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Dan's top 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, MI, CI fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for infielders in Week 12 of 2025 (June 16 - June 22). Target these hitter streamers and stashes.
Hello again, RotoBallers. After getting a week off to kick off summer vacation with a family road trip, I am back with another round of infield waiver wire targets. Special thanks to fellow contributor Andy Smith for filling in for me last weekend.
This time around, we will revisit some familiar faces from weeks past and mix in a couple of new names to keep things fresh. If there is a unifying theme this week, then it is our good friend, multi-position eligibility. Every player written up for Week 12 can play at least two infield spots, giving fantasy managers more ways to fit these players into their lineups.
If you need help juggling your fantasy baseball roster, don’t be afraid to reach out to me on X (@danifestmestiny) or Bluesky (@danifestmestiny.bsky.social). To get you started, read on for my favorite infield waiver wire adds for Week 12 - June 16 to June 22.
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Waiver Wire Pickups For Shallow Leagues (30-50% rostered)
Willi Castro, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Minnesota Twins (53% rostered)
Yes, Willi Castro lies outside the listed boundaries of this section. Yes, his popularity will be even higher after Royce Lewis’ hamstring betrayed him once again. And yes, Andy included him in his column just last week, but Castro is on fire at the moment and still worth seeking out in shallow leagues.
On Friday night, Castro hit safely for a sixth straight game with a solo shot against the Astros. It was his sixth home run of the year. Going back to June 7, Castro is 11-for-27 with four runs and four RBI. The only thing he hasn’t brought to the table lately is stolen bases.
Castro does have above-average speed, though, and has been a solid contributor to steals since joining the Twins in 2023, despite the team finishing near the bottom in attempts year in and year out.
Castro will be in the mix to cover for the ailing Lewis, but the former has use beyond third base. Castro’s eligibility at both middle infield positions (and outfield) makes him a handy piece for a fantasy roster. Minnesota opens Week 12 with three games against the Reds in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park.
Willi Castro since returning from the IL:
113 PA
.316 AVG
.407 OBP
.531 SLG
.938 OPS
.214 ISO pic.twitter.com/w3YuhHMOUK— Kirk Snyder (@dynastyinfo411) June 13, 2025
Jose Caballero, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Tampa Bay Rays (32% rostered)
I thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted to include Jose Caballero in this week’s list. His propensity for strikeouts (29.7% K% thus far) and low batting average (his .222 xBA is a new career-high) doesn’t scream out fantasy value. For a team in need of a boost in the stolen bases category, though, there is no better add than Caballero.
While the utility man has only started in six games since the start of June, he has managed to score a run in five separate contests (including three where he entered as a pinch runner) and racked up six stolen bases. Predicting who will start and where in a Kevin Cash lineup is about as easy as selecting winning Powerball numbers.
It is reassuring to see that Rays so frequently turn Caballero loose on the basepaths, whether as a part of the starting nine or coming in off the bench.
Again, this addition won’t be for everyone. Caballero makes the most sense in category leagues for teams that can take a hit in batting average to gain ground in steals. Tampa has a seven-game week ahead of it, which we also like to see, and Caballero’s versatility, like Castro’s, makes him easy to flex into a lineup.
Waiver Wire Pickups For Deeper Leagues (10-30% rostered)
Marcelo Mayer, 3B/SS, Boston Red Sox (20% rostered)
The No. 8 prospect on MLB Pipeline, Marcelo Mayer, made his highly anticipated debut for the Red Sox on May 24. He went hitless in his first game but had five hits in his next 12 at-bats thereafter, scored a run in six consecutive appearances between June 1 and June 9, and had a two-home run game on June 11.
Boston seems intent on keeping its young star in the lineup. Mayer has appeared in all but two of the 17 games the Red Sox have played since his promotion. Mayer has been sitting against left-handed starters, but the team has prioritized using him off the bench once the matchup turns in his favor.
Mayer can mash, as his 54.8% hard-hit rate can attest. Yes, he has a very small MLB-level sample, but it is in line with the 47.1% he rocked in Triple-A this year. In Week 12, Boston heads to the West Coast to face the Mariners and Giants. Neither park is inviting, but the Red Sox are projected to face six righties, which gives Mayer a good shot at a full week of action.
