I began this waiver wire series during the third week of the fantasy baseball season. Since then, players like Jacob Misiorowski, Andrew Vaughn, Chase Burns, Addison Barger, Ronny Henriquez, Alejandro Kirk, Randy Rodriguez, Otto Lopez, Mickey Moniak, and Kyle Manzardo have all boosted their long-term stock and made a significant impact for their fantasy baseball owners.
While not every waiver wire recommendation has panned out (I’m looking at you, Luis Ortiz), many players from this article series have done just that. Listed below are four hitters and two pitchers (broken down by availability and floor/ceiling) who could be the difference between a trip to the playoffs and another losing season for your fantasy baseball team. All rostered rates are via Fantrax.
0-20% Rostered
High Ceiling: Joshua Baez
(OF, Saint Louis)
Outfielder Joshua Baez was selected by Saint Louis in the 2nd round of the 2021 draft. He has performed at a roughly league-average level in the minor leagues since then, posting a .244/.354/.422 slash line. However, he’s taken his production to a new level this season.
His 324 at-bats this year across High-A and Double-A represent a new single-season career high, and he’s posted an .862 OPS while bashing 13 home runs and stealing 44 bases. Baez’s strikeout-to-walk ratio has also improved dramatically in 2025; last season, he racked up 114 strikeouts and walked just 32 times. This year, he’s walking more often (51 walks) and striking out less (89 strikeouts).
Improved plate discipline and a lofty batting average indicate Baez is well on his way to developing a very well-rounded offensive profile. MLB Pipeline grades his raw power as a 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale, making it his primary trait. As his contact ability and plate discipline improve, he has a chance to become an everyday outfielder for the Cardinals as soon as next season.
High Floor: Darell Hernaiz
(3B/SS, Athletics)
Last season, Darell Hernaiz disappointed in his first 135 big-league plate appearances. Throughout his career, a high batting average has been his calling card; given a .297/.364/.424 slash line in over 2,000 minor-league plate appearances, one could be forgiven for expecting a quick adjustment to MLB pitching.
But Hernaiz hit just .192 and posted a .503 OPS in 135 plate appearances. That’s why his performance this season has been a great sign for the Athletics, who’ve been subjected to a rotating door of subpar third basemen in 2025.
Since making his season debut on July 29th to replace injured All-Star Jacob Wilson, Hernaiz is batting .286 and is slugging .514. Given his offensive profile and a significantly lower xSLG (.428) than his actual mark, we can expect his power production to regress back to around .400.
But for fantasy baseball managers in need of a high-average hitter, Hernaiz will be a boost to your lineup. The infielder has yet to strike out in 41 plate appearances, and has whiff and squared-up rates that are significantly above league-average. Even when Wilson comes back, it’s likely Hernaiz will see time at third base if he continues his current offensive production.
21-40% Rostered
High Ceiling: Romy Gonzalez
(1B/2B/SS, Boston)
Despite being burdened by a whiff rate north of 30%, Romy Gonzalez has slashed .303/.343/.564 in 204 plate appearances with the Boston Red Sox this season.
After years of consistently posting high exit velocities and barrel rates, Gonzalez has become a more complete offensive player this season. Last year, ground balls accounted for roughly 58% of the Boston infielder’s batted balls. This season, that mark is down to 49.6%. Lifting the ball has turned hard-hit outs into production at the plate, which has come mostly against left-handed pitching.
Gonzalez’s power potential and decreased strikeout rate (just 25.1% of his plate appearances this year have ended via strike three, the lowest rate of his career) indicate he has a high fantasy baseball ceiling. While he doesn’t hit as many home runs as one might expect and his batting average will likely regress, Gonzalez is a great option for managers in points leagues who are in need of all-around production.
High Floor: Brandon Marsh
(OF, Philadelphia)
Brandon Marsh is a safe bet for fantasy baseball managers in need of a well-rounded hitter. While he won’t win you any rotisserie categories, Marsh is batting .277 (which matches his .277 xBA) and has an above-average xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, sweet-spot rate, whiff rate, and walk rate.
For managers in deep points leagues, Marsh provides steady production in the outfield. After being drafted in the second round by the Angels in 2016, the outfielder worked his way through the minor leagues and has posted a .259/.331/.413 slash line in nearly 2,000 plate appearances.
This year, Marsh is being significantly more aggressive at the plate (he’s swinging at 47.5% of pitches he sees, compared to 41.3% last season). His whiff rate has also dropped, which has boosted his batting average from last season.
41-60% Rostered
High Ceiling: Emmet Sheehan
(SP, Los Angeles Dodgers)
Emmet Sheehan has appeared in seven games and made five starts for the Dodgers after making his season debut on June 18th. His xERA, xBA, Whiff%, K%, Barrel%, and Hard-Hit% are all above league-average, which is good news for fantasy baseball managers who were hoping to get the pre-Tommy John version of Sheehan back.
After an exciting 2023 season where a then-23-year-old Sheehan struck out 64 batters in 60.1 innings pitched and held opponents to a .186 xBA, the Dodgers right-hander had Tommy John surgery in May 2024.
Sheehan still has the electric stuff he showed off in his debut season. Stuff+ (a pitch quality model hosted at Fangraphs) grades his changeup as 122 where 100 is league average. Opponents are hitting just .150 on the offering and .250 on his 95-MPH four-seam fastball. Look for Sheehan to stay on a roll; in his last two starts, he’s thrown a combined 8.2 innings with 10 strikeouts and zero earned runs.
High Floor: Jacob Lopez
(SP, Athletics)
Jacob Lopez has been nothing short of fantastic this season for the Athletics. In his last 17 innings pitched, the southpaw starter has a 0.00 ERA and 19 strikeouts. Despite a fastball that averages 90.7 MPH, Lopez has 94 strikeouts in 77.2 innings pitched this season.
While fantasy managers should keep an eye on his high fly-ball rate (especially at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park), Lopez is an effective option for deep-league fantasy baseball managers in need of strikeouts.
Lopez uses a five-pitch mix to keep his opponents off balance and has a 72nd-percentile whiff rate this season in 14 games started. Opponents have just a .217 xBA and 86.8 MPH average exit velocity against Lopez, both of which rank significantly below league-average for hitters.
For more Fantasy Trading Room waiver wire content, be sure to check back next week.