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Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Braden Montgomery is up, Bryce Eldridge is getting hot

Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, our weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire guide. We'll be doing things a little differently this season, with Eric Samulski publishing the initial waiver-wire article on Friday afternoon. Then James Schiano updates it every Sunday to make sure you get the most up-to-date information.

The premise of the article is pretty straightforward. We'll give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When we list a player, we'll list the category where we think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. We hope this helps you determine whether the player fits your team's needs. Not every "trending" player will be a good addition for your specific roster.

To qualify for this list, a player needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. We understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and we 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.

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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters

Mauricio Dubon - 2B/3B/SS/OF, ATL (40% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

It seems that, with Ronald Acuna Jr. sidelined, Dubon is going to be the regular starter in left field. He was also starting games at shortstop before that, so there are myriad ways the Braves can get him into the lineup. It's a small sample size, but over his last 10 games, Dubon is tied for 15th in baseball in WAR, hitting .313/.405/.625 with three home runs, eight RBI, and one steal. A 28% hard-hit rate would suggest that his six homers this season are a fluke, but he has essentially doubled his career barrel rate and is lifting the ball more than he has since 2022. You're not likely to get some league-winning upside here, but Dubon is a solid hitter who is batting fifth every day for a good lineup. That's valuable in a lot of formats.

Noelvi Marte - 3B/OF, CIN (33% rostered)

(RECENT CALL-UP, POST-HYPE UPSIDE)

Since being recalled, Marte is 5-for-15 with two runs scored and three steals while starting four of six games. Marte is a former top prospect who hit 14 home runs and stole 10 bases in 90 games last year while hitting .263. He crushed Triple-A this year after he was demoted, hitting .369/.409/.575 in 176 plate appearances with eight home runs and nine steals. He's worth an add because few guys on the waiver wire have his upside.

Braden Montgomery - OF, CWS (33% rostered)

(RECENT CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE)

Montgomery was called up on Tuesday and had a historic debut, as one of just five players since 1900 to hit a walk-off home run in his debut. We have some worries about his Triple-A swinging strike rate and below-average overall contact rate, but we think the power and speed could be intriguing. Eric recorded a video about Montgomery on Wednesday, so check that out.

Andrew Vaughn - 1B, MIL (29% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE)

Vaughn was dropped in many leagues over the last couple of weeks because it seemed like he had lost his job to Jake Bauers after his return from hamate bone surgery. While it's true that Vaughn is not an everyday player right now, he's started in four of the last five games and has been swinging the bat well, hitting .406/.433/.594 in his last 20 games with one home run and 12 RBI. Yes, the power may take some time to come back, but a hitter swinging the bat like that is going to force his way into the lineup.

Bryce Eldridge - UT, SF (27% rostered)

(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)

Last week, Eldridge was 17% rostered, so this roster rate really needs to climb higher. As we highlighted last week, an injury to Heliot Ramos allowed the Giants to try Casey Schmitt in the outfield and free up a spot for Eldridge, who, since May 18th, is hitting .371/.451/.629 with three home runs, 16 runs scored, and 11 RBI. That comes with a 12.5% barrel rate and 55.4% hard-hit rate in 56 batted ball events. He’s hitting more line drives this year than we saw last year, which limited the power output initially, but we're starting to see him look to turn on the ball more often now that he's gaining confidence. Another young power option from that same article mentioned above could be Coby Mayo - 1B/3B, BAL (3% rostered). In 74 plate appearances since May 13th, Mayo is hitting .250/.311/.515 with five home runs, 14 runs scored, and 11 RBI with a 58% hard-hit rate, 89.1% zone contact rate, 10.5% SwStr%, and 110.2 mph EV90. He's not playing every day because Blaze Alexander is also playing well, but Mayo's power could be valuable in deeper fantasy formats.

Curtis Mead - 1B/2B/3B, WAS (25% rostered)

(HOT STREAK, FORMER TOP PROSPECT)

We’ve written a lot about Curtis Mead over the last month. He was in Eric’s mid-May article on hitters who should produce more power, as well as in a video Eric recorded about his recent production and his latest article on May hot streaks. In 121 plate appearances since May 1st, Mead has hit .255/.372/.490 with six home runs, 17 RBI, and 19 runs scored. That came with a 45% hard-hit rate, a 12.5% barrel rate, 90% zone contact rate, and 6.2% SwStr%. His exit velocities aren’t off the charts, but his 89.4 mph average exit velocity is over two mph better than his career average. He flattened his swing a bit this year and is looking to pull and lift the ball more than usual, which will make the most out of his solid but not elite exit velocities. Among 260 hitters with at least 100 plate appearances this season, Mead ranks 52nd with a Pull Air% of 22.9%. His exit velocity on his fly balls and line drives is 93 mph, which is the same as Cal Raleigh, Cody Bellinger, and Salvador Perez, so that will be just fine for power production.

