Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Samuel Basallo earns a starting role, Bubba Chandler is here

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.

2025 Fantasy Baseball Top 300 update: Aaron Judge clings to top spot, Nolan McLean debuts

Bryan Abreu, Nolan McLean and Miguel Andujar are among the newcomers to the updated Top 300.

Waiver Wire Hitters

Jo Adell – OF, LAA: 38% rostered
(HOT STREAK, POWER UPSIDE)

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Adell runs hot and cold, so I understand that many fantasy managers are hesitant to deal with that, but he’s currently on a hot streak. Despite hitting just .209 since the All-Star break, Adell has gone 13-for-49 (.265) with five home runs, 12 RBI, and seven runs scored in his last 13 games. There will likely be another swoon in the weeks ahead, but when he’s hitting well and the home runs are coming, he’s somebody you want in your lineups.

Miguel Andujar – 3B/OF, CIN: 37% rostered
(HITTING STREAK, EVERY DAY JOB)

Andujar became an everyday starter at designated hitter and has continued to produce in his 16 games with the Reds, hitting .388/.444/.673 with three home runs and 11 RBI. Despite all the stops in his career, Andujar is a .280 career hitter with a 15% strikeout rate in 449 games and is now playing in the most offense-friendly environment he’s ever been in. Another multi-position player who has been producing of late is Brooks Lee – 2B/3B/SS, MIN (18% rostered). He’s been playing every day since the trade deadline and is hitting .283 over his last 15 games with three home runs, 10 runs scored, and 10 RBI. He has just two steals on the season, so he won’t bring a ton of value there, and is not really a power bat, but he should hit for a decent average and play regularly, which is great for deeper formats.

Nathaniel Lowe – 1B, BOS: 33% rostered
(TEAM UPGRADE, COUNTING STATS UPSIDE)

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Lowe found himself on a new team this week and has delivered in his first five games for Boston, going 5-for-14 with one home run and five RBI. I’m not quite sure why Washington didn’t try to trade him at the deadline if they were going to cut him, but we appreciate it from a fantasy perspective. He’s not going to play against lefties, so keep that in mind, but he’s going to hit near the middle of the lineup against all righties, which should help his counting stats upside. Lowe is not a pull hitter by nature, with just a 30% pull rate for his career, so he could thrive with opposite-field shots off the Green Monster, like Rafael Devers did.

Chandler Simpson – OF, TB: 33% rostered
(NEW LINEUP SPOT, THREE-CATEGORY VALUE)

Simpson remains under-rostered because of the narrative that he’s a speed-only player. However, he’s been hitting lead-off for Tampa Bay in most games since coming up on August 5th and has hit .328 in 15 games with 10 runs scored and four steals. Now that he also has some value in runs scored, he can contribute solid production in three categories, and that makes him worth an add in more leagues.

Jordan Beck – OF, COL: 29% rostered
(EVERY DAY JOB, HOT STREAK)

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Colorado is on the road for the first three games of next week, but then gets nine straight games at home, so you’re going to want Rockies hitters for that. Beck has hit .310 with four home runs, 13 RBI, and four steals in 32 games since the All-Star break. That means we could also add Tyler Freeman – OF, COL (13% rostered), who is still leading off most games, and Ryan Ritter -SS, COL (0% rostered), who has come off the IL and is playing every day. He’s gone 10-for-35 in eight games in August with four runs and five RBI, so it’s mainly a batting average play, but that’s valuable in deeper formats.

