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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Chase DeLauter is on fire, Carlos Estevez's clock is ticking

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Welcome to the first Waiver Wire Watch article of the season. We'll be doing things a little bit differently this season, with Eric Samulski publishing the initial waiver wire article on Friday afternoon and then James Schiano updating it every Sunday to make sure you get the most up-to-date information.

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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 it helps you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs. Not every "trending" player will be a good addition for your specific roster.

For a player to qualify for this list, he 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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2026 Fantasy Baseball Top 300: Jackson Chourio tumbles in final preseason updateCleanup man Sal Stewart climbs further and Mets rookie Carson Benge debuts.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters

Chase DeLauter - OF, CLE (71% rostered)

(PROSPECT PEDIGREE, POWER UPSIDE)

We initially drafted this before his Opening Day two-home run bonanza, so his roster rate is sure to jump. Even before that performance, the argument for Chase DeLauter was that he was a fringe top-50 overall prospect in baseball the past few years, but has struggled to stay on the field. He suffered foot fractures and hamstring strains in college, then had a sprained foot, sprained toe, and sprained hamstring in 2024 with Cleveland. In 2025, he had sports hernia surgery but returned in time to make his MLB debut in the postseason. He had a nearly 52% Hard-Hit rate in Triple-A last year and has shown the ability to hit for average as well as power. The injuries may limit his desire to run, as well as his total plate appearances, but that performance on Opening Day showcases exactly the kind of pure upside he has.

Sunday update: Well, DeLauter hit a home run on Friday night off of George Kirby and then another on Sunday against Andrés Muñoz.He's the second player ever to hit four home runs in their first three career games as well as the number one ranked hitter and most added player in fantasy baseball at this moment.Don't leave him on the wire if you play in one of the 29% of leagues where he's still available.

Caleb Durbin - 3B, BOS (36% rostered)

(BATTING AVERAGE, STEALS UPSIDE)

Durbin makes an elite level of contact and shows a tremendous understanding of the strike zone. He is now moving from a park that ranked 19th for right-handed hitters, according to Statcast’s Park Factors, to one that ranks 8th. It would not surprise us if the Green Monster helps improve his batting average from .256 to something over .270. Considering he’s also a threat to steal at least 20 bases and play almost every day in a good lineup, that makes him a solid target if you need steals or batting average from a corner infielder.

Francisco Alvarez - C, NYM (30% rostered)

(BOUNCEBACK SEASON, POWER UPSIDE)

Alvarez went back to his old batting stance after his demotion to Triple-A last year and then returned to the Mets to slash .276/.360/.561 with eight home runs and a 25 percent strikeout rate in 40 games to finish the season. Perhaps a full season of that re-adopted stance, with a slight shift toward pulling and lifting, will lead to better overall production. He’s just 24 years old and also came into camp 10 pounds lighter this season. He has had terrible luck with hand injuries over the last few years, but there could be a major buying opportunity here in fantasy baseball leagues, and he got off to a hot start with a massive blast and a 2-for-4 day on Opening Day.

Matt Shaw - 3B, CHC (15% rostered)

(POTENTIAL STARTING JOB, SPEED UPSIDE)

Despite the Nationals throwing a right-handed pitcher, it was Shaw in right field on Opening Day and not Michael Conforto. Shaw has struggled with his outfield defense this spring, so he may not have a long leash in the outfield, but his offensive production improved drastically in the second half of last season, hitting .258/.317/.522 with 11 home runs and six steals in 61 games. He also carried over into spring training, which should give us some optimism. Playing time in Chicago remains a mystery when Seiya Suzuki (knee) is healthy, but that could be a few weeks away, and Shaw is worth adding in case his super utility role leads to three to four starts per week.

Sunday update: Shaw was in the Cubs' lineup again on Saturday against another right-handed pitcher. He appears to be their starting right fielder while Suzuki is out.

