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Dan's favorite infield-eligible fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups (1B, 2B, 3B, SS) for Week 8 of 2025 (May 19 - May 25). His top free-agent hitters to add.
Hello again, RotoBallers! It’s time for another round of my favorite infield-eligible players to bolster your lineups for the week ahead. Typically, this column focuses on players who are available in 50% of leagues or more, but I am toying with adding a new category for more popular players. Every week, I am surprised by who I find still available, and I am compelled to urge others to at least check if one of these players is still on the wire.
This week, that player was Zach Neto. Neto is rostered in 73% of leagues, which doesn’t seem out of line, but he is someone worth checking for if you need steals. The Angels face the Athletics and Marlins this week, both of which are in the bottom five in stolen bases allowed (the Marlins being at the very bottom of the league with 73). Neto has speed and the stolen bases to prove it, nabbing seven in the last month after a delayed start to the season.
No, Neto is unlikely to be on the wire for you, but there is plenty of help out there. This week’s group is heavy on the corners, so check out previous editions of this column if you need help up the middle. For those of you looking for help at first or third, I hope you find what you need among my favorite infield waiver wire pickups for Week 8 - May 19 to May 25.
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Waiver Wire Pickups For Shallow Leagues (30-50% rostered)
Jake Burger, 1B/3B, Texas Rangers (45% rostered)
The Jake Burger hype train had no shortage of supporters after his trade to Texas in the offseason. After registering 34 home runs during his 2023 breakout and another 29 last season, Burger offered 30 HR potential and was still available in the middle rounds of drafts. The move from Miami to Texas offered an improved park factor and a much better surrounding cast, so the high hopes weren’t unfounded.
Unfortunately, like many of his new teammates, Burger started the season in a slump. By May 1, the slugger had a triple slash of .190/.231/.330, and his strikeout rate was just under 30%. The Rangers sent their new third baseman down to Triple-A to work things out the following day.
The move got Burger back on track almost right away. In six games with the Round Rock Express, he went 9-for-23 with three walks to two strikeouts, three home runs, six RBI, and five runs. The success has carried over since being recalled on May 12. In his six games since rejoining Texas, he is 7-for-20 with one home run and two doubles. Burger will have some favorable matchups at the end of Week 8 when he faces a beatable White Sox rotation.
Welcome to the Silver Boot Series, @Burgatron13! #AllForTX pic.twitter.com/apptJyzk3j
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) May 16, 2025
Max Muncy, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers (35% rostered)
Speaking of corner infielders who started the season ice cold and recently snapped out of it, Max Muncy is available in almost two-thirds of leagues. Muncy was never relied on for his contact skills, but over the last three seasons, he has been a true detriment in the batting average category. 2025 was starting no differently with Muncy slashing .180/.295/.236 over his first 28 games with no home runs and just four RBI.
In his 29th game of the season, on April 30, Muncy debuted a new piece of equipment: prescription eyeglasses. The 34-year-old is now wearing the lenses to correct an astigmatism in his right eye. So far, the results speak to success. Muncy hit his first home run of the season in that game and has hit two more since. He has 13 RBI, a .271 batting average, and a .963 OPS in the 14 games he has been wearing the specs.
The combined effect of literally seeing the ball better, along with the swing adjustments made through the first two months of the season, is the Kyle Schwarber Light version of Muncy that made him a fantasy asset in years past. Muncy has hit fifth almost exclusively over the last two weeks, putting him in a better position to collect RBI following the Dodgers’ opening trio of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman.
Waiver Wire Pickups For Deeper Leagues (10-30% rostered)
Michael Toglia, 1B/OF, Colorado Rockies (30% rostered)
Not only do the Rockies play a seven-game week this time around, but they play all seven games at Coors Field. However, I should warn you that Colorado will start Week 8 with four games against a sharp Phillies rotation, followed by a three-game set against the Yankees.
The matchups are not ideal, but Michael Toglia is still tempting given his track record in his home park. In 21 games in Coors Field this season, Toglia is hitting .293 with a .240 ISO. In 23 road games, Toglia’s average sinks to .139, and his strikeout rate nearly doubles from 24.7% to 48.3%.
