Welcome to the Waiver Wire Picks, our daily fantasy baseball article that looks at the best players in baseball that you should be adding to your rosters. We’ll look at the players that are likely to be available in most leagues, as well as some deep league waiver wire options. We’ll also look at the most added players in fantasy baseball across the major sites and let you know which players to add and which players you can leave on the wire.

 

Top Priority Players to Add

 

Jacob Misiorowski (MIL), SP (54% rostered on Yahoo, 34% rostered on ESPN)

So now that we’ve seen Jacob Misiorowski, are you going to pounce? Are you even capable of pouncing at this point, considering that everyone and their grandmother saw that debut?

Misiorowski debuts with what is no question the best fastball of any starter. It’s a Frankenstein hybrid of all of the best fastballs you’ve seen in recent years. It’s an offering that makes him an analytics darling while also getting him plastered all over MLB’s social media. Misiorowski really could be up there with guys like Skenes if he had any semblance of control. He has been known to issue tons of walks like crazy, which isn’t too surprising, knowing how hard and wild his stuff is.

Evan Carter (TEX), OF (32% rostered on Yahoo, 10% rostered on ESPN)

Evan Carter hasn’t had the career thus far that many would have liked to see. He entered the big leagues quickly after a fast ascension as a prospect, helping the Rangers win the World Series. He then had a pretty messy 2024 campaign, which ended in a long-term injury. Now, he’s healthy and back to mashing baseballs. The K rate is down significantly, and while this is a small sample size, it is an improvement that can be seen with his spike in average compared to last year. He also already has 4 home runs, which is close to tying his total last year and his total in his rookie year. Carter also has high stolen base potential, as he is one of the fastest runners in MLB.

Carter is notably a bit of a platoon guy as he rarely sees time against lefty pitchers, which does crater his value a bit. However, he’s a player capable of helping in every category, so give him a chance if he’s available and you need help in the outfield. This could be a winning play.

Sawyer Gipson-Long (DET), SP (6% rostered on Yahoo, 2% rostered on ESPN)

Sawyer Gipson-Long, or SGL as we call him, is a very intriguing pitcher who it can be hard to know what to make of. We’ve gotten to see two outings out of him, and so far, he’s looked solid but not amazing. He has had a fairly short leash coming off a long-term injury, so we still haven’t seen him go to five yet. SGL is an extension king, as he has some of the best extension in the bigs. This allows his fastball to seem faster, and it also allows him to tunnel his pitches better. His secondaries have very high potential, as both his changeup and slider have gotten whiffs like crazy.

What is easy to say, though, is that the Reds at home on Sunday is a glorious matchup for a pitcher who isn’t rostered in many leagues. The Reds struggle as an offense, especially outside of their hitter-friendly ballpark. He then gets two more matchups that shouldn’t be too difficult against the Rays and the Twins. Roster him now before he gets a longer leash and he fully breaks out with his ridiculous stuff!

Yahoo and ESPN Most Added Players

 

Like usual, Yahoo’s picks were dominated by streamers … and Evan Carter, whom we have already spoken about.

Bryce Elder had a fantastic start that turned some heads against the Giants last week, so he was on the radar for many in this start at home against an awful Rockies team. He’s always been a guy who can go on stretches of hot streaks, so it made sense that he was a popular add. Unfortunately, he was bamboozled by the Rockies hitters, as in a rare moment for Colorado, they chased him out of the game in the fourth inning by getting 10 baserunners on and scoring four runs. Elder is an enigma, as it feels like whenever we feel confident with him, he lays an egg. But when we don’t expect him to succeed, he will go on a run.

Mitchell Parker had a similar experience to Elder, except worse. The Marlins aren’t as bad as the Rockies, yes, but they are a frequently streamed against team. Parker allowed 6 earned runs in just over 3 innings, with 11 runners getting on base. It was unfortunate to see Parker struggle, as the Marlins are a team that doesn’t find lots of success against lefties, and he was coming off a pretty decent start. This one was a loss, but it’s no reason to give up on Parker for future good matchups.

Cade Horton went toe-to-toe with Paul Skenes and, in many ways, looked better than the ace. Horton went 5.2 innings and notched 4 strikeouts to go along with only 4 baserunners allowed. This was a successful stream for sure, as he took advantage of a poor lineup from Pittsburgh to give managers good ratios. Too bad he couldn’t get a quality start or a win.

