Time to look at Fantasy Alarm’s top Week 6 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups!

To say that we’ve had a rather tumultuous start to 2024 MLB season would be an understatement. The rollercoaster of emotions, brought about by this season, has been insanely filled with twists and turns and highs and lows. Your fantasy baseball standings must be shifting around pretty dramatically as the MLB injuries continue to pile up and some of the hot starts have cooled off. Trea Turner the latest casualty of the former and Colton Cowser, a victim of the latter.

We do have some player getting close to a return, so it isn’t all doom and gloom right now. Always be sure to see who is on a rehab outing and how close they are to coming back. Sometimes, while everyone is looking for who the top waiver wire add of the week is, they lose sight on some low-key players on the mend.

 

 

**Keep in mind, these FAAB bids are merely suggestions. Only you know how the bidding has gone in your league, so if you REALLY need the player, always give the bid a little boost. 

Now, let’s see who is available and who is worthy of your attention.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Catchers

Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox

While he does share some of his time with Reese McGuire behind the plate, Wong sees enough at-bats each week to serve as a fill-in backstop for one-catcher leagues or as your second in a two-catcher format. He’s posting strong on-base numbers and can kick in with a little bit of power as well. Nothing outlandish, but very stable. FAAB: 3-5%

Austin Wells, New York Yankees

He’s splitting fairly evenly with Jose Trevino, so keep the expectations low for regular contributions. Still, if looking for a second catcher, you could do worse than someone in one of the stronger lineups around the league. FAAB: 1-2%

Jake Rogers, Detroit Tigers

Just another option to set as a contingency should you need a catcher and not grab one of the aforementioned players. He’s got some pop in his bat, as evidenced by his 21-homer season last year, but he’s still wildly inconsistent. FAAB: 1-2%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: First Basemen

Garrett Cooper, Boston Red Sox

Cooper avoided a scare last week when he got hit on the wrist with a pitch in only his second game with Boston. X-rays turned out negative and je was back in the lineup over the weekend. Cooper has power in his bat and deserves consideration as the starting first baseman until Triston Casas comes back. Batt7ing average may be ho-hum, but if he can get hot at the plate, he pays off. FAAB: 8-10%

Elehuris Montero, Colorado Rockies

With Kris Bryant on the shelf and noy likely back for a couple more weeks, Montero continues to see regular at-bats. Nothing to get too excited about, but the Rockies have a six-game homestand this week and you know the Coors Effect. FAAB: 6-8%

Carlos Santana, Minnesota Twins

Last week’s home run binge was nice, but chances are few people had him on their roster for it. He is starting to cool off a little which is to be expected, but if you need a first baseman and neither Cooper nor Montero are available, you could do worse. FAAB: 3-5%

Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland Guardians

This is a stash play for now, so only if you have the bench space to hold him. Manzardo is mashing at Triple-A right now and the Guardians could use a power boost. They’re using Estevan Florial at DH right now and the only power bats the team has belong to Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor. Adding Manzardo, now that service-time is not an issue, would be a wise move for the team and something you could profit off if you get him cheap. FAAB: 3-5% if your league isn’t paying attention; 10% if they are.

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Second Basemen

Tyler Black, Milwaukee Brewers

He’ll be the hot waiver-add this week as everyone in the fantasy baseball community is desperate for a star rookie. We’ve seen nothing but disappointment from Wyatt Langford, Jackson Holliday and Jackson Chourio among others, so keep your expectations in check. But Black has 20-homer power and stole 55 bases in 2023 between Double and Triple-A. The Brewers like him at first base right now, but don’t be surprised to see him move around the diamond some more. FAAB: 10-12%

Wenceel Perez, Detroit Tigers

He qualifies at second base (which is nice) but he is seeing strong playing time in the outfield right now as Parker Meadows (sorry, Carlos from Long Island) struggles. He’s not a big power guy so don’t be fooled by the quick home run surge. He is, however, a decent speed guy. Last year, across multiple minor-league levels, he swiped 26 bags and is more than capable of keeping that trend up for the time being. FAAB: 8-10%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Third Basemen

