Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Nick Kurtz is back, Kyle Teel is here

Yahoo

5 hours ago

Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season.
The premise is pretty straightforward. I'll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I'll list the category where I think he'll be helpful or the quick reason he's listed. I hope it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs.
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For a player to qualify for this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, 'These players aren't available in my league,' and I can't help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they're available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types.
MLB: Tampa Bay Rays at Arizona Diamondbacks
2025 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani & Bobby Witt Jr. lead Top 300 rest of season ranks
Jac Caglianone, Camilo Doval and Addison Barger surge in the June 2 rankings update.
Waiver Wire Hitters
Miguel Vargas - 1B/3B/OF, CWS: 39% rostered
(POST HYPE PROSPECT, EMERGING POWER)
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Earlier this season, Vargas appeared in my article on hitters to add based on their plate discipline and contact rates. Vargas is chasing at a super low rate, making 85% contact overall and rarely swinging and missing. He's pulling the ball slightly less this season and has focused less on lifting the ball, which is a good change. He doesn't smoke the ball, but a 90 mph average exit velocity is pretty good, and he's playing every day in Chicago. He had a really strong month of May and while he has struggled a bit to start June, his plate discipline remains really strong, and so I expect another hot stretch to come.
Tyler Stephenson - C, CIN: 36% rostered
(HOT STREAK, POWER UPSIDE)
Stephenson didn't exactly hit the ground running when he was activated off the IL, but he seems to be turning it on of late, hitting .308./373/.596 over his last 15 games with four home runs and 11 RBIs. I would consider him in one-catcher formats if you don't have the Contreras brothers, Cal Raleigh, Will Smith, Hunter Goodman, Logan O'Hoppe, or Adley Rutschman. If you're looking for an option in a two-catcher format, you can go with Carlos Narvaez - C, BOS (7% rostered). It seems as though Narvaez has emerged as the starting catcher and one of the better rookies in the AL. He was known primarily for his plus defense when he was acquired from the Yankees in a trade this off-season, but he's hitting .277/.355/.440 in 186 plate appearances with five home runs and 19 RBI. He provides top-tier defense behind the plate and is going to start about two-thirds of the games for the Red Sox while hitting near the middle of the order.
Roman Anthony - OF, BOS: 32% rostered
(TOP PROSPECT STASH, POTENTIAL CALL-UP)
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I have no inside information here, but I think Anthony will be called up on Monday before Boston's six-game homestand. The Red Sox still don't have space in the outfield for Anthony, and Rafael Devers said that he won't take reps at 1B, but it's coming to a point where Boston may have no choice but to move Gold Glove CF Ceddanne Rafaela back to the infield or trade Jarren Duran just to get Anthony's bat up. You can't be in a big market like Boston and have your big league team playing this poorly while the top prospect in baseball is hitting .290/.421/.495 with 10 home runs, 44 runs scored, and 29 RBI in 57 games at Triple-A. Anthony has never posted a swinging strike rate above 9% at any step in the minors other than 50 games at High-A in 2023, so he should be a solid batting average asset upon being called up with good power potential and the ability to swipe 5-10 bases. More of a short-term prospect pick-up is Otto Kemp - 2B/3B, PHI (3% rostered). The 25-year-old has been a fixture in our Rotoworld blurbs because he has been crushing Triple-A to the tune of a .313/.416/.594 slash line in 58 games with 14 home runs and 11 steals. He has always posted high swinging strike rates in the minors, and the overall contact rate was just 67% in Triple-A, so don't expect a good batting average, but the power and speed are legit, and he could play regularly with Bryce Harper on the IL. Kemp has also played all over the infield and some outfield, so he could stick as a utility bat when Harper comes back if he hits well enough.
Parker Meadows - OF, DET: 24% rostered
(POWER/SPEED UPSIDE, RETURN FROM THE IL)
Meadows came off the IL this week and went 4-for-19 with three runs scored and two steals. More importantly, he started almost every game in center field and hit lead-off for the AL's best team. He did sit against the one left-handed pitcher they faced, so that may become a regular thing with Javier Baex and Wenceel Perez able to play center field, but Meadows needs to be rostered in way more leagues. Matt Wallner - OF, MIN (13% rostered) also returned from the IL this week and went 5-for-20 with three home runs and four RBI. The power is exactly what you're looking for with Wallner, and he's been batting cleanup against righties, which should provide solid counting stats.