Samuel Basallo – C/1B, BAL: 27% rostered
(RECENT CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE)

When the Orioles called up Basallo, I didn’t fully understand the timing. Yes, he had proved his worth and was hitting .270/.377/.589 in 76 games at Triple-A with 23 home runs and 67 RBI. However, he’s only 20 years old, and there was no open spot in the lineup, so it seemed like the Orioles were going to rotate Basallo, Ryan Mountcastle, Coby Mayo, and Adley Rutschman at C, 1B, and DH. Then Rutschman got hurt, and Basallo has stepped in as the primary catcher. He’s gone just 5-for-21 to start his career with four strikeouts and no walks in five games, and there have been some mixed reactions to his work behind the plate. We should expect some inconsistencies as he makes a huge move to the big leagues, and he may not have as much value in one-catcher formats as we’d like to believe, but he’s the most talented hitter you’re going to see get called up from now on, so he’s worth a gamble.

Ryan Mountcastle – 1B: 25% rostered
(OFF THE IL, POWER UPSIDE)

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Mountcastle came off the IL last week after missing months with a hamstring injury. The 28-year-old has proceeded to go 15-for-52 (.288) with two home runs, seven RBI, and two steals. He has regularly been hitting clean-up, which should be good for his counting stats, and I love adding Mountcastle as a corner infielder in most league types. Another corner infield option is Colt Keith – 1B/2B/3B – DET (29% rostered), who has been really good in August, slashing .304/.375/.536 in 18 games with three home runs, 11 runs scored, and seven RBI. He’s been hitting leadoff for the Tigers, which is why the RBI totals are a bit lower than you’d like to see, but everything else has been really helpful lately.

Daulton Varsho – OF, TOR: 17% rostered
(RETURN FROM THE IL, POWER UPSIDE)

Varsho came off the IL in August and has hit .276 in 16 games with six home runs, 17 RBI, and 11 runs scored. He has just one steal in 40 games this season, so that potential 20/20 upside no longer exists, and he’s clearly selling out for power this season, so the batting average could go through some ebbs and flows. However, that statline above is something we’re interested in for all league types.

Brett Baty – 2B/3B, NYM: 9% rostered
(REGULAT AT-BATS, POST HYPE PROSPECT)

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Baty has quietly had a good second half, hitting .295/.364/.523 with six home runs, 20 runs scored, 11 RBI, and two steals in 27 games. We know that Baty is a former top prospect who has always crushed Triple-A and not been able to carry it over into the big leagues. Perhaps it’s happening now. He plays every day for the Mets and hits sixth or seventh in a solid lineup. With his dual position eligibility, he’s useful in plenty of formats.

Jordan Lawlar – SS, ARI: 8% rostered
(STASH PLAY, PROSPECT UPSIDE)

I’m keeping these recommendations here as stash plays. I think Lawlar and Kristian Campbell – 2B/OF, BOS (17% rostered) are both due for a call-up in September. Lawlar is back in the lineup for Triple-A Reno, so his time is coming soon. With Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez out of town, there is an opening for Lawlar at third base. The top prospect is hitting .310/.399/.574 at Triple-A with 11 home runs and 20 steals in 59 games, and has little left to prove there. Similarly, Kristian Campbell has been on fire of late, while also playing solid defense at first base. The addition of Nate Lowe closes the path for Campbell to play regularly at first base, but David Hamilton is providing no value for Boston right now. Campbell could platoon at first base with Lowe and also play some second base with Romy Gonzalez and mix in at DH, which could get him four starts a week. That’s worth it in daily moves leagues.

Jhostynxon Garcia – OF, BOS: 7% rostered
(PROSPECT GROWTH, POWER UPSIDE)

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The prospect known as “The Password” was called up on Friday after hitting .303 with 17 home runs, 56 RBI, and two steals in 66 games at Triple-A. That came with a 15.3% swinging strike rate, so there is some swing-and-miss here, and Garcia is likely only in a short-side platoon role right now, but he’s a name to keep an eye on because of his power potential. However, there’s also a chance he’s only up for a short time with Rob Refsnyder and Wilyer Abreu both set to come off the IL soon.

