Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Starting pitchers galore, can we believe in Hyeseong Kim?

NBC Sports

18-05-2025

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 that it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs or not.
For a player to qualify to be on 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 in all league types.
Matthew Pouliot,
Waiver Wire Hitters
Victor Scott II - OF, STL, 39% rostered
(EVERY DAY ROLE, SPEED UPSIDE)
Situations like Scott's confuse me. Everybody was rushing to add him last year, and it didn't pan out. Now, Scott is hitting .264 with 13 steals on the season, and people don't seem to want to pick him up. Two weeks ago, I posted an article about hitters who could be worth adding/trading for based on their contact rates and swing rates. Scott popped in that article. There's more detail in the article, but I like a lot of what he's doing in terms of his swing decisions. I need him to focus more on line drives and hard groundballs, and I think we could see a strong stretch of production in the coming weeks. Chandler Simpson - OF, TB (27% rostered) is also still available in a lot of leagues. I don't get it. He's hitting .301 with nine steals and 15 runs in 25 games? What did we expect him to be? He's not going to hit for power, but he hits at the top of the order against right-handed pitching and will run whenever he gets on.
Rhys Hoskins - 1B, MIL: 37% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, FINALLY HEALTHY)
This is my third week with Hoskins in this column, but I'm going to keep him here until people buy in because he's hitting .285/.389/.445 with five home runs and 24 RBI in 43 games. I bought in on Rhys Hoskins during spring training because he talked about being fully healthy after ACL surgery in 2023. He also changed his stance to quiet his head and improve his contact. The results didn't come right at the start of the season, but we're starting to see them now. We know he's not going to be a major batting average asset, but he likely won't be a drain either. I like his ballpark, and I like his lineup, so I have no problem adding Hoskins anywhere he's available right now. Max Muncy - 3B, LAD (34% rostered) is another veteran who made a tweak and has started to heat up of late. Except, Muncy's tweak was to start wearing prescription glasses starting on May 5th. Since then, Muncy is hitting .275/.375/.475 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 11 games. A lot of that did come in an offensive series against the Athletics, but Muncy also has eight strikeouts to seven walks over that span, so it's pretty clear that he's seeing the ball better.
Brandon Lowe - 2B, TB: 36% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, HOT STREAK)
Brandon Lowe is another veteran who is starting to settle into himself a bit. Over his last 12 games, he's hitting just .256 with three home runs, eight runs scored, nine RBI, and a 14% barrel rate. We know the batting average will fluctuate up and down with Lowe, but we also know he's going to hit second in the order against right-handers and could easily carry a few balls out of that minor league ballpark when the weather starts to heat up. Jake Cronenworth - 1B/2B, SD (33% rostered) came off the IL on May 9th and has gone 8-for-27 with one home run, five RBI, and five runs scored in eight games. He's a bit boring for fantasy, but that doesn't mean he's bad. He's going to play every day in a solid Padres lineup and has always been about a .240 hitter with 15+ home run power who will drive in some runs hitting behind Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill, and Manny Machado.
Hyeseong Kim - 2B/SS, LAD: 34% rostered
(PLAYING TIME UPSIDE, STEALS UPSIDE)
Hyeseong Kim is such a tough decision this weekend in fantasy. He's gone 14-for-31 (.452) since being called up with nine runs scored, one home run, and three steals. However, his average exit velocity is just 87.1 mph, and has a 73% contact rate overall, which jives with what he did in the minors, hitting .252 in 131 plate appearances at Triple-A with a 12% swinging strike rate. His overall contact rate of 75% at Triple-A is fine, but suggests there will be some swing and miss at the big league level, and even though he had a few huge home runs that we saw on Twitter, his average exit velocity at Triple-A was 87.3 mph. The other question is where he plays when Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez both come back, which is likely to be next week. James Outman is almost assuredly getting sent down, but if the Dodgers want to keep Kim on the active roster, they'll need to DFA one of Chris Taylor, Enrique Hernandez, or Michael Conforto. The Dodgers have historically been hesitant to move on from those long-tenured veterans, so it will be an interesting decision to see. If Kim does stay up, he'd be the regular second baseman and sit against all lefties, which would still give him solid value for speed.
