Week 4 of the fantasy baseball season is here and in the ever-evolving landscape of fantasy baseball success often hinges on the ability to seize the right opportunities at the right time. 

As the season progresses, the waiver wire becomes a battleground where astute managers can uncover hidden gems to bolster their rosters. This week, we delve into players to targets who have emerged as potential game-changers. 

As we navigate the unpredictable waters of fantasy baseball, these players represent not just mere additions, but potential difference-makers capable of turning the tide in your favor. 

Join us as we dissect their recent performances, analyze their fantasy outlooks, and provide valuable insights to help you make informed decisions on the waiver wire. With the season in full swing and championships on the line, the time to act is now. 

So, strap in, fantasy managers, as we embark on a journey to unearth the next wave of fantasy baseball stars.

Remember, this Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire article comes to you FREE of charge. If you like what you see and want to dive in even deeper, not just for fantasy baseball, but for all sports, join the #FAmily and subscribe today to our All-Prop Package!

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Catchers

Travis d’Arnaud, Atlanta Braves

With Sean Murphy still on the injured list the Braves have used a combination of d’Arnaud and Chadwick Tromp behind the plate but fantasy managers are likely going to be chomping at the bit this waiver wire period to be adding d’Arnaud to their fantasy rosters after the Braves catcher has gone 4-for-5 with four homers over the last two games he’s played. Yes, those four homers are the only four he has on the season but he’s proved to be a capable offensive catcher over his career and the Braves lineup offers plenty of opportunities for him to produce counting stats while Murphy is out of the lineup. FAAB: 1-3%

Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins

Jeffers had a breakout season in 2023, hitting .276 with an OPS of .858. Those numbers aren’t too far off his 2024 start where he is hitting .250 with an OPS of .821. Jeffers already has three homers on the season after hitting 14 last year and he is a mainstay in the Twins lineup. If you can add a catcher that can hit around .260 with an OPS over .800 you likely have a player that will finish among the top 12 at the position. FAAB 1-3%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: First Basemen

Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles offense is rolling right now and O’Hearn is usually slotted in the middle of this Baltimore lineup which has led to a career resurgence after his disappointing years with the Royals. Last year we saw O’Hearn hit .289 with 14 homers and an OPS of .801 as a part time player for Baltimore. He is off to a nice start in 2024, hitting .288 with four homers and an OPS of .947. Adding to O’Hearn’s fantasy appeal is the dual position eligibility as you can slot him into an outfield spot as well. FAAB: 2-5%

Justin Turner, Toronto Blue Jays

I don’t know if people just forgot what Turner did for the Red Sox last season but he was, maybe, their most productive player from start to finish, hitting .276 with 23 homers, 96 RBI and an OPS of .800. He signed with the Blue Jays this offseason and is hitting in the middle of their lineup and being just as productive to begin the year, hitting .323 with two homers, 11 RBI and an OPS of .938. FAAB: 2-5%

Lamonte Wade Jr., San Francisco Giants

He’s not going to play against left-handed pitching so you have to at least be prepared for the days he sits but the Giants should face far more righties than lefties which means Wade is in the lineup the majority of the season. Last year in 429 at bats Wade hit .256 with 17 homers and an OPS of .790. He’s off to a hot start in 2024, hitting .388 with one homer and an OPS of .994 while hitting second in their order. FAAB 1-3%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Second Basemen

Amed Rosario, Tampa Bay Rays

Rosario’s Rays tenure is off to a fantastic start as the middle infielder is hitting .343 with two homers, 10 RBI and three stolen bases. We know that some regression is due but he is a player that should finish with double-digit homers and stolen bases so why not jump on the bandwagon now while he is still on this heater and who knows, it wouldn’t be the first time a player joins the Rays and has a breakout season. FAAB 2-5%

Luis Garcia Jr., Washington Nationals

If you need some stolen base potential in your lineup maybe you give Luis Garcia Jr. a look. Through the first 18 games of the season Garcia is hitting .288 with four stolen bases and an OPS of .780. Last season he played 122 games and while he only stole nine bags, he is well on his way to setting a new career high in that category this season. FAAB 1-3%