Jake Burger - 1B, TEX (21% rostered)

(POWER, RBI UPSIDE)

Burger struggled to get started last season and then put tremendous pressure on himself to produce for his new team, which led to mechanical changes in his swing that he identified in the offseason while watching tape. He spent the offseason simply trying to get back to the swing path and contact point he had in 2023 and 2024 when he put up back-to-back seasons with a .250 batting average and at least 29 home runs. We don’t have to argue that Burger will be better than that. We just have to say that the real version of Burger is what we saw in those two seasons, and he showed that on Opening Day with three hits and a home run.

Jordan Lawlar - 3B, ARI (12% rostered)

(PROSPECT PEDIGREE, STEALS UPSIDE)

Lawlar was once a top-five prospect in all of baseball and slashed .313/.403/.564 with 11 home runs and 20 steals in 63 games at Triple-A last season. I know that hasn’t carried over to MLB at-bats yet, but he has looked good this spring, and ripped a double off Yoshinobu Yamamoto in his first at-bat of the season. Perhaps more importantly, he also looked really good out in left field, which means the Diamondbacks won't feel inclined to get him out of the lineup for defensive purposes. I think he has the chance to be a 20/25 guy in a full season. Considering he is also likely to pick up outfield eligibility soon, that's a strong profile to add off your wire.

Brett Baty - 2B/3B, NYM (12% rostered)

(PROSPECT PEDIGREE, COUNTING STATS UPSIDE)

Baty looked great in 110 games last season after his early demotion to Triple-A. He hunted his pitch more often and got behind in the count less, which caused his overall swinging strike rate to drop, and his barrel rate to jump to 13%. He’s the starting designated hitter for the Mets against right-handed pitching. When you add his ability to play second base, third base, and potentially even left field if the Mets need to give somebody an off day, there is still a path for Baty to push for 500 plate appearances this season, which makes him a real value at his draft price.

Sunday update: Baty started again on Saturday (against another right-handed pitcher) and stole a base! He's in the lineup once again on Sunday with another righty on the mound and is getting his first big league start at first base. He appears to be a full-time player for the Mets against right-handed pitching and may add another position to his eligibility.

Coby Mayo - 1B, BAL (7% rostered)

(PROSPECT PEDIGREE, POWER UPSIDE)

The Jordan Westburg injury means that Mayo is going to be the starting third baseman in Baltimore at least until the middle of May. He's another former top prospect who, despite his struggles, had a 10% barrel rate last season in 294 plate appearances. He seems to have settled in at the plate a bit this spring, and while I’m not convinced he’ll ever post a really high batting average, I think he could push for 20-25 home runs if he’s able to hold onto the job for the majority of the season.

Owen Caissie - OF, MIA (7% rostered)

(PROSPECT PEDIGREE, POWER UPSIDE)

Caissie was the key piece the Marlins acquired from the Cubs for Edward Cabrera this winter and has already made his presence known by going 4-for-9 with two doubles, two RBI, and three hard-hit balls in his first two games. He has freakish raw power, but concerns have persisted about what was troubling swing-and-miss as a minor leaguer. Yet, his whiff rate dropped like a rock month over month at Triple-A last season and he could have genuine 30-homer potential if those adjustments hold. Also, he's expected to be platooned against left-handed pitchers, but started against one on Friday when Christopher Morel was scratched and immediately roped a double off Kyle Freeland.

He's on the bench Sunday against a lefty though in favor of the newly promoted Deyvison De Los Santos (5% rostered) who looks like he'll have a short-side platoon role along with the newly acquired Austin Slater, pushing Caissie to the bench against lefties for the time being.

