Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Yu Darvish is back, Colt Keith is figuring it out

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.

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 leads the way, Tarik Skubal overtakes Bobby Witt Jr.

Corbin Carroll’s return and José Ramírez’s slump further shake up the top 10 this week.

Waiver Wire Hitters

Josh Smith – 1B/3B/SS/OF, TEX: 38% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, RUNS UPSIDE)

With Josh Jung in the minors, Josh Smith is now the everyday third baseman in Texas. Over his last 25 games, Smith is slashing .303/.400/.475 with three home runs, 22 runs scored, and seven RBIs. He hit leadoff for the Rangers, so his primary value to you will be in Runs, but that’s a category that often gets overlooked, so Smith could be a useful target on waiver wires if you need help there or with batting average. Another multi-position eligible hitter who has stayed on the fantasy radar is Abraham Toro – 1B/2B/3B, BOS (8% rostered). The veteran has endured a bit of a cold spell since the end of June, so this is really only a deep league target because he is still playing about 75-80% of games for the Red Sox and has eligibility in so many positions. He also hits in the middle of the order when he starts, so that has some value on an offense that’s as hot as Boston is right now.

Chandler Simpson – OF, TB: 35% rostered
(RETURN FROM MINORS, SPEED WINNER)

Simpson is back up because, I guess, he became a much better defender in three weeks in the minors. Since being recalled, Simpson is hitting .362 with six runs scored and seven steals in 17 games. People will tell you that fantasy managers misunderstand Simpson’s actual value, and it’s not really that high, but his speed is a legit issue. He’s going to hit for a strong batting average and post elite stolen base totals. If Tampa Bay keeps running hot like this, he’ll chip in some runs even from the bottom of the order.

Tyler O’Neill – OF, BAL: 33% rostered
(RETURN FROM IL, POWER UPSIDE)

Tyler O’neill is back. The 30-year-old has played just 30 games this season and is hitting .176/.271/.314, but we know the power upside that he has when he’s healthy and in the lineup. The Orioles have hit him seventh most of the time since he’s come back, which will hurt his counting stats a bit, but he could easily move up in the order if he starts hitting. His return has also not impacted the playing time of Ramon Laureano – OF, BAL (11% rostered). It seems that the Orioles will have both players in the lineup regularly at RF/DH, and Laureano has actually played far more than O’Neill. The veteran hit .312 in June with four home runs, 19 runs scored, and 16 RBI in 21 games. He has cooled a bit in June, but he’s still hitting fourth or fifth in the order, and that gives him that counting stat upside that O’Neill won’t have right now.

Jac Caglianone – 1B/OF, KC: 29% rostered
(PROSPECT GROWTH, POWER UPSIDE)

We’ve seen a bunch of prospects this year start slow and then begin to figure it out. Cam Smith and Nick Kurtz are just two of the most recent examples. Caglianone’s two mammoth home runs this week could signal that he’s the next one. I recorded a video on him this week explaining my thoughts, but I would add him if he’s been cut in your leagues.

Colt Keith – 1B/2B, DET: 25% rostered
(FULL-TIME JOB PROSPECT GROWTH)

A couple of weeks ago, I covered Colt Keith as a potential breakout thanks to his impressive Process+ score, which ranks 6th in all of baseball since June 1st. Process+ is a Pitcher List stat that shows “The combined value of a hitter’s Decision Value, Contact Ability, and Power.” At that point, he was rostered in 7% of leagues, and the stats hadn’t shown up yet, but his process has been rewarded. Over his last 15 games, Keith is hitting .358/.417/.585 with two home runs, 11 runs scored, and six RBI, and his roster rate has shot up. We know prospect growth isn’t linear, so it’s time to jump back on board with Keith.

