This week’s fantasy baseball waiver wire is loaded and presents a ton of opportunities to substantially improve your fantasy baseball roster for the now and for the future. There are some incredibly enticing prospects on the verge of being called up, some old friends making returns from injury, and even some good old-fashioned veterans who have been playing extremely well. Let's dive into this week's fantasy baseball waiver wire column featuring Eury Perez, Cam Smith, Jac Caglianone, and Slade Cecconi.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Eury Perez, SP, Miami Marlins

ESPN: 11% / Yahoo: 35%

FAAB: 10-12%

We’re on the precipice of Eury Perez’s return, and that’s extremely exciting as the 22-year-old is an elite talent. Through 18.1 IP at the minor league level this year as he continues his rehab stint, he’s pitched to a 1.96 ERA and has 23 strikeouts, which comes out to a 30.7% K-rate.

How has the velocity looked? 

Yeah, no issue. In fact, as hard as ever. His first start looks to be lined up against the Tampa Bay Rays in Tampa, which isn’t the most fun return considering it’s a minor league park, but just having him on your roster moving forward makes it significantly better.

Daniel Palencia, RP, Chicago Cubs

ESPN: 10% / Yahoo: 33%

FAAB: 6-8%

The Cubs' bullpen has been an absolute mess. An abomination. BUT, there is seemingly a light at the end of the tunnel. The light is Daniel Palencia. Palencia has a 1.83 ERA and a 28% K-rate and has converted four straight save opportunities. Granted, three of them came against the Rockies and Marlins, but saves are hard to convert, no matter who the opposition is. 

Palencia’s velocity is up to 99.2 MPH this year after sitting at 98.2 last year, and he has thrown it 73% of the time this year, which is up from 56.7% in 2024. The competition for saves in Chicago is gone. Ryan Pressly has a 4.95 ERA, Porter Hodge has a 5.12 ERA, and two blown saves. Palencia is available on a lot of waiver wires and is a nice bet for saves moving forward.

Slade Cecconi, SP, RP, Cleveland Guardians

ESPN: 2% / Yahoo: 7%

FAAB: 3-5%

It’s been two starts. That’s not a big sample. Awareness level here is high, trust me. That being said, through those two starts, Slade Cecconi has been awesome. He’s pitched to a 3.27 ERA, 2.6 SIERA, 2.63 xFIP, and a boatload of strikeouts. He’s posted a robust 31.1% K and a 17.3% SwStr%, which would rank amongst the best in baseball if he qualified.

He’s also changed his pitch mix as his fastball usage is 13% less from a year ago, while adding in a cutter and sinker that he has essentially never thrown, and his curveball usage is up from 9% to 15.5%. Adding Cecconi before his start Saturday is ideal because he draws an Angels offense that strikes out more than anyone else against right-handed pitching, but if you can’t, his next start comes against a mediocre Astros offense that’s full of right-handed bats.

Cecconi is essentially available in ALL fantasy baseball leagues across all platforms and is a nice streaming option heading into the weekend.

Lance McCullers, SP, Houston Astros

ESPN: 4% / Yahoo: 14%

FAAB: 3-5%

Well, maybe it was a tad early to give up on Lance McCullers Jr. that quickly. He hadn’t pitched on a big league mound since 2022, and it took him a few starts to get acclimated, but acclimated he’s gotten. He’s notched eight and 12 strikeouts in his last two starts, and it looks..legit.

Here’s some data from the last two starts:

5-22 vs. SEA: 8 K, 2.45 xFIP, 3.17 SIERA, 14.3% SwStr

5-28 vs. ATH: 12 K, 0.76 xFIP, 1.01 SIERA, 16.7% SwStr

That is a REALLY good swinging strike rate and good numbers overall. He has a two-start week ahead of him, too, matching up against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates and mediocre Cleveland Guardians. McCullers is a REALLY interesting fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup here.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Infielders

Gavin Sheets, 1B, OF, San Diego Padres

ESPN: 20% / Yahoo: 37%

FAAB: 7-9%

Here is what the last couple of seasons have looked like for Gavin Sheets, shall we?

2023: 311 AB, 10 HR, .598 OPS

2024: 451 AB, 10 HR, .660 OPS

2025: 171 AB, 11 HR, .833 OPS
 

And it all looks real. Gavin Sheets started homering in spring training and just simply hasn’t stopped. Being able to slot Sheets in at 1B and the OF doesn’t hurt, either. He hits in a premium lineup spot for the Padres and will continue to drive runs in at an elite rate.