Jake Bauers - 1B/OF, MIL (6% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, STRONG SPRING TRAINING)

With Jackson Chourio (hand) on the IL, it was Bauers who got the Brewers' first start of the season in left field. The 30-year-old had a tremendous spring, hitting .462/.571/1.154 with seven home runs and three steals in 49 plate appearances. It’s obviously a small sample size, but it’s pretty eye-opening, even though it's not at all in line with who Bauers has been over his career. Still, he carried it over into Opening Day, when he went 2-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Bauers figures to start against most right-handed pitchers for the next month, with Blake Perkins starting against lefties, so he could be worth a gamble in deeper formats.

Sunday update: Brewers' first baseman Andrew Vaughn broke his hamate bone and will be out for approximately six weeks. That will open the door for Bauers to be their strong-side platoon first baseman for the time being.

Rhys Hoskins - 1B, CLE (3% rostered)

(STARTING JOB?, POWER UPSIDE)

Hoskins started the Guardians' first two games at first base and hit sixth in each contest. He then retreated to the bench on Saturday night while Kyle Manzardo moved from the designated hitter spot to first which opened up DH for Chase DeLauter. The Guardians have plenty of these corner-only types on their roster and will shuffle them around, but it looks like Hoskins is in line for a heavy dose of playing time early on.

Nasim Nuñez - 2B/SS, WAS (2% rostered)

(STARTING JOB?, STEALS UPSIDE)

I took a lot of shares of Nunez in deeper formats because he has elite speed and figures to be the starting second baseman for the Nationals this year. However, he also had just a 4.7% barrel rate and 42% hard-hit rate last season, so he's not making tons of authoritative contact. Yes, he does make a fair amount of contact overall, but a 9% swinging strike rate is also a bit high for somebody who is really a speed-only play. Still, if he hits .240 and plays most days, he could steal 40 bases this season, and he got it started with a walk and a stolen base on opening day. No hits though.

Miguel Andujar - 3B/OF, SD (2% rostered)

(STARTING JOB, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

Andujar, not Nick Castellanos, will begin the season as the primary designated hitter. Andujar hit just .220/.305/.420 in spring, but he did have three home runs and a manageable strikeout rate. He’s a career .282 hitter in 467 MLB games and could have some deep league fantasy value if he’s going to hit in the middle of the Padres’ lineup.

Oswald Peraza - 1B/2B/SS/3B, LAA (1% rostered)

(STARTING JOB?)

Peraza started the Angels' first three games of the season and is eligible at every infield position. That alone makes him a valuable deep league player. Past that, he's 4-for-11 to start the season with a home run in a lineup that sneakily has some thump. Be mindful, Adam Frazier replaced him at second base in Sunday's lineup.

David Hamilton - 2B/SS, MIL (1% rostered)

(STARTING JOB?, STEALS UPSIDE)

It’s only one game, but it seems that Hamilton may have beaten out Luis Rengifo for the third base job in Milwaukee. Hamilton did enjoy a good spring, slashing .333/.393/.510 with one home run and seven steals in 56 plate appearances, but he’s also a .222/.283/.359 career hitter in 550 MLB plate appearances. What’s more, he graded out as an above-average defender at second base during his time with the Red Sox but a below-average one at shortstop, so it remains to be seen how he can handle third base and how long he lasts as a starter. All that being said, his speed puts him on fantasy radars if he’s going to start against right-handed pitching because we have seen him go on stretches where he can single-handedly carry you in that category. He also got on base three times and stole a base on opening day, which demonstrates exactly the kind of upside we're talking about.

Sunday update: Hamilton started at third for the Brewers again on Saturday, but gave way to Luis Regnifo — who is hitting third for Milwaukee — on Sunday.

Jefferson Quero - C, MIL (0% rostered)

(POWER UPSIDE?)

The Brewers promoted Quero to replace Andrew Vaughn on their roster who will be out for about six weeks with a broken hamate bone. That may not make much sense because Quero is a catcher, but Gary Sanchez is expected to be the short-side platoon with Jake Bauers at first base, so Quero will work in as their back-up catcher. He objectively has power upside if he were to get enough playing time to let that shine. It's unlikely he does this time around though.

