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Five fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, sleepers, and trade targets for Week 11 -- undervalued hitters outperforming their rostership and should be more widely owned.
As fantasy baseball managers approach Week 11, the waiver wire presents a valuable opportunity to bolster your roster with under-the-radar hitters poised to make an impact.
Jake Burger has been on a tear, delivering power and run production for the Rangers. Zach McKinstry offers a rare combination of speed and positional flexibility with the Tigers. Trevor Story is showing signs of resurgence after overcoming injury setbacks with the Red Sox. Alejandro Kirk is seizing a more prominent role behind the plate for the Blue Jays, and Trevor Larnach continues to impress with his consistent performance for the Twins.
These five players are making waves and could provide the boost your fantasy team needs.
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Jake Burger, 1B/3B, Texas Rangers
48% rostered
Since being acquired from the Miami Marlins during the offseason, Burger has fallen short of expectations with the Rangers. Texas aimed to boost its offensive firepower by bringing in both Burger and Joc Pederson over the winter, but neither has performed as hoped. Burger was even sent down to Triple-A in early May, though he was recalled after just 10 days.
The 29-year-old's demotion served as a wake-up call, as he's posted a .769 OPS with six doubles, six homers, and 13 RBI in the 26 games that followed his minor league stint. It's nothing to write home about, but it's much better than his first 30 games, which resulted in a .190/.231/.330 batting line and eight extra-base hits.
Jake Burger CRUSHES a ball down the pipe against his former team to give the Rangers the early lead pic.twitter.com/UjHxVQJ9kA
— Rangers Nation ⚾️ (@rangers__nation) May 25, 2025
Burger's first eight games in June have looked promising. With four XBH and a .834 OPS, perhaps the former first-round pick is on the upswing. For his career, Burger has consistently been more productive in the second half of the season, with a .871 OPS in the second half compared to a .715 OPS in the first half.
Maybe his hot streak is starting earlier this year. Between 2023 and 2024, Burger hit 63 homers as arguably one of the most underrated sluggers in the league. So, we know the power is there. The Rangers know it, too. Now, Burger must execute if Texas has any chance in the AL West.
Zach McKinstry, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Detroit Tigers
30% rostered
One of the most underrated pieces of any contending team is a super-utility player, a bench piece who can play almost anywhere and deliver offensively, too. For the Tigers, that's McKinstry. He can play nearly every position and has a .799 OPS with 20 XBH in 61 games this season for Detroit.
Although he doesn't hit the ball hard, he uses the whole field. That said, the 30-year-old does have a .358 BABIP. While this could be considered lucky, it emphasizes McKinstry's ability to make contact and get on base. Once again, every team that plans to compete needs a guy like this, even if his underlying stats aren't the sexiest.
McKinstry had a great April (.909 OPS), followed by an ugly May (.627 OPS), and is now off to a hot start in June, where he's slashing .391/.417/.652 with nine hits and three strikeouts. He's been relatively consistent overall and has been a large part of the Tigers' success this season, especially against lefties. McKinstry leads all left-handed hitters with five triples off LHP this season, per Tigers PR, and has a 1.068 OPS against them.
you've heard of mac and cheese. this is zach and threes 🔥
Zach McKinstry is now tied for the most triples in @MLB this season with 7️⃣!#VoteTigers ⭐️ https://t.co/JrsIBeU1cG pic.twitter.com/loNejyg3Kt
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) June 10, 2025
Trevor Story, SS, Boston Red Sox
30% rostered
Story's Red Sox tenure has been tumultuous, marked by multiple injuries and offensive struggles. Given his poor offensive performance, some fans thought the former All-Star might even be designated for assignment.
For example, he has struck out 82 times in 270 plate appearances and has a .639 OPS this season. The 32-year-old has gotten hot recently and had a great series vs. the New York Yankees this past weekend. Is it sustainable, though?
Across his last seven games, Story has slugged .607, hitting two homers and driving in eight runs. He has just 14 XBH on the year and has walked only 13 times in 65 games. It's been a brutal showing overall for the shortstop. Story will likely never return to the player he once was, but if he can at least be serviceable to Boston for the remainder of the season, that would be huge for the franchise.
Trevor Story launches this baseball over EVERYTHING! pic.twitter.com/t2yayFyFB2
— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2025
Story looked unplayable until very recently, so it makes sense why fantasy managers have been reluctant to roster him. Adding him now during his hot streak is probably your best bet to get any value out of him. His underlying numbers don't look promising, and FanGraphs predicts an 82 wRC+ and 0.8 WAR the rest of the season.
Alejandro Kirk, C, Toronto Blue Jays
29% rostered
The ever-reliable catcher of the Blue Jays could be the ever-reliable catcher of your fantasy team. That's right -- Kirk is available in most leagues and has been putting together a fantastic year at the plate. Through 55 games, he's batting .325, which ranks first among catchers and fifth in the league. The one-time All-Star and former Silver Slugger is on pace to have one of his best seasons.
The 26-year-old has eight XBH, 31 RBI, 14 walks, and just 22 strikeouts in 218 PA. Since May 1, Kirk has a .965 OPS with 42 hits and just seven Ks. He's gotten off to an incredibly hot start in June and has been driving Toronto's offense to victory, with the team winning eight of its last 10 games. His four-hit night on June 9 led the Jays to a 5-4 win over the Cardinals in extra innings. Kirk has been a difference-maker in their lineup, batting cleanup.
The hottest hitter in the LEAGUE: Alejandro Kirk 🚀 pic.twitter.com/lC0mRnw7qZ
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 11, 2025
It's a bit surprising that Kirk isn't rostered more. He's been consistent, and his underlying numbers support his success. Kirk's xBA places in the 97th percentile while his Hard-Hit% and K% rank in the 98th percentile. He's also worth 2.5 fWAR and boasts a 129 wRC+ and .353 wOBA. If your fantasy team needs a catcher, Kirk may be your best available option.
Trevor Larnach, OF, Minnesota Twins
21% rostered
Another former first-round pick of the Twins who's dealt with multiple injuries, thus hindering his productivity, is Larnach. It seems to be a common theme for Minnesota, but the 2018 first-rounder is attempting to exorcise those demons this season.
The 28-year-old has a 109 wRC+, .324 wOBA, 20 XBH, 32 RBI, 22 walks, and 59 strikeouts in 66 games. His 10 homers rank second on the team behind Byron Buxton, and his .734 OPS is third.
Larnach played in a career-high 112 games in 2024, hitting a career-best 15 homers with a .772 OPS. This was considered a breakout season for Larnach, as his previous career-high in games played was 79 during his rookie year in 2021. It hasn't been an easy road, but adopting a more balanced and consistent approach has worked for Larnach, per Twins Daily.
Trevor was fixing to get us on the board!!! pic.twitter.com/2Ng9OC90GC
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 7, 2025
He's walking less and striking out more as he's increased his swing rate in an attempt to elevate his power. The early results have been promising, as the lefty hitter is on his way to eclipsing his homer total from last season in fewer at-bats, barring his health.
Larnach is more of a "trust the process" kind of player, but the Oregon State product should continue to develop as the season progresses.
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