Sam Antonacci - 2B/3B/OF, CWS (25% rostered)

(GREAT LINEUP SPOT, SPEED UPSIDE)

Antonacci has been productive for a while now. Since May 1st, he's hitting .304/.400/.360 with 25 runs scored and eight steals. He's not going to give you much power production, but he's hitting leadoff on a good team, so the runs will be there, and he stole almost 50 bases last season, so we know the speed will be there. An elite contact profile, combined with his multi-position eligibility, makes him a solid add in most formats. Last week, we said that we wish Blaze Alexander - 2B/3B/SS/OF, BAL (7% rostered) was playing more. He then started four of seven games between when that article was published and now. Not bad but not great. So far this season, we've wanted more playing time for Casey Schmitt and Curtis Mead, among others, so maybe bet on the talent. Alexander can play all over the field, so the Orioles can use him 4-5 times a week to give other guys a day off. He appeared in Eric’s article last week on hitters to target based on their May results because, since May 1st, he's hitting .366/.411/.549 with 18 RBI, 10 runs scored, and four steals in 92 plate appearances. He's making better-than-league-average contact in the zone with a better hard-hit percentage than league average as well. There is an intriguing profile here, but it's more of a deep league add right now until playing time emerges.

Dalton Rushing - C, LAD (24% rostered)

(BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

Will Smith has now officially been placed on the injured list, so we expect this roster rate to jump pretty quickly. However, if Rushing is available in your league, now is the time to scoop him up. He may have cooled down from his torrid start to the season, but he's hitting .286/.388/.429 with one home run, six runs scored, and four RBI over his last 15 games. That, and his presence in this lineup, makes him worth rostering in one-catcher leagues while Will Smith is out. Keibert Ruiz - C, WAS (20% rostered) has been solid at the plate for a while now. Since May 1, he's been hitting .354/.368/.662 with four home runs and 17 RBI. Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic wrote a great article on how a dozen coaches sat down with Ruiz to create a plan for him moving forward. The crux of that meeting was that they believed Ruiz had a great foundation for success but needed to swing harder and pull the ball more. Solid. This season, Ruiz's bat speed is up, he has a career-high 39.8% hard-hit rate, and his average exit velocity is up over three mph to 89.7 mph. He's one-catcher league viable right now.

Spencer Horwitz - 1B, PIT (19% rostered)

(EVERY DAY PLAYER, RUNS UPSIDE)

The Pirates have been a better offense than many expected, and Horwitz has played a big role in that. He has taken over the leadoff spot in the lineup and is hitting .315/.381/.533 over his last 25 games with six home runs, 14 runs scored, 16 RBI, and one steal. Not much has changed from previous seasons, other than the fact that he is being far more selective (swinging 6% less overall) and making far more contact. He's not hitting the ball any harder than he has previously, and so some of this elevated batting average and power feels like a fluke, but it's worth chasing the results right now while he's producing.

Kody Clemens - 1B/2B/OF, MIN (17% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

Over the last month, Clemens has been far and away the best hitter on the Twins. He's batting .289/.317/.598 with six home runs, 14 runs scored, 12 RBI, and one steal in 25 games. He has his highest barrel rate ever (13.7%) and his highest average exit velocity ever (92.7 mph). His swing decisions and contact rates are similar to what we've seen from him in the past, but he also had 19 home runs in 119 games last year, so him pushing 25 home runs this season wouldn't be a surprise if he gets full-time playing time. He also had a .243 xBA last year, so his coming close to a .250 average on the year could also make sense. That's a pretty solid player.

