! The Rangers utility man has started in six of the last seven games, hitting safely in four of those matchups. We’ve also seen Duran hit as high as sixth in the lineup, so there’s potential for counting stats here.
Miguel Sano (1%)
Miguel Sano went 3-for-4 with a homer over the weekend. The veteran corner infielder has put up a 12.9% barrel rate, so there’s some power upside here. We’ve also seen Sano hit cleanup in his last six starts. If you need homers in a deep league, give Sano a shot.
Middle Infielders
Jeff McNeil (23%)
Jeff McNeil has gone 6-for-15 (.400) with two runs and one RBI in his last four games. This is a contact hitter who can provide a boost in batting average to your lineup, but don’t expect anything exciting here. Pick him up if you need an infusion of BA.
Blaze Alexander (18%)
Blaze Alexander went 7-for-16 (.438) with three runs, one homer, and nine RBI in his last five games. However, Alexander is mostly a lefty masher, so temper your expectations this week, since the D-Backs only face one left-handed pitcher.
Josh H. Smith (13%)
Josh H. Smith has started in 16 of the last 18 games for the Rangers, mostly batting in the fifth spot during this stretch. The versatile player has hit safely in 15 of those games, so he’s worth a look while he’s swinging the bat well.
Zach Neto (12%)
Zach Neto hasn’t gotten it going yet, slashing .174/.250/.217 with zero homers, but he’s started in all but two games. There’s some speed upside here, with Neto swiping four bags so far this year. There’s a chance that Neto was dropped in your league, so give him a look if you need some stolen bases.
Masyn Winn (10%)
Masyn Winn has provided us with empty average so far, hitting .321 but with zero home runs. However, this is a young shortstop who is playing every day for the Cardinals, giving him some value in deeper formats. Winn has three stolen bases this season.
Luis Garcia Jr. (5%)
Luis Garcia Jr. has looked good this season, batting .288 with one homer and four steals, three of which came in the last three games. The young infielder has an impressive 14.6% barrel rate, so we could be looking at the early stages of a breakout here.
Davis Schneider (4%)
Davis Schneider has started in six of the last eight games for the Blue Jays. We’ve seen an impressive batted ball profile here, as Schneider has put up a 17.2% barrel rate. The young Blue Jay could provide a power boost at middle infield for you.
Abraham Toro (2%)
Abraham Toro has started in 12 consecutive games, 10 of which have come in the leadoff spot. The veteran has a 213 wRC+ this season, albeit in a small sample. The A’s have a four-game series vs the Yankees which includes two lefties, making Toro a streamer in deeper leagues.
Outfielders
Will Benson (28%)
Will Benson has hit in the one or two spot against righties this season. While the young outfielder is only slashing .197/.303/.424, he does have two homers and five steals. Benson’s 13.2% walk rate makes him much better in OBP formats.
Jurickson Profar (27%)
Jurickson Profar has played in every single game for the Padres so far. The veteran outfielder could take advantage of a favorable schedule this week, which includes four matchups at Coors. While Profar isn’t flashy by any means, he’s still a worthy streamer in most formats.
Sal Frelick (25%)
Sal Frelick has hit leadoff for the Brewers in five consecutive games. The young outfielder has a .306 BA with three steals in 81 plate appearances, so there’s appeal for contact, speed, and runs here. Ride the wave with Frelick while he’s in this favorable spot in the lineup.
Ceddanne Rafaela (23%)
Ceddanne Rafaela is starting to bust out of his season-long slump, racking up one homer and two steals in his last three games. This is a young hitter who hit 20 homers with 36 steals across Double-A and Triple-A last season, so pick him up if he was dropped.
Jonatan Clase (20%)
Jonatan Clase has three RBI and one stolen base in four games since being called up. While he’s hitting in the eight or nine spot for the Mariners, there’s a lot of speed upside here. Clase stole 79 bases in the minors last season, so pick him up if you need bags.
Brent Rooker (18%)
Brent Rooker has returned to the A’s, just in time for a series at Yankee Stadium. Let’s remember that the veteran hit 30 homers last season, so he can provide you with some power. Rooker homered on Friday, so perhaps we could see the start of a hot streak.
Andy Pages (13%)
Andy Pages was slashing .371/.452/.694 in 73 plate appearances at Triple-A this year, earning a call-up to the Dodgers. What’s great to see is that Pages has started in all five games so far, so the Dodgers are giving him a shot to show what he can do. Pick him up because there’s long-term appeal here.
Brenton Doyle (12%)
Brenton Doyle has two homers and one steal in his last 12 games, which isn’t particularly exciting. However, he’s an everyday player who gets four games at Coors and two games in Mexico City this week, so this is a phenomenal schedule.