Looking ahead, Week 13 will bring matchups against the vulnerable rotations of the Angels and Blue Jays.
Marcelo Mayer again!
The first multi-homer game of his career 😤 pic.twitter.com/y1t3RwJeA0
— MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2025
Hyeseong Kim, 2B/SS/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (18% rostered)
Hyeseong Kim is another callback to a past column. Back in the Week 6 edition, I endorsed Kim as a potential source for stolen bases. The utility player logged his first MLB steal as a pinch runner in his second appearance (he debuted as a ninth-inning defensive replacement the night before). He then went on to collect five hits, three runs, and two RBI in his first three starts.
The Dodgers’ depth up the middle has made it hard for Kim to hold down a steady presence in the lineup. Kim has appeared in 10 of his 30 games played off the bench, and he has been lifted early in eight of his starts. Still, when he is in the lineup, he has the potential to do damage in four categories. Entering Sunday, Kim is slashing .382/.425/.554, with 13 runs, 11 RBI, and six steals.
The Dodgers have a seven-game homestand in Week 12 and are slated to face six right-handed starters, which bodes well for the lefty-hitting Kim. The following week, Los Angeles travels to Colorado and Kansas City, where Kim should flourish, given each park’s tendency to generate extra-base hits.
Waiver Wire Pickups For The Deepest Of Leagues (Under 10% rostered)
Otto Lopez, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins (8% rostered)
After a hot start to 2025, I wrote up Otto Lopez in my first edition of this column way back in April. Since then, he has been mostly underwhelming, with his seven stolen bases being the highlight of rostering him thus far. I can't help but shake the feeling that there are better days ahead.
Lopez’s real-world performance is lagging well behind his expected stats, so there is hope for positive regression coming. Lopez’s .237 batting average is nearly 50 points lower than his 85th percentile .285 xBA. Likewise, there is a 57-point discrepancy between his wOBA and xwOBA, and his actual slugging percentage trails his expected by more than 100 points.
The turnaround may already be underway. Entering Sunday, he has hit safely in seven of his last eight games and has seven runs, two home runs, four RBI, and two steals in the same span. Lopez is not a regular home run threat, but loanDepot Park ranks in the top 10 in park factors affecting doubles and triples.
He should produce plenty of extra-base hits, which, even if they aren’t leaving the yard, can set Lopez up for more runs and RBI.
Otto Lopez, first 162 games as a Marlin
.258/.309/.367, 87 wRC+, 10 HR, 25 SB and 3.2 fWAR pic.twitter.com/hjTca5BdLz
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) June 6, 2025
DJ LeMahieu, 1B/2B/3B, New York Yankees (5% rostered)
DJ LeMahieu’s 2025 debut was delayed by a calf injury suffered in his second spring training game. Once activated, the 36-year-old veteran got off to a slow start, with just seven hits in his first 14 games. When the calendar flipped to June, LeMahieu’s bat suddenly came to life. Since June 1, he has gone 13-for-34 with six runs, six RBI, and one home run.
I don’t view LeMahieu as a long-term solution, but I like him in deep, deep leagues while he is on this roll. Picking him up in my 18-teamer has been a boon to my batting average in the last two weeks. Even though he is relegated to the back end of New York’s lineup, I expect him to continue adding to my tally in the runs column as he is effectively hitting ahead of Aaron Judge.
The Yankees will likely build in a rest day for the aging vet, but at least it will come during a seven-game week. There is the added benefit of seeing some inviting matchups against the beatable rotations of the Angels and Orioles in Week 12.
More Waiver Wire Pickups To Consider
- Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/OF - Baltimore Orioles (42% rostered)
- Ernie Clement, 2B/3B/SS - Toronto Blue Jays (15% rostered)
- Christian Moore, 2B - Los Angeles Angels (9% rostered)
- Ty France, 1B - Minnesota Twins (7% rostered)
- Brooks Lee, 2B/3B/SS - Minnesota Twins (4% rostered)
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