Curtis Mead - 1B/2B/3B, WSH (0% rostered)

(PLAYING TIME UPSIDE?)

Mead was designated for assignment by the White Sox just before Opening Day and the Nationals swooped in to grab him in a trade on Saturday. Their aggressiveness leads me to believe that they may have a plan to find him some at-bats. If so, his multi-positional eligibility could make him roster spackle in the deepest of leagues.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Cody Ponce - SP, TOR (41% rostered)

Ponce is locked into this Blue Jays rotation with all the injuries they have. He is also another pitcher who came back from Korea throwing two mph harder. He also added a kick-changeup, which has been a real weapon for him against left-handed hitters in Korea and this spring. I have some concerns about his ability to get consistent strikeouts against righties, and he has yet to really succeed in the Major Leagues, so there are some questions, but I’m willing to take a gamble because his first two starts are against the Rockies at home and then the White Sox.

Brandon Sproat - SP, MIL (38% rostered)

Sproat has won a spot in the Brewers' rotation. The 25-year-old had a mediocre four-start debut for the Mets in 2025, but he was emerging as a solid prospect in 2024 and 2025 in the minor leagues. He has a six-pitch mix that gives him plenty of ways to attack hitters, and that’s a profile that the Brewers really know how to get the most out of. He faces the White Sox on Sunday, so if you can add him before that, that's great, but I think he could be in play against the Royals after that as well.

Jordan Romano - RP, LAA (34% rostered)

I know it's really hard to trust Jordan Romano after the last two seasons, but he didn't allow a run in five innings this spring and had a 23.5% K-BB%. Then he came out and locked down a save on Opening Day against the Astros. It’s been a rough two years for him, and his fastball velocity is still not back up to what it was before his surgery in 2024, so there is a chance that this blows up in our face again. But maybe it doesn't, so that’s worth a gamble early on.

Paul Sewald - RP, AZ (32% rostered)

I think Sewald opens the season as the Diamondbacks’ closer. He’s back to throwing 92 mph, and while that may not seem like a lot, that’s what he was throwing in 2022 and 2023 when he saved a combined 54 games in two seasons. He simply needs his fastball to be good enough to set up his slider, and that hasn’t been the case the last two seasons. The Diamondbacks will be good enough to win games, but not so good that they blow teams out, which could mean plenty of save chances.

Andrew Painter - SP, PHI (30% rostered)

Painter is a pitcher I covered in a post-hype article earlier this offseason. He returned from Tommy John surgery in 2025 but had a 5.40 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and 23.4% strikeout rate in 106.2 innings at Triple-A. Not being on the mound for two years and then pitching poorly when he did return has a lot of people questioning just what kind of upside Painter has. However, he still showed off that big fastball that can touch triple digits while pairing that with a plus changeup, a hard slider, and a slower curve. The command of everything was a little off in 2025, but the movement profiles were similar enough to what we saw before the surgery, and his arm held up to over 100 innings of professional baseball again. Those are all positive signs. In spring, we saw that his fastball remains a work in progress, and I think it may just be an average pitch, but the secondaries have looked pretty solid.

Matthew Liberatore - SP, STL (25% rostered)

This offseason, he modified his change-up into a kick-change that’s kind of a hybrid between a splitter and a traditional change-up. As a left-handed pitcher, a good changeup is crucial for Liberatore, but he posted a 8% SwStr% to righties last year with a nearly 40% Ideal Contact Rate (ICR) allowed, which was below league average. In his first start on Thursday, the changeup had zero whiffs, but it did grade out well in terms of its movement profile, so perhaps that pitch continues to improve. He also changed his cutter, which is now almost three mph harder and is a pitch he can use to get ahead against righties to set up the slider and new changeup. Yet, he threw just two of those against the Rays. I think we'll get a better version of Liberatore this season, but it may not happen overnight and he gets the Mets next, so be cautious here.