Blake Perkins (8%)
Blake Perkins has gone 9-for-23 (.391) with six runs, one homer, and two RBI in his last six games. While the young outfielder is mostly hitting at the bottom of the order, we did see him get bumped up to fifth on April 21. Ride the wave while Perkins is hot.
Harrison Bader (6%)
Harrison Bader is another red-hot bat who has multi-hit games in five of his last eight matchups. The Mets center fielder has racked up three stolen bases during this stretch, so if you need some speed, pick him up right away in deeper formats.
Johan Rojas (5%)
Johan Rojas is starting to run wild on the basepaths, racking up four steals in his last five games. This is a young hitter who racked up 30 steals in 354 plate appearances at Double-A last season. There’s speed upside here, but not much else, so keep that in mind.
Joc Pederson (4%)
Joc Pederson îs a power bat who plays vs righties, making him worth a look this week because the D-Backs face five right-handers this week. We saw Pederson homer in consecutive games from April 16-17, so he can provide a power boost as a streamer.
Gavin Sheets (4%)
Gavin Sheets is another hitter who plays vs righties, providing power upside whenever a right-hander is on the mound. The great news here is that the White Sox play seven games this week, each of which are vs righties. Sheets is one of my favorite streamers in deeper formats.
Wilyer Abreu (3%)
Wilyer Abreu is starting to heat up, going 10-for-29 (.345) with seven runs, one homer, six RBI, and four steals in his last 10 games. The Red Sox are playing him everyday vs righties, so he’s worth a look with some long-term appeal.
Adam Duvall (2%)
Adam Duvall plays for the Braves vs lefties, which is good news because Atlanta faces four southpaws this week, each of which are at home. We could see Duvall rack up homers and RBI in this stretch, so get him in your lineups in deeper formats.
Richie Palacios (1%)
Richie Palacios has played in three of the last five games for the Rays, going 5-for-12 with six runs, one homer, and two RBI during this stretch. We’ve seen Palacios hit 2nd or 3rd for the Rays in this span. He mostly plays vs righties and the Rays get five of them this week.
DJ Stewart (1%)
DJ Stewart has been rolling lately, going 7-for-21 (.333) with four runs, three homers, 10 RBI, and one steal in his last nine games. The veteran plays vs righties, which is great news because the Mets face five of them this week. Roll with Stewart while he’s hot.
Trevor Larnach (0%)
Trevor Larnach has been started in five consecutive games since being recalled to the Twins, hitting in the heart of the order in four of those matchups. The left-handed hitter gets to face three White Sox righties in the first half of the week, making him a viable streamer in deeper formats.
Starting Pitchers
Casey Mize (27%)
Casey Mize haș allowed only four runs on 10 hits in his last two starts, spanning 11 innings. One of those outings was a tough matchup vs the Rangers, making Mize an appealing play in this week’s start at home vs the Royals.
Clarke Schmidt (24%)
Clarke Schmidt is coming off a solid outing vs the Rays, allowing one run on seven hits in 5.1 hits with zero walks and seven strikeouts. The Yankees righty gets a matchup vs the A’s at home, making him an excellent pickup in all formats. I’ll be looking at betting Schmidt props in this matchup.
- Read our Daily MLB Props to find out the best bets of the day.
Dane Dunning (23%)
Dane Dunning has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his four starts this season. While he’s also racked up 13 walks during his stretch, the veteran gets a matchup at home vs Seattle, who have a 27.2% strikeout rate this season. If you’re desperate for a streamer, pick up Dunning.
Jon Gray (23%)
Jon Gray was used in relief on Saturday, but he’s still expected to start this week, either against the Mariners or Reds (likely Seattle). The veteran righty has 20 strikeouts in his last three appearances, spanning 12.2 innings, so he’s worth a look.
Reese Olson (19%)
Reese Olson looked solid this week, dominating the Rangers for one run and eight strikeouts in 6.1 innings, while limiting the Twins to two earned runs over five innings. The young righty gets a good matchup at home vs the Royals this week.
Ryan Weathers (18%)
Ryan Weathers is coming off a dominant outing vs the Giants, where he went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts. The problem is that Weathers is at the Braves in his first start, but you can use him in his weekend outing vs the Nationals.
Alec Marsh (8%)
Alec Marsh just pitched 5.2 shutout innings with two walks and six strikeouts vs the Orioles. It will be interesting to see if he can keep it rolling vs an inconsistent Blue Jays lineup this week. I’d give him a shot in this spot in deeper formats.