Carlos Narvaez – C, BOS: 22% rostered
(BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, PLAYING TIME UPSIDE)

Narvaez remains a fringe option in one-catcher formats because he plays regularly on a good offense, but he is a must-roster in two-catcher leagues. He cooled a bit in the middle of June, but over his last 15 games, he’s hitting .281/.317/.439 with two home runs, eight runs scored, and eight RBI. He’s been solid for Boston all year long and could be a solid option while they’re running hot. If you’re looking for an option in a two-catcher format, you can go with Victor Caratini – C/1B, HOU (8% rostered), who has continued to play regularly in Houston with Yordan Alvarez suffering a setback in his rehab from a hand fracture. In his last 15 games, Caratini has five home runs and 15 RBI to go along with a .246/.246/.544 slash line. I’m not sure how long the power will remain this helpful, but he’s making a lot of contact, and the home park can help.

Evan Carter – OF, TEX: 18% rostered
(POST HYPE PROSPECT, HOT STRETCH)

Kennedi Landry had a good piece on Evan Carter a few weeks ago, highlighting some of the changes that have led to his strong performance since coming off the IL…again. He admitted to putting a lot of pressure on himself after his injury, and cited playing looser and feeling like he had a better mental approach at the plate. In June, Carter hit .333/.421/.530 in 21 games with three homers, eight RBI, 12 runs scored, and five steals. The batting average hasn’t carried over into July, but he does have four steals and six RBI in nine games. Those stolen bases are great to see with the injuries he’s had in the past, and Carter has a real five-category skillset. He’s unlikely to play against many lefties, but he can be a really solid option in all fantasy leagues. If you’re looking primarily for speed in the outfield, you could turn to Jake Mangum – OF, TB (8% rostered), who is playing most days and hitting third for Tampa Bay. I’ll admit that I’ve never been a huge Mangum believer, and I’m still not, but he is hitting .312/.347/.409 over his last 25 games with 11 RBI, 11 runs scored, and three steals. That’s not doing a ton to help you outside of batting average, so I think he’s more of a deep-league play, but he’s making a lot of contact and has 13 steals on the year, so there is a case to be made for adding him.

Tyler Freeman – SS/OF, COL: 18% rostered
(REGULAR STARTING ROLE, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

The stretch of games in Coors is done (for now), but that doesn’t mean you need to get rid of Freeman. He’s hitting .360/.452/.427 over his last 25 games with 11 runs scored and seven steals. The stolen base value is a bit surprising given his previous results, but he has 12 steals this season while hitting leadoff for the Rockies. Freeman had a solid enough season last year for Cleveland, and moving to Colorado should help him. Freeman makes a lot of contact, but the hard contact is limited, and his BABIP has been low in years past. Coors Field tends to boost BABIP, so Freeman could emerge as a .270 hitter with some decent speed and multi-position eligibility. Freeman is also 15th in Process+ since June 1st, so the stats are backed up by a strong approach.

Caleb Durbin – 2B/3B/SS, MIL: 15% rostered
(BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, HOT STRETCH)

Durbin has turned it on of late, hitting .366/.436/.463 over his last 15 games with two home runs, 10 RBI, 18 runs scored, and three steals. As I mentioned with Caglianone, it takes rookies some time to adjust to the big leagues, and we’re now seeing Durbin start to get a bit more comfortable in the box. I would like to see more steals than the eight he has on the season right now, since that’s been Durbin’s calling card in the minors, but it’s nice to see the rookie adjusting to MLB pitching and starting to get on base more often. I think the steals will come. If you wanted a more boring option for deeper leagues, Lenyn Sosa – 1B/2B/3B, CWS (2% rostered) has jumped on the Process+ leaderboard with a score of 107 since June 15th, which is above the league average of 100. Over that same stretch, he’s hitting .268/.302/.524 with five home runs, 12 runs scored, 14 RBI, and one steal in 23 games. That’s not bad production across the board in deeper formats.

