This week’s fantasy baseball waiver wire became incredibly interesting because arguably the best two adds both suffered injuries, but both looked minor for what it’s worth. We’re approaching the summer months and this is the time of year where teams start giving some of their top prospects an opportunity at the major league level. There are also players warming up with the weather, and in this fantasy baseball waiver wire column, you have the perfect blend of both.

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Jacob Misiorowski, RP, Milwaukee Brewers

ESPN: 33% / Yahoo: 54%

FAAB: 12-15%

Welcome to the show, kid. Jacob Misiorowski burst onto the scene in a major way this week as he simply overpowered Cardinals batters. Here’s how his pitch mix played out in his first inning and what the velocity looked like.

Misiorowski threw EIGHT pitches over 100 MPH in the first inning and finished with an average fastball velocity of 98.8 MPH. He did leave his debut start without allowing a hit, but he left with right calf and quad cramping according to the Brewers, so that’s something to monitor but shouldn’t be anything that impacts his status for his next turn in the rotation. He’s a game-changing rotation add with his upside.

 

Charlie Morton, SP, RP, Baltimore Orioles

ESPN: 5% / Yahoo: 14%

FAAB: 3-5%

Don’t look now, but Charlie Morton is once again fighting father time and putting up a good battle. On Friday night, Morton had five scoreless innings while striking out 10 batters. His ERA of 6.05 is paired with a 4.14 xFIP and is now WELL over one strikeout per inning.

Morton, in his start against the Angels, generated 16 swings and misses, which obviously led to the 10 Ks, but he’s largely looked good lately. He’s had three wins in his last four outings, has struck out five in all four games and has two quality starts and was on his way to his third if not for a rain delay knocking him out of Friday’s outing. After a tough start to his 2025, Morton has finally settled in and looks like a pretty decent pitcher with a bunch of strikeouts attached to his arm.

 

Shelby Miller, SP, RP, Baltimore Orioles

ESPN: 10% / Yahoo: 34%

FAAB: 4-6%

We’ll just call it what it is at this point. It’s been a fantastic season for Shelby Miller who is slated to be the team's closer moving forward with Justin Martinez undergoing Tommy John surgery. Miller has 29 Ks across 27.2 IP and has pitched to a stellar 1.63 ERA. Miller has already proven he can handle the ninth inning as he’s notched seven saves on the year.

Miller’s the best option on the market for saves and he’s available in 90% of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues and nearly 60% of Yahoo! Fantasy baseball leagues. 

 

Chase Burns, SP, Cincinnati Reds

ESPN: 3% / Yahoo: 12%

FAAB: 2-5%

The time to stash Chase Burns is now. He is speed-running the minor leagues and made his Triple-A debut spanning 5.1 innings, while striking out seven and allowing two earned runs. Burns has an elite fastball, 70 grade ranking, and is the Reds top overall prospect and at this point, could be called up at any point now that he’s at the Triple-A level.

Circling back to his fastball grade, he’s not just a guy throwing hard either. He has two plus offspeed offerings per Fangraphs

With these three pitches in his arsenal, he’s a must own stash IF you can afford to do so and he’s someone that needs to be on your radar if you have to wait until he’s being called up.

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Infielders

Josh Smith, 1B, 3B, SS, OF, Texas Rangers

ESPN: 10% / Yahoo: 20%

FAAB: 5-8%

What more do you want than a guy who has four different position eligibility and continues to rake. Friday night marked the fifth straight game in which Smith had at least two hits and has seven in June already. He’s already homered three times in June as well, so this month has really gone well for him.

Smith is now up to seven homers and eight stolen bases and if he continues to be an every day player, we’re looking at a player that is a lock for 15-15, and possibly 20-20. He looks locked in as the teams leadoff man and that’s a good place to be with the lineup heating up behind him.

 

Ryan McMahon, 3B, Colorado Rockies

ESPN: 4% / Yahoo: 24%

FAAB: 3-6%

Look, there isn’t a lot of good in Colorado right now, but Ryan McMahon is definitely turning the corner. That’s for sure. He homered again on Friday, and that’s a road homer, so he’s not Coors Field dependent. McMahon’s baseball savant page looks pretty good, I must say.

For four consecutive seasons, McMahon has posted at least 20 home runs, 67 runs, and 65 runs batted in. It’s technically five straight if you exclude the Covid-shortened 2020. He’s been as consistent as it gets at 3B and gets to hit at Coors Field more often than not. McMahon and his .291/.426/.544 slash with a .252 ISO and .420 in Colorado is pretty elite.

 

Christian Moore, 2B, Los Angeles Angels

ESPN: 4% / Yahoo: 8%

FAAB: 2-4%

The 22-year old second baseman has played just 71 games at the minor league level but has now been called up for the Angels. He came into the season as a top-100 prospect and was ranked third in the Angels system. Some of his prospect grades aren’t bad per Fangraphs either: 

He has a solid power/speed combination and at a bad second base position, taking a shot on Moore could be solid. Moore is someone who strikes out a bunch, but his walk-rate is also elite, which has been a big contributor to his .424 OBP at Triple-A.

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outfielders

Evan Carter, OF, Texas Rangers

ESPN: 5% / Yahoo: 31%

FAAB: 12-15%

*editors note* - Evan Carter left on Friday night with a wrist injury and he’s being evaluated because of it. 

Do NOT overthink this one. Just don’t. Evan Carter is all the way back. The numbers have been out of this world this month and it’s been a combination of power AND speed. Over a four-game stretch this week, Carter has four multi-hit games, three home runs, seven RBI, seven runs scored, and two stolen bases. All of his expected stuff looks great, too.

He’s not qualified, but Carter’s a World Series MVP just two years removed. Lets not forget or ignore that. He’s hitting in the middle of the Rangers lineup and is a must-add for the remainder of the season. You can make a case he’s this week’s priority waiver wire add.

 

Jeff McNeil, 2B, OF, New York Mets

ESPN: 12% / Yahoo: 16%

FAAB: 4-8%

Obviously, when we talk about Jeff McNeil, we talk about how good of a hitter he’s been throughout his career, but in 2025 power is the hot topic. He’s belted seven homers across 38 games while posting a .548 SLG% and .278, which would easily be career numbers.

Taking it a step further, McNeil’s power surge has really been kicked off in June. In 10 games, he’s hit four homers and has six extra-base hits overall. He has a .703 SLG%, .278 ISO, .457 wOBA, OPS of 1.078, and .202 wRC+ in the month.

The fact you can plug McNeil in at both second and in the outfield is amazing optionality to have on your fantasy baseball rosters. McNeil, a career .288 hitter, adding power to the mix in his Age-33 season is a pleasant surprise.

 

Jo Adell, OF, Los Angeles Angels

ESPN: 7% / Yahoo: 22%

FAAB: 3-6%

Do you need power? Come on down to the Jo Adell store! Despite how much he’s struggled throughout his career at this point, sometimes we write players off too early and it is quite possible that’s happening with Adell. Obviously he strikes out a bunch still, but that has dropped from 40% in 2023, 28% last year and 24% this season.

He sneakily ended last year with 20 home runs and 15 stolen bases too, and is already up to 13 bombs and we’re not even halfway through June. There’s actually a pretty strong case that there’s even more to unlock for Adell. Look at some of this stuff:

This could be add, that’s available in over 90% of ESPN leagues, that nets you 30 home runs by year's end.

 

Alek Thomas, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

ESPN: 1% / Yahoo: 2%

FAAB: 1-2%

If you’re looking for someone to fill out your roster that has the ability to hit for some power and some speed on the basepaths, Alek Thomas is there for the taking. He’ll cost you little to nothing on the waiver wire, but Thomas has been very solid since taking over as the every day center fielder for Arizona.

Thomas’ month of June has really sprung his 2025 campaign to new heights as he’s hitting .355 with a .581 SLG%, .956 OPS, and .413 wOBA. Thomas SLG% of .398 on the year is attached to a .437 xSLG and his .313 wOBA is paired with a .330 xwOBA. He’s a very solid add.

 

 

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