The switch-hitting first baseman has been warming up lately, too. Over his last 11 games, Toglia is hitting .270 with a .972 OPS, three home runs, and six RBI. It is too bad that his burgeoning hot streak is running into some tough pitching in the coming days. I won’t be adding Toglia across the board, but I’ll take a shot on him for my teams that need to make up ground in home runs and RBI, or that are in points leagues.
Matt Shaw, 2B/3B/SS, Chicago Cubs (19% rostered)
The Cubs made moves in the spring to clear the way for Matt Shaw to be their starting third baseman. Over 2023 and 2024, Chicago’s top prospect had hit .303 with 29 home runs and 46 stolen bases in 159 combined games from Rookie ball up to Triple-A. The thought of Shaw opening the season positioned to play every day was very promising to some fantasy managers. Unfortunately, Shaw struggled at the major league level, hitting .172 in 18 games before being demoted to Triple-A.
Since landing back in the minors, Shaw has been on a tear. In 23 games with the Iowa Cubs, Shaw is hitting .302 with a 1.016 OPS, six home runs, 21 runs scored, and five steals. The 23-year-old remains at Triple-A for now, but should return to Chicago’s roster at some point this summer. The Cubs' current primary third baseman, Jon Berti, has two hits, one run, and one RBI in 10 games played since the start of May. Chicago’s other options for the hot corner don’t elicit hope for much better.
I wouldn’t rush out to get Shaw for a team that needs immediate help. But he is a solid pickup for a team near the top of the standings that can afford a bench stash. For leagues with NA slots, Shaw is a must-add if still on the wire.
Pitch to Matt Shaw at your own risk!
Two games. Four homers.
MLB's No. 18 prospect (@Cubs ) has back-to-back two-homer outings for the Triple-A @IowaCubs. pic.twitter.com/EvLbDjfmch
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 17, 2025
Waiver Wire Pickups For The Deepest Of Leagues (Under 10% rostered)
Nolan Schanuel, 1B, Los Angeles Angels (7% rostered)
While I’m not a huge Nolan Schanuel fan, Week 8 provides a good set of circumstances for a promising upcoming stretch. For starters, the Angels get a seven-game week. Not only that, but they start out the week with four games against the Athletics in West Sacramento, and then round it out with three games against the Marlins, making for some soft, soft matchups.
Schanuel is emerging from a slump that bridged April and May, sending his batting average to a low of .237 on May 6. In the nine games since, though, he has gone 12-for-34 with seven walks and seven runs scored. A contact-first, power-rarely-if-ever batter, I would be looking to add Schanuel only in categories leagues where my team batting average needs fixing. A regular fixture at the top of the order, Schanuel can also contribute runs as the bats behind him warm up, too.
Miguel Andujar, 3B/OF, Athletics (4% rostered)
It seems like every couple of weeks, I am compelled to include a member of the Athletics in this writing. First was Tyler Soderstrom, then Jacob Wilson, followed by Nick Kurtz, and now it is Miguel Andujar’s turn. The infielder-turned-outfielder is now seeing regular time at third base in West Sacramento as of late and is proving more effective at the plate than the A’s other option at the hot corner, Gio Urshela.
Andujar is hitting .312 through 34 games played this year, with three home runs, 19 RBI, and 13 runs scored. Entering Sunday, Andujar started in four of the Athletics’ five games so far in Week 7, going 6-for-17 with one home run and 3 RBI. The 30-year-old is riding a six-game hitting streak and has managed to go no more than two games without getting a hit (on two occasions). In Week 8, the Athletics stand to benefit from a seven-game week played entirely in the friendly confines of Sutter Health Park.
Stay Hot Miggy 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GofIq65OHX
— Athletics (@Athletics) May 15, 2025
More Waiver Wire Pickups To Consider
- Tyler Fitzgerald, 2B/SS/OF - San Francisco Giants (29% rostered)
- Connor Norby, 2B/3B - Miami Marlins (12% rostered)
- Enrique Hernandez, 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF - Los Angeles Dodgers (8% rostered)
- Miguel Vargas, 3B/OF - Chicago White Sox (5% rostered)
- DJ LeMahieu, 1B/3B - New York Yankees (1% rostered)
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