Check your fantasy ego at the door. August is here, and the standings don’t lie. Pretenders have all been exposed, as contenders attempt to create even more separation from the pack down the stretch. Every roster move from here foward matters. Patience may usually be a virtue, but it goes firmly out the window this time of year — you can’t gain ground without being somewhat aggressive on the waiver wire. History tells us the managers who stay locked in while everyone else pivots toward football draft prep are the ones hoisting trophies come October. Let’s be those GMs. Here are my favorite adds, top stashes and next week’s two-start pitchers.
Please prioritize the positional lists over the featured player write-ups. I’m trying to avoid covering the same players more than once, and I don’t want any extra focus to be misconstrued as personal preference. Away we go!
Top waiver-wire hitter options
Catcher: Eduardo Valencia, DET
Still within 3.5 games and striking distance of the American League’s final wild-card spot, Detroit answered Kerry Carpenter’s IL trip with an immediate promotion of Valencia. I’m no professional scout, but the 26-year-old power prospect looks MLB-ready to me; he started his career with four bombs on a 25% barrel rate in just 18 plate appearances. That sort of power is no surprise to Tigers faithful — Valencia has clubbed 41 home runs over his prior 787 MiLB at-bats spanning back to 2025. Detroit’s rookie backstop started each of the past two MLB contests, but most importantly for fantasy, slotted into the DH spot, and hit sixth in the lineup, on Wednesday. Expect Valencia to see nearly full-time PA in a C/DH rotation with Dillon Dingler. Wheels up!
First base: Ty France, SD
Everything old is new again. Now on his fifth team in less than three seasons, some casual players may not even be aware that 32-year-old France currently plays for San Diego. Perhaps more surprising is France’s career-high 138 wRC+. Just when I thought he might turn back into a pumpkin, the Padres’ veteran really turned up the heat — France is fantasy baseball’s No. 5 1B over the past 30 days (.341 BA/ 12 R/ 17 RBI/ 6 HR/ 0 SB). Granted, it’s only four categories at best, but France cleans up every day for a competitive team playing its best offense of the season.
Second base: Hao-Yu Lee, DET
Back to the Motor City, where a major shakeup is underway to determine which direction the Tigers need to head. One of the several new faces is Hao-Yu Lee, acquired in the Michael Lorenzen deal with Philadelphia in 2023. Mostly an afterthought in 2026 as a purely rotational player, Lee recently earned a job spelling both Gleyber Torres and Colt Keith at second and third, respectively. Finally earning his first real shot at regular playing time, Lee’s performed very well as fantasy’s No. 8 2B over the past two weeks (.364 BA/ 6 R/ 10 RBI/ 2 HR/ 0 SB). Lee’s worth an add if you have question marks in your infield, with an additional potential speed bonus. Lee hasn’t run yet at the MLB level, but he did just swipe 22 bags in 2025.
Shortstop: Chase Meidroth, CWS
Meidroth does just enough of everything to keep from hurting your teams while you search for someone with higher upside. Now in his second full MLB season, Meidroth’s career 600-PA pace — .264 BA/ 73 R/ 41 RBI/ 9 HR/ 10 SB — might not light up the spreadsheet, but may act as the perfect stopgap at SS. Perhaps more a condemnation of the position as a whole more than anything, Meidroth has produced as fantasy’s No. 12 SS in the second half. And while the ceiling is likely capped, his high-contact, low swing-and-miss approach makes his balanced fantasy production sustainable.
Third base: Brady House, WSH
Hat tip to some quality GM’ing from the Nationals, acquiring an MLB-ready arm in Connelly Early for the low cost of former international free-agent Curtis Mead. The trade re-opened an everyday spot for 2021 No. 11 overall pick Brady House. House was the Nats’ No. 4 overall prospect in 2025, according to Keith Law, and was in the middle of putting together a pretty respectable rookie campaign in the power department before his demotion: 44.7% Hard Hit, 11.4% Barrel, .426 xwOBAcon. Reinstalled in the middle of the league’s highest-scoring offense, there’s no reason to wait on adding House, especially when considering the strong recent Triple-A run (222 PA; .301 BA/ 26 R/ 34 RBI/ 8 HR/ 3 SB) and elite prospect pedigree.
I hope you kept some powder dry in the form of FAAB bucks, because the Tigers recently promoted Clark, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft. The 21-year-old is Law’s No. 13 prospect and has very little left to prove in Triple A. Though the profile is a little more contact-plus-speed with very good discipline than outright raw power, there’s a clearly visible pathway to immediate five-category production. Again, I’m keeping homer projections on the light side, but that could change in an instant. Clark’s career MiLB 600-PA pace is beyond encouraging — .272 BA/ 94 R/ 78 RBI/ 14 HR/ 29 SB — and cause to make him a priority add in every imaginable fantasy format.
Top waiver-wire pitcher options
Starting Pitcher: Kumar Rocker, TEX
Be forewarned, this last recommendation most definitely comes with a bright warning label. I’ve been chasing Rocker’s breakout for years, with very little to show for it, outside of some minor external bruising. The No. 3 overall pick in the MLB 2023 Draft failed to meet expectations thus far, posting a very pedestrian 178.2 MLB innings to date (4.63 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 12.3% K-BB). Frustrations aside, Rocker’s still just 26 years old and has less than 200 innings under his belt. Call me crazy, but something’s telling me this time could be it … (ducks).
Texas’ new pitching coach Jordan Tiegs has Rocker featuring his slider for the first time in his career. Undoubtedly his best single offering in terms of contact allowed (.236 xSLG) or whiffs generated (41.3%), I believe it’s the foundational reason for Rocker’s improvements in strikeout, chase, barrel and swinging-strike rates. Unfortunately, we’re still inexplicably seeing tons of sinkers, which have consistently performed far worse than his four-seamer. I guess nobody’s perfect. The main thing to watch for, however, is Rocker’s command and control. Remember, a minuscule walk rate was his calling card coming up through the minors, and his MLB-career 8.6% walk rate is nearly double his rate in the minors. The Rangers currently sit in first place in the AL West, so it’s all hands on deck for a postseason push, and if it’s to work out, Rocker will have to play a major part.
Mining the perfect fantasy closer comes down to finding the ideal combination of skills and role. Remember not to get too hung up on the first part either — we’ll still take the bad pitcher getting save opportunities every time. For those managers who punted saves on draft day, the season begins on high alert, but fear not; you’re in luck. MLB’s save environment is literally as chaotic as ever.
Unbelievably, we’re now up to a remarkable 213 different pitchers who have already recorded a save in 2026. With that, the goal is to acquire a reliever who either has the job now or direct access to it soon. Given the incredible number of league types out there, our best course is to keep a running list of relievers; grab the best available.
Graduating class
The following players are now on many fantasy rosters, but those in 10-team leagues should look to them first before adding other, lesser-rostered players.