Colt Keith - 1B/2B, DET: 19% rostered
(HOT STREAK, POST HYPE PROSPECT)
It was a slow start to the season for Keith, but he has come alive of late. Since May 1st, he's hitting .317/.391/.585 with three home runs, 12 runs scored, and seven RBI. While we do have to acknowledge that some of that is connected to Coors Field, Keith also has a 9.4% barrel rate on the season and is chasing outside of the zone way less this year. His overall contact profile hasn't changed a lot, but he's being more selective, which is working for him. He's not a prototypical 1B from a power perspective, but he had an elite hit tool as a prospect and hits near the top of a decent Tigers lineup. There's a chance that he's a 20 HR bat, so if he can hit .260 that's great production at 2B and solid production at CI. With Colorado heading back home this week, you could take a flyer on Ryan McMahon - 3B, COL (33% rostered), who is hitting .333/..443/.667 in May with four home runs, 13 runs scored, and seven RBI. I covered McMahon two weeks ago in my article on hitters swinging at the first pitch more often, and was confused why he was struggling so much. I mentioned that his bat speed is almost two mph faster than last year, and his average exit velocity has jumped to 94.1 mph, and I believed that, 'at some point, you have to think the hits will start to fall.' Maybe now they have.
Evan Carter - OF, TEX: 12% rostered
(RETURN FROM MINORS, POST HYPE PROSPECT)
I know Evan Carter hasn't been good since being called up, but he's back in Texas and playing regularly against right-handed pitching, so he remains a potential add in deeper formats. After a slow start to his Triple-A season, he was hitting .288 with three HRs and four steals in his final 12 games. Since coming up, he's gone 6-for-33 (.182) with one home run, but he does have three steals, so he's going to run when he gets on. He's going to sit versus lefties and the back injury will always be a black cloud hanging over him, but he's a talented player and was my off-season pick to be a second-year breakout hitter, so I believe he's worth a flier in most league types. In deep formats, you might decide to pivot to an option like Trevor Larnach - OF, MIN (13% rostered), who's hitting .280 over his last 27 games with seven home runs, 18 runs scored, and 19 RBI. He's going to sit against all left-handed pitchers, but that platoon role has allowed him to thrive and put up really solid numbers, so he's especially interesting in daily moves leagues.
Luisangel Acuna - 2B/SS, NYM: 11% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, SPEED UPSIDE)
Last week, I mentioned that Jesse Winker's injury was likely to open up playing time for Acuña, and the young middle infielder started four of the six games heading into Sunday. Mark Vientos started all six, and Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil both started three. With Winker out six weeks, the Mets could move Vientos to DH sometimes and let Acuña play 3B, or let veterans like Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo DH at times and play Acuña at 2B. Brett Baty being up complicates this a bit, but Acuña brings plus defense and a speed and batting average upside that Baty doesn't have. I guess we should address the Brett Baty - 3B, NYM (8% rostered) call-up. At this point, you've probably picked up and dropped Baty three or four times in your fantasy league over the years. However, he has come back up from AAA and hit three home runs in the last two games and started each of the last three games at 3B for the Mets, so we can't just ignore that. All of what I said above means that Baty could also get a chance at regular playing time again in New York, and so, in deeper format, that might be worth a gamble if you're struggling at third base. I just can't bid a lot of money here because it could implode at any minute.
Gavin Sheets - 1B/OF, SD: 15% rostered
(EVERY DAY PLAYER, RBI UPSIDE)
Sheets' recent numbers are certainly skewed by the trip to Coors Field last week; however, he is hitting .290/.343/.481 on the season with six home runs, so he has been productive for the Padres this year. He starts against all right-handed pitching and is hitting in the middle of a lineup that features a lot of strong bats, which means he has a good chance for RBI upside. His multi-position eligibility also makes him a bit more valuable, and he's an add I like in daily moves leagues. Another deeper league multi-position add could be Kody Clemens - 1B/2B/3B, MIN (1% rostered). He had been playing some first base when Ty France was banged up, and now he's starting regularly at second base with Brooks Lee shifting to shortstop while Carlos Correa is on the concussion IL. Clemens will likely sit against left-handed pitching, which makes him a tougher add for this week, but he has three home runs, two doubles, and a 17% barrel rate in 45 plate appearances this season, so I like what he's doing. His contact rates are strong, and he's aggressive in the strike zone, so he could be a decent short-term add.
Jake Meyers - OF, HOU: 9% rostered
(SPEED UPSIDE, STARTING JOB)
Last week, 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. Fantasy managers in deep leagues could also gamble on Angels rookie Matthew Lugo - OF, LAA (1% rostered), who has gone 8-for-21 (.381) in eight games since being called up with three home runs and six RBI. Lugo is a former second-round pick of the Red Sox who came to the Angels last year at the trade deadline. He has never been a huge power hitter, but he did have 17 home runs and 16 steals in 79 minor league games last year, so there is some 20/20 upside here if he hits his ceiling. He doesn't have elite high-end exit velocity, but he makes hard contact regularly and has a pull-heavy approach, which helps him get to that power. However, he did have a 14.5% swinging strike rate in Triple-A this year and just a 73% contact rate, so don't expect the batting average to remain all that high.