Tyler Nevin, Oakland Athletics

Not sure what is left to say that I haven’t already written or said on the MLB DFS Livestream with Jon Impemba. Nevin made last week’s MLB Stock Watch as one of the risers and then I doubled-down on the recommendation in my latest in the New Yok Post. Chef recommends! FAAB: 10-12%

Josh Smith, Texas Rangers

Another guy we’ve talked a lot about on the DFS Livestream, but we’ve also recommended Smith in season-long too. Still, he’s available in like 80-percent of leagues on ESPN and Yahoo. Josh Jung is out for another month with his fractured wrist and Smith has pushed Ezequiel Duran to a bench role. He’s proven to be a solid contributor so if you need a corner guy, here you go. FAAB: 8-10%

Abraham Toro, Oakland Athletics

When the team sent down Ryan Noda to Triple-A, the door opened up even wider for Toro to see full-time at-bats. He was getting work around the infield, but with the return of J.D. Davis from the injured list, Toro will simply move over to first and add to his already tasty multi-position eligibility. He makes for a decent stop-gap as a bargain price. FAAB: 3-5%

Coby Mayo, Baltimore Orioles

OK, wait. Take it easy. This isn’t like that Michael Scott “It’s happening!” GIF just yet. Mayo has been on a tear down at Triple-A Norwich with home runs in four-straight games, but considering how Cowser has cooled off, how Heston Kjerstad hasn’t hit and Holliday is back in the minors, there is no immediate need to bring him up. I do believe they consider it strongly though and now could be the last time to stash him. If you’ve got the bench space, I don’t see why not. FAAB: 10-12%

Bryan Ramos, Chicago White Sox

Super low-budget shot in the dark, but if you just want to throw a dollar on a guy as a contingency, then Ramos can get a look for now. The White Sox put Danny Mendick (Jon Impemba’s favorite player) on the injured list and brought up Ramos straight from Double-A. He may look a little over-matched at first, but should he find his way into a groove, he’s flashed some power at the lower levels. FAAB: 1%

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Shortstops

Vaughn Grissom, Boston Red Sox

Grissom should be one of the most highly sought-after players on this week’s waiver wire and there’s a good chance he’s not even available as most have stashed him away on their IL. If he is available, he’s definitely someone to add as he will see full-time at-bats in Boston. He hits for a decent average, has good on-base skills and a good mix of power and speed. More of the latter than the former, though. Check to see if he’s there but be sensible with your bids as we’re still watching him develop. FAAB: 12-15%

Willi Castro, Minnesota Twins

The multi-position eligibility is a huge draw and this recent nine-game hit streak continue to put eyes on Castro. What has been even more impressive is the display of power we are seeing with one homer, two triples and six doubles during this run. The runs scored and some steals are what we are looking for, but if you are in a points league and extra-base hits score more, this is a nice wave to ride until it breaks. FAAB: 8-10%

Edmundo Sosa, Philadelphia Phillies

Just a last-minute contingency bid as Sosa is more well-known for his glove than for his bat. Trea Turner will be on the shelf for about six weeks and the Phillies don’t really have a fill-in who can both hit and play the field at the level of which the team has grown accustomed. I expect them to side with the glove while Turner is out. FAAB: 1-3%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Outfielders

Josh Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays

Just a reminder that Lowe is nearing the end of his rehab assignment and if he is somehow available, you definitely want to grab the 20-20 upside now while you can. FAAB: 12-15%

TJ Friedl, Cincinnati Reds

We go down the ladder one rung from Lowe and remind you that Friedl is coming off the IL this week and should even return to the leadoff spot in Cincinnati when they face a righty. Good speed, mid-level power, but opportunities galore in a home park that even I could hit a home run out of. FAAB: 10-12%