Sal Frelick - OF, MIL: 24% rostered
(CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
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Frelick has been a bit underrated in fantasy circles this season despite hitting .292 with 11 stolen bases on the season. He's primarily a batting average and stolen base asset, but he does help a little bit everywhere and is a solid, deep league player and a fine fifth OF in shallow formats. Another underrated outfielder is Wenceel Perez - OF, DET (2% rostered), who is hitting .294/.351/.647 in 11 games this season with three home runs, four RBI, and seven runs scored. He also hit .242 with nine home runs and nine steals in 112 games as a rookie last season. He's been playing a lot of right field with Kerry Carpenter shifting to DH and Colt Keith riding the bench a lot, and that could be how Detroit approaches this moving forward. He's likely only going to play four games a week, so it's more of a daily moves play or a stash and hope he takes Keith's place permanently.
Nick Kurtz - 1B, ATH: 24% rostered
(RETURN FROM THE IL, POWER UPSIDE)
Nick Kurtz was heating up before landing on the IL with a strained oblique, hitting four home runs in his last five games. The talented rookie is set to come back on Monday, and we know that offense is going to pick up in Sacramento as the weather warms, so I'd be trying to add him in any leagues where he's still available.
Chase Meidroth - 2B/3B/SS, CWS: 23% rostered
(EVERY DAY JOB, MODEST STEALS UPSIDE)
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In 33 games since May 1st, Meidroth is hitting .306/.386/.395 with 15 runs scored, seven steals, two home runs, and a 16/16 K/BB ratio. He's another hitter I'm highlighting on here who is making good swing decisions and succeeding due to a strong understanding of the strike zone. He had never stolen more than 13 bases in a season at the minor league level, so that number is a bit shocking to me, but he can run a bit and is a smart baseball player on a bad team that has no problem taking chances on the bases. Meidroth is also hitting leadoff and playing every day, so he could accumulate runs and steals while hitting for a solid batting average. Another option for similar skills is Ernie Clement - 2B/SS/3B - TOR (19% rostered). Over the same stretch of time, Clement is hitting .297/.339/.449 with three home runs, 18 runs scored, 12 RBI, one steal, and a 14/7 K/BB ratio in 34 games. Even with Andres Gimenez back, Clement is still an everyday player, just at 3B now. The 29-year-old has proved himself to be a solid batting average asset last season, and his multi-position eligibility makes him valuable in deeper leagues.
Ryan O'Hearn - 1B/OF, BAL: 22% rostered
(CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, POWER UPSIDE)
Ryan O'Hearn is a boring veteran who has also been criticized because he was 'blocking' the path of many of the Orioles' top prospects for the last couple of years. However, at this point, Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby are gone, Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser play every day when healthy, Heston Kjerstad has not hit at the MLB level, and the team clearly doesn't trust Coby Mayo as a defender, so maybe we should just embrace O'Hearn for the value that he does bring. O'Hearn isn't going to play against lefties, but he has been producing more than enough against righties. He hits clean-up for the Orioles and is having one of his best seasons by trading a little bit of contact for a slightly more pull-happy approach. He's more of a line drive hitter, so the home run production will come and go, but the quality of contact has been really good, and this lineup should improve when Cowser and Westburg return soon. Abraham Toro - 1B/2B/3B, BOS (3% rostered) is also on a pretty good run of late and has been starting regularly at either first base or third base for Boston. We keep expecting that Boston will trade for a 1B, but if they continue to fall out of playoff contention, they may just stick with Toro, who is 28 years old and hitting .325/.338/.506 in 23 games this season with three home runs, 10 runs scored, and eight RBI. This is probably more of a short-term add but not a bad one in deeper leagues.
Marcelo Mayer - SS, BOS: 19% rostered
(RECENT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
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Both Marcel Mayer and Cole Young - 2B/SS, SEA (5% rostered) are off to slow starts to their big league careers. They're both also likely better real-life players than fantasy players, but they are talented hitters and could work themselves into being strong batting average assets. Mayer has a bit more power and Young has a bit more speed, but they're both worth a shot to be on your bench to see if they can get hot.
Jordan Beck - OF, COL: 19% rostered
(HOME PARK BONUS, PROSPECT GROWTH)
Beck's roster rate has plummeted from 36% last week, and that makes some sense with the Rockies on the road last week, but they're back at home for six games this week. He's a young hitter with some power and speed who has a 14.3% barrel rate on the season. His exit velocities aren't great, but he's pulling and lifting the ball more this year, which is going to help him get to his power. He still has just a 70% contact rate and 14.4% swinging strike rate, so the batting average will likely regress, but the power is intriguing, and you can slot him into your lineup every time the Rockies are at home.