Mick Abel - SP, MIN (25% rostered)

Abel won a spot in the rotation over Zebby Matthews, and his value started to skyrocket in the final drafts of the spring. I was a fan of his in Philadelphia after he did a lot of work with a mental skills coach before last season and had a few really elite starts with the Phillies. I think that mental skills work unlocked a strong approach and demeanor on the mound. His fastballs are great, and his breaking stuff flashes upside, but he needs to be more consistent with the breaking balls. His first two starts against Kansas City and Tampa Bay don't scare me too much.

Justin Steele - SP, CHC (18% rostered)

Justin Steele has already begun working his way back from Tommy John surgery, which he had in May of last year. There is a good chance he's back in May or early June, which is earlier than a lot of starting pitcher stashes will return.

Kyle Harrison - SP, MIL (16% rostered)

Harrison seemed to unlock a changeup that worked for him over the summer. Apparently, the Red Sox worked extensively with him on it, but he didn’t find a grip he liked. He spent the offseason with some former Giants teammates and found a changeup grip that felt comfortable, and the pitch has looked electric this spring. I still need to see more of that cutter that the Red Sox added before they traded him, and we also need to see some health because he picked up a blister issue this spring, but Harrison is an upside starting pitcher you can stash on your bench.

Matt Strahm - RP, KC (15% rostered)

This is simply because Carlos Estevez looked really bad this spring, and his velocity is down. Estevez has pitched around that over the last two seasons, but he has always seemed to be walking a tight rope as a closer, and there is a strong chance that he simply falls off this season. If he does, I think Strahm could be the guy because he has looked good this spring, and Lucas Erceg (10% rostered) has also seen his velocity decrease. However, we may just see a combination of the two.

Sunday Update: Estevez blew an ugly save on Saturday night and his velocity was still barely scratching 90 mph. Erceg pitched a scoreless eighth inning and was throwing a full tick harder than he did last season. Strahm pitched a scoreless seventh and faced more of the meat of the Braves' lineup, but his velocity was a bit down as well. This bullpen could become a mess. Strahm and Erceg may wind up sharing the closer role sooner rather than later.

Zach Eflin - SP, BAL (13% rostered)

I’ve written about Eflin basically everywhere, and he’s one of my most drafted players this season. After undergoing a “minimally invasive” procedure in the offseason to fix a slipped disc in his back that was causing nerve issues, I think we’re going to see a more precise Eflin this season. He still missed plenty of bats last year on his sweeper and curve, but they performed poorly in two-strike counts, which tells me that the movement may be fine, but the precision of the command was off. That’s thanks to the back injury. Eflin has a deep pitch mix and has shown a bit of a velocity uptick in spring training. Add to that his plus team context, and I’m buying all the way back in.

Max Scherzer - SP, TOR (12% rostered)

Scherzer faces the Rockies at home in Toronto. It's as simple as that. We know he can still be an effective pitcher when he's healthy, and he's healthy now, so you can ride the wave in deeper formats.

Grant Taylor -RP, CWS (11% rostered)

Oftentimes, I'd rather roster an elite multi-inning reliever like Taylor than speculate on saves for a bad team like the Twins or Rockies. Taylor wants to throw 100 innings this season, and he posted an elite 34.4% strikeout rate last season. He has overpowering stuff and could even find himself getting some saves or cheap wins for the White Sox. I like having those ratios buffers late on my roster.

Chris Martin - RP, TEX (6% rostered)

The Rangers came out and said that Robert Garcia will not be their full-time closer. That has created speculation that Chris Martin will be the right-handed complement. I have to say, Martin has never really closed in his career, and he was on Texas last year, and they didn't make him the closer, so I have some doubts here. However, he's a talented reliever, so I'd rather add him for next to nothing on the chance he becomes the closer and just swap him out in two weeks if it doesn't happen.