Trevor Williams (8%)
Trevor Williams has a 2.91 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 21.2 innings this season, making him worth a stream on the road against the Marlins. Miami has put up a 69 wRC+ (29th) this year, so this is a terrific matchup. Ride the wave while Williams is in a nice groove.
Andrew Heaney (6%)
Andrew Heaney hasn’t done anything notable this year, but he limited an elite Braves lineup to three runs in five innings in his last outing. We’ve seen Heaney able to rack up strikeouts in the past, so that makes him worth a look against a Mariners lineup that whiffs at a high rate.
Jake Irvin (4%)
Jake Irvin just shut down the Dodgers for six shutout innings. What was most notable about that outing was that Irvin’s velocity was up at least 1 MPH across the board. While a rematch with the Dodgers awaits, there could be some long-term appeal here.
Erick Fedde (4%)
Erick Fedde just turned in his best outing of the season, tossing 5.2 shutout innings against the Royals. This is a two-start pitcher who gets the Twins and Rays this week, making Fedde worth a look, especially in deeper formats.
Cole Irvin (3%)
Cole Irvin has struggled all year, but he cracks this list because he’s got a home start vs the A’s over the weekend. If you need some help with your ratios in deeper leagues, Irvin could be worth a look in 15-team AL-only leagues.
Albert Suarez (0%)
Albert Suarez pitched 5.2 shutout innings against the Twins in his season debut. The veteran put up a 28.4% strikeout rate in spring training this year, so there’s some intrigue here, even in a pretty tough matchup vs an underrated Angels lineup.
Relief Pitchers
Trevor Megill (4%)
Trevor Megill worked in the ninth before being relieved by Joel Payamps on Friday. While Payamps is the favorite for saves, it appears that Megill is ahead of Abner Uribe in the pecking order. There’s some upside that Megill can become the next closer here because the stuff looks elite.
- Check out our Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings to help find out who could be the next hot pickup for saves in your league.
Jose Soriano (4%)
Jose Soriano is a starter, but he’s listed as a reliever on Yahoo! The veteran allowed only one run in five innings vs the Rays. The velocity is high, but so is the walk rate, so temper your expectations. However, the matchup vs the Twins provides upside for a lot of strikeouts.
Tyler Alexander (0%)
Tyler Alexander pitched 5.1 shutout innings vs the Yankees after limiting the Giants to two runs in six innings. We’ve got a good matchup on tap this week against the Tigers, who have put up an 85 wRC+ (T-24th) this season.
Stashes
Max Meyer (28%)
Max Meyer put up a 2.12 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in 17 innings before being sent down to limit his innings. If you have an NA spot in your league, check to see if Meyer was dropped because he could be an impactful arm later in the year.
James Wood (16%)
James Wood is currently slashing .313/.425/.493 with two homers and five steals in 80 plate appearances at Triple-A this season. It feels like he’ll be coming up to help the Nationals sooner rather than later, so stash him in your NA spot.
Joey Loperfido (11%)
Joey Loperfido has a .726 slugging percentage in 88 plate appearances at Triple-A. Jose Abreu has been really struggling for the Astros this season. We could see Loperfido come up to take over first base, but temper your expectations because he has a 34.1 K% in the minors this year.
Orelvis Martinez (8%)
Orelvis Martinez has five homers in 17 games this season. We could see him called up to provide a power boost for the Blue Jays. However, this front office is notoriously conservative with their young players, so don’t hold your breath.
Matt Manning (5%)
Matt Manning has a 38.9% strikeout rate in the minors. The young righty has allowed four runs in two major league starts, spanning 12.1 innings. With Kenta Maeda struggling, we could see Manning take his spot at some point of the season.
Find the top MLB player props
Want to bet on some of your favorite Fantasy players? Find our top odds for MLB player prop bets.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Tips And Strategies
Stay Ahead of the Pack
We will provide you with actionable advice on who to pick up on your fantasy baseball waiver wire each week, allowing you to get ahead of the competition.
It’s always a good idea to look ahead to each player’s schedule to pick up a player before he becomes a hot ticket item in your league.
Save your FAAB
If you’re playing in a FAAB league where you make bids on the waiver wire, make sure not to use up too much of your budget too early in the year.
You’re going to need every one of those dollars as you compete down the stretch. Saving money can allow you to get whoever you want when it comes to August or September.
Balance a Long-Term and Short-Term View
It’s important to balance between taking players who can have long-term value while also looking for short-term help.
You don’t want to always be looking for players who can stick on your roster. It’s also helpful to boost your stats with streamers who have great matchups.