Paul Goldschmidt - 1B, NYY (14% rostered)

(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, HOT STREAK)

Don't look now, but Goldy is holding off Father Time. In 32 games since May 1st, the veteran is hitting .313/.383/.548 with seven home runs, 24 RBI, and a 40% hard-hit rate. He is playing much every day at first base or DH and will continue to get extra that kind of playing time with Aaron Judge sidelined for the next 6-8 weeks and the Yankees having fewer outfield spots to juggle. He hits near the top of the Yankees' lineup, which is good for run production. Now could also be the time to stash Jasson Dominguez - OF, NYY (9% rostered), who began a rehab assignment last Friday and has been swinging the bat well in Triple-A. Anthony Volpe has not been good for the Yankees lately, so Jose Caballero could go back to playing shortstop more regularly, which would open up a spot for Dominguez to replace Judge in right field when he returns.

Colton Cowser - OF, BAL (14% rostered)

(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)

Another week of Cowser in here as his roster rate has climbed from 7% to 14%. The 26-year-old has started to turn things around, hitting .292/.365/.631 over his last 25 games with seven home runs, 14 runs scored, 16 RBI, and two steals. That comes with a 17/8 K/BB ratio but just a 28.6 percent hard-hit rate. Given the hot streaks we’ve seen him go on, now is the time to pick him up but remember that he is going to sit against most left-handed pitchers. The power hasn't been there for Henry Bolte - OF, ATH (7% rostered), but he is hitting .288 with four steals in his last 20 games while playing basically every day for the A's. They play all of their games at home this upcoming week, so while I'm worried about his overall contact rate, I think he's a decent gamble for this week.

Joshua Baez - OF, STL (12% rostered)

(POTENTIAL CALL-UP, POWER UPSIDE)

We like to get ahead of prospect stashes on the waiver wire, and I think it might be time for Baez to wind up as your stash. Lars Nootbaar came back last week, so there is no immediate opening, but maybe the Cardinals decide not to have two catchers in the lineup every day and give Baez a shot. Baez has big-time power and hit .274/.347/.632 in 106 at-bats in May with 10 home runs, 24 RBI, and a 34/9 K/BB ratio. He’s now continued that pace to begin June and is knocking on the door. Another possible stash would be Kaelen Culepper - SS, MIN (3% rostered), who has 14 home runs and 40 RBI on the season to go along with a .269 batting average and .861 OPS. He hit .280/.4076/.540 in May with seven home runs, 21 RBI, seven steals, and a 22/19 K/BB ratio. I understand that Tristan Gray is playing well, but, at some point, a team like the Twins needs to try its top prospect over a 30-year-old journeyman. Lastly, you could look to stash Yohandy Morales - 1B/3B, WAS (2% rostered), who is now up to 15 home runs and 42 RBI on the season to go along with a .339 batting average and a 1.012 OPS. He’s ready for a chance at big league pitching, but with Curtis Mead playing well at third base, the Nationals will need to use Morales as a DH or a first baseman.

Caleb Durbin - 2B/3B, BOS (8% rostered)

(STOLEN BASE UPSIDE, HOT STREAK)

Don't look now, but Caleb Durbin is heating up. Actually, do look now; that's the point of this article. Over his last 15 games, Durbin is hitting .313/.320/.583 with two home runs, 10 RBI, and one steal. This is a guy who was really solid as a rookie last season and had a few 30-steal seasons in his minor league career before swiping 18 bags with the Brewers last year. Clearly, moving to a new team led to some issues early on, but Durbin has begun to settle in and could be a solid asset for batting average and, eventually, speed. The man who took his place in Milwaukee at third base, David Hamilton - 2B/3B/SS, MIL (4% rostered) has provided fantasy value over the last few weeks because he has three home runs and four steals over his last 12 games while also hitting .282. A lot of that damage has come in two good games, but we know Hamilton has elite stolen base upside, so this could be worth chasing.

Dominic Canzone - OF, SEA (8% rostered)

(HOT STRETCH, POWER UPSIDE)

Dominic Canzone hits the ball hard, so he's always going to find stretches where he's producing and needs to be added in a lot of places. Over his last 25 games, he's hitting .303/.370/.606 with five home runs, 11 runs scored, and eight RBI. Five home runs should get you a lot more than eight RBI. He will sit against lefties, so that's something to factor into the math, especially against the Red Sox and their three lefties next weekend. Ryan Ward - 1B/OF, LAD (2% rostered) is also in a strong side platoon with Teoscar Hernandez out, so he could draw four starts next week. He's gone .242/.265/.576 in 10 games with three home runs and 11 RBIs. Ward also hit 34 home runs in the minors in 2024 and 36 home runs in 2025, so there could be some power upside here.

