Eric Cross' Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Hitters and Pitchers (Week 4)

April 17, 2026

Eric Cross' top fantasy baseball waiver wire adds for Week 4 of 2026 (April 20 - April 26). His favorite free agent hitters and pitchers under 40% rostered.

We're still only around three weeks into the 2026 major league season, but slow starts and injuries have forced many managers to hit the waiver wire more frequently than they hoped when drafting their teams this spring. But that's baseball for you!

The players below are all under 40 percent rostered in Yahoo! leagues. Some of them might already be rostered in your leagues, but if they're available, I'd recommend considering them to see if they could be good fits for your fantasy teams.

Last week's waiver wire recommendations: Owen Caissie (MIA), Josh Bell (MIN), Max Muncy (ATH), TJ Rumfield (COL), Brady House (WAS), Ryan Weathers (NYY), Joey Cantillo (CLE)

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Luke Raley (1B/OF - SEA)

20% Rostered on Yahoo

While many Seattle hitters have gotten off to cold starts this season, Luke Raley has not been one of them. In his first 66 plate appearances this season, Raley is slashing .328/.379/.623 with four home runs.

With Raley, it's important to understand the profile that you're investing in. If you're picking him up hoping for the high average to stick, you'll probably be disappointed. Raley is currently running a 36.4% strikeout rate and downright atrocious contact rates. However, when he does make contact, Raley has been hammering the ball with a 93.3 mph AVG EV, 54.1% hard-hit rate, and a 21.6% barrel rate.

Everything to do with the quality of contact right now is highly impressive for Raley, and that's why you should want to target him. He's a platoon player who isn't likely to contribute a good batting average moving forward. He's also in a strong-side platoon role with only two plate appearances against southpaws this season. This is strictly a recommendation for those who need a power boost and can absorb the batting-average hit.

Jake Bauers (1B/OF - MIL)

17% Rostered on Yahoo

With the Milwaukee Brewers dealing with a few injuries, Jake Bauers has been thrust into regular playing time this season and has made the most of his opportunity. While he's currently hitting just .218, Bauers has a .509 SLG, .291 ISO, five home runs, and two steals in 61 plate appearances. He also has some intriguing metrics under the hood.

Three of Jake Bauers' five home runs this season are three-run shots. Like this one. pic.twitter.com/m75stejbxU

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) April 15, 2026

Bauers has really been impacting the ball so far this season with a 14.3% barrel rate, 92.5 mph AVG EV, and a 54.8% hard-hit rate, the latter two of which are career-best marks for him. He's also trimmed his strikeout rate from 27.1% in 2025 to 21.3% this season, while maintaining close to league-average zone and overall contact rates.

Bauers is likely going to continue being mostly a strong-side platoon player, but he's at least getting a little playing time against them, unlike Raley above. If Bauers continues to see the bulk of the playing time at first base for Milwaukee, a run at a 20/10 season could be in store. If you combine the last two seasons for Bauers, he racked up 19 home runs and 21 steals in 564 plate appearances.

Xander Bogaerts (SS - SDP)

38% Rostered on Yahoo

As a Red Sox fan who followed Xander Bogaerts' career from his early days in the minor leagues, it feels a bit nostalgic to include him in a waiver wire article. Is Bogaerts still an All-Star caliber player and one of the top players at his position? Of course not, that's why he's available in over 60% of Yahoo leagues. But can Bogaerts still provide enough to be a fantasy-relevant option? Absolutely.

In his first 77 plate appearances this season, Bogaerts is slashing a solid .268/.325/.423 with three home runs, 13 RBI, and a pair of steals. Mostly all of his metrics in terms of contact, approach, and quality of contact are better than league average as well, including a 87.1% zone contact rate, 81.5% overall contact rate, an 89.7 mphn AVG EV, and a 40.6% hard-hit rate. Bogaerts has even cut his already solid 17% strikeout rate from 2025 to an impressive 9.1% this season.

Bogaerts' best days are certainly behind him, but he's still a player who can provide double-digit home runs and double-digit steals with a solid batting average as well.

Andres Gimenez (2B/SS - TOR)

33% Rostered on Yahoo

There wasn't a ton of intrigue on Andrés Giménez coming into the season, but he's worked his way into mixed league consideration with his play over the first few weeks of the season. In 70 plate appearances, Giménez has three home runs, three steals, 11 RBI, and a .292/.333/.492 slash line. He's one of just seven players so far to have at least three home runs, three stolen bases, and an average above .280.

With Giménez, you shouldn't expect much of a home run impact this season, despite the three home runs he's already hit. Giménez has always produced well below-average quality of contact rates, and that's been the case yet again this season with an 86.8 mph AVG EV and 28.6% hard-hit rate.

But at the same time, Giménez has increased his contact rates this season to 93.1% in zone and 81.4% overall, both of which would be new career-best marks for him. Giménez is also an above-average runner, just one season removed from a 30-steal season in 2024.

Noah Schultz (SP - CHW)

38% Rostered on Yahoo

While his first outing didn't go so well, Noah Schultz is still a rookie pitcher worth targeting in fantasy leagues right now. The 6-foot-10 southpaw was one of the top pitching prospects in the game entering 2025, but a down season took some helium out of his prospect balloon.

Noah Schultz has dominated this season in Triple-A.

3 GS, 14 IP, 1.29 ERA, 0.43 WHIP, 4.3% BB, 40.4% K, .089 BAA

Your window to buy low in dynasty is closing quickly.#WhiteSoxpic.twitter.com/IADObzeBtV

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) April 9, 2026

But fortunately, now that he's fully healthy, Schultz bounced back in a big way in the minor leagues before his promotion to the White Sox. In his three outings with Triple-A Charlotte, Schultz posted an exceptional 1.29 ERA, 0.43 WHIP, .089 BAA, 4.3% walk rate, and a 40.4% strikeout rate.

Schultz attacks hitters with a 4-seamer and sinker around 97 mph while mixing in a cutter around 90 mph and a low-80s sweeper. Don't let the numbers from last season deter you, as Schultz was pitching through ailments for part of the season. He's one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in the game, and the upside is highly intriguing for fantasy purposes.

Reid Detmers (SP - LAA)

31% Rostered on Yahoo

I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical about Reid Detmers entering the season, but he's impressed me in the early going. In his first four starts of the season, Detmers has recorded a 3.57 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 6.4% walk rate, and a 27.4 strikeout rate. He's also coming off his best outing of the season on Tuesday against the Yankees, when he struck out nine in seven innings while allowing four hits, one earned run, and didn't walk a single batter.

Now back in the rotation, Detmers has adjusted his arsenal a bit since he was in the bullpen last season. He's dropped the curveball usage from 21.1% to 9.2% while sprinkling in more changeups and sinkers. Both the changeup and curveball currently have a whiff rate north of 40%, and Detmers' slider also has a solid 32.4% whiff rate and .177 BAA as his second most used offering.

Overall, Detmers has an impressive 38.7% chase rate and 30.1% whiff rate so far this season, while also having a career-best walk rate. I'm certainly encouraged with this version of Detmers and would look to add him where he's available.

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