Carlos Santana - 1B, CLE: 19% rostered
(BATTING AVERAGE, RBI UPSIDE)
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Every year, Carlos Santana has strong stretches where his batting average spikes and he drives in a bunch of runs in the middle of the batting order. We are in one of those stretches right now. Over the last month, he has gone 22-for-76 (.289) with three home runs and 13 RBIs. The batting average will likely regress in the coming weeks, and this isn't a pick-up necessarily to hold for the remainder of the season, outside of deeper formats, but Santana is a solid veteran hitter who can be helpful for you when he's riding hot streaks like this. Similarly, veteran Josh Bell - 1B, WAS (6% rostered), has been getting a little hot of late, going 11-for-37 (.297) over his last 11 games with three home runs and seven RBI. It's getting warmer in the Northeast, and the ball is starting to fly a little bit. If Bell continues to produce decent numbers, could he wind up traded to a team like Boston, that might need a corner infield bat?
Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B, CIN: 18% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, RETURN FROM THE IL)
If you thought you were going to sneak CES through on waivers after he was activated from the IL on Saturday, his 2-for-5 day with one home run and three RBI likely didn't help you. He's going to play almost every day for a Reds team that is struggling with injuries and has little to play for this season other than player development. CES has had strikeout issues since being promoted to the big leagues and is not lock to produce, but he's well worth a gamble given his power upside now that he's back and healthy.
Jo Adell - OF, LAA: 7% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, POST-HYPE PROSPECT)
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I know we've done this a bunch with Adell in the past, and I'm not sure I buy it, but I do feel the need to point out that he's been playing well of late. Over his last 27 games, Adell is batting .276/.382/.605 with eight home runs, 14 runs scored, and 14 RBI. More importantly, he has just a 19% strikeout rate over that span, with a 51% hard-hit rate and nine barrels. We've seen Adell have short stretches of improved contact in the past, so there's no guarantee that this sticks, but if it does, he will be a huge fantasy asset. A deep league option primarily for speed is. Jake Meyers - OF, HOU (8% rostered)A few weeks ago, I published an article on hitters who were being more aggressive and swinging at the first pitch more often this year than last year. Myers popped up for me on that leaderboard, and I explained in detail why I'm a fan of his new approach, so you should read that article to check out the analysis; however, I think he's a solid add for steals and something close to a .270 batting average.
Kyle Teel - C, CWS: 6% rostered
(PROSPECT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
Kyle Teel was promoted this weekend and has started three straight games at either catcher or DH. It seems like he's getting a chance to supplant Edgar Quero, who was fairly average in his first 39 MLB games and provided below-average defense. Teel also may have more offensive upside, slashing .295/.394/.492 in 50 games at Triple-A with eight home runs and seven steals. He's worth a look in all two-catcher leagues.
Mike Tauchman - OF, CWS: 6% rostered
(OFF THE IL, PLAYING TIME GUARANTEE)
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Teel's teammate Mike Tauchman has also been playing every day for the White Sox, batting leadoff and hitting .297/.410/.547 in 18 games since coming off the IL with three home runs, 12 runs scored, and 10 RBI. We've seen Tauchman be a solid deeper league fantasy asset in the past, and he may be locking into a strong stretch here as well. The Mets are also giving Starling Marte - OF, NYM (1% rostered) a chance to play more with Mark Vientos on the IL. Brett Baty has cooled a bit of late, and Marte has gone 8-for-25 (.320) in his last 11 games with eight runs scored, two home runs, and a steal. Marte no longer has the stolen base value he used to, but if he's going to DH and hit second regularly for the Mets, there is fantasy value there.
Thairo Estrada- 2B, COL: 6% rostered
(OFF THE IL, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
Estrada was a big late-round favorite of mine early in the season now that he's in Colorado. I think he hurt his fantasy value by playing through injury last year, but he's a .270 15/15 type of talent who will not be playing in Coors Field. A fractured wrist could impact some of that power, but Estrada hit a solid 7-for-23 during his rehab assignment and could be a solid source of batting average and speed while being the likely everyday starter at second base for the Rockies. Colorado has six games at home this week, so fire Estrada up. If you wanted more upside, you could take a gamble on Ronny Maurico - 2B, NYM (12% rostered), who has gone 3-for-16 with one home run and one steal in his first four games since being called up. As I mentioned above, Brett Baty has come back down to earth, and Maurico has all kinds of raw tools. It's unclear what kind of opportunity he'll get, especially when Mark Vientos comes back, but Mauricio could be worth a shot.
Ha-Seong Kim - SS, TB: 4% rostered)
(IL STASH, SPEED UPSIDE)
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If you have space for a bench stash, Kim is another possible option if you need speed. He's currently in Triple-A on a rehab assignment, so it feels like maybe one or two more weeks until we see Kim back up, but he should play every day for the Rays, who may also then ship him away at the trade deadline. Even if that happens, Kim would have value wherever he winds up, so now may be the time to stash him.