Jordan Lawlar - OF, ARI (7% rostered)

(OFF THE IL, UPSIDE POTENTIAL)

Jordan Lawlar is back from the 60-day IL after fracturing his wrist. He's also right back in the starting lineup on Friday. It seems like he will return to center field, moving Tommy Troy to the bench and Ryan Waldschmidt to left field. Lawlar had hit .333/.400/.556 in 20 plate appearances before fracturing his wrist in April, so he's worth an add to see if he can get that production back.

Jacob Gonzalez - 1B/2B/SS, CWS (6% rostered)

(REGULAR PLAYING TIME, BREAKOUT POTENTIAL)

We've been intrigued by Gonzalez since he was promoted two weeks ago to cover for the injured Munetaka Murakami at first base. He's had a bit of a swing and miss issue over his first nine games in the big leagues — 29% strikeout rate — but he has just a 9.7% swinging strike rate, so that number should come down. He's also hitting .308/.419/.423 with a 53% hard-hit rate. Those are things we like to see.

Wade Meckler - OF, LAA (4% rostered)

(REGULAR PLAYING TIME, RECENT HOT STREAK)

Maybe this is happening for Meckler? In 18 games with the Angels, he's hitting .316/.391/.509 with two home runs, 10 RBI, and two steals. He's slowed down a bit from his hot start, but he's just 26 years old, has solid enough bat speed, and has always made a ton of contact in the minor leagues. He makes good swing decisions and has begun lifting the ball more than we saw from him in the Giants' organization. He's not going to be a true power threat, but he can drive the ball into the gaps, and he's hitting third every day for the Angels. That's valuable in a 15-team format.

Lars Nootbaar - OF, STL (4% rostered)

(OFF THE TIL, STATCAST DARLING

Nootbaar is another boring outfielder who is set to come off the injured list following offseason surgery on both of his heels. We know that you've been waiting for that Nootbaar breakout for a long time, but he remains a solid/productive player who should be in an everyday role on a solid Cardinals team. In six games since coming off the injured list, he's just 5-for-22, but that comes with two home runs and five RBI. He'll settle in. Speaking of boring outfielders, Andrew Benintendi - OF, CWS (2% rostered) has under-the-radar moments of production every season. He jumped on a Process+ leaderboard since the middle of May, and over his last 21 games, he's hitting .265/.342/.500 with four home runs and 13 RBI. That will work in deeper formats on a good offense.

Jake Mangum - OF, PIT (3% rostered)

(EVERY DAY ROLE, STOLEN BASE UPSIDE)

The Pirates have started to give Mangum nearly every day at-bats, and he's delivering. Over his last 19 games, he's hitting .339/.367/.446 with one home run, seven RBI, and six steals. We know that he can run, so the stolen base totals are the real pull here, but if Mangum is going to play 75% of the games for the Pirates, he's worth a gamble.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Cade Cavalli - SP, WAS (33% rostered)

Sure, go for it. Cavalli's last start against Arizona wasn't good, and we're not particularly fans of him as a breakout starting pitcher, but he has a 3.88 ERA and a 24% strikeout rate on the season and gets Tampa Bay this week, which is a fine but not great matchup. I dunno, we get it but don't love it.

Walbert Ureña - SP, LAA (32% rostered)

We've had Ureña on here a few times, but he's emerging as a solid streaming option this year. His power changeup (at 90 mph) is a really good pitch, and he uses it to both righties and lefties. He has showcased inconsistent command of an 87 mph sweeper, but that can miss plenty of bats to righties when it's on. He needs that sweeper because his fastball is just empty velocity, and will only be successful if he can get ahead with his other pitches and then try to get hitters to chase outside of the zone with elevated four-seamers. He gets Houston this week, which isn't a great start, but it isn't one we're scared of right now.

Dustin May - SP, STL (31% rostered)

A pitch mix change has unlocked a solid run of production for Dustin May. In his first three starts of the year, May threw almost 31% four-seam fastballs and just 11% cutters. He had a few terrible outings in that stretch and wasn't missing bats at all with a 17% strikeout rate and 7.4% swinging strike rate. Then, he made a shift. Over his next nine starts, he reduced his fastball usage to 24% and upped his cutter usage to 26%. That also enabled him to save the four-seamer to use more up in the zone for swings and misses. Since then, May has a 3.38 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 23% strikeout rate, and nearly 11% swinging strike rate. That will work in most formats. He gets a good two-start week this week against the Mets and Twins, both on the road. He'd then get the Royals the week after that. I'm also OK using his teammate, Andre Pallante - SP, STL (16% rostered) against the Mets this week because his velocity is up, he has more vertical movement on his four-seamer, and he has always had a good slider.

