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Joey's FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and bidding guide for Week 6 (May 4 - May 10). His recommended FAAB dollars to spend on waiver wire adds.
Welcome, RotoBallers, to our Week 6 fantasy baseball FAAB waiver wire pickups for May 4th - May 10th. For those not familiar with this weekly series, we dive into the best fantasy baseball waiver wire targets every week for leagues that use FAAB (free agent acquisition budget) and our recommended dollar bid amounts for waivers.
In this week's edition, we will look at the 13 best waiver wire targets for Week 6 of the fantasy baseball season. These are the players fantasy managers should be looking to bid on in FAAB leagues this weekend. Only players rostered in 45% or fewer of Yahoo! leagues will be featured on this list.
So, let's look at the best waiver wire pickups for Week 6 of the fantasy season.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters to Target
Ryan Jeffers, C, Minnesota Twins
22% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~8-10%
Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers has been one of the most underrated fantasy options at the position this year. He is batting .301 with four home runs, 21 RBI, and 15 walks across 25 games and has been on a heater at the plate recently. Jeffers has 11 hits over his last 30 at-bats (.367 batting average) with three home runs and 11 RBI over his last eight games.
Ryan Jeffers goes deep to put the @Twins ahead 💥 pic.twitter.com/Dr0gT4uJhn
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2026
That makes him the top catcher waiver wire target this week. The 28-year-old is on pace to post the best numbers of his career, and there are reasons to believe that Jeffers will be able to keep up these numbers. He currently ranks in the upper half of the league in xwOBA (.386), expected slugging (.482), average exit velocity (91.3 mph), and barrel rate (14.3%). Add him if you are in need of a catcher.
Nathaniel Lowe, 1B, Cincinnati Reds
5% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5%
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Nathaniel Lowe has arguably been the hottest hitter in baseball. He is batting .333 (11-for-33) with five home runs, two doubles, and seven RBI over his last 10 games. Lowe has a hit in seven of those 10 contests and has launched five home runs across his past seven games. The eight-year veteran has simply been on another level offensively.
Therefore, Lowe is worth an add in 12-plus team leagues. Although he has been known as a streaky hitter throughout his career, fantasy managers should ride his hot bat for the time being. Considering he has a .318 expected batting average, a .595 expected slugging, a 47.7% launch angle sweet-spot rate, and a 13.6% barrel rate, he could be a quality fantasy option moving forward.
Casey Schmitt, 1B/2B/3B, San Francisco Giants
13% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5%
San Francisco Giants infielder Casey Schmitt looks to be headed for a breakout campaign. His .280 expected batting average, .530 expected slugging, 14.7% barrel rate, 46.7% hard-hit rate, and 40% launch angle sweet spot rate are all up from a season ago. Those metrics have fueled Schmitt's numbers early on. The 27-year-old is slashing .302/.352/.531 with four home runs and 14 RBI across 26 games.
Schmitt's hot start makes him a viable pickup in some 12-team leagues this weekend. He is batting .338 at the plate since April 2 and has carved out an everyday role in San Francisco's lineup. The 27-year-old also just went 4-for-9 with one triple and one RBI in Thursday's doubleheader. So, spending around 5% of your remaining FAAB on the Giants infielder is ideal.
Cole Young, 2B, Seattle Mariners
24% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5-8%
It's surprising to see Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young rostered in only 24% of Yahoo! leagues right now. He has been a solid all-around contributor with a .276 batting average, three home runs, 20 runs scored, 19 RBI, and two stolen bases across 33 games this season. That makes Young one of the better waiver wire targets this week.
The 22-year-old is establishing himself as a consistent force in Seattle's lineup. He is batting an impressive .355 at the plate with one home run, 10 RBI, and two stolen bases since April 18 and has four multi-hit games over his last six contests. There aren't many better hitters to pick up than Young heading into Week 6 of the fantasy season.
Nick Gonzales, 2B/3B/SS, Pittsburgh Pirates
9% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~2-4%
If you need a batting average boost in your roto league, picking up Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Nick Gonzales is not a bad move. He is currently hitting .333 with 15 RBI, 14 runs scored, and two stolen bases across 30 games this season. While Gonzales won't provide much in the home run or RBI departments, he has the potential to carry a solid batting average and steal double-digit bases in 2026.
That's enough reason to pick him up in some leagues. The 26-year-old ranks in the 96th percentile in expected batting average (.306) and has a sprint speed (28.4 ft/sec) that places him in the 84th percentile. Given that Gonzales is batting .456 over his last 12 games, he could help in the batting average category.
Nasim Nunez, 2B/SS, Washington Nationals
7% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~2-4%
Washington Nationals infielder Nasim Nunez is a sneaky waiver wire pickup because of his stolen base upside. Nunez currently leads the league in stolen bases (14) and has a 99th percentile sprint speed (29.7 ft/sec). If you need some stolen bases in your roto league, look at the 25-year-old. He has swiped six bags over his last nine games played.