Carson Williams – SS, TB: 6% rostered
(PROSPECT GROWTH, POWER UPSIDE)

Another intriguing prospect call-up is Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Carson Williams, who was the 47th-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. Williams was hitting just .213 in 111 games at Triple-A, but he did have 23 home runs and 22 steals while playing good defense at shortstop. The Rays seem likely to keep him in the lineup regularly, and Williams has tremendous power/speed for the position. You’re unlikely to get a high batting average, but think of this a bit like the Colson Montgomery situation, and if that intrigues you, take a gamble.

Dylan Beavers – OF, BAL: 6% rostered
(PROSPECT CALL UP, FIVE-CATEGORY UPSIDE)

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Shockingly, Beavers was called up as soon as he wasn’t at risk of losing rookie eligibility. Beavers is a 2022 first-round pick who had been swinging a hot bat and hit .304 in 94 games at Triple-A with 18 home runs, 22 steals, 51 RBI, and a .953 OPS. We know that rookie hitters can take a while to adjust to the big league level, but there is some five-category upside here that could be worth chasing in most league types. So far, Beavers is 8-for-24 with one home run, seven runs scored, and an 8/7 K/BB ratio in seven MLB games. In deeper formats, Jeremiah Jackson – SS/OF, BAL (1% rostered) is worth looking at. Jackson was a second-round pick of the Angels in 2018 and made it as high as Double-A before being traded to the Mets in 2023. He played a season and a half with the Mets before being signed as a minor league free agent by Baltimore, where he has turned his career around. The 25-year-old hit .313/.343/.537 in 85 games between Double-A and Triple-A this season with 15 home runs and 11 steals. Despite being an infielder by trade, Jackson has played a ton of right field for the Orioles and hits second in the lineup regularly. Given his age and improvement, and consistent playing time, he’s worth a look in deeper formats.

Tommy Pham – OF, PIT: 2% rostered
(STARTING JOB, HOT STREAK)

I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. I’ve had Pham on here for over a month, and his roster rate keeps dropping. Pham was dealing with a challenging situation related to his contact lenses due to a rare eye condition he has. Since he began working to correct that, around June 16th, we can see that he’s hitting .338/.401/.552 in 46 games with seven home runs, 24 runs scored, 30 RBIs, and two steals. That will play in any league type, and I’m not sure why people aren’t scooping him up.

Alex Freeland – 2B/3B/SS, LAD: 1% rostered
(TOP PROSPECT, REGULAR PLAYING TIME)

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Last week, I said, “Look, I know the results haven’t been there, but Freeland is playing every day for the Dodgers and just got even more job security with Max Muncy going on the IL.” In his last seven games, Freeland is 7-for-17 with two home runs, eight runs scored, four RBI, and one steal. This is a 23-year-old who was the 43rd-ranked prospect in baseball and hit .253/.377/.421 in 94 games at Triple-A with 12 home runs and 18 steals. He has a tremendous feel for the strike zone and, in deeper formats, I’m adding and hoping that the consistent playing time will help him continue to get comfortable and see better results.

Kyle Karros – 3B, COL: 1% rostered
(RECENT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

The son of former Dodgers first baseman Eric Karros has an advanced approach at the plate with a strong feel for the strike zone. The Rockies’ 8th-ranked prospect makes a ton of contact and was slashing .301/.398/.476 on the season with six homers, 26 RBI, and seven steals in 269 plate appearances across three minor league levels. I’ve been impressed with his at-bats, so far, and he’s gone 12-for-43 (.279) in 14 games with 10 runs scored, one home run, and five RBI. Karros figures to get the rest of the season to stake his claim to the 3B job for 2026, and if you’re in deeper formats and don’t need power, I think Karros could be a solid corner infield option.

Waiver Wire Pitchers

Nolan McLean – SP, NYM: 36% rostered
I recorded a video on McLean last week, so check that out for my full thoughts. There is some risk here, but the upside is immense, as you saw in his first two MLB starts. He has a wicked combination of breaking pitches to go with a solid fastball that he keeps up in the zone well. There are fewer pitching prospects with higher upside.

