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Jeremy's catcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 6 of 2025 (May 5 - May 11). His top catcher streamers and free-agent adds to target on waivers.
The first full week of May is here with week 6, and there are plenty of catching options available in the majority of Yahoo leagues.
Whether you need a streaming option for the week or a long-term replacement, chances are there are good options regardless of league size. There are breakout catchers who are still under-owned, players returning from injury, and others who just have great matchups for the upcoming week.
Below, we’ll take a look at the best catcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 6 of the season — May 5 to May 11. There are recommendations for shallow leagues (30-49 percent rostered) and deep leagues (0-29 percent rostered), along with one low-owned catcher to add to your watch list for the future.
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Fantasy Baseball Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Tyler Stephenson, Cincinnati Reds (40% rostered)
Tyler Stephenson is the latest catcher to make his season debut after starting the season on the injured list. Sean Murphy and Francisco Alvarez followed a similar trajectory in recent weeks, and Stephenson is under-owned just like they were.
He was officially activated on Friday and will get the bulk of the starts behind the plate in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in baseball. He already got off to a hot start, hitting two doubles and drawing a walk in his first game on Friday.
He had a great offensive year for a catcher in 2024, slashing .258/.338/.444 with 19 home runs, 66 RBI, and 69 runs in 138 games. He was a consensus top 12 catcher by ADP during the offseason before suffering his oblique injury, and there’s no reason to suggest he can’t put up that type of production from here on out.
If you play in a very shallow league where you only want a streaming option specifically for week 6, Stephenson likely isn’t the best play. All seven of the Reds’ games are on the road, and they are against two very good rotations in those of the Braves and Astros.
However, if you’re looking for a catcher who can stick with your team long-term, you may miss out on the chance to add him if you try to wait until the end of next week.
Agustin Ramirez, Miami Marlins (49% rostered)
Agustin Ramirez deserves a place in this weekly article until he is finally over the 50 percent ownership threshold. He is just barely under 49 percent at the moment, which is still way too low considering what he has done so far.
After being the featured player of this article last Saturday, he hit two more home runs on Sunday, and his slash line now sits at .286/.324/.686 with three home runs and five stolen bases through his first nine games.
Agustín Ramírez keeps up his insane start to his career with his second home run of the day! Are you buying in on the Marlins rookie or selling high? #marlinsbeisbol
pic.twitter.com/VFGBHlkZS9— Covering All the Bases (@CoveringBases_) April 27, 2025
It’s still a small sample, but he’s done enough to be viewed as a top-10 catcher moving forward and should be rostered in all leagues. This blend of power and speed is extremely rare for the position, which gives his fantasy value such a high floor.
If he continues to hit like this he would be an elite option at the position, but even if he takes a step back (which he likely will), he will still provide stolen bases that most other catchers can’t.
His week 6 matchups feature two three-game series against the Dodgers and White Sox. He will certainly face some hittable pitchers in Chicago, and even the Dodgers will be running out the back-end of their rotation with Ben Casparius, Tony Gonsolin, and Landon Knack.
Fantasy Baseball Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers (6% rostered)
Dillon Dingler has been a pleasant surprise at the catcher position so far in 2025, slashing .300/.308/.500 with 4 home runs, 15 RBI, and eight runs through 24 games. He started the year in a timeshare with Jake Rogers but has recently been serving as the primary catcher, with Rogers landing on the injured list with an oblique injury.
If Dingler keeps hitting at this rate, he may not even see a step back in playing time once Rogers is healthy again. He’s an especially good option at the position if you’re looking for a week 6 streamer, as he gets a three-game series at Coors Field against the Rockies. The other three games aren’t quite as promising against the Rangers, but at least Patrick Corbin is set to start one of those games.
Even if you’re not looking for a one-week streaming option, Dingler has what it takes to be a solid second catcher in two-catcher leagues for the rest of the season. He has above-average power for a catcher, and it’s not just because he’s been on a hot streak. In 2024, he hit 17 homers in 71 games in the minors, so he’s a great option if your team is lacking in the power department.
Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays (9% rostered)
Alejandro Kirk has started to show some signs of life after a slow start to the season. He hit his second home run of the year on Wednesday in a game that also delivered a walk-off single in the tenth inning. He has three multi-hit games in his past five and could be primed for a big week 6.
The good news about his slow start is that he still remained the clear full-time catcher for the Blue Jays. Despite backup Tyler Heineman hitting well in his limited appearances, Toronto has stuck with Kirk almost every day, as he hasn’t been out of the lineup since April 20.
It’s too early to completely give up on Kirk in two-catcher leagues with this much playing time, especially as he is breaking out of his slump.
This is a 26-year-old who slashed .285/.372/.415 back in 2022. While he’s not likely to regain that form all of a sudden, even eighty percent of that production would make him a must-own catcher.
While his batting average has lagged in the early going, he should be a standout in that category moving forward, and anything else he provides is a bonus. The catcher has historically hit for better power against lefties, and he gets to face two of them right off the bat in week 6, facing Tyler Anderson and Yusei Kikuchi of the Angels.
Fantasy Baseball Catchers Waiver Wire Watch List
Samuel Basallo, Baltimore Orioles (5% rostered)
Samuel Basallo is the next in line of elite prospects from Baltimore’s farm system. He is currently ranked as the 12th best prospect in baseball according to MLB.com, and for good reason. He slashed .278/.341/.449 with 19 home runs in 127 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024.
He’s only played 13 games in the minors this season due to missed time with a strained hamstring and elbow inflammation, but he recently returned from the injured list and is already hitting more moonshots.
You may be wondering where he fits in on the Orioles, considering they already have Adley Rutschman behind the dish, but Basallo can play first base, too. Ryan Mountcastle hasn’t had an overly impressive start to the season, and it may not be too difficult to get Basallo significant playing time between catcher, first base, and designated hitter.
Samuel Basallo. NUKE.💣@MLB, #12 prospect, @Orioles, hit a HR last night 435 ft w/ a 111 mph exit velocity. Raw power for the 20 year old kid! pic.twitter.com/5hjxRiZkUA
— SleeperOrioles (@SleeperOrioles) May 1, 2025
His raw power is truly off the charts, especially for a 20-year-old. He would carry elite prospect pedigree even as a full-time first baseman, so the fact that he will also have catcher eligibility for fantasy makes him one of the highest-upside prospects that you can roster right now.
He’ll still be working his way back into things coming off his injuries, and a promotion isn’t extremely evident. However, there’s a good chance he will make his debut at some point this year, and you’ll want to be the one to grab him before anyone else can.
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