Nunez is also starting to heat up offensively. He has seven hits across his last 26 at-bats (.269 batting average) to go with five RBI, four runs scored, and six walks since April 21. Not many fantasy managers might be looking his way because he has a .202 batting average and zero home runs on the season. But his stolen base potential makes him a viable waiver target. He's on pace for over 65 steals this year.
Carlos Cortes, OF, Athletics
27% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~10-15%
Athletics outfielder Carlos Cortes is the best hitter pickup ahead of Week 6. The 28-year-old is slashing .386/.456/.657 with four home runs, five doubles, and 13 RBI across 26 games this season. Cortes has really been a difference maker at the plate recently, as he is batting an absurd .522 with seven extra-base hits and seven RBI over his last 11 contests.
Los is on 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/SCHjgwv0Mj
— Athletics (@Athletics) April 25, 2026
As a result, Cortes is worth spending 10-15% of your remaining FAAB on. He is currently on an unreal offensive stretch, and his early-season metrics suggest he could be a viable fantasy option for the entire season. The Athletics outfielder ranks in the 100th percentile in expected batting average (.362), 87th percentile in hard-hit rate (50%), and 87th percentile in launch angle sweet-spot rate (40.3%). Be ready to spend on him.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers to Target
Spencer Arrighetti, SP, Houston Astros
45% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~8%
Houston Astros starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti has gone from a potential steamer to a must-roster player in 12-team leagues. Since making his season debut on April 15, Arrighetti has looked really good on the mound. His best start came in his last outing, when he threw seven innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts against the New York Yankees.
Arrighetti has only given up four earned runs across 18 innings pitched (2.00 ERA) so far this season. He has an elite 31.1% whiff rate, an above-average 26.9% strikeout rate, and has done a good job limiting hard contact (34.1% hard-hit rate). Those three metrics make the right-hander an intriguing add heading into Week 6.
Jared Jones, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
28% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5-8%
It has been a while since Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jared Jones has pitched in a Major League game. He last pitched for the Pirates back on September 27, 2024, and missed the entire 2025 season due to a right elbow injury. However, Jones is close to a return after starting in his first rehab assignment game earlier this week.
That rehab start is why fantasy managers should be looking to stash the right-hander. He reached 101 mph on the radar gun and struck out the side in his first inning back on the mound. Jones threw three perfect innings with five strikeouts in his first rehab start at Single-A. While he is still about a month away from returning, he's worth grabbing on waivers right now.
Jared Jones throws 8 pitches 100+ mph in his first rehab start 🔥
The @Pirates right-hander strikes out five and tops out at 101.1 mph in three perfect innings for Single-A @The_Marauders. pic.twitter.com/RqZmfrbiZP
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 29, 2026
Nick Martinez, SP/RP, Tampa Bay Rays
31% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5%
Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Nick Martinez has been efficient over his last two starts. He threw eight innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts against the Cincinnati Reds on April 22 and delivered seven shutout innings with four strikeouts against the Cleveland Guardians in his most recent start on Tuesday. Those two outings lowered his ERA to 1.70 on the season.
Given the way Martinez has pitched recently, he's worth an add in some 12-team leagues. Both his Fastball Run Value (eight) and Offspeed Run Value (four) both rank in the 99th percentile, and his average exit velocity (86.3 mph) and hard-hit rate (29.8%) rank in the top 20% of the league. Those looking for a two-start pitcher this week should look Martinez's way.
Foster Griffin, SP, Washington Nationals
32% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~2-4%
Washington Nationals pitcher Foster Griffin spent the last three seasons playing in the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization. Griffin had a career 2.57 ERA and 318 strikeouts across those three years in Japan, which included a 1.52 ERA in 17 starts last season. Now, the southpaw is getting solid results in his return to the big leagues.
He threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 11, delivered a quality start against the Atlanta Braves on April 21, and threw seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts against the Chicago White Sox in his most recent outing. Griffin won't overpower hitters at the plate, but he's been extremely efficient to start the season.
Jacob Latz, RP/SP, Texas Rangers
10% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~8-10% if you need saves
Jack Perkins, RP, Athletics
16% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~6-8%
Like the Rangers, the Athletics have operated as a closer-by-committee to start the year. Joel Kuhnel leads the team with four saves, Mark Leiter Jr. and Jack Perkins both have three saves, and Hogan Harris has one save. However, Perkins is worth a look in some leagues if you are in need of some saves at this point in the fantasy season.
The 26-year-old has earned three saves since April 21 and is starting to establish himself as a potential ninth-inning option for the Athletics. That makes him a nice add in some 12-team leagues and all 15-team leagues. Perkins should continue to get opportunities in the ninth inning, as he ranks in the 85th percentile or better in chase rate, whiff rate, strikeout rate, and walk rate.
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