X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

1B and 3B Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 9

Fantasy baseball first base and third base waiver wire pickups for Week 9. Todd Salem's 1B and 3B options to consider adding and streaming at corner infield (CI).

Arguably, the three best teams in baseball to this point reside in the NL West. That imbalance can be felt in the records of the 'other' teams in that division. The same thing can hold true in fantasy, especially this early in a season. Not everyone's record (in head-to-head leagues) is created equal.

People can easily point to bad starts on their own roster. It is usually pretty obvious. But bad starts can be contributed to your opponent as well. It can mean playing a cluster of teams who have had hot starts. It could mean facing few injuries, if any, from your opponents' main contributors. That stuff will even itself out as the season goes on, but it can also cause consternation when you start to second-guess your transactions. Don't fret; stick to your guns. It's a long haul.

For our purposes in this column, we are looking at Yahoo!'s rostered percentages, as well as its positional eligibility. We are searching for useful players rostered in fewer than 40 percent of Yahoo! leagues. With that being said, below are my first base and third base waiver wire pickups to consider for Week 9 - May 24 through May 30.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Bobby Dalbec, Boston Red Sox

25% Rostered

It's been a slow rise for Dalbec this season. His start was horrendous, and he hasn't exactly exploded out of his early rut like some of his peers. Nevertheless, the peripheral numbers continue to look great, which means better results are on the horizon. And we are starting to see just a taste of that recently.

In the past 10 days, Dalbec has three multi-hit games and three home runs. He also nabbed his first steal of the season. You can see why in the data. Dalbec is in the 93rd percentile in barrel rate, 82nd percentile in max exit velocity, and the 78th percentile in sprint speed. In other words, he can square up the baseball and do major damage with those swings.

In this stretch, we are also seeing Boston bat him 6th, finally rising out of the bottom of the lineup. This will be key to his counting stats moving forward. As great as a guy can hit, it is hard to generate elite production batting ninth, although being in this Red Sox offense certainly helps.

 

Pavin Smith, Arizona Diamondbacks

16% Rostered

I haven't gotten off the Pavin Smith bandwagon quite yet. The surface numbers have not been exciting. He hasn't hit a home run in more than two weeks; he hasn't collected a multi-hit game since almost as long. And yet, the batted-ball profile is still something to be excited about. He has a 49.2 hard-hit rate, has shown a 110.8 max exit velocity, and is in the 93rd percentile in whiff rate and 75th percentile in K-rate.

All that adds up to an expected slugging percentage 74 points higher than his actual. What that means is better production is on the horizon for Smith. It is why Arizona continues to trot him out in the leadoff spot every single game. They believe, and so do I.

 

Ji-Man Choi, Tampa Bay Rays

6% Rostered

After missing the first six weeks of the season, Choi is forcing Kevin Cash to find places to play him as often as he can. Even when Choi isn't given a start, he finds his way into the game and produces. In fact, he's produced in every game this season through Saturday. In six games, he has a six-game hitting streak, five runs, two home runs, and eight RBI.

More importantly, he has started four of six games, got into all six, and hit third in the lineup in three of his four starts. The scalding hot start won't continue forever. But Choi has had the blueprint of a very good player pretty much since he joined the Major League: high walk rate, matched by a high barrel rate. When he begins games on the bench against any lefty starter, that isn't a death sentence to his daily production. On the contrary, Choi is making it so he has to be given a chance every game, which makes him fantasy-relevant for sure.

 

Danny Santana, Boston Red Sox

6% Rostered

It has been a while since we last saw Santana at full-go. Friday, he received his first at-bats of the 2021 season. After a terrible 2020, most folks probably forgot about him. But in his last full season, 2019 with Texas, he was a five-category contributor and finished with an .857 OPS in 474 ABs. It remains to be seen how Boston will utilize him in the immediate future.

In two games, he started at first base and led off, and then played center and hit fifth. His positional versatility is unparalleled. His upside is also pretty tremendous, thanks to his skill set and this Boston lineup. We have already seen what he is capable of in just his first series of the season: two home runs, two runs, two RBI, and a steal in eight ABs. If Santana gets into his bad habits from last year, particularly with his K-rate, he could find himself on the Red Sox bench more often than not. However, the upside is too good to ignore.

 

Worth Monitoring

There are a few corner infielders I'm not ready to pull the trigger on but who are worth monitoring. If you play in a deeper league, you should probably take an even longer look than I did, particularly if your bench is deep. Managers in standard leagues can hold tight, but not for too much longer.

Keston Hiura, Milwaukee Brewers

39% Rostered

It was only a matter of time before Hiura's rostered percentage finally dropped below 40 percent. He is here now, and managers should not forget about him. The stint in the majors was obviously terrible. Hiura has shown reason to believe he can turn things around. His OPS at Triple-A currently sits at 1.348. He has eight extra-base hits and two steals in eight games. It feels like only a matter of time before Milwaukee gives him another chance, especially considering how poorly many of their current regulars are hitting.

Colin Moran, Pittsburgh Pirates

36% Rostered

Moran (groin) remains on the IL with a groin injury, but it sounds like he could be making his way back pretty soon. Managers will want him on their roster when he does.

Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs

33% Rostered

Hoerner does not profile as a great fantasy asset. He seems like a better real-life player. And yet, he continues to hit. He won't produce many home runs but could be a good source of steals and batting average.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice


Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Done for the Year With Torn ACL
Luke Hughes

Devils Optimistic About Signing Luke Hughes
Martin Fehérváry

Martin Fehervary on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Dylan Holloway

Good to Go for Start of Season
Nick Kurtz

Back in Action on Tuesday
Josh Morrissey

Fully Healthy for Start of Season
Dennis Hildeby

Signs Three-Year Extension With Maple Leafs
Nick Lodolo

Scratched With Illness
Dalton Kincaid

Role Not Expected to Grow?
Quinshon Judkins

Zero Chance Quinshon Judkins Plays Against Bengals?
Najee Harris

Says He's Expecting to Play Against Chiefs
Adolis García

Adolis Garcia Departs Monday with Quad Injury
Franz Wagner

Collects Double-Double in Blowout Win
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Achieves Rare Numbers at EuroBasket
Nikola Vučević

Nikola Vucevic Dominates Against Sweden
Stefon Diggs

Expected to Suit Up in Week 1
Kristaps Porzingis

Finding Form at EuroBasket
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Suffers Minor Injury at EuroBasket
DJ Moore

Bears Experimenting with DJ Moore in Backfield
Rome Odunze

Could Move All Around the Offense
Carolina Panthers

Dave Canales Comfortable With Panthers' Young Receivers
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering NCAA Return
Dallas Goedert

Healthy for Week 1
Marvin Mims Jr.

Returns to Practice Monday
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Carted Off Monday With Knee Injury
Jason Adam

Diagnosed With Ruptured Left Quadriceps Tendon
Victor Wembanyama

Looking "Quite Stellar"
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Scratched on Monday
Matthew Stafford

Expected to Start in Week 1
Edward Cabrera

Heading to Injured List With Elbow Sprain
Najee Harris

Cleared for Contact, Could Play in Week 1
Denny Hamlin

Ends Eventful Day at Darlington in Seventh Place
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Almost Earns a Top-Five Finish at Darlington
John Hunter Nemechek

has His Best 2025 Performance at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Has An Underwhelming Performance At Darlington
Josh Berry

Crashes Early and Suffers A Playoff Setback at Darlington
Harry Ford

Called Up for Major-League Debut
Victor Scott II

Activated From Injured List
Fernando Tatis Jr.

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness, Expects to Play Monday
Giannis Antetokounmpo

"Staying in Milwaukee"
Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Agrees to a One-Year Contract with Milwaukee
Kyrie Irving

"Healing Up Great"
Dante Exum

Mavs Agree on a One-Year Deal
Jaylen Warren

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Steelers
De'Von Achane

Practicing Monday, on Track to Play in Week 1
Quinshon Judkins

Could Report to Browns This Week
Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs, Trent McDuffie Not Expected to Finalize Extension
Chase Elliott

Under Playoff Pressure After 17th-Place Darlington Finish
Kyle Larson

Despite Hendrick Mediocrity, Kyle Larson Remains Pretty Safe in Playoffs
Alex Bowman

Opening-Lap Crash and Botched Pit Stop May Have Sunk Alex Bowman's Playoff Hopes
Erik Jones

Darlington Master Erik Jones Comes Up Short but Still Finishes Third
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Impresses at Southern 500
Dameon Pierce

Ahead of Schedule, Ready for Season
Jordan Love

May Wear Thumb Brace During Season
Chicago Bears

Bears Head Coach Admits Offense Could Face Learning Curve
Matt Chapman

Leaves Early on Sunday, Expects to Play Monday
A.J. Brown

Says He'll Be Active For Season Opener
Luis Garcia

to Make Season Debut on Monday
Max Scherzer

Exits Due to Back Tightness
Taylor Ward

Exits Early After Collison
Braelon Allen

Says He Has a Lot Left to Prove
Sal Stewart

Reds Promoting Sal Stewart to Majors
Daniel Suarez

is A DFS Risk for Darlington Lineups?
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Noah Gragson

Should Fantasy Managers Roster Noah Gragson for Darlington?
Ty Dillon

is an Excellent Punt Option for Darlington DFS Lineups
Bogdan Bogdanović

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss the Rest of EuroBasket
Denny Hamlin

Picking Up Where He Left Off At Darlington
Kyle Larson

The Sky Is The Limit for Kyle Larson at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

a Strong DFS Play at Darlington This Weekend
Tyler Reddick

Shouldn't Be Overlooked at Darlington This Weekend
Alex Bowman

An Easy Place-Differential Play in DFS This Weekend
Ty Gibbs

Could Be Strong at Darlington This Weekend
Erik Jones

Has Best Darlington Qualifying Effort Since Last Win
Zane Smith

Hopeful For Another Solid Run At Darlington
Aroldis Chapman

Agrees to Contract Extension
Juan Soto

Homers Twice in Loss
Nick Kurtz

Avoids Serious Injury
MacKenzie Gore

Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Dallas Mavericks

Olivier-Maxence Prosper Waived by the Mavs
Lauri Markkanen

Dominant in Win Over Great Britain
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Leads Serbia to a Win
Nikola Jokić

Nikola Jokic Shines Versus Portugal
Jose Alvarado

"Good" After Recent Fall
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs
Dallas Mavericks

Mavericks Looking to Trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Tyrese Haliburton

Expects to Return in 15 Months

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP