Grab your rope, carabiners, and pickaxe … we’re going speculating! If you’re like me, your fantasy baseball rosters hardly resemble your draft-day vision. It’s OK, that’s par for the course. Every year seems worse than the last, and so far, 2026 is no exception. But the enjoyment is in the journey (at least that’s what I tell myself).
Only an MLB season can humble so much work in such short order. But fret not, fellow roster-hole-filler, you’ve come to the right place! Every week, I’ll go position by position, surfacing the best additions in all formats — including hitter and pitcher stashes, and rankings of all available upcoming two-start SPs.
NOTE: Please prioritize positional lists over the featured player write-ups. I’m trying to avoid covering the same players more than once and don’t want any extra focus misconstrued as personal preference. Thanks, and away we go!
Top waiver wire hitter options
Catcher: Moisés Ballesteros, CHC
The sudden outbreak of catcher production in the opening month of play vaulted six different backstops into the top-25 hitters, per FanGraphs’ player rater. This unexpected abundance of riches lessens backstop demand, spurring a bit of a different angle behind the dish this week. Since there are viable streaming options available basically everywhere, the goal is to find a potential difference-maker. Enter 22-year-old Ballesteros, who has not only forced his way into the lineup but also to the top of the order. Already a career .289 hitter throughout his minor-league career, adding consistent power (1.012 OPS, 53.3% Hard Hit, .400 xwOBAcon) could instantly make Ballesteros a top-6 rest-of-season fantasy catcher. The problem? He’s not C-eligible … yet. Monday marked his first start at catcher, and skipper Craig Counsell telegraphed that there’s more to come.
First base: TJ Rumfield, COL
Once upon a time, an every-day cleanup hitter for the Rockies would never find himself rostered in fewer than 10% of fantasy baseball leagues. Insert Rumfield, Colorado’s 25-year-old first baseman with legitimate pop and a track record for getting on base. Just 123 plate appearances into his MLB career, Rumfield’s strong approach has carried over from the minors, highlighted by a +91% zone-contact rate — something we know plays up in Coors Field. The rookie has also racked up more barrels this season (eight) than Pete Alonso. If he converted six of those, instead of three, he wouldn’t be available. If these current elevated air-pull rates continue, we’re talking about at least 20 homers without a bad batting average attached to it.
Second base: Travis Bazzana, CLE
No time to exercise our usual patience when the game’s most highly touted prospects get the call. Cleveland’s front office apparently grew tired of Juan Brito’s 44 wRC+ causing a massive hole in their regular lineup, subsequently promoting 2024 No. 1 pick Travis Bazzana earlier this week. Off to a torrid start in Triple A, the Guardians obviously felt there was little left for Bazzana to prove with the Columbus Clippers. Of course, I’m worried about expecting immediate production from anyone, regardless of pedigree, but in these cases we’re left with no choice. While Bazzana is known for patience at the dish, I’ll be keeping a keen eye on his chase and whiff rates while hoping there’s enough power in the bat to stick all year. Let me also add, if he struggles in the beginning and gets rage-dropped, be the GM to buy that dip.
Shortstop: Brayan Rocchio, CLE
Sometimes the best way to help is just not to hurt. Affectionately referred to as a “lunchpail” or “glue” guy, Rocchio is the perfect embodiment of a balanced fantasy contributor. Sure, no single trait is necessarily a carrying tool, but the current 5×5 slash line (.283 BA/ 13 R/ 17 RBI/ 3 HR/ 2 SB) ranks Rocchio as fantasy’s No. 15 shortstop despite a measly 15% roster rate. More of a throwback to the late 20th-century style of middle infield play, Rocchio pairs a solid plate approach with above-average contact skills and speed. Toss in a double-digit air-pull rate from both sides of the batter’s box and you get the power floor needed to boost Rocchio into viability. I can’t help but wonder if he’s learning those characteristics from teammate José Ramírez.
Third base: Josh Jung, TEX
The bartender is shouting “last call” for adding Jung to your fantasy hot corner. One more week as the league’s sixth-best 3B should find him finally rostered in more leagues than not. Once an eighth-overall pick with All-Star aspirations, the beleaguered 28-year-old third baseman has yet to eclipse 515 plate appearances in a season. At 115 PA so far, Jung’s well on his way to finally surpassing that mark, and with the best underpinning approach metrics of his career to boot (16.8% K, 7.9% Swinging Strike, 93.1% Zone-Contact, 53.0% Hard Hit). Plugged into the top third of the Rangers’ lineup, regardless of matchup, Jung will rack up counting stats with pull power and a batting average which could actually help — not the easiest stats to find mid-stream.
Outfield: Heliot Ramos, SF
Repeat after me, “Baseball’s a marathon, not a sprint.” The Giants simply can’t be this bad all year. Easily a bottom-three offense to date, the Giants currently rank last in on-base percentage, runs scored, homers and steals. Yikes! That’s not great for fantasy. Or is it? Most Giants hitters are on your local waiver wire where they belong, short of former first-rounder Heliot Ramos. Always a Ramos guy, it took little convincing once I saw that patented power stroke arrive in 2026. There’s no denying the first 18 games were brutal (6-12), and there’s no getting them back, but those are water under the bridge now. Since finally getting into the HR column on April 17, Ramos has rediscovered the groove that made him such a valuable fantasy asset in 2025, boasting power stats that pop off the page: 1.063 OPS, 81.5% Hard Hit, 33.0% Barrel, 18.5% Air-Pull, .510 xwOBA. Wow! I’m expecting an every-week fantasy starter from here on out.
Hitter stash candidates
Top waiver wire pitcher options
Starters
Atlanta promoted 22-year-old righty JR Ritchie for what was supposed to be a short stay, with Grant Holmes and Spencer Strider on the mend. At least that’s my best estimate as to why he led this week’s drop list. However, talent always seems to win out. A few days ago, manager Walt Weiss announced Reynaldo López will work out of the bullpen to smooth out mechanical issues. To me, it’s as simple as the Braves looking to expand on an already sizable seven-game division lead. Ritchie proved especially effective for his age across his minor-league career: +244 IP, 2.61 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 17.4% K-BB, .184 BAA, 0.74 HR/9. One seven-inning debut later in the bigs and the genie is out of the bottle.
Ritchie features a 94 mph four-seamer up around the eyes to set up his best pitch, a curveball with lots of break (26% Use/ .242 xSLG/ 33.3% Whiff) — which he then pairs with a changeup down-and-in on southpaws. I’d like to see the Braves’ former compensation pick clean up the command/control before betting on him to win the NL ROY, but there’s quite a bit to like in a small sample, and I’m expecting improvements. Winning a rotation spot on a competitive team over a solid veteran is something. Get in now before it’s far too late.
Relievers
Mining the perfect fantasy closer comes down to finding the ideal combination of skills and role. Remember not to get too hung up on the first part, either — we’ll still take the bad pitcher getting save opportunities. For those managers who punted saves on draft day, the season begins on high alert, but fear not; you’re in luck. MLB’s save environment is literally as chaotic as ever. Despite just reaching May, a remarkable 102 different pitchers have already recorded a save in 2026. Wow! With that, the goal is always to acquire a reliever who either has the job now or direct access to it soon. Given the incredible number of league types out there, our best course is to keep a running list of relievers; grab the best available.
Everyone’s getting save now. A new record in different players getting saves. pic.twitter.com/Z9YtcbcxBj
— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) April 30, 2026
Graduating class
The following players are now on many fantasy rosters, but those in 10-team leagues should look to them first before adding other, lesser-rostered players.
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