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Bubba Chandler – SP, PIT: 33% rostered
One of those pitching prospects is Chandler, who finally got called up this week. After pitching nearly 140 innings at Triple-A between last year and this year, the Pirates finally decided to call up Chandler. They say he’s going to pitch in long relief for now, but that amounted to a save in four shutout innings with three strikeouts on Friday. He’s a tough add in shallow formats because he may not get many starts this season, but in deeper formats, he’s talented enough to add, even in bulk relief.

Cam Schilittler – SP, NYY: 27% rostered
The Yankees’ rookie has been lights out in his last two starts, allowing just one run in 11.2 innings against the Rays and Twins while striking out 14. He has tremendous velocity on his four-seamer and a great curve, which leads to considerable upside in his arm. Enough to add in most formats.

J.J. Romero – RP, STL: 24% rostered
Romero was one of the big winners after the trade deadline, and he had emerged as the primary closer for the Cardinals. He did suffer a blown save two weeks ago and is also the only left-handed reliever in the bullpen, so this has become more of a committee with Romero sometimes needing to get big left-handed hitters out in the eighth inning. When that happens, we’ve seen Riley O’Brien – RP, STL (2% rostered) step in and pick up a save, so they can both have some fantasy value.

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Ryan Bergert- SP, KC: 22% rostered
I wrote about Bergert’s pitch mix changes with the Royals a couple of weeks ago, but I’m a fan of his. The sweeper is a solid swing-and-miss pitch that the Royals are leaning into, and he does a really good job of keeping his fastball up in the zone. He pitched well against the Tigers this week, and he’s one of the top streamers available next week against the White Sox.

Taijuan Walker – SP. PHI: 20% rostered
Walker now has a spot in the Phillies’ rotation with Zack Wheeler out for the season. I don’t love Walker, and he’s coming off a pretty mediocre start against the Nationals, but he’s a regular starter on one of the better teams in baseball, so that’s worth rostering in deeper formats.

Kyle Bradish – SP, BAL: 19% rostered
Kyle Bradish made his last rehab start on Wednesday, throwing 89 pitches while sitting 94 mph with his fastball. That velocity was down from the 95.5 mph mark in his previous start, and he is coming off Tommy John surgery, so we should expect some rust and inconsistencies. That being said, we also know that he has the upside of a top 20 overall starter, so I can see him being a usable streamer down the stretch.

Jose A. Ferrer – SP: WAS: 13% rostered
I know Washington isn’t winning tons of games, so people may not be into their closer, but Ferrer seems locked into the job and has four saves in the last 10 appearances plus a 1.46 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts in 12.1 innings. That’ll play.

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Cade Cavalli – SP, WAS: 11% rostered
I recorded a video on Cade Cavalli before his season debut, and he has been far more impressive than I expected, shutting down the A’s and Phillies, while struggling in his second start against the Royals and putting up a quality start in his second start against the Phillies. The former top prospect is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and his Triple-A results have been inconsistent, so we should expect some inconsistency. But he has shown good velocity and a plus breaking ball, so I’m willing to grab him if I’m looking for upside.

Parker Messick – SP, CLE: 4% rostered
Messick was a prospect of some note for Cleveland, pitching to a 3.47 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 29.1% strikeout rate in 20 starts at Triple-A this season. Nothing about Messick stands out when you look at metrics. He has a 93 mph fastball with poor extension and vertical movement. His curve and slider are fine. However, he has a good changeup and, as I discussed with Nick Pollack on the On the Corner podcast this week, plenty of left-handed starters have had success this year with a deep pitch mix and a good changeup (Noah Cameron, Ranger Suarez, Matthew Boyd, Kris Bubic, Trevor Rogers, etc.). Maybe Messick will follow in that mold. I wouldn’t go crazy on the waiver wire, but he might be worth a small bid.

STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS

MUST BE 40% ROSTERED ON YAHOO OR UNDER (ranked in loose order)