Zack Gelof – 2B, ATH: 8% rostered
(RETURN FROM IL, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)

This is all about upside. Gelof fractured his hamate bone in the spring and then had a rib injury during his rehab assignment, which delayed his return even more. He struggled a bit last year and is just 2-for-25 to start the season this year, but we should expect rust given how long he’s been out this year. He was really good as a rookie in 2023 and came into the year with 31 home runs and 29 steals in 209 career MLB games, so there is enough power and speed here to excite us a bit. The batting average will likely not be good, but remember that he plays in a minor league ballpark now that is heating up in the summer, and the ball is flying. In deeper formats, I’d still stash on my bench for another week or two.

Ha-Seong Kim – SS, TB: 8% rostered
(RETURN FROM IL, SPEED UPSIDE)

Kim returned from the IL last Friday and has emerged as the starting shortstop of Tampa Bay. I think his value will be primarily in stolen bases, but I recorded a video on Kim this week, so you can check it out for my detailed thoughts.

Brice Matthews – 3B/SS, HOU: 6% rostered
(PROSPECT CALL UP, POWER/SPEED UPSIDE)

The Astros called up Matthews, who is their number one prospect. He has been heating up since a cold start to the season and is slashing .283/.400/.476 in Triple-A with 10 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 25 steals. All of that points to major fantasy upside for a player who will primarily play second base and could gain even more position eligibility. The issue here is that he has very real swing-and-miss issues. He had a 30% strikeout rate and 14% swinging strike rate in Triple-A, and those very rarely improve right away at the MLB level. He has also gotten beat by fastballs at Triple-A, which is not good because the fastballs he is going to see in the big leagues are clearly superior. He has the power and speed to make you not care about a .220 batting average, but I’m not sure if that power is going to carry over right away, so I would be very cautious on my bids and not expect to use him for a few weeks as he adjusts.

Masataka Yoshida – OF, BOS (7% rostered)
(RECENT IL RETURN, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

Yoshida came back from the IL this week and went 4-for-11 with two doubles, an RBI, a run scored, and one steal in his first three games of the season. He’s a career .285/.343/.433 hitter in Major League Baseball with just a 13.3% strikeout rate in 248 games. He’s going to provide a great batting average and the potential for solid counting stats while hitting near the middle of Boston’s lineup. Well, we think. When the Red Sox bring back Yoshida, they will have only four lineup spots for Yoshida, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, and Wilyer Abreu. They have managed it so far by rotating days off, but I think a trade has to be coming. Maybe it’s Yoshida being moved into a full-time role elsewhere?

Andrew Vaughn – 1B, MIL: 5% rostered
(POTENTIAL STARTING JOB, APPROACH CHANGE?)

With Rhys Hoskins landing on the IL for the next six to eight weeks, it’s possible that Andrew Vaughn is emerging as a starting option in Milwaukee, and I’m intrigued by an approach change he made in the minors since being traded. I recorded a video this week explaining why I think Vaughn might be a decent gamble in deeper formats. You could also take a chance on Josh Bell – 1B, WAS (5% rostered), who has a Process+ score of 116 since June 15th, which is far better than the league average score of 100. Over that stretch, Bell is hitting .329/.402/.487 with two home runs, eight runs scored, and 11 RBI in 23 games. The power numbers aren’t great there, but we have seen Bell be a consistent 20 home run hitter before, so maybe the ball starts to fly a bit in the summer, or he gets traded into a better lineup.

Brady House – 3B, WAS: 4% rostered
(HOT STREAK, PROSPECT GROWTH)

Another prospect starting to figure it out a little bit is Brady House. The rookie has a modest six-game hitting streak and hits in eight of nine games in July. Since being promoted, he’s hitting .270/.303/.374 in 22 games with two home runs, seven runs, 12 RBI, and two steals. While his first two MLB home runs just came on Saturday, he had 13 in Triple-A this season with a 46% hard hit rate, so there is some power in that bat. I have liked his approach of late, and the results are solid for deeper formats. If we’re just using Process+, we should note that Hose’s teammate, Daylen Lile – OF, WAS (0% rostered), has a Process+ score of 112 since June 15th, which is pretty solid work from a young rookie. Over that span, he’s hitting .247/.293/.351 with two home runs, 10 runs scored, and two steals, but he also has just 10 strikeouts to five walks in 21 games. The process is there, and the contact has been there, so maybe the results will also start to tick up in the coming months.