Griffin Jax - SP/RP, TB (30% rostered)

Yes, I still believe in Griffin Jax, and I figured more people would after his performance this week, throwing five shutout innings against the Marlins while striking out four and allowing just three hits. That was on just 62 pitches. We don't love that short leash, but it had never been that short before. He has a deep pitch mix and has managed to maintain velocity even when moving out of the bullpen. This is the profile of a pitcher who should deliver for your fantasy teams, and he gets the Nationals and Royals for his next two starts. Don't give up hope yet.

Troy Melton - SP, DET (29% rostered)

Melton has not had the strikeout numbers that we hoped to see when he came off the injured list, but he does have a 2.81 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in his first four starts. He's done that with great control of a solid 97 mph four-seamer, plus a good slider and cutter. He also pairs that with a sinker, curveball, and splitter to give him a deep arsenal that we can dream on. Melton is set to face Houston on the road this week, but then it gets confusing if the Tigers are bringing back Casey Mize and Justin Verlander, along with Tarik Skubal. We don't think Verlander looks ready to return, but our opinion doesn't matter to Detroit.

Alex Lange - RP, KC (24% rostered)

It seems that Lucas Erceg has finally pitched his way out of the closer's role in Kansas City. That has given Lange a chance to convert the last four saves for the Royals. The former Tigers' starter has a 4.06 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 34/18 K/BB ratio in 31 innings, so this is not the profile of a lockdown reliever, nor does he have anything close to elite swing-and-miss stuff. Still, he has produced of late and seems to be getting the chances now, so you can roll the dice if you want.

Stephen Kolek - SP, KCR (22% rostered)

Kolek has been on a good run of late, heading into his weekend start against the Astros, and gets a decent run against two solid but not overly scary offenses in the Cardinals and Rays after that. Kolek isn't overpowering, but he wins with command and limiting hard contact. You can feel comfortable using him when he's rolling like this, but just be sure to jump off the ride if it starts to wobble.

Grant Taylor - RP/SP, CWS (22% rostered)

Taylor was called on for a save chance against the Phillies last Saturday and completely blew them away. He struck out the side on 14 pitches, went up 0-2 on all three hitters, regularly sat near 100 mph with his heater, and forced six whiffs in that one inning of work. He was then called on to pitch two innings against the Braves this week and recorded a win without allowing a run. If he’s ever unleashed as the White Sox’s full-time closer, he’d instantly be one of the nastiest in the league. Even now, he is a great add for ratios and the stray win or save here and there.

Yoendrys Gomez - SP/RP, MIN (15% rostered)

Gomez has been really good since joining the Twins, pitching to a 1.20 ERA in 15 innings with a 19/7 K/BB ratio and four saves. His 114 Stuff+ score is pretty good, and he has a really good fastball and slider pairing. The Twins aren't winning too many games, but I think Gomez feels more stable as a pitcher than Alex Lange.

Mick Abel - SP, MIN (14% rostered)

Abel threw 47 pitches in a rehab outing at Triple-A on Wednesday and looked good. He's probably about two weeks away from returning to the Twins' rotation, but now could be the time to stash him if you have the bench space.

Shane Drohan- SP/RP, MIL (13% rostered)

I broke down Drohan's transition to the rotation in my streaming starting pitcher article on Monday, so I encourage you to check that out for a deep dive. I hate that his next start is against the Braves and that I don't trust the Brewers to keep him in the rotation, but I do like him as a pitcher.

Ian Seymour - SP, TB (8% rostered)

It seems like the Rays may finally be giving Ian Seymour a chance to start, and I couldn't be more excited. I wrote about him as one of my favorite late-round starting pitcher targets, which you can read here for full thoughts on his arsenal, and then he went ahead and lost a rotation spot to both Steven Matz and Nick Martinez. After getting blitzed out of the bullpen in the first game of the season, Seymour has been good for the Rays, pitching to a 3.60 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 26.6% strikeout rate in 35 innings. Remember that he was a good starting pitching prospect in the minors with the Rays as well. This has a chance to stick.

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