Trey Sweeney - SS, DET: 10% rostered
(EVERY DAY JOB, POTENTIAL BREAKOUT)
A few weeks ago, I published an article on hitters who were making elite swing decisions and contact and could be in for hot streaks. Sweeney just barely qualified for the leaderboard, but I opted to leave him out of the article because I had doubts about him, and I had covered a lot of hitters already. That was a mistake. I should have trusted my thought process for the article and at least put Sweeney in the article to explain why he was there, and what my doubts were. It appears that my doubts may have been partially unfounded because Sweeney has been on a bit of a hot streak that began before he even went to Coors Field. I don't know how long this hot streak will last, but he's playing every day in Detroit and making good swing decisions, so that makes him worth an add in deeper formats.
Drake Baldwin - C, ATL: 9% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, TOP TIER PROSPECT)
Baldwin is in a timeshare with Sean Murphy in Atlanta, but it seems like Baldwin has become the preferred option against right-handed pitching since he hits left-handed. On the season, Baldwin is hitting .360/.407.573 in 81 plate appearances with four home runs, 13 strikeouts, and eight walks. The production has been there, and if he's now going to start 60-70% of the games, that makes him worth adding in all two-catcher formats. I would rather place bids on Baldwin than I would on either of the other two catchers who came up this week: Dalton Rushing - C/OF, LAD (17% rostered) and Moises Ballesteros - C, CHC (7% rostered). I understand that Rushing is a good prospect and looked strong in his first two games, but Dave Roberts has already said that Rushing won't play the outfield with the Dodgers and will catch two games a week. With Shohei Ohtani locked in as the DH, you can maybe hope Rushing gets one start a week at 1B when the team rests Freddie Freeman, but that's three starts per week for Rushing. It's just hard to bid on him if that's all we're going to get. Ballesteros is in a similar spot. Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya are playing well, and both have no minor league options remaining. When Ian Happ comes back, likely next week, all of Happ, Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki, and Pete Crow-Armstrong need to play so the DH spot will be locked up. I just don't see any room for Ballesteros to remain with the Cubs for now.
Marcelo Mayer - SS, BOS: 8% rostered
(MINOR LEAGUE STASH, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
If you spend any time on social media, then you know that everybody is clamoring to find out how the Red Sox are going to call up Mayer and Roman Anthony. Well, we got a glimpse at one possibility on Friday when videos surfaced of Kristian Campbell doing pre-game work at first base. Campbell moved all around the field in the minors and has graded out below average at second base (a new position for him), so it makes sense for Boston to see how he can handle 1B. That would also open up a middle infield spot for Mayer, who is hitting .274/.351/.486 in 37 games at Triple-A with eight home runs. He's ready, and he'll be an impactful bat early on but more for batting average than anything. Another stash option would be Jerar Encarnacion - OF, SF (1% rostered), who is on a rehab assignment after having wrist surgery back at the end of spring training. We know the immense power he possesses, and the Giants have said they're going to play him at 1B primarily when he comes back, so that will add multi-position eligibility to his case for your roster.
Addison Barger - 3B/OF, TOR: 5% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)
I was a fan of Addison Barger in the spring when he was all over the spring training leaderboards, and then I read about how the Blue Jays tried to change his swing upon his arrival in the big leagues and how it didn't work. He has now gone back to a more 'free' swing that he says stops him from overthinking in the box and just lets him be loose. We obviously love to hear that, and I think Barger has a profile that the Blue Jays need. So many of their hitters are contact-first bats (Bichette, Clement, Springer, Kirk). I think Barger is a nice fit as more of a pull-heavy hitter who tries to do damage when he swings. That may lead to a .240-.250 type of hitter, but I believe in his batted ball quality and think he could push to be the Blue Jays' third baseman for the season. Miguel Vargas - 3B/OF, CWS (5% rostered) appeared in my article two weeks ago on hitters to add based on their plate discipline and contact rates. Vargas is chasing at a super low rate, making 83% 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 90.3 mph average exit velocity is pretty good, and he's playing every day in Chicago. He's limited to deeper leagues right now, but I still think he's worth an add there because the production he's put up over the last month matches the process.