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

We all talked a lot about Max Muncy’s glasses, but perhaps we need to pay attention to Tommy Pham’s contacts. There is a great video from Logan Arblaster that shows Pham discussing a difficult situation with his contact lenses based on a rare eye condition that he has. The video was taken on June 23rd, and Pham mentions in the video that he has made contact lens changes throughout the year, but has “felt better the last week.” If we take Pham’s stats from June 16th, we see that he’s hitting .412/.448/.667 in 17 games with three home runs, eight runs scored, and 16 RBIs. That will play in any league type. A name to keep an eye on in deeper leagues is Nathan Lukes – OF, TOR (1% rostered). Lukes has recently moved into the leadoff spot against right-handed pitching and is hitting .379/.471/.621 in nine games in July with one home run, seven runs scored, and six RBI. I’m not saying this is a breakout for the 31-year-old, but his approach is great for a leadoff hitter, and the Blue Jays have been playing really good baseball lately, so perhaps this is a solid multi-week add.

Dominic Canzone – OF, SEA: 1% rostered
(PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY, POWER UPSIDE)

Canzone has been putting up tremendous production since being called up and ranks 14th in Process+ among all hitters with at least 200 pitches faced since June 15th. Over that stretch, he’s hitting .352/.361/.620 with five home runs, nine runs scored, and six RBI. Canzone is not going to play against lefties, and he doesn’t have quite the track record of success, but Canzone has always made impressive quality of contact throughout his MLB career, so there is some upside here in deeper formats. Another option would be Isaac Collins – OF, MIL (3% rostered), who has been on a bit of a heater since June 1st, hitting .297/.404/.484 in 31 games with four home runs, 19 runs scored, 15 RBI, and three steals. He’s been striking out a bit more this past week, but he has good plate discipline overall. He’s pulling the ball near 50% of the time, mostly on the ground and on a line, which is good for his batting average but might cap the overall power upside. His average exit velocity is also only 88.5 mph over that span, so this is not a hitter you’re adding for power, but he has a solid approach that should lead to plenty of doubles and decent counting stats, hitting fifth or sixth in Milwaukee.

Heriberto Hernandez – OF, MIA: 0% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, FORMER PROSPECT)

It may have taken a while, but Heriberto Hernandez didn’t come out of nowhere. He put up good numbers as an 18-year-old in the Rangers’ organization and was traded in 2020 to the Rays as part of the Nathaniel Lowe deal. He was ranked as Tampa Bay’s 15th and 16th best prospect in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and while his numbers were fine, they were never quite good enough, so he was allowed to become a minor league free agent before this season. In 29 games with the Marlins, he’s hitting .325/.376/.506 with three home runs, 11 runs scored, and 12 RBI. He has always struck out too much, so I believe his 18% swinging strike rate is going to catch up to him, but he has also always had power, so if the Marlins are going to keep playing him, he could have value there.

Waiver Wire Pitchers

THIS IS AN INTERESTING WEEK FOR PITCHING ADDS BECAUSE OF THE ALL-STAR BREAK. MOST TEAMS WILL RESET THEIR ROTATION DURING THE BREAK TO HAVE THEIR BEST PITCHERS START OVER THE WEEKEND, WHICH MEANS THAT MANY OF THE STREAMING ARMS WE TEND TO LIKE OR TARGET WON’T PITCH AT ALL THIS WEEK. THAT GIVES YOU THE CHOICE TO EITHER LOOK AHEAD AND TRY TO GET STARTING PITCHERS FOR CHEAPER BY FOCUSING ON THEIR JULY 21ST WEEK SCHEDULE OR YOU CAN ADD RELIEVERS FOR $1 IN MOST LEAGUES THIS WEEK TO GET AN EXTRA INNING OR TWO OVER THE WEEKEND.

