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Five hot fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, streamers, and sleepers for Week 4 (2026). Undervalued hitters outperforming their ownership percentage and should be more widely owned.
The baseball season is about to hit high gear. Through the opening month, we have seen many rookies emerge as must-start players, especially Cincinnati's Sal Stewart, who is on a near 40-home run pace in his first "full" MLB campaign, and many early season waiver-wire heroes like Chase DeLauter look like lineup staples.
With another week in the books, it's time for a deep dive and look at some of the hottest hitters in the game (who are under 25% rostered on Yahoo) who may provide value for our fantasy teams at a low FAAB cost and could emerge as weekly lineup options.
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Josh Jung, 3B, Texas Rangers
15% rostered (Yahoo)
Josh Jung made fantasy headlines during his first "full" season in the majors. In the 2023 campaign, Jung was named to the All-Star Game and launched 23 long balls (currently a career-high) with a .266/.315/.467 slash line. However, since then, Jung has yet to return to this level consistently.
In 2024, he appeared in just 46 games due to injury and posted a .264/.298/.421 line with seven home runs. The following season (2025), Jung raised his batting average to .251 but saw his power numbers take a dip, as he hit only 14 round-trippers over a much larger 131-game stint.
However, through the early going in the 2026 campaign, the former eighth overall selection is looking like his former All-Star self, carrying a .292/.350/.486 line with eight doubles and two home runs over just 20 games. While it is still early in the season, we have enough data to begin drawing a much more informed conclusion about his rest-of-season outlook.
Under the hood, Jung has generated an impressive .356 xwOBA (71st percentile) while generating a remarkable .311 xBA. His batting average was never his strength, as his career high in xBA was .254 entering this season. This is worth noting, as this could be another aspect of his fantasy profile that improves. In terms of batted-ball marks, Jung has generated a 55.9% hard-hit rate with a 42.4% LA Sweet-Spot%, both of which are well above the average marks.
He has also posted a much lower 17.5% K%, which increases his value in points leagues and is a 10-point drop from his career average of 27.3%. Jung has also drawn walks at a 8.8% rate, a slight three-point climb from his career marks.
Looking deeper, Jung has had similar success against fastballs as he did last summer, but has greatly improved against breaking balls and offspeed pitches. So far, Jung has generated a strong .354 xwOBA against fastballs, only a slight jump from the .327 xwOBA he posted in 2025.
The difference shows in the other two pitch types, where Jung has generated an elite .374 xwOBA (against breaking balls) and a .325 xwOBA (against off-speed pitches). While his .374 xwOBA is similar to his face value .382 wOBA, he may face some regression, as the .424 wOBA is much higher than his .325 xwOBA against off-speed pitches.
Nonetheless, this is a noticeable improvement over his production against these pitches last season, as shown in the chart below.
While Jung has seen his Pull AIR% decrease (14.2% - 10.7%) and his ground-ball rate increase (41.6% - 45.6%), he is developing into a more complete hitter who can hit for average while providing solid power. If Jung cannot gradually return to his 16.2% Pull AIR% from 2023, managers should not expect a 25+ HR campaign.
However, unlike in that season, Jung is striking out at a much lower rate, drawing more walks, and hitting the ball harder. The 28-year-old has the upside to produce a .270 AVG with 15-20 home runs, solid runs and RBI, and chip in a handful of stolen bases.
He may not be the power hitter he once was, but he is developing into a more complete hitter. He is worth adding in all standard formats as a corner infielder.
Marcell Ozuna, U, Pittsburgh Pirates
10% rostered
Marcell Ozuna was once a fantasy mainstay with the Braves. In the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Ozuna was a near-top-10 fantasy hitter, posting an overall .289/.364/.552 line with a .916 OPS. During these two seasons, the Big Bear averaged 39.5 HRs per season while adding 102 RBI and scoring 90 runs per campaign.
However, he took a massive step back in 2025, posting a much lower .232/.355/.400 line with just 21 long balls. While he drew walks at an elite 15.7% rate, the best of his career, he posted a low .239 xBA, and his barrel rate dropped by four points. As a result, the Braves opted to part ways with him in the offseason, which paved the way for him to sign with the Pirates as their primary DH.
Ozuna had a slow start to his 2026 campaign, which likely resulted in him being sent to the waiver wire by those who took a late-round flier on him. In his first 10 games in the Steel City, Ozuna posted a low .051/.195/.051 line with just two hits and an 11:5 K:BB. During this stretch, not one of his hits went for extra bases.
However, the slugging veteran has begun to look more like himself recently and is back on the fantasy radar. Over his last eight games, Ozuna has posted a much higher .324/.343/.559 slash line with two doubles and two home runs. He has tallied seven RBI during this stretch and has settled as the primary cleanup hitter.
While the sample size of productive play is small, Ozuna has shown enough progress to warrant a productive add. The veteran has generated a total of 39.6% LA Sweet-Spot% with an above-average 9.4% barrel rate. He has also posted a 24.8-degree launch angle, a 10-point increase from the previous summer.
The most notable aspect is that he has not only continued to hit fastballs well but has also rebounded well against off-speed pitches. Last summer, Ozuna generated a low .234 xwOBA against off-speed pitches, but has raised that to a far more promising .330 xwOBA. While he has struggled against breaking balls (.090 xwOBA), Ozuna has found his footing against the other two pitch types.
Do not expect a return to his pre-2025 numbers, but a 25-HR season with 75+ RBI is possible. If you do not roster a "must-start" utility option like Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez, and Kyle Schwarber, Ozuna is worth a look in favorable weekly matchups.
