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Five fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, sleepers, and trade targets for Week 14 -- undervalued hitters outperforming their rostership and should be more widely owned.
Whether you’re chasing categories, streaming hot bats, or looking to replace some underperformers, Week 14 offers a handful of under-the-radar hitters who can give your lineup a serious boost.
Alejandro Kirk continues his impressive season, making him a hot commodity on the catching market. Ceddanne Rafaela is flashing his upside with power-speed potential and eligibility flexibility that’s hard to ignore. Nathaniel Lowe hasn’t lit the world on fire, but he’s heating up just in time to help corner infield-needy managers. Sal Frelick is carving out a steady role in Milwaukee and could be a sneaky source of runs and average. And don’t look now, but Trevor Story might just be healthy and relevant again.
These five hitters are underowned in most leagues, but that won’t last long if they keep trending in the right direction. Let’s break down why each deserves a spot on your fantasy radar this week.
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Alejandro Kirk, C, Toronto Blue Jays
63% rostered
We wrote about Kirk in Week 11, and his rostered percentage has increased significantly since then, rising from 29% to 63%. The Blue Jays catcher has continued to prove his worth offensively, making the hype surrounding him appear real. He's batting .306 and has been on a tear of late, with a .429 OBP, five RBI, and five walks in his last seven games.
HEREEEE'S KIRKY! pic.twitter.com/w2DYnvlDSH
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 26, 2025
The 26-year-old is up to 16 extra-base hits, 39 RBI, 20 walks, and just 28 strikeouts in 279 plate appearances this year. That puts him in the 98th percentile in K%. Moreover, Kirk has an xBA of .300 alongside a 92.6 average exit velocity and a 55.7 hard-hit percentage. He accrued a 2.9 fWAR with a 120 wRC+ and .341 wOBA, leading him to become an All-Star finalist -- this would be his second appearance at the Midsummer Classic.
He played a crucial role in Toronto's offense in June, posting a .913 OPS en route to 16 wins in June and a 7-3 record in its last 10 games. The Jays are now within a game of the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East. Kirk can help his team achieve first, and he can help your fantasy team, too.
Ceddanne Rafaela, 2B/SS/OF, Boston Red Sox
57% rostered
Rafaela made his MLB debut in August 2023 and became an everyday player for the Red Sox in 2024, getting into 152 games and posting a .664 OPS, 15 homers, and 151 strikeouts across 571 PAs. It wasn't pretty, but he showed enough defensively and on the basepaths to keep him in the lineup. The former top prospect had earned his team's trust. However, there was plenty for the 24-year-old to work on before the 2025 season began.
The adjustments he's made appear to be working, as he's swinging at fewer pitches outside the zone, cutting his whiff percentage from 33% in 2024 to 26.9% in 2025, and his strikeout rate from 26.4% in 2024 to 20.1%. Rafaela has improved in nearly every offensive statistical category. Overall, he's accrued 2.3 fWAR, slashing .254/.301/.420 with 26 extra-base hits, 33 RBI, and 11 stolen bases in 81 games this season.
Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox ranks since 5/27:
• .305 AVG (1st)
• 146 wRC+ (T-1st)
• .385 wOBA (T-1st)
• 7 HR (1st)
• 3.6 FV (1st)
• 1.5 fWAR (1st)This stretch alone has been worth $12.1 million, according to @fangraphs. His AAV over the next seven years is $6.25 million. https://t.co/JhjKoLt39Y pic.twitter.com/Z1WOeN3e88
— G.G. (@ggeiss_mlb) June 30, 2025
Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. Rafaela has only walked 15 times in nearly 300 PA, and utilizing his speed more often is something the Red Sox would like to do. The club recognizes how valuable he is to its roster, and fantasy managers are starting to realize that as well. Rafaela is slugging .440 with a homer and four RBI in his last seven games.
Nathaniel Lowe, 1B, Washington Nationals
48% rostered
Since his breakout year in 2022, when Lowe hit a career-high 27 home runs with 76 RBI, a .302 batting average, and an .850 OPS in 157 games, his offensive statistics have been on a downward trend.
The 29-year-old was named a Silver Slugger that season, and then won a Gold Glove and became a World Series champion in 2023 with the Rangers. Following the 2024 campaign, Lowe was traded to the Nationals in exchange for southpaw Robert Garcia.
Lowe isn't where he'd like to be offensively in Washington, but things are trending up for the slugger. He's on pace for 27 home runs and 108 RBI in his first season with the Nationals, as his 13 homers are second behind James Wood's 22, as well as his 54 RBI. The lefty bag secured his 100th and 101st career home runs during June, adding to a solid month at the dish, sporting a .725 OPS.
Nathaniel Lowe's 100th career homer extends the @Nationals lead 👏 pic.twitter.com/ISJGvQNum7
— MLB (@MLB) June 22, 2025
He's added pop to a lineup that desperately needed it. They may be in last place in the NL East, but Lowe was a great offseason addition for the young Nationals squad. In his seventh MLB season, he brings experience and has a World Series championship under his belt. While advanced metrics and underlying statistics don't necessarily underscore his success, Lowe is still valuable, particularly against righties, with 12 homers against them this season.
Sal Frelick, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
41% rostered
The "Summer of Sal" rolls on as the 25-year-old stays hot, leading the Brewers to their best stretch of the season, going 16-9 in June and 8-2 in their last 10 games. The former first-round pick has batted .333 over his previous seven contests, notching 10 hits, including a home run, five RBI, and three walks.
His recent hot streak has brought his season average to .300, totaling 17 extra-base hits and a .760 OPS in 81 games this year. As we addressed in Week 12, Frelick's plate discipline makes him a force in Milwaukee's lineup. He has struck out 43 times and drawn 24 walks across 332 plate appearances, ranking in the 98th and 93rd percentiles in Whiff% and K%, respectively. Frelick has also surpassed his RBI total from last season (32 in 524 PA) in 200 fewer PAs, with 34 on the year.
Please put @SalFrelick in the All-Star Game https://t.co/WyQhmzenWS pic.twitter.com/4Q7vN5z0eU
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) June 29, 2025
While Frelick doesn't have the flashiest offensive numbers, he's improved in nearly every category since his sophomore campaign in 2024. He manages a respectable on-base percentage (.359) and has an xBA of .276, while averaging an 85.4 exit velocity. He doesn't hit the ball hard, but consistently makes contact and leg out hits with his speed.
Trevor Story, SS, Boston Red Sox
36% rostered
We've written about Story extensively in this column, covering him in Weeks 11 and 13. He's back again this week as he's hit a homer and driven in seven runs, batting .250/.308/.458 in his last seven games. The two-time All-Star had his best month of the campaign in June, posting an .827 OPS with 11 XBH, 23 RBI, and four stolen bases in 26 games.
Trevor Story's three-run blast makes it 5-0 Red Sox in the first inning against Reds top prospect Chase Burns! pic.twitter.com/lWTh1Yluig
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 30, 2025
Story strikes out at an above-average rate (29.5) and walks a below-average amount (4.8), with 99 K and 16 free passes in 336 PA. He's worth just 0.8 fWAR, with a 79 wRC+ and .290 wOBA, with FanGraphs predicting an 84 wRC+ and .296 wOBA the rest of the season.
The 32-year-old's underlying numbers don't support his recent production, and he has just a .661 OPS on the year. It makes sense why fantasy managers are hesitant to add him, although he could be a solid pickup for those in deeper leagues. Story hopes his offensive resurgence can carry into July and the second half of the season.
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