Miguel Andujar - 3B/OF, ATH: 4% rostered
(EVERY DAY JOB, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)
This week, I posted an article looking at Pitcher List's Process+ stat to see which hitters have the best Contact Value and Decision Value on their swings so far this year. Andujar qualified for that list despite not having the required number of pitches faced. He has become the starting third baseman for the Athletics and has hit 11-for-38 (.289) over the last month with eight RBI and one home run. He's not going to produce huge power numbers, but that park is going to be great for offense in the summer, and Andujar will sport a good batting average while hitting in the middle of the order. In deeper formats, you also scoop up his teammate, Luis Urias - 2B/3B, ATH (4% rostered), who is now the regular second baseman. With Zack Gelof suffering a rub injury on his rehab assignment, Urias may have a few weeks remaining as an everyday player.
Will Benson - OF, CIN: 1% rostered
(RECENT CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE)
Benson was recalled late last week and has had a great first week back in the big leagues, going 8-for-22 with three home runs, eight RBI, and one steal. We've seen this before from him. He has tremendous power/speed potential, but also a really frustrating approach at the plate. Even in Triple-A this season, he was striking out 29% of the time with a 70% contact rate and 13% swinging strike rate. Perhaps you'll get a shot stretch from Benson; it might be worth the gamble, but it doesn't appear as if he's changed his approach at all. Another new starter on his team is Santiago Espinal - 2B/3B/OF - CIN: 3% rostered, who has become the regular third baseman in Cincinnati with Noelvi Marte on the IL. Espinal is hitting .273/.328/.322 on the season with almost an identical walk and strikeout rate. He makes a lot of contact and rarely swings and misses, but he also doesn't bring a ton of speed or power to the table. He would be an add for batting average and the hope of counting stats when the Reds are playing at home.
Waiver Wire Pitchers
Yu Darvish - SP, SD: 37% rostered
Darvish made his first rehab start at Triple-A on Wednesday and threw 57 pitches over four innings while striking out four and walking one. He sat 94.5 mph on his fastball, and his slider and cutter both looked good. Last year, Darvish had a 3.31 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 16 starts. If you take out the two starts we know he was pitching hurt, then he allowed 21 earned runs in 76 innings, which is a 2.47 ERA with 71 strikeouts. I think he'll still be a mid-3.00 ERA guy, so I'll be grabbing some shares soon. He may still be three weeks away from his season debut with the Padres.
Tommy Kahnle - RP, DET: 32% rostered
I guess people don't want to add Kahnle because he doesn't throw hard, and the Tigers mix and match their late-inning relievers, but Kahnle has looked good so far, and Detroit has no problem running out a closer who doesn't have elite strikeout upside or a big fastball. Kahnle has five saves and a 0.61 ERA in 14 appearances so far this year, so I'm scooping if he's available. However, just note that the Tigers like to use Kahnle in high-leverage situations, which will also mean save opportunities for Will Vest - RP, DET (29% rostered), who is worth an add if you need saves as well. I know Vest blew an opportunity two weeks ago, which made him one of the most dropped players in Yahoo formats, but he has allowed just four runs on 10 hits in 17 innings this season. He'll still be back in high-leverage innings and will get some save chances.
Bubba Chandler - SP, PIT: 32% rostered
It seems like it's only a matter of time before Bubba Chandler is up in the Pirates rotation. Even though his command was not great in his last start in AAA, he has dominated the level this year, and now that the super two deadline has passed, the Pirates can call him up and still retain an extra year of control over him. This is also right around the time they called up Paul Skenes last year, and they saw that it was enough time for him to win and our rookie of the year, and the Pirates another draft pick. Skenes made his MLB debut on May 11 last year, and so my guess is that Chandler is up for the Pirates' next homestand, which begins on May 19. I would try and stash him now before that News becomes official.
Cade Horton - SP, CHC: 32% rostered
Will they keep him in the big league rotation even after Imanaga is back? There are a lot of questions here, but he's a top-50 overall prospect in baseball and is worth a stash, especially since he gets the Marlins next. If you want a deeper dive into Horton, I covered him in my Starting Pitcher News column this week.
Interesting 2nd start for Horton. Humidity/15 mph winds blowing out. All 3 runs scored on 2 HR. Sweeper still looks plus. We also saw WAY more curves today, a few more changeups, & a sinker I didn't know he had. Those secondaries will take time to steady but that's a deep mix pic.twitter.com/m0RA0Wrqb8
Shelby Miller - RP, ARI: 27% rostered
I spoke to Shelby Miller a couple of weeks ago before the Mets game and wrote up my thoughts on the Arizona bullpen situation here. I prioritized Miller on the waiver wire, and so far, that has worked out. We know that Justin Martinez is back and throwing bullpens and feels good, but there's no guarantee that he remains healthy or that the Diamondbacks immediately put him back as the everyday closer. There's a good chance they use Miller to help lessen some of Martinez's workload after coming back, so I wouldn't go ahead of drop Miller just yet, thinking that he's absolutely going to lose all the save chances going forward.
Zebby Matthews - SP, MIN: 21% rostered
Zebby Matthews is finally getting a chance to become a full-time starter in the Twins' rotation. He has been electric at Triple-A with a 1.93 ERA and 38:9 K:BB ratio over seven starts and 32 innings. I wrote him up in the pre-season as one of my choices for an undrafted starting pitcher who could finish the season as a top 25 arm, so I'd encourage you to check that out to see my full thoughts on him.
Logan Henderson - SP, MIL: 21% rostered
Henderon is in the Brewers' rotation (for now) after Jose Quintana went on the IL. He has a solid 2.45 ERA and 16:2 K:BB ratio in his two starts this season. He uses his four-seam and changeup 87% of the time, but they both are above-average pitches. The four-seam averages just 93 mph and has poor extension, but he has really good iVB on it and, given his release height, it's a really flat fastball. He does a good job of keeping it up in the strike zone, so it misses more bats than your average four-seamer and pairs well with the changeup he keeps low in the strike zone. He mixes in a cutter to lefties and a slider to righties, but he's really just a two-pitch pitcher and that makes me a little bit nervous as teams start to see him more.
Ryan Weathers - SP, MIA: 19% rostered
Weathers was back on Wednesday and looked pretty good in his first start against the Cubs. The left-hander had a 1.69 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 10.2 innings at Triple-A over his rehab appearances, and the spring training velocity gains held, which is nice to see. He gets the Cubs yet again this week, which is still a tough matchup to trust, but I really like Weathers for the long-term this season.
Dennis Santana - RP, PIT: 16% rostered
In the two games since Pittsburgh fired its manager, David Bednar has operated as the high-leverage reliever, which has led to two ninth-inning stints for Santana. He picked up the save in one, but also allowed two runs in one inning. Bednar remains the reliever to roster here because he has been great since coming back from the minors and will pitch more regularly; however, Santana should get the save chances, if Pittsburgh can muster many.
Noah Cameron - SP, KC: 13% rostered
Noah Cameron is yet another young pitcher getting a shot in the rotation with both Cole Ragans (groin) and Seth Lugo (finger) landing on the IL. Now, neither of those guys should be out too long, so I don't think this is a situation where Cameron pitches his way into a permanent spot in the rotation, but he might get 2-3 turns through the rotation, and that could be worth something. He's a soft-tossing lefty who averages 91.3 mph on his fastball, but has a good slider and changeup. He'll also mix in a cutter to righties, which helps to take the pressure off of his four-seam fastball. I don't love the profile, and don't think there's a ton of strikeout upside here, but he mixes and matches speeds well and has good command, so I can see him producing some solid performances.
Hayden Birdsong - SP, SF: 11% rostered
Birdsong is moving into the Giants' rotation with Jordan Hicks moving to the bullpen. Birdsong had a great spring training and showed off improved command that had him on the verge of winning a starting spot in the rotation. However, he was sent down to the minors and then returned to pitch out of the bullpen, where he produced a solid 2.31 ERA in 23.1 innings. He did have a 1.3 WHIP over that stretch, which is not ideal, so command may still be something we need to keep an eye on here. That said, he has a four-pitch mix and plenty of swing-and-miss in the arsenal, so he's worth a gamble if he can carry over these command gains. Managers in deeper leagues could also look to add Slade Cecconi - SP, CLE (1% rostered), who will be in the rotation with Ben Lively sidelined. He had an up-and-down season debut on Saturday, but he showed off added velocity, thanks to mechanical tweaks to his lower body, and has some subtle changes to his pitch mix, where he's relying on his four-seam fastball less often. Cecconi had allowed just one run in five innings in his start, but he tired in the sixth and allowed a run, and then the inherited runner he left on base also came around to score. He should be pushed up to about 85 pitches in his next start, but there may be something here in deeper formats.
Hunter Dobbins - SP, BOS: 8% rostered
With Tanner Houck ending up on the IL, Hunter Dobbins is likely to remain in the Red Sox rotation for a few extra weeks. I've been intrigued by his performance so far this season and wrote about him in detail in my starting pitcher article this week, so check that out for more details on Dobbins' pitch mix and my expectations for him.
STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS
MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order)
Week of 5/19
Strong Preference
Fairly Confident
Some Hesitation
If I'm Desperate