Starting Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 9 (May 26 - June 1)

Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 9 of 2025 (May 26 - June 1). These are his top free-agent pitchers to add and stream.

Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 9 of the 2025 season (May 26- June 1). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues. For deeper leagues, we try to find pitchers rostered in less than 30 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

We are deep into our fantasy seasons now. If you haven't done so already, you should take this holiday weekend to look at where your team lacks. If you are looking for some pitching stats, we have some recommendations for you. The group this week is mostly young pitchers with strong opportunities in front of them.

Let's see what is on the waiver wire this week. There are options for any league here. Keep in mind, many of these players will be rostered at the end of this weekend. At the end of the article, you will see players rostered in less than 15% of leagues that could help your squad.

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Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues

Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-50% on Yahoo!

Will Warren, New York Yankees (49% rostered)

Warren is becoming a popular addition to fantasy rosters. You can understand why. His last three starts have all been magnificent: at least five innings, with seven, nine, and 10 strikeouts in those outings. Warren seems to be here to stay, and with the run support he will get from the Yankees, he is a must-add in most leagues this weekend. He has four wins, a 4.05 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP, and 60 strikeouts in 46 innings.

Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians (40% rostered)

I know the risk involved here, so I decided to cut and paste his May to show you why I am recommending him. The strikeouts are increasing: nine, eight, six, and six over his last four outings. How is he doing that?

Well, look below. Throughout his last few starts, he has started mixing in his cutter as his best secondary pitch, and he is getting results. Let's hope this continues. The stuff is there for Williams to be a dominant starter for the Guardians.

Jeffrey Springs, Athletics (39% rostered)

Springs has been solid in his last four starts, covering at least five innings and nabbing two wins in the process. As with all of the pitchers on this list, there is a flaw, and with Springs, it is a lack of strikeouts. Over his last four outings, his high-water mark for strikeouts has been five. Yet Springs will help you control ratios and might luck into a few wins.

Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates (38% rostered)

I get it. Keller is not Paul Skenes or Jared Jones, but he is an effective starter who does not seem to get the respect he deserves. Keller has gone at least six innings in four consecutive starts, including six innings on Saturday, where he also got seven strikeouts. On the season, the veteran has only one win, but has a 3.66 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts. In his last three starts, Keller has a 1.89 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 19 innings. People want Keller to be an ace, which he is not, but he is a starter who can help most fantasy teams.

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues

Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered in less than 30% on Yahoo!

Shane Smith, Chicago White Sox (28% rostered)

You've heard the story of Smith being a Rule 5 pickup by the White Sox this past winter, and you have probably heard a bit about his early success. The issue is that he will not get wins playing for the White Sox, but the ancillary stuff has been good. He has a 2.36 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 49 strikeouts in 53 innings. While he may be the ace of the awful White Sox, he is likely a middle-of-the-rotation starter for a decent team. That doesn't mean he can't help you. Smith has gone at least five innings in nine of his 10 starts this season. He could fill a space on your roster. Check out the chart below: Smith's changeup is nasty and has a .104 batting average against it this year.

Ryan Weathers, Miami Marlins (27% rostered)

Weathers made two starts for the Miami Marlins, and he's been excellent in both. He has gone five innings in both starts, and struck out five and then four batters. Many fantasy players were high on Weathers before the season, and it seems like he has been forgotten as the season heads into June. Weather could be a fine play in deeper leagues this week.

Noah Cameron, Kansas City Royals (25% rostered)

Cameron was elevated to the major league roster after injuries to both Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans. All Cameron has done in that time is pitch into the seventh inning in all three starts. He has a win, a 0.93 ERA, a 0.67 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts in 19 innings. Eight of those strikeouts came in his last start. Cameron should have some runway in the Kansas City rotation, and thus is worthy of a roster addition at this time.

Landen Roupp, San Francisco Giants (18% rostered)

We are a fickle group, we fantasy baseball players. Roupp was a darling a few weeks back, and then with a couple of bad outings, became a waiver wire castoff. On Friday night, Roupp went six innings, earning a win and surrendering no runs, but he only notched one strikeout. In the process, Roupp lowered his ERA to 3.63 and has three wins with a  slightly elevated 1.40 WHIP. He's worth an addition, especially in deeper leagues. Look at his chart below and see the difference in his hard hit percentage and lower walk ratio.

Other Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Options

• Miles Mikolas,  St. Louis Cardinals (rostered in 15% of leagues)
• Bailey Falter, Pittsburgh Pirates (rostered in 9% of leagues)
• Jonathan Cannon, Chicago White Sox (rostered in 5% of leagues)
• Slade Cecconi, Cleveland Guardians (rostered in 3% of leagues)

Happy hunting for starting pitchers this weekend! If you have questions, you can always message me on X @mdrc0508. You can even tell me you hate these picks. Remember that fantasy baseball is supposed to be fun above everything. Enjoy it!

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