Yu Darvish – SP, SD: 52% rostered
Darvish doesn’t meet the criteria to be on this list, but I wanted to cover him since he just returned from the IL and his performance was better than many expected. I recorded a video after his first start in Arizona discussing my thoughts.

Jason Adam – RP, SD: 38% rostered
Adam is one of the best targets if you want a reliever for this week. He has been great this season and could easily slide into a closer role and be stellar for the Padres and fantasy managers if Suarez has another rough stretch.

Emmett Sheehan – SP, LAD: 27% rostered
Sheehan piggybacked Shohei Ohtani on Saturday, and that could be his role again in the coming weeks, but we kind of have no idea how the Dodgers are going to handle this now that Tyler Glasnow is back and Blake Snell is closing in on a return. So far this season, Sheehan has been 95 mph on the four-seamer with two inches more iVB, which got him to 17″, and he also threw them upstairs. The slider and changeup are solid, and even if he’s not a huge upside arm, he has a solid arsenal with command that should continue to improve as the year progresses

Bubba Chandler – SP, PIT: 26% rostered
Chandler threw six shutout innings (again) in Triple-A on Thursday, allowing five hits while walking two and striking out seven. It’s time. Just call him up. This is getting silly.

Joe Boyle – SP, TB: 22% rostered
Boyle is in the Rays rotation now. Kind of. He has settled into a role pitching behind Drew Rasmussen that I actually think is good for Boyle’s fantasy value. I did a detailed breakdown of Boyle’s arsenal and fantasy value here, so check it out.

Cam Schlittler – SP, NYY: 20% rostered
Cam Schlittler made his MLB debut this week against the Mariners. Schlittler is the 89th-ranked prospect, according to Baseball America, and has a 2.82 ERA this season thanks to an improving fastball that sits around 97 mph. It does have below-average extension, and we saw with Chase Burns that great velocity fastballs with mediocre extension don’t miss as many bats in the big leagues. Schlittler also has three secondary braking balls that grade out well from a raw stuff perspective and showed good command in the minors this season, so I’m interested in adding him most places, as I discussed in a video I recorded last week.

Grant Taylor – SP/RP, CWS: 12% rostered
Taylor has legit electric stuff, and except for a poor performance against the Dodgers last week, he has been really impressive in his rookie season. He now has a 4.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 17/3 K/BB in his first 14.1 innings in the big leagues. His fastball is regularly sitting about 101 mph, and he has all the makings of a Mason Miller-type of former starter who could be lights out in one-inning stints out of the bullpen.

Blake Treinen – RP, LAD: 10% rostered
Trienen made his first rehab performance on Wednesday, throwing eight of his 12 pitches for strikes while sitting 95.5 mph on his sinker in a scoreless inning. He seems healthy and could be called up after the break. With Tanner Scott struggling to close out games, Treinen could emerge as an option in a closer committee in Los Angeles.

Richard Fitts – SP, BOS: 4% rostered
Fitts got sent down this week, but I think that had more to do with the Red Sox needing extra bullpen help before the All-Star break than it was with Fitts not being a part of their long-term plan. However, with Hunter Dobbins tearing his ACL, Fitts is back in Boston’s rotation, and while I don’t think he’s a future stud, I’m still in the bag for him a bit. His fastball has ticked up to 97.4 mph in his last two starts, and the secondaries have started to show some swing and miss upside. I’d love to see the secondaries be a bit more consistent, but this is a good upside arm who is available in many leagues.

STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS

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

STARTING PITCHERS TO STASH

SOME STARTS I LIKE FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 21ST