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Five hot fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, streamers, and sleepers for Week 25 (2025). Undervalued hitters outperforming their ownership percentage and should be more widely owned.
The clock has just about run out on the Major League Baseball regular season, but there is still time for some late buzzer-beater production to put your fantasy team over the top in the closing days of the season. With the weather cooling off in some parks and less "down the road" to worry about, it's a good time to be aggressive and make some moves on the fantasy baseball waiver wire to fill in any gaps due to injury or players slumping to the end of the season. The hitters in this post are doing the opposite of slumping; they're sprinting to the finish, and they can help your fantasy team do the same.
As the best fantasy baseball managers know, the waiver wire always contains some valuable options if you know where to look and what you're looking for. New players are constantly emerging, especially with rosters expanded and teams trying to evaluate players for future roles. In this post, we're diving deeper than the obvious pickups in search of hidden values from the bargain basement. If injury or ineffectiveness is forcing you to look for a waiver wire alternative, consider snagging one or more of these emerging bats.
This week's five bargain basement hitters have been heating up over the last few weeks, but are available for free or at a minimal cost from your FAAB budget. If your league uses waiver priority instead, these are options that can be targets even if you have low priority. As a whole, they are plug-and-play options that can be scooped and started in most formats. All stats are through games played on Monday, September 15, unless otherwise noted. Which widely available hitters should be on your shopping list?
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Jose Caballero, 2B/3B/SS/OF - New York Yankees
24% rostered
The Yankees made a great move by acquiring Caballero at the trade deadline from the Rays in exchange for future considerations (minors) and Everson Pereira. Caballero led the American League with 44 stolen bases in 2024 and leads the majors with 46 stolen bases so far this season.
Last year, he hit .227 with nine homers and a .264 wOBA in 139 games, and this year, he is hitting .235 with five homers and a .307 wOBA. In 32 games since coming to the Yankees, Caballero is hitting .270 with three homers and 12 stolen bases. He has hit safely in six straight games, going 7-for-20 (.350) with three stolen bases and this massive smash at Fenway Park.
José Caballero sent this ball out of Fenway Park 😮 pic.twitter.com/cn0f2SxNNg
— MLB (@MLB) September 15, 2025
Caballero seems to have surpassed Anthony Volpe as the team's everyday shortstop for the short term, and as long as he's in the lineup, he brings elite stolen base potential and decent numbers in every other category aside from batting average. Caballero is also a great addition because he fits in so many spots in both the infield and outfield.
If you need speed, Caballero is the way to go on the waiver wire.
Kyle Manzardo, 1B - Cleveland Guardians
22% rostered
Manzardo was one of the team's top hitting prospects when he got the promotion to the majors last year. He hit .234 in 53 games and had five homers with a .303 wOBA. He's settled into a much more consistent role this season, typically hitting cleanup. He has hit 26 homers this season with a .337 wOBA and 67 RBI in 129 games.
His batting average has been .269 since the All-Star break, and his hard-hit rate is just under 50%. His barrel rate and average exit velocity have trended up over the last half of the season, and he is one of the best widely available sources of power production on the waiver wire.
CLE - Kyle Manzardo 2-run HR (26)
📏 432 ft | 💨 111.3 mph | 📐 34°
⚾️ 86.1 mph slider (KC - RHP Jonathan Bowlan)
🏟️ Out in 30/30 MLB parksKC (1) @ CLE (2)
🔻 1st#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/usJwbaNNWO— MLB Home Runs🚀 (@MLBHRs_) September 10, 2025
Five of his homers have come in the last 15 games. Over that span, he is hitting .275 (14-for-51) with a .408 wOBA, a 57.5% hard-hit rate, and a 12.5% barrel rate.
The Guardians are still in the playoff hunt, but they have six of their remaining 13 games against the Tigers. They'll need to finish strong to earn their way into the third AL Wild Card spot, and Manzardo's hot streak is a good way to add some punch to your lineup.
Romy Gonzalez, 1B/2B/3B/SS - Boston Red Sox
16% rostered
Last week, I highlighted Gonzalez as a great contact-first bat to grab if you didn't mind not getting much power. So naturally, he immediately started to prove me wrong with a home run the day I wrote the post. He continues to produce great numbers, especially against lefties, and he's a very strong option to mix into your lineup at any infield position when the Sox face a left-handed starting pitcher.
The Red Sox snagged Gonzalez off waivers from the White Sox before last season, and the utility player has had two strong seasons in Boston. He is eligible at every infield spot, so he's pretty easy to blend in if you're cycling players through to fill spots daily down the stretch.
In 2024, he hit .266 with 11 stolen bases in 89 games, but this year he has been much more productive at the plate, hitting .312 overall with a career-high nine homers, a .361 wOBA, and a 57.3% hard-hit rate. Despite his stolen base production dropping to just five on the season, his huge increase in power production keeps him very fantasy-relevant.
Even though he doesn't always start against righties, the 29-year-old has slid into a role as a specialist against lefties and has hit safely in 14 straight games in which he appeared. He's hitting .434 (23-for-53) over that stretch with two doubles, a home run, and a .411 wOBA.
Romy Gonzalez. Tremendously Locked In.pic.twitter.com/98Ipp7Ti3R
— NESN (@NESN) September 14, 2025
Gonzalez doesn't bring the speed potential of Caballero, but his average, power, and counting stats make him a better option in the rest of the offensive categories.
Patrick Bailey, C - San Francisco Giants
8% rostered
If you need some late-season help behind the plate, Bailey makes sense as a bargain basement pickup. The 26-year-old has played 124 games for the Giants this season, and even though his season-long numbers are very low, he has had some huge hits lately and has put up good numbers in his recent sample size.
This season, he's hitting .218 with six homers and a .264 wOBA, but over the last 19 games, he's hitting .267 with four of those homers and a .343 wOBA. His biggest hit of the year was a massive, walk-off grand slam against the Dodgers:
WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM 😤 pic.twitter.com/Zm026roOM6
— MLB (@MLB) September 13, 2025
The Giants are still in the mix for the third NL Wild Card spot, and they're in a huge series this week against the Diamondbacks. After that series, the Giants have a four-game series against the Dodgers before finishing with a six-game homestand against the Cardinals and Rockies.
Bailey should continue to play almost every day down the stretch, and his exceptional defense makes him a regular even when his bat isn't producing. He's hitting it pretty well right now, though, and he can contribute meaningful numbers down the stretch.
Parker Meadows, OF - Detroit Tigers
8% rostered
Coming into the season, Meadows got some preseason sleeper buzz and had the potential for a breakout season. Unfortunately, that wasn't exactly the way the season played out for the 25-year-old lefty.
He ended up on the 60-day injured list with an arm issue and wasn't able to make his season debut until June 2. He hit only .200 in 38 games before landing back on the injured list in a right quad strain in late July. He didn't make it back to the lineup until early September, but he has looked good since getting back in the mix. He didn't waste any time getting back on the board.
Parker Meadows homers in his first at-bat off the IL to tie things up! pic.twitter.com/XMHauriyVP
— MLB (@MLB) September 5, 2025
In his eight games since returning, Meadows is 10-for-29 (.345) with a double, two home runs, and a 44% hard-hit rate. Almost just as importantly for his potential value, he has moved to the leadoff spot for the last three games. If he keeps hitting atop the Tigers' potent lineup the rest of the season, he could be a great late-season pickup who finally realizes some of his potential and pushes your team over the top.
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