Waiver Wire Pitchers
Eury Perez - SP, MIA: 44% rostered
Yes, Perez doesn't technically qualify for this list since he's rostered in too many leagues, but he's set to make his season debut on Monday in Pittsburgh and gets a nice two-start week against Washington as well. Perez is a high-end talent and could be one of the more exciting pitchers in baseball...in 2026. He's coming back from Tommy John surgery and one a bad team that isn't playing for anything. I doubt they push him past five innings in most starts, and his chances for wins are really small. He's talented, so he'll be worth streaming in some starts and picking up in deeper formats, but I wouldn't add him expecting a "league winner" or whatever. I would much rather be adding Mick Abel - SP, PHI (43% rostered), who also doesn't qualify for this list. Given Aaron Nola's struggles this year and his setback on his rehab, I think it's possible Abel is in the Phillies' rotation for much, if not all, of June. If he pitches well enough, they could trade Ranger Suarez for bullpen help or an outfielder and open up a spot in the rotation for Abel. Or maybe trade Abel to the Red Sox in a package for Jarren Duran. Would love that for both teams.
Bubba Chandler - SP, PIT: 32% rostered
Much like with Roman Anthony, we have no idea when Chandler will be up this season, but it feels like it has to be soon. He has dominated Triple-A this year and has nothing left to prove. I know waiting is hard, but if you have the bench space for a stash, I think Chandler is the one.
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Edward Cabrera - SP, MIA: 24% rostered
Cabrera was confusingly pulled after 63 pitches and four innings on Friday, but I had liked what I saw before his exit. The right-hander has long tantalized with his upside and disappointed with his command, but he is making some pitch mix changes that caught my attention. I dug into him for my starting pitcher news column last week, so I'd encourage you to check that out for a more detailed breakdown.
Shane Smith - SP, CWS: 24% rostered
It's rare you see a pitcher with a 2.45 ERA and 23% strikeout rate across 62 innings be rostered in so few leagues. But I guess that's what happens when you're on the White Sox. Smith has slowed a little bit of late, with two poor starts against the Mets and Mariners, but bounced back this week against the Tigers a bit. He has gone six innings only three times this season and has only two wins, so that can make him tough to start, but the ratios and strikeouts have been pretty good these past 6 weeks. Also, just some respect for Smith's teammate Adrian Houser - SP, CWS (4% rostered), who has a 1.48 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in 24.1 innings for the White Sox this season. It's still Houser, and he pitches for the second-worst team in baseball, so there's not tons of upside here, but he's been really good so far.
Zebby Matthews - SP, MIN: 21% rostered
With Pablo Lopez on the IL for the next two months or longer, the Twins will have both Zebby Matthews and David Festa in the rotation. I know Rocco Baldelli loves to pull them after 4.2 innings, but he realistically can't do that with two pitchers in his starting rotation for two months. His bullpen will fall apart. Zebby has the better track record of pitching deep into games, and if we get Zebby as a 6+ inning pitcher, I buy the upside here. Also, Chris Paddack - SP, MIN (34% rostered) has been solid this year and isn't getting enough respect. I covered him in the same article as Cabrera, linked above, so I'd recommend checking that out.
Robert Garcia - RP, TEX: 19% rostered
Garcia is now the closer in Texas. I think. I have no idea. He had the last two save conversions for the Rangers, but then "blew" a save against the Rays this weekend. In truth, that was one of the unluckiest blown saves I've seen with TWO runners scoring on THE SAME infield single. Two of the three hits Garcia gave up in that inning were infield singles. It feels like a fluky poor performance. However, Chris Martin - RP, TEX (21% rostered) is also returning from the IL and could get right back into the closer conversation as well.
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Ryne Nelson - SP, ARI: 6% rostered
I know his start this weekend was brutal, but it was also in Cincinnati, where we know we tend to want to avoid using our starters. I just wanted to highlight Nelson here because I think he's in the Diamondbacks rotation for the rest of the season. I expect them to be sellers at the deadline, which could mean moving Zac Gallen too. Nelson has some warts as a pitcher, but he was good in the rotation last season, and I expect him to settle in and be just fine for Arizona.
Pierce Johnson - RP, ATL: 1% rostered
It's been a really rough season for Raisel Iglesias. The Braves are also quickly falling out of playoff contention, Spencer Strider is not himself, and Marcell Ozuna is playing through a torn hip. This team could easily sell at the deadline, and even if they didn't do a full sell, trading away a struggling veteran reliever to a contender who may want Iglesias is not a bad idea. The Braves could get an interesting prospect or two and easily find a new closer for next season. Pierce Johnson did give up a huge home run to Matt Chapman, but he's been pretty good this season and feels like a solid gamble for saves. You could also try Kirby Yates - RP, LAD (39% rostered), who's off the IL and could sneak into a save share with the Dodgers.
STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS
MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order)