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Mike's fantasy baseball waiver wire hitters to add as category boosters for Week 12 of 2025. His top hitters to pick up or stream for HR, RBI, SB, AVG, and runs.
Welcome back to our Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters - Category Boosters column for Week 12 of the 2025 MLB season. By now, we have a pretty good idea of what our teams are and where we might need to augment our statistical categories. Injuries and ineffectiveness are prompting us to reassess certain players, necessitating that we find replacements.
What do we have on the menu this week on the waiver wire? We have an interesting mix, as usual. We have veterans returning from injury, like Giancarlo Stanton. We have some post-hype players proving to be useful, like Miguel Vargas and Jo Adell. Want a boring veteran? Try J.P. Crawford. Want a young guy with upside? Try Brady House or Max Muncy. There is something for every offensive need here!
We will aim to give you three options for each of the five offensive categories in a standard five-by-five league. Our rule: All hitters will be listed according to their percentage of rostered players on Yahoo!, with a maximum of 50 percent. Let's look at names that might be under the radar, but who can help you now.
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Runs Scored (R) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B/OF, Chicago White Sox (42% rostered)
Vargas has played well for the White Sox after being given a full-time job out of spring training. He's hitting .265 this month with two home runs, five RBI, a stolen base, and nine runs scored. He has roster eligibility at both corner spots and the outfield. Vargas also has 10 home runs on the season. He is not on enough fantasy rosters.
Jo Adell, OF, Los Angeles Angels (31% rostered)
Adell has been hitting for power but has also been scoring runs. He has six home runs in 57 plate appearances this month, but has also scored 10 runs. He is in the 99th percentile for bat speed at a whopping 77.3 MPH, and he is barreling the baseball at a robust 13.8%. He is batting lower in the lineup, but he is producing. Does he qualify as a post-hype sleeper yet?
Brooks Lee, 2B/3B/SS, Minnesota Twins (13% rostered)
Lee is hitting .362 in June with three homers, nine RBI, and seven runs scored, and is firmly entrenched in the starting lineup again, due to the injury to Royce Lewis. He has a 16-game hitting streak, which has lifted his average to .266, and has two home runs and four runs scored in the last week. Lee is cheap right now, and you should jump on him if you need infield help, as he is also eligible at three of the four infield positions.
Home Runs (HR) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Giancarlo Stanton, OF, New York Yankees (47% rostered)
Stanton is back at a time when the Yankees are struggling to score runs. This is a speculative play, as Stanton is yet to homer or knock in any runs in his two games back. However, he continues to hit the ball hard; one ball was hit at 111 MPH earlier this week. With the Yankees desperately needing to score runs, look for the thunderous bat of Stanton to be in the lineup most nights. He will hit home runs soon enough.
Ryan McMahon, 3B, Colorado Rockies (33% rostered)
It feels like McMahon is constantly overlooked in fantasy circles. Yet, look at his Statcast below. Despite a high strikeout rate, McMahon's hard contact is carrying him this season. The veteran third baseman has 11 home runs, five in June, with four of those coming in the last week. With a dearth of good third base options available on the waiver wire, take a look at McMahon this week.
Brady House, 3B, Washington Nationals (7% rostered)
House was recalled from Triple-A this weekend and was thrust into the starting lineup at third base. House is in the major leagues because of his power stroke. House got two hits in his second game Tuesday, and the future is his in Washington, as they do not have another viable option at third base. House was hitting .375 over his last two weeks in Triple-A. Overall, he was hitting .304 with 13 home runs there. Look for that power to develop over time as he gains more experience at the big league level.
Runs Batted In (RBI) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Trevor Story, SS, Boston Red Sox (35% rostered)
Raise your hand if you remember when Story was a home run and stolen base monster when he was in Colorado. He's hitting .314 in June with 13 RBI, and has chipped in two home runs and two steals as well. Will it last? Hard to say, but you can grab him off the waiver wire now and use him while he's knocking in runs.
Jeff McNeil, 2B/OF, New York Mets (21% rostered)
Not much was expected of McNeil when he returned from the injured list, but all he has done is hit since that time. The Mets have posted a 45-28 record thus far, and McNeil is hitting fifth and alternating between second base and center field. The veteran is hitting .294 with four home runs and 10 RBI this month, stabilizing the batting order. He's a useful player when he's hitting, and the changes he has made to his swing to pull the ball in the air (28.2%) could stick. Take a deeper dive on McNeil.
Max Muncy, 2B/3B/SS, Athletics (8% rostered)
Muncy has become a viable player for the perpetually rebuilding Athletics. The youngster bats fifth or sixth daily and plays third base. He is hitting a modest .261 but has four home runs and 11 RBI in 47 June plate appearances. He's another example of a young guy with multiple position eligibility who is playing quite well at this time. We will have to watch and see what the return of Gio Urshela does to his playing time, but when a player hits, the manager usually finds a place for him.
Stolen Bases (SB) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Zach McKinstry, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Detroit Tigers (35% rostered)
People have cooled on McKinstry as they move on to the next big thing, but this is still a valuable player to have on your team. Not only is he eligible at four different positions, but he is also hitting .273 with seven stolen bases on the season. Four of those stolen bases have come in the last 10 games. You can see his baserunning value to the Tigers listed in the chart below. McKinstry will continue to get playing time all over the field.
Sal Frelick, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (30% rostered)
I love Frelick, and I want you to love him, too. He's hitting .292 with four home runs, 14 stolen bases, and 30 runs scored in 2025. He's a great defender in the outfield, makes contact at a high rate, gets on base, and can fly. If you need steals and runs, Frelick could help you out right now.
Otto Lopez, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins (8% rostered)
Lopez was a darling in the winter, and players quickly soured on him after a slump in April. But he's got the numbers trending up now, and his batting average is up to .233 with six home runs and eight stolen bases. We know he is going to play and has eligibility at both second base and shortstop.
Batting Average (AVG) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Alejandro Kirk, C, Toronto Blue Jays (39% rostered)
Kirk can flat-out hit. The chart below shows his hard-hit percentage this season, and you can see that Kirk is hitting breaking and off-speed pitches at an incredibly high velocity. I know many people will wince at including a catcher here, but Kirk can help your team. He's batting cleanup in the order, hitting .310 on the season but .352 in June. He seems set to shatter his previous career high batting average of .285 in 2022.
Evan Carter, OF, Texas Rangers (34% rostered)
Carter has gone from World Series hero to injured, to the minor leagues, and back, and is still only 22 years old. Carter has been on a hot streak and should be rostered in far more leagues. After being sent down in mid-May, Carter has come back to hit .264 in June with three home runs, seven RBI, two stolen bases, and eight runs scored. He is doing most of his damage from the five spot, but interestingly, manager Bruce Bochy used him in the leadoff spot Tuesday night. That could be due to injury to Josh Smith, but if not, he's an intriguing option at the leadoff spot, too. Carter should be rostered far more in every league, regardless of size.
J.P. Crawford, SS, Seattle Mariners (22% rostered)
Crawford has had an offensive resurgence this season. The veteran shortstop is hitting .389 in June with a homer, seven RBI, five runs scored, and three stolen bases. He has raised his batting average by over 30 points in 68 plate appearances. Below, you can see that he has done that by being able to hit off-speed pitches this season, where he is hitting a robust .370. I love that he is hitting leadoff in front of Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh. Crawford should be rostered in more leagues for the batting average and runs scored.
I hope this helps you out! Good luck and happy hunting, RotoBallers! You can always message me @mdrc0508 on X to complain about picks or make other suggestions!
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