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Five hot fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, streamers, and sleepers for Week 20 (2026). Undervalued hitters outperforming their ownership percentage and should be more widely owned.
Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of our Bargain Basement Hitters for Week 20 of the fantasy baseball season. We're in the thick of the stretch run now, so it's time to upgrade our teams with some helpful pickups. We're either focusing on players with seven-game weeks or exploitable matchups.
As usual, we will look at five hitters who are improving and are widely available across all Yahoo! leagues. Each of these players is rostered in fewer than 10% of leagues. Be sure to follow RotoBaller MLB on X for all of our league-winning content and me, @FAmmiranteTFJ, for any questions!
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Carlos Cortes, OF, Athletics
2% rostered (Yahoo)
Carlos Cortes is currently slashing .258/.333/.410 with seven home runs in 276 plate appearances. This includes an impressive 15.2% strikeout rate, so he makes a lot of contact to help make up for his lack of batted-ball quality (6.8% barrel rate).
As a left-handed hitter, Cortes has mostly been in the A's lineup against righties. This is good news for their upcoming schedule, as the A's have seven games next week: four at the Royals and three at the Astros. Of these seven games, six are projected to come against right-handers.
Carlos Cortes drives in a pair 💥 pic.twitter.com/RICmMowkwR
— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) August 12, 2026
Another plus of picking up Cortes is that he's often hit in the cleanup spot, putting him in a good position to rack up counting stats. In fact, Cortes has hit in the No. 4 hole in three consecutive games.
While there's not much power or speed in this profile, Cortes is likely to provide a boost in batting average in these exploitable matchups. At this stage of the season, you're looking for volume to help accumulate categories that you need to make up ground in the standings. In deeper leagues, Cortes certainly fits the bill here.
Dylan Beavers, OF, Baltimore Orioles
1% rostered (Yahoo)
Dylan Beavers came into the season with a lot of fanfare from the fantasy community. Many were excited about the Orioles' prospect to earn more playing time this year. After all, he had put up a .304/.420/.515 slash with 18 home runs and 23 stolen bases in Triple-A last season.
However, it's been a disappointing year with sporadic playing time, as Beavers is slashing .239/.320/.345 with three home runs and five stolen bases in 223 plate appearances. He also hasn't generated much hard contact, as highlighted by his abysmal 5.6% barrel rate.
Dylan Beavers, meet the Earl Weaver Special pic.twitter.com/ZbMXm3yYUX
— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) August 12, 2026
With that said, this upcoming week could be a spot where Beavers provides fantasy value. The Orioles have seven games: one at the Rays, three vs the Yankees, and then three vs the Rays once again. Of those seven games, six of them come against righties. This is good news for the left-handed hitting Beavers, who has a 100 wRC+ vs. righties this season, compared to 44 wRC+ vs. lefties.
We saw Beavers homer on August 12th, so perhaps this can be the start of a hot streak. He's also been hitting in the No. 5 spot in the order, putting him in position to rack up counting stats. If you're in a deeper league with five outfield spots, Beavers makes sense as a pickup for volume with upside.
Dane Myers, OF, Cincinnati Reds
0% rostered (Yahoo)
Here's a player who isn't even rostered in Yahoo leagues. We're digging deep on Dane Myers, who is slashing .254/.351/.348 with three home runs and seven stolen bases in 211 plate appearances. You have to like the 11.8% walk rate, which makes him more valuable in OBP leagues.
Myers is seeing an uptick in playing time as the Reds' center fielder. While he hasn't done much lately, as he's hitting only .120 in August, this is a bet on volume. The Reds have eight games this upcoming week, including a doubleheader vs. the Cardinals on Monday. After that, they have another three games vs. St. Louis, followed by three at the Diamondbacks.
Dane Myers' first Reds hit is a WALK-OFF! pic.twitter.com/h85xdaZbUG
— MLB (@MLB) March 28, 2026
As I said above, it's the stretch run. You need to stack volume to rack up stats that you need. Myers can be a nice source of speed, as he's consistently swiped 20 bags in the minors. We've also seen him hit up and down the Reds' lineup, batting anywhere from No. 3 to No. 7, so there will be opportunities for counting stats.
We should also note that Myers is better against lefties (108 wRC+) than righties (84 wRC+). What's good about that is this coming week, the Reds will face four lefties. With that in mind, Myers is worth a look in deeper formats. Don't let the 0% rostered tag scare you away.
Nathan Church, OF, St. Louis Cardinals
2% rostered (Yahoo)
Nathan Church is currently slashing .239/.283/.365 with nine home runs and seven stolen bases in 337 plate appearances. While the 6.8% barrel rate doesn't inspire much confidence, you have to like how he's kept his strikeouts in check, as highlighted by a 19.6 K%.
Church has been rock-solid at the plate lately, hitting safely in 10 of his last 11 games. During this stretch, he has one home run and four multi-hit games. This recent string of strong production has bumped Church up to the No. 5 spot in the Cardinals' lineup, which is good news for his potential counting stats since he's hitting in the heart of the order.
THIS GAME!
Nathan Church powers the @Cardinals back in front! pic.twitter.com/yYjpfSHk69
— MLB (@MLB) August 4, 2026
As with Myers in Cincinnati, picking up Church is a bet on a player with eight games on the schedule next week. This includes five at the Reds and three at the Phillies. Those are two hitter-friendly environments where Church will have a chance to add to his home run totals.
Even though Church, a left-handed hitter, will face three lefties next week, he's still worth a look for the volume. Pick him up to try to accumulate some of the stats you need as you try for a late push to move up the standings.
Richie Palacios, 2B/OF, Tampa Bay Rays
1% rostered (Yahoo)
Richie Palacios is currently slashing .238/.340/.351 with five home runs and 10 stolen bases in 289 plate appearances. While the batting average is abysmal, you have to like how he's able to pitch in some speed with non-zero power. He's also walking at a 12.5% clip, making him more appealing in OBP formats.
Palacios has two multi-hit games in his last four starts, which is ideal timing, considering that the Rays have seven games on the schedule next week. This includes one vs. the Orioles, three at the Blue Jays, and another three at Baltimore. Even though he typically hits near the bottom of the order, he's a reasonable bet on volume for this week, especially if you're in a deeper league.
That'll play Richie! pic.twitter.com/k38nsTCq6d
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 12, 2026
If you're trailing in speed and need a bit of a boost, Palacios is your guy. Currently hitting .364 in August, he's in top form and worth a look in deeper formats. It's an added bonus that he's also eligible at second base in addition to outfield, giving you some more flexibility.
