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Mike's fantasy baseball waiver wire hitters to add as category boosters for Week 5 of 2026. 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 5 of the 2026 MLB season. We are more than a month into the season, and we are already seeing huge amounts of FAAB being spent in many leagues as fantasy players try to add help to their rosters and stay afloat. We have all been there, seemingly even more this season. Yet we can navigate it and still build that championship roster.
You may find yourself on the cusp of doing something unthinkable a month ago. Perhaps you have grown tired of waiting for Vinnie Pasquantino to start hitting capably (he is showing signs of coming around). Perhaps you need to replace an injured star like Christian Yelich after trying other options. This weekly piece tries to give you more lightly rostered players to find big pieces at low prices and stay ahead of your competition.
We will give you three options for each of the five offensive categories in a standard five-by-five league. All hitters will be listed according to their percentage of rostered players on Yahoo!, with a maximum of 50 percent. Let's see who can help boost your categories.
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Runs Scored (R) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Xander Bogaerts, SS, San Diego Padres (49% rostered)
I never thought I would see a day when a useful player like Bogaerts was rostered less than 50% of the time, yet here we are. Bogaerts got off to a rough start but is showing signs of life lately. He had multiple hits in three games last week.
For the season, he is up to .286 with five homers, 17 RBI, three stolen bases, and 14 runs scored, eight of those in the last week. Roster Bogaerts before everyone learns he is hitting again. Also, he gets daily at-bats for a surging San Diego Padres team.
Brooks Lee, 2B/3B/SS, Minnesota Twins (14% rostered)
Lee is the type of Swiss Army knife that many teams find useful as injuries plague their rosters. His eligibility is at every infield position besides first base, and he is hitting at any spot he plays at this year. So you know he is a useful player in the right spot.
What you may not know is that Lee is actually hitting: he's hit .267 with five home runs, 17 RBI, two stolen bases, and 12 runs in April. He has had three multiple-hit performances over the last week. Lee could be valuable in the right team context.
Jose Fernandez, 1B/SS, Arizona Diamondbacks (14% rostered)
Fernandez was a bit of a surprise call-up, but he has played his way into daily at-bats for the Diamondbacks. He has hit .312 in April with a homer, eight RBI, a stolen base, and 16 runs scored. He has played himself into daily at-bats at shortstop and designated hitter.
Fernandez has near elite bat speed; check out the chart below. I like him to continue playing well for the Diamondbacks.
Home Runs (HR) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Angel Martinez, 2B/OF, Cleveland Guardians (35% rostered)
Martinez continues to play in one of the outfield slots in Cleveland each day, and he has been productive this month. He is hitting .272 this month but has slugged five home runs in the process, also chipping in five steals as well. Keep rolling him out there as long as he is hitting.
Nathan Church, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (11% rostered)
Church was talked about in fantasy circles in March, but not picked on draft day. The rookie has hit .267 with five home runs in April, with four of those in the last nine days. Playing time feels assured in a rebuilding St. Louis lineup, where he plays left field most days.
Brady House, 3B, Washington Nationals (5% rostered)
House is getting a real shot to prove he can be the starting third baseman in Washington. He has two home runs this week, knocking in six runs and scoring five runs as well. House had a modest seven-game hitting streak last week, too. House could pay dividends at the hot corner this year.
Runs Batted In (RBI) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Jorge Soler, OF, Los Angeles Angels (42% rostered)
Soler had a much-celebrated (or criticized) suspension this month, but he continues to knock runs at a prodigious clip. He has 18 RBI in April, 23 overall, and five over the last week. Soler continues to play for the Angels and is valuable if you are lacking in the RBI category. Consider Soler.
Moises Ballesteros, C, Chicago Cubs (24% rostered)
This guy can hit, and the Cubs are finding ways to get his powerful bat into the lineup. He has knocked in six runs in his seven starts. With him rostered so lightly, he is worth watching if you need an upgrade at catcher. He has catcher eligibility in Yahoo and could get it soon in other leagues.
Manager Craig Counsell stated that even though Ballesteros is the third catcher right now, he would be working in more often behind the plate, as well as getting much of the designated hitter time. He's hitting .338 with 14 RBI in April, six over the last week. See below. What's not to like?
Nolan Arenado, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks (18% rostered)
The veteran Arenado is showing signs of life in the desert. He's hitting .316 with five home runs and 17 RBI this month, and hitting sixth or seventh in the Arizona lineup. Arenado is showing he can still be a productive player in his age-35 season.
Stolen Bases (SB) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Caleb Durbin, 2B/3B, Boston Red Sox (13% rostered)
Durbin has been dropped in many leagues, but that could be a nice gain for you. If you look and see that he is hitting .172, you are missing the point. He's hitting .333 over the last week, and chipped in three steals and five runs at the same time. Sleep on him if you want to, but he is going to be productive.
Chase Meidroth, 2B/3B/SS, Chicago White Sox (8% rostered)
Meidroth may be a better player in real life than he is in fantasy baseball, but he can still be a great help to your team. He was slumping earlier in the season, but is hitting .300 over the last week, and the steals will come if he is getting on base. Take a look at Meidroth for stolen bases.
Nasim Nunez, 2B/SS, Washington Nationals (5% rostered)
Ok, I know Nunez is a one-trick pony, but it is a good trick. Raise your hand if you knew Nunez was leading Major League Baseball with 13 stolen bases this season. He cannot hit, but has the ability to steal bases and score runs; he has 10 steals and 11 runs scored in April.
Batting Average (AVG) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Josh Jung, 3B, Texas Rangers (43% rostered)
Jung was an afterthought in many drafts this spring; we saw him rostered in 15-team leagues as a roster filler or bench depth. Yet we know when he is healthy, he is productive. Jung is hitting a robust .320 with four home runs, 15 RBI, chipped in a steal, and has scored 12 runs.
Jung is hitting .410 with all four of his home runs in the last 10 days. See for yourself below. This Statcast data makes me want to snag Jung in any leagues I do not have him in, and I already have quite a few shares.
Carlos Cortes, OF, Athletics (20% rostered)
Cortes is an afterthought in many leagues, but with the injuries to Denzel Clarke and Brent Rooker, he has been getting a chance to play. He is hitting a whopping .387 with four home runs, three in the last 10 days, with four multihit games as well. Cortes should keep playing if he hits.
Jung Hoo Lee, OF, San Francisco Giants (13% rostered)
Lee is hitting well in San Francisco with a .318 clip in April, with nine hits in his last 16 at-bats. Lee is batting leadoff or sixth in the lineup these days, and his playing time feels assured at this point. Power is limited, but the veteran could also steal 10-12 bases for you as well.
Good luck this week in adding useful players in these categories. Feel free to dial me directly at @mdrc0508 on X if you have questions or need to vent about your fantasy injury situations. Remember to take care of your mental health this spring.
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