As we head toward the middle of April, the waiver wire in Yahoo fantasy baseball leagues continues to be fruitful. This is the best time of year to get aggressive with adding players, as there are options at every position who are exceeding expectations and could be poised for a full-year breakout. As usual, this article includes some immediate and long-term options.
Pitchers to add
Parker Messick, SP, Guardians, 46%: I’m going to write about Messick every week until he becomes ineligible for this column by having a roster rate that exceeds 50%. We are almost there. I believe that the southpaw, who owns a 0.82 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP, should have a roster rate of at least 70%.
Kyle Harrison, SP/RP, Brewers, 38%: After becoming a trendy sleeper pick during spring training, Harrison is having a terrific start to the season that includes a 2.61 ERA, a 0.97 WHIP and a 14:3 K:BB ratio over two starts. The Brewers typically do a terrific job with their pitchers, which should make fantasy managers excited to add Harrison while he is still widely available. Additionally, the lefty’s upcoming starts include favorable matchups against the Nats, Marlins and Pirates.
Ryan Weathers, SP, Yankees, 27%: After showing some exciting signs of progress during spring training, Weathers was mediocre in his initial two starts before dominating the Athletics over eight innings of one-run ball last time out. This is a great time to take a chance on Weathers, who is a two-start pitcher next week with reasonable matchups against the Angels and Royals.
Riley O’Brien, RP, Cardinals, 45%: After the Ryne Stanek experiment lasted less than a week, the Cardinals have wisely turned to O’Brien as their closer. The right-hander has picked up all of the team’s past three saves, and he has been dominant this season by posting a 7:0 K:BB ratio across 7.1 scoreless innings. He’s quickly moving into the second tier of closers.
Bryan Baker, RP, Rays, 8%: Baker is the Rays closer; he just doesn’t have the saves to show for it. The Rays have generated just three saves so far, and Baker earned the last one on Monday. The previous day, he picked up a win after he pitched the ninth inning of a tied game, which is an assignment that is often given to the closer. Baker is in the bottom tier of closers, but he’s already on the deep-league radar.
Hitters to add
Carter Jensen, C, Royals, 26%: Since being benched for sleeping through his alarm, Jensen has turned his season around. The youngster has gone deep three times and ranks among the top 10 catchers to this point in the season. Managers who are starting Iván Herrera, Adley Rutschman, Agustín Ramírez or Yainer Díaz, who are all off to slow starts, can consider pivoting to Jensen.
TJ Rumfield, 1B, Rockies, 19%: Rumfield enjoyed a terrific spring in which he produced five homers, 13 RBI and a 5:2 BB:K ratio over 56 at-bats, which allowed him to come out of nowhere to win the Rockies’ first base job. His strong play has continued into the regular season, where he has hit .326 with two homers, eight RBI and a team-leading .923 OPS. Rumfield is playing so well that he can be one of the few Rockies who remain in fantasy lineups when the team is on the road.
Mark Vientos, 3B, Mets, 17%: Vientos is bouncing back from a down year by slashing .323/.353/.484. He has cut his strikeout rate, which has earned him a regular role as the team’s first baseman. It’s early, but this is the time of year to take a chance on a 26-year-old who hit .266 with 27 homers and 71 RBI in 111 games two years ago. It helps that Vientos is eligible at third base, which is the weakest position aside from catcher.
Hitters with favorable weekend matchups
Francisco Alvarez, C, Mets, 36%
Alvarez is hitting .265 with three homers, which has made him a top 12 catcher so far. His hot start isn’t surprising, given that he logged a .921 OPS in the second half of 2025. He should stay hot this weekend, when the Mets face an unimpressive Athletics staff that owns a 4.75 ERA.
Jake Bauers, 1B/OF, Brewers, 7%
Bauers is off to a solid start and already has two homers and two steals. He should hit in the heart of the lineup against right-handers on Friday and Sunday, while coming off the bench when lefty Foster Griffin eventually leaves the game on Saturday. Against a Nats staff with a 6.06 ERA, the Brewers have plenty of potential to score in bunches.
Pitchers to stream this weekend (ranked in order of preference)
Parker Messick @ ATL (Saturday, 46)
Michael Wacha vs. CWS (Saturday, 50)
Noah Cameron vs. CWS (Sunday, 45)
Kyle Harrison vs. WSH (Saturday, 38)
Chad Patrick vs. WSH (Friday, 20)
Lance McCullers Jr. @ SEA (Saturday, 39)
Jansen Junk @ DET (Saturday, 5)
Eric Lauer vs. MIN (Saturday, 27)
Bryce Elder vs. CLE (Friday, 48)
Casey Mize vs. MIA (Saturday, 42)
Carmen Mlodzinski @ CHC (Friday, 4)
Simeon Woods Richardson @ TOR (Friday, 3)
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