Dylan Carlson, St. Louis Cardinals

One more step down the ladder of guys coming back from injury who could be available in your league, We know how disappointed the Cardinals are in their current lineup, so when Carlson comes back you can expect a strong complement of at-bats. Don’t go overboard as we’ve been waiting on him to produce for too long but it’s definitely 20-home run potential. FAAB: 8-10% 

Kevin Kiermaier, Toronto Blue Jays

OK, one more step down. The lefty bat returning from the IL should get some work against right-handed pitching. He hits at the bottom of the lineup so don’t expect more than the occasional, “hey look, Kiermaier had a solid game,” but if you don’t get any of your other hopefuls returning from injury, here’s one last shot. FAAB: 2-4%

Joey Loperfido, Houston Astros

I wrote him up in last week’s waiver wire article, so he should be on your radar. He’ll sit against lefties for the time being and he struggles with strikeouts, but there is good power potential and a quality surrounding lineup. FAAB: 8-10%

Jacob Young, Washington Nationals

Another guy you can find more details about in last week’s MLB Stock Watch and my latest in the New Yok Post. If you’ve got the need for speed, he’s worth the shot. The fact that he’s day-to-day right now might help suppress the cost. FAAB: 6-8%

Mike Tauchman, Chicago Cubs

He’s got another week or two of full-time at-bats remaining as Seiya Suzuki is nearing his rehab assignment. If you need to accrue at-bats and have a little bit of power upside, Tauchman can be a usable band-aid for now. FAAB: 3-5%

Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels

Most people remain out on Adell given the history, but he’s was on a nice run in which he hit safely in six-straight games with two home runs and five RBI. He continues to struggle with strikeouts, but the Angels know they’re not going anywhere so why not give this post-post-post-post-hype sleeper get some regular time and show what he can do. You’ll get some power, but don’t add if you’re struggling with batting average. FAAB: 3-5%

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Starting Pitchers

Cristian Javier, Houston Astros

Go check out your waiver wire and see if someone dropped him. If they did, add him immediately. No analysis needed here given the state of pitching this season. FAAB: 15-18%

John Means, Baltimore Orioles

Yes, please check to see if Means is available as well. As of writing this, he still hasn’t made his first start of the season, but regardless of how he does with this first appearance against the Reds in Cincinnati, we’re still looking to add him. FAAB: 15-18%

JP Sears, Oakland Athletics

You don’t get much win equity with Sears, but he’s a solid lefty who can serve you well as a back-end starter in your fantasy rotation. I like having him on my bench to weave in and out of my roster on days where he pitches against teams who struggle versus southpaws. FAAB: 5-7%

Slade Cecconi, Arizona Diamondbacks

Cecconi has now made the Stock Watch Risers and this, his second appearance in the waiver wire article. He got into a jam during Friday’s start against the Padres, but we were worried about that match-up going in anyway, so it hasn’t affected the overall opinion that much. He’s a back-end of the rotation guy with decent ratios and a solid pitch arsenal. If you need depth, I would add him. Keep it reasonable though as his next two starts come in a home and home series with the Reds. FAAB: 3-5%

Roddery Munoz, Miami Marlins

The Marlins have had a horrible time trying to keep it together with their pitching already and it doesn’t get any easier for them. Munoz has made two starts, one against the Cubs and one against the Rockies, and both were solid. Though the team hasn’t announced it yet, he should stay in the rotation, at least for another start or two. There is good strikeout upside and he does a good job of limiting the hits and walks. If you are in need, take a shot, but also keep in mind his next two starts line up against the Dodgers and Phillies. FAAB: 3-5%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Closers/Relief Pitchers

I wish I had a closer to give you all, but alas, there is nothing there. My recommendation is to bookmark the Closer Grid which is updated daily by Joe Gallina. You get the guys who are seeing the saves and his depth chart gives you the list of who is getting the holds. That should keep you in-the-know regarding bullpens.