Sunday update: The Rangers called on Martin to clean up a mess presumed closer Robert Garcia started in the ninth inning. Garcia — a lefty — came in to face Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, retired them both, then let the next two reach base in a three run game. Martin appeared to retire Adolis García to close it out, but Jake Burger dropped a pop-up in foul territory and then the floodgates opened. This is still likely a mix-and-match closer situation.

Joe Boyle - SP, TBR (5% rostered)

Trust will be difficult for Boyle to earn, but going six strong innings in his season debut without walking a batter is a huge step towards building some. Under the hood, his 56% zone rate and 69% strike rate were encouraging as well. Overall, he allowed three hits, two runs, and struck out four over those six innings. The velocity on his slider and fastball were down a touch, but perhaps that helped him command them better. He also debuted a new sinker (that was his second most thrown pitch against right-handed batters) and sweeper. He's lined up to face the Twins on the road next week in another audition to prove he belongs in the Rays' rotation when Ryan Pepiot returns from the IL.

Randy Vásquez - SP, SDP (5% rostered)

Vásquez's velocity gains from this spring carried over to the regular season where he sat 95 mph with his fastball, 95.5 mph with his sinker, and 89.5 mph with his cutter. That helped him turn in six shutout innings with eight strikeouts against a Tigers lineup that had been surging over their first two games. He made a few other key repertoire changes as well.

He forced multiple whiffs with four different pitches and is a fun speculative add at the moment despite his next start likely to come against the Red Sox in Fenway Park.

Ben Joyce - RP, LAA (5% rostered)

Everybody is wondering whether Kirby Yates, Jordan Romano, or Drew Pomeranz will close for the Angels, but instead of those veterans, I'd try to stash Joyce on the IL. He had shoulder surgery last May, but he made a spring training appearance and will start the season at Triple-A. He could be up with the Angels by the middle of April, and it wouldn't be a shock to see him pitch his way into the ninth-inning duties. Edwin Uceta - RP, TB (11% rostered) is in a very similar situation and would be another good IL stash. Especially after Griffin Jax blew his first two save opportunities of the season in the Rays' first two games.

Taj Bradley - SP, MIN (4% rostered)

Bradley was electric in his season debut against the Orioles striking out nine batters and forcing 17 swings-and-misses. The problem was inefficiency as he walked three and only lasted 4 1/3 innings despite allowing one run. Still, his fastball velocity was up a tick compared to last season and he showed off an improved splitter that had a few inches more depth. That pitch forced seven of his 17 whiffs and left the Twins' booth speechless here.

There will always be upside to dream on with Bradley. Keep an eye on him and see if some of these adjustments turn into any consistency.

Justin Wrobleski - SP/RP, LAD (2% rostered)

This is a bet against Roki Sasaki. Sasaki made the rotation, but half of the batters he faced in spring training reached base. I don’t think his new cutter is a difference-maker, and his fastball still is getting hit a lot. If Sasaki gets chased from a start early, it’s going to be Wrobleski that comes in for him. If Sasaki gets sent down to Triple-A, it’s going to be Wrobleski that takes his spot in the rotation. I’m not saying it’s a lock to happen, but I’ll take the chance on it in deeper formats.

Gregory Soto - RP, PIT (3% rostered)

The Pirates have already said that Dennis Santana won't be their strict closer, which means they'll very likely play matchups at the end of games. I know people love Mason Montgomery, but I think, for right now, Soto will get the save chances when lefty-heavy parts of the lineup are coming up in the ninth. That's a similar situation to Hogan Harris - RP, ATH (2% rostered), who I think is the left-handed part of a committee in Sacramento.

Sunday update: Soto entered Saurday's game in the seventh inning while the Pirates and Mets were locked in a scoreless tie. He retired left-handed rookie Carson Benge to get out of a jam and then got through the top of the Mets' order in the following inning. Right now, his role is to get a tough lefty out late in a game, but the team seems comfortable giving him a bit longer of a leash.

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