Kody Clemens, 1B, 2B, 3B, Minnesota Twins

ESPN: 3% / Yahoo: 8%

FAAB: 2-4%

It’s not all roses and sunshine for Kody Clemens, but there is a lot to like. He’s not qualified yet, but look at some of the percentiles on Baseball Savant:

He strikes out a lot, but is that an issue for a guy with a .355 ISO, .423 wOBA, and 180 wRC+? I don’t think so, especially if the numbers can hold up and everything looks real. Clemens can be used at three different infield spots and has more power than most second basemen across the league. In fact, there is only one second baseman who has hit 10 home runs thus far.

It’s well within reason to think Clemens could finish in the top-five in home runs as a second baseman if he continues to rake the way he has, and yet, he’s available in over 90 percent of both ESPN and Yahoo! Fantasy baseball leagues. He’s also able to play other positions, as previously mentioned. 

Jac Caglianone, 1B, Kansas City Royals

ESPN: 7% / Yahoo: 20%

FAAB: 6-8%

The time is near. The time is now. Is that..JOHN CENA? Anyways, the time isn’t here (yet) and the time isn’t now (yet), but it’s close. ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote an article this week about the Royals' plan to potentially call him up in June. The Royals' Triple-A affiliate has a two-week homestand, and from there, if things go well like they have at every level in his career, we should see Caglianone make his major league debut sooner rather than later.

In case you’re not aware of Jac Caglianone’s game, his prospect rating for raw power is 70 / 80. 80 is the highest grade anyone can be given. That says a lot about what he can do. If you have the available roster spot on your fantasy baseball team, do it now before it’s too late.

 

 

 

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outfielders

Cam Smith, 3B, OF, Houston Astros

ESPN: 6% / Yahoo: 16%

FAAB: 5-7%

Don’t look now, but Cam Smith has arrived. The power hasn’t joined the party yet, but holy cow, he’s been fantastic in May. He’s hitting .324 with an .807 OPS in the month. He still hits too many ground balls, as that number sits at 48% in May, but he also has a robust 40% hard-hit rate.

Smith has not lived up to the hype in terms of power just yet, as his prospect report grades suggest he’s going to be a BIG power guy eventually.

Game Power: 40 / 60

Raw Power: 60 / 70

He also, for what it’s worth, has a 94th percentile sprint speed, and although he only has two stolen bases this year, that’s another part of his game that should expand throughout the year. Cam Smith and his consistent playing time have become quite fruitful.

Miguel Vargas, 1B, 3B, OF, Chicago White Sox

ESPN: 26% / Yahoo: 45%

FAAB: 4-6%

Before the 2023 season, Miguel Vargas was a top-39 prospect on Baseball America, Major League Baseball, and Baseball Prospectus, getting as high as 30 on BA. Things just simply haven’t gone well for him at the major league level. That is until now. Vargas has already hit eight home runs, which is a career-high, while posting a .199 ISO and .337 wOBA.

Basically, all of his damage this year has come in May. He’s hit seven of eight homers in May while posting a .604 SLG%, .948 OPS, .330 ISO, and .402 wOBA. He’s struck out much less, too, as he struck out 21% of the time in March, and it’s down to 13.7% in May.

His positional eligibility is great. He has serviceable players hitting in front of him that have been on base a LOT lately, so the run production is likely going to be sustainable. Suggesting a White Sox player last year was a death sentence, but they look like much better fantasy baseball options this year.

Jesus Sanchez, OF, Miami Marlins

ESPN: 2% / Yahoo: 5%

FAAB: 1-3%

After a pedestrian first month of the year, Jesus Sanchez’s season has taken a different turn and is very much on the up and up. He’s hit .275 so far in May with a .791 OPS, .150 OPS, and .351 wOBA. It’s been even better over his last two weeks, slashing .289/.396/.556 with a .267 ISO, and .412 wOBA.

Let's not overlook that Sanchez fell just short of being a 20-20 player last year, and if he can continue May’s pace, he’ll once again be there again. A lot of his expected numbers suggest he’s been rather unlucky.

Sanchez won’t cost you a lot on the waiver wire, and he continues to improve as the season goes on. If you’re in need of outfield depth, take a shot on Sanchez.