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Third Basemen

Luis Rengifo, Los Angeles Angels

Rengifo can be slotted in pretty much every position but first base and catcher when it comes to fantasy baseball and while his numbers don’t exactly jump off the page right now there are a few things I like here. First, he already has six stolen bases on the year which ties his career high. Second, the last two seasons he hit 16 and 17 homers which means the power is going to come as he currently has zero homers. What I’m getting at here is that given his everyday role with the Angels, Rengifo could be a very sneaky candidate for 15 homers and 20+ stolen bases with a batting average that won’t kill you and an OPS that should climb up over .750 as the homers start to come. FAAB 1-3%

Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies

McMahon is currently rostered in only 50% of leagues so check your waiver wire as the Rockies have six home games this upcoming week and while I understand their offense is not good, the prospects of playing in Coors Field means the potential for production and McMahon is one of the few Rockies having an OK season as he hits .342 with an OPS of .901. FAAB 1-3%

Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies

Bohm’s rostership has dropped over the past week so you may want to check your waiver wire to see if he is available. I get his numbers aren’t eye popping as he is hitting just .261 with three homers but this week the Phillies play a four game series in Cincinnati which is an elite hitting environment and could make Bohm a nice weekly streaming option. FAAB 2-5%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Shortstops

Jeremy Pena, Houston Astros

This one actually is a bit confounding to me because I was actively targeting Jeremy Pena in my fantasy baseball drafts in the later rounds so to see him still rostered in less than 50% of leagues is surprising. The Astros shortstop is hitting .356 with 11 runs, two home runs, 10 RBI and four stolen bases to start the season. We saw during his rookie season he has 20-homer upside and he has stolen 10+ stolen bases in each of his first two years. As he enters his age-26 season we’ve seen some growth and better contact early on here and if we are getting a true breakout season you want to get on board now. Even with some regression, are we going to complain about a middle infielder that could finish the year with 20 homers and 20 stolen bases? FAAB 2-5%

Orlando Arcia, Atlanta Braves

With Ozzie Albies out of the lineup we’ve seen Arcia moved up to the second spot in the order when a lefty is on the mound which means an added opportunity for production as he hits behind Ronald Acuna and in front of Austin Riley and Matt Olson. When a righty is on the mound he will slot back down to seventh or eighth but that’s OK too. Arcia has shown the ability to be productive now in back-to-back seasons and his production is the reason the Braves felt comfortable parting ways with Vaughn Grissom this offseason. He isn’t going to WOW you in homers or stolen bases but we can’t fight a man who is hitting .348 with an OPS near .900 in the Braves lineup. FAAB 2-5%

Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres

Merrill has shortstop eligibility on some platforms despite being the everyday outfielder for the Padres. The rookie is off to a nice start to the season, hitting .311 with one homer and four stolen bases. He’s currently available in 70% of fantasy leagues on average and his dual position eligibility is an added bonus. FAAB 1-3%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Outfielders

Jake Fraley, Cincinnati Reds

This Reds outfielder continues to be ignored despite the fact that last season he hit 15 homers and stole 21 bases while playing in just 111 games. Fraley has an everyday role in the Reds lineup more often than not and while he will get the occasional day off against lefties he has still been productive this year, hitting .362 with a homer and five stolen bases. The Reds home park is a huge boost for offensive production and Fraley hits in an advantageous spot in this Reds lineup. FAAB 1-3%

Brandon Marsh, Philadelphia Phillies

Marsh will play against right-handed pitching and likely take a seat when a lefty is on the mound but that still means he will play more often than he doesn't. On the season he already has five homers with an OPS nearing .900. This week the Phillies play a series in Cincinnati which, as I’ve stated, is a great hitting environment. I like Marsh this week as a streaming option and if you are in a roto league that needs some home run upside he is already halfway to his career high mark which he set last year.FAAB 1-3%

Jonatan Clase, Seattle Mariners

I’m not expecting much in the way of batting average here from Clase as he never really hit for much of an average even at the minor league level but we are talking about a guy who stole 79 bases last season and 55 stolen bases the year before that. If he can get on first there is a good chance he tries to go for second and if the Mariners are going to give him consistent playing time then those in roto leagues should want to give this guy a look as he could be an elite contributor to the stolen base category. FAAB 1-3%

