Let’s see if we can’t improve those fantasy baseball rosters ahead of the weekend, people. If you ain’t transacting, you ain’t trying…
Clayton Kershaw, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers (28% rostered)
You probably haven’t heard of this audacious up-and-coming 37-year-old Dodgers farmhand, but those of us who are extremely plugged-in have been tracking his development. He threw six no-hit innings in his most recent start and his next minor league appearance is expected to be his last before elevation to the MLB roster. Also, he has won three Cy Youngs, one MVP and five ERA titles across 17 major league seasons.
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Kershaw won’t need to be the peak version of himself in order to help fantasy managers. He’ll be pitching for a dominant team, working ahead of an elite bullpen. Stash him on the IL while you still can.
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Cade Horton, SP, Chicago Cubs (16%)
If you’re just not sold on that Kershaw kid and prefer someone who actually appeared on all the 2025 prospect lists, Horton is your guy. He’s on his way to the big leagues after several weeks of dominance at Triple-A Iowa. Horton has struck out 33 batters over 29.0 innings this season, allowing only four runs and 12 hits. The 23-year-old right-hander seems appropriately seasoned and ready for an opportunity at the highest level.
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Horton makes his MLB debut against the Mets this weekend, which is obviously a significant jump in quality-of-competition. We’re not telling you to start him immediately. But he’d line up to face the White Sox in his second start, a much friendlier spot in which he’s approved for use.
Andrew Abbott, SP, Cincinnati Reds (33%)
Abbott struck out eight Braves over 5.0 scoreless frames on Tuesday, lowering his ERA to 2.25 and his WHIP to 1.17. His K/9 for the season is now 11.6 and his xERA is 2.63, so the lefty has been legitimately quite good. He has an 11-K effort at Baltimore on his game log this season as well. Abbott will draw a Yordan-less version of the Astros lineup in his upcoming start this weekend.
Porter Hodge, RP, Chicago Cubs (16%)
Realistically, Chicago can’t allow this Ryan Pressly-as-closer thing to continue much longer, given his alarming inability to miss bats. Pressly’s ERA ballooned to 7.62 after Tuesday evening’s disaster, his K/9 is just 3.46 and his swinging-strike percentage is now a dreadful 5.7. Yikes.
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Hodge seems like the natural ninth inning replacement, since he successfully filled the role late last season. He’s struck out 16 batters in as many innings so far this year and he hasn’t allowed an earned run in any of his last seven appearances. Hodge has allowed a hard-hit rate this season of only 18.6%, which is outrageous. Unlike Pressly, he clearly has closing-quality stuff.
T.J. Friedl, OF, Cincinnati Reds (43%)
It’s a small surprise that Friedl is actually eligible for this feature, available in a majority of Yahoo leagues. He’s the leadoff hitter for a fun Cincinnati lineup, he hit a pair of homers on Wednesday night and he’s swiped eight bags so far this year. Also, he’s just one season removed from an 18/27 season in which he slashed .279/.352/.467. This is a verifiably good player in his prime. Add wherever you can use a power/speed combo platter.
Gavin Sheets, 1B/OF, San Diego Padres (6%)
Sheets is off to an excellent start this season (.278/.343/.443) and he’s heading into a weekend series at Coors Field, an exceedingly friendly hitting environment. This one shouldn’t require much additional salesmanship. He’s a solid single-series pickup, at the very least. Sheets has been stinging the ball so far, ranking among the MLB leaders in hard-hit rate and average exit velocity.
Victor Scott II, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (39%)
Yeah, we are just gonna keep promoting him in these waiver wire features until he finally reaches a more appropriate roster percentage. Scott is up to 11 steals on the year, he’s hit safely in eight straight games and is now batting .289/.359/.412. This is an ascending player who once stole 94 bases in a minor league season. Ninety-four! It’s wild that more of you aren’t willing to give him a test-drive.
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Agustín Ramírez, C/1B, Miami Marlins (38%)
Catcher has been delightfully full of fun options this year, Ramírez included. He’s the rare backstop with both power and base-stealing upside, so he offers the potential for a significant positional edge. Last year, he hit 25 bombs and stole 22 bases in the high minors while reaching base at a .358 clip. He’s gone 5-for-10 with a homer over his last three games heading into a road series against the White Sox.
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