Adrian Houser has looked pretty solid for a White Sox team that has been anything but. This game was a chance for sweet, sweet revenge against the team that last cut him, the Texas Rangers. Houser put up a stat line that, unfortunately, wasn’t really helpful, as he only went 5 innings for the loss and allowed 3 earned runs with a bad WHIP. It was not what you wanted when you streamed him, but it was still significantly better than what Parker and Elder provided.

Yesterday’s top 5 ESPN adds were basically the same as the day before, though Bryce Elder was able to sneak his way on there.

Roman Anthony enters Major League Baseball as its most exciting prospect, as he was ranked number one on several lists. The outfielder makes up an exciting trio with infielders Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, who have all had their moments this season. So far, the numbers haven’t been great for Anthony, as he only has one hit off a good, out-of-the-zone changeup. But more will come as long as he gets opportunities with the Red Sox, as he’s just too good a prospect. Be patient with young players who come up, and you will be rewarded later down the line.

Jameson Taillon has been a surprisingly fantastic player for the Cubs. He hasn’t been an ace or anything, but he’s put up the numbers of a player you retain throughout the season. He recently had a fantastic start against the Pirates, where he carved them up, notching 7 strikeouts with a 33% CSW. He extended his win streak to 5 and his quality start streak to 6. Taillon has become a consistent innings-eater for a great team, which gives him a high QS and win chance, and he is also a great ratio play, especially if you need help in terms of WHIP.

Hunter Goodman has been one of the few bright spots on a Rockies team that is historically bad. He started the year off as a waiver target and has continued to be throughout the year, making his way onto both the ESPN and Yahoo top 5s frequently. His rostership continues to climb, so it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to pick him up with ease now, but he’s awesome and is having a really hot June.

 

Category Specific Players to Add 

 

Abraham Toro (BOS), 1B, 2B, 3B (31% rostered on Yahoo, 9% rostered on ESPN)

It looks like switch-hitter Abraham Toro might have found his role with the Red Sox: as their primary first baseman. There’s been lots of drama at the position throughout the year, with Rafael Devers taking offense to the notion of him playing there, leading to plenty of early-season storylines. Toro has taken the position and has played really well there, putting up a batting average well north of .300. While this is unlikely to continue, his xStats are working in his favor. Toro has rarely stuck out this season, which also adds to the high batting average floor. He hits near the back of the lineup often, which hampers his value, but he’s had some starts third in the order. Toro is a good play for batting average if you need help in that category.

 

Streaming Pitchers

 

WAIT! You haven’t read Nick Pollack’s starting pitcher streamer rankings for today? Get on that pronto. He ranks every expected starter for each day, highlighting who you should start, sit, and claim off waivers. The whole series of these can be found here: https://pitcherlist.com/category/fantasy/sp-streamers/

In terms of whom I would recommend you pick up? A couple of names come to mind.

Tomoyuki Sugano (BAL), SP (34% rostered on Yahoo, 22% rostered on ESPN)

There are few frequently available pitchers that have proven themselves to be safer than Tomoyuki Sugano this season. Sugano has been a consistent force, making the most of his control despite not having the best stuff. Sugano is a craftsman on the mound, and he does enough to deliver good ratios and a win chance every time he pitches. A matchup against the Angels is up today, and if you can grab him, this has the potential to be a golden stream.

Luis L. Ortiz (CLE), SP, RP (25% rostered on Yahoo, 8% rostered on ESPN)

Luis L. Ortiz is in many ways the opposite of Sugano. He’s not the consistent, safe type that you may be looking for when streaming. Ortiz is a firecracker, a pitcher who gets tons of whiffs but at the expense of consistent ratios. The reason this is such an intriguing stream is that it’s in Seattle, where strikeouts are already more common. A whiff-generating pitcher in an environment more conducive to strikeouts might lead to a dominant start, which is what fantasy managers are looking for off the waiver wire.

 

Speculative Adds

 

Chase Burns (CIN), SP (12% rostered on Yahoo, 3% rostered on ESPN)

With Jacob Misiorowski getting the call and getting all the buzz among the fantasy baseball world, many of us have to ask, who’s next? Chase Burns is viewed by many as the best pitching prospect right now, as he has electric stuff and has torn up the minors this year. He’s risen up the ranks at a meteoric pace, sporting a 37% K rate and 6% walk rate in the process. When will we see Burns? It’s hard to know for sure, which makes him a speculative add. But with the back of the Reds’ rotation not really inspiring too much hope, there’s a chance we see him by August. Add now before it becomes a bidding war.

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