Oswald Peraza, 1B/2B/3B/SS, Los Angeles Angels
15% rostered
The former top prospect in the Yankees system joined forces with the Angels in the back half of the 2025 campaign but has finally begun to carve out a presence at the MLB level.
Throughout his first 22 games of the 2026 season, Peraza has posted an impressive .292/.361/.538 line with an eye-catching .899 OPS. Peraza has gone deep four times (which is just one shy of the highest of his career) and has swiped three bags.
During the 2025 season, Peraza played in a season-high 105 games (split with the Yankees and Angels) and posted a .164/.223/.250 line with just five round-trippers and nine stolen bases.
As shown in his underlying marks, this surge could be something sustainable. Per Baseball Savant, Peraza has generated a solid .333 xwOBA with a .267 xBA and a .415 xSLG. Peraza has also generated an above-average 10.2% barrel rate with a high 40.8% LA Sweet-Spot%, which places him in the 85th percentile among qualified hitters.
Last summer, Peraza posted a drastically lower .194 xBA with a .248 xwOBA.
Like Jung, Peraza has also made major strides against all three pitch types, which is an excellent sign for his long-term outlook. While Peraza is a "five-year" MLB veteran, the Yankees never gave him consistent at-bats to work out any struggles, but on this Angels roster, he has found a role in the infield, playing numerous positions.
As a result, Peraza has not only found his footing but has begun to tap into the former prospect pedigree he flashed in the minor leagues. As shown below, Peraza has generated an elite xwOBA against fastballs and off-speed pitches, with a solid .288 xwOBA against breaking balls, a massive jump from his 2025 marks.
Additionally, Peraza has generated an above-average 18.4% Pull AIR%, which should help him tap into his power potential. This would be a near five-year jump from his 2025 mark. With above-average speed (76th percentile sprint speed), Peraza has a 15/15 outcome while providing a solid batting average if he continues to see an everyday role.
Leody Taveras, OF, Baltimore Orioles
5% rostered
Leody Taveras was not expected to have much of a role on the Baltimore offense, but given Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers' slow starts, Taveras has emerged as the primary center fielder and does not appear in any danger of losing this job.
Through 21 games, Taveras has posted a .313/.421/.500 line with three doubles, two home runs, and one stolen base. Given that he holds a career .238/.291/.368 line, managers are not putting much stock in this surge, as he is on the waiver wire in nearly 90% of Yahoo leagues.
However, Taveras has made enough strides in his profile that warrant a speculative add, especially in deeper five-outfielder leagues. Currently, Taveras carries a .392 xwOBA with a .280 xBA and a .500 xSLG. His +.300 BA is not suitable, but even if it falls to the .280 range, he will be valuable for fantasy.
While he has only generated a modest 8.1% barrel rate and a 40.5% hard-hit rate, both of which place him in the 49th percentile among hitters, he has hit the ball extremely effectively, which has driven his power numbers.
Per Baseball Savant, Taveras has generated a 96th-percentile 45.9% LA Sweet-Spot%. He has also posted an elite 24.3% Pull AIR%, which would not only be the highest of his career, but also one of the highest in the sport.
This has allowed him to tap into his raw power (and hit for home runs), even though he doesn't hit the ball that hard. He has also lowered his ground-ball rate from 36.0% to 29.7%.
While Taveras does not have much of a track record, unlike Jung and Ozuna, he has made enough strides in his underlying profile, like Peraza, that make him a solid waiver wire option, at least while he enjoys this hot streak. If he can continue to optimize his swing, he could carry OF4/OF5 upside every week.
Leody Taveras sends one out to put the guys ahead in the 4th 💪 pic.twitter.com/WGcXRINMdK
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 18, 2026
Carson Kelly, C, Chicago Cubs
10% rostered
The final player spotlight this week is Carson Kelly, the backstop. While his catching/DH teammate in Chicago, Moises Ballesteros, has drawn some hype on the waiver wire, do not overlook the veteran. Kelly put together a very productive debut season on the North Side in 2025 and is on pace to surpass those numbers in 2026.
Across 111 games last summer, Kelly went deep 17 times (second most of his career) while posting a .249/.333/.428 line. He tallied 50 RBI and scored 48 runs, both of which marked career-highs. However, entering the 2026 season, Ballesteros drew far more preseason hype, which pushed him above Kelly on most draft boards.
While the young backup has looked the part as well, Kelly has been just as productive and is the trusted option behind the dish in Chicago, which should net him stable playing time.
Through 19 games (14 of them started at catcher), Kelly has posted a .313/.420/.466 line with an .886 OPS. He has already launched two home runs, tallied 10 RBI, and scored nine runs. Unlike last season, Kelly is generating even more impressive underlying marks, making him a top waiver wire target for those needing assistance behind the dish.
He has generated an eye-catching .403 xwOBA, .301 xBA, and a .509 xSLG. The 31-year-old has posted a 54.3% hard-hit rate and a 32.7% squared-up rate, both increases from last season. While the small sample size inflates his metrics, Kelly continues to hit the ball hard and pull it at an optimal rate (19.6% Pull AIR%).
He remains at the top of the depth chart and should continue to see the vast majority of the targets behind the dish over Miguel Amaya. While Ballesteros could see most of the opportunities at DH, Kelly has already drawn two starts there this season.
While he is not a must-roster player in one-catcher leagues (he is in two-catcher leagues), he is well worth adding and starting in favorable weekly matchups, especially against left-handed pitchers (1.032 OPS against southpaws).
ONE PITCH. ONE SWING. CARSON KELLY. pic.twitter.com/UhpewazRPH
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 18, 2026
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