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Starting Pitchers

Jose Butto, New York Mets

Butto has impressed through his first three starts of the season, allowing just three earned runs over 16.1 innings which included six shutout innings with nine strikeouts against a Royals lineup that is doing a lot of damage right now. His next outing comes against the St. Louis Cardinals which is a lineup that looks lost with Paul Goldschmidt really struggling out of the gate and Nolan Arenado not fully hitting his stride quite yet. FAAB 3-5%

Nestor Cortes, New York Yankees

Cortes can be hit or miss which means we need to find the right matchups when we look to start him for our fantasy teams. His two dominant outings this season have come against the Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays. His next start this week comes against the Oakland Athletics. What those teams have in common is that they rank towards the bottom third of the league in wOBA against left-handed pitching. I’d look for Cortes to be a top streaming option here this week. FAAB 1-3%

Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers

Don’t be sleeping on the bounce back season that Jack Flaherty may be having right now for the Detroit Tigers. Sure, on the surface you see a 4.44 ERA but he has pitched at least six innings in each of his four starts this season and has a 11.1 K/9 which is a career best mark and he has just a 1.48 BB/9 which is also trending towards a career low. If you look a bit deeper into his numbers you also see that Flaherty’s xERA is 3.89 while his FIP is 3.76 and xFIP is 3.00. The one thing hurting Flaherty right now is the home run ball as he’s got a 16.7% HR/FB rate but other than that the numbers are looking good. FAAB 2-5%

Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins

It’s likely that Cabrera’s rostership is low because he began the season on the IL with a shoulder injury but he was then dominant in his first outing, tossing six innings of one run baseball while striking out 10 against the San Francisco Giants. He makes his second start of the season Sunday against the Cubs and will then toe the rubber against the Washington Nationals later in the week. Cabrera has elite strikeout potential as we’ve seen during his limited stints with the Marlins over the past few seasons, having totaled 231 strikeouts over 203.2 career innings. If he can stay healthy this year we should be looking at a pitcher whose ERA probably sits in the upper-3s to low-4s but that can really help you out in the strikeout department. FAAB 2-5%

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Relief Pitchers

Kirby Yates, Texas Rangers

It seems as though Yates has taken on the closers role for the Rangers with saves in two of his last three appearances. Yates is no stranger to the closer role, having saved 41 games for the Padres back in 2019 before injuries derailed his career, limiting him to just 15 appearances over a three year span before being a horse in the Braves bullpen last season where he appeared in 61 games, finishing with a 3.28 ERA with five saves and 80 strikeouts over 60.1 innings. If the role is his, this is a Rangers team that could help Yates be among the top firemen in baseball this season. FAAB 5-10%

James McArthur, Kansas City Royals

Another man who looks to have nabbed the closer role here is McArthur. Many expected Will Smith to be the Royals closer this season but his early season struggles opened the door for MacArthur and he has not looked back, notching four saves on the season. If he is able to truly hold down the job this season there is 30 save potential here with the Royals improved pitching staff and offense. FAAB 5-8%

Reed Garrett, New York Mets

Speculative add here for those in HOLDS leagues but Garrett has 21 strikeouts in 10.2 innings this season and picked up his first save of the year on Saturday against the Dodgers. Now, he is not overtaking Edwin Diaz but how do the Mets ignore what this guys is doing and not start to put him in high leverage situations. As of now he has zero holds on the season but you don’t dominate hitters the way he is and not start getting more looks. FAAB 1-2%

Hunter Gaddis, Cleveland Guardians

A guy who IS getting holds is Hunter Gaddis. The Guardians reliever has yet to allow an earned run over 10.2 innings while striking out 15 and walking just three. He has holds in each of his last two outings and the Guardians are starting to play better baseball of late. Again, he is not a threat to the closer role as long as Emmanual Clase is healthy but Gaddis could be the first to get a look on days where Clase is unavailable or should he get injured. FAAB 1-2%