Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 6 (Hitters and Pitchers)

May 5, 2026

Updated fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 6 of the 2026 MLB season. These are free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

Amazingly, we are already in May. Injuries continue to pile up as Ronald Acuna Jr. exited Saturday's game against the Colorado Rockies and is considered day-to-day, while Cal Raleigh is dealing with "general soreness," which required imaging. If you are looking for an injury replacement or to improve your fantasy baseball team, we've got you covered with our fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 6 (May 4 - May 10) of the 2026 MLB season. This list covers the top 100 hitters and pitchers for Week 6. 

It is essential to stay on top of the player news as we guide you through the injuries, prospect call-ups, and closer role changes. For those searching for injury replacements or whose teams need a boost, we have you covered with our latest fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings. We've been working hard to put together a list of 100 players to consider for various league sizes to help you prioritize your waiver wire decisions.

As always, we are here to help you prioritize which player to add using our waiver wire rankings article. This edition features players such as  and more, who are listed in our initial waiver wire rankings. Read more to see where these players rank in our waiver wire rankings for the week ahead.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Rankings

Waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league - depending on the league size:

The roster percentage is from Yahoo! leagues.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top names include Kyle Finnegan, Rico Garcia, Jacob Latz, Daylen Lile, Seranthony Dominguez, and more. We recap why these players rostered under 70% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar:

Kyle Finnegan, Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan is off to an excellent start to the 2026 season, pitching to a 0.57 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 12 strikeouts across 15 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old also earned his first save of the season on Thursday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in Detroit's 5-2 win over the Atlanta Braves.

Veteran Kenley Jansen has been the primary closer in Detroit for most of the year. However, Jansen has struggled of late, blowing two consecutive save chances while allowing two home runs and four earned runs. Should the Tigers look to go in a different direction, Finnegan would be a logical choice.

Finnegan recorded 66 saves over two years with the Washington Nationals in 2023-2024 and has 113 career MLB saves to his name. The Tigers may simply be giving Jansen a breather before turning back to him, but Finnegan could be worth targeting on the waiver wire in deeper leagues.
 

Jacob Latz, Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers left-hander Jacob Latz picked up his third save of the season on Friday, throwing a scoreless inning with a strikeout in his team's 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers. Latz started the year in the Rangers' rotation but has since been shifted to the bullpen and has now recorded saves in three consecutive appearances.

Across 17 2/3 innings (14 games) overall this season, the 30-year-old has pitched to a 1.02 ERA and 0.45 WHIP with 15 strikeouts. He's lowered his walk rate to a career-best 4.8%, and opposing batters are currently hitting just .085 against him. Texas has been searching for a permanent closer option for most of the last two seasons, so Latz should have no trouble hanging on to the role if he keeps producing. Latz profiles as a priority waiver wire target across most fantasy formats.

Daylen Lile, Washington Nationals

Across his first 144 plate appearances of 2026, Washington Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile is hitting .252/.318/.378 with three home runs, 14 RBI, 20 runs scored, and one stolen base. The 23-year-old has established himself as the everyday left fielder in Washington and regularly bats in the middle of his team's lineup, which has helped him rack up counting stats.

With above-average walk and strikeout rates of 9% and 18.1%, Lile brings quality plate skills to the table that should provide him with a stable production floor. He also batted .299 in 351 plate appearances for the Nationals in 2025, so Lile could offer some batting average upside for fantasy managers. He may not stand out in any one area, but managers in need of a steady outfielder may want to consider targeting him on the waiver wire.

Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson got off to a brutal start to the 2026 season, failing to hit a home run through his first 86 plate appearances of the year. However, the 26-year-old burst out of his early-season power outage in a big way, going deep in five consecutive games from April 22 to April 26.

Across 124 plate appearances overall, Torkelson is hitting .224/.352/.421 with five home runs, 12 RBI, and 12 runs scored. While Torkelson's 27.4% strikeout rate limits his batting average upside, his 14.5% barrel rate is indicative of his significant power potential.

Torkelson has also walked at a 16.1% clip so far this year, which should help keep his place in the Tigers' lineup secure. For fantasy managers searching for power off the waiver wire, Torkelson is a logical target.

Seranthony Dominguez, Chicago White Sox

Across 13 innings so far in 2026, Chicago White Sox closer Seranthony Dominguez has pitched to a 4.15 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 16 strikeouts and seven saves. The 31-year-old is prone to the occasional blow-up outing, as he's logged three appearances this season where he's allowed at least two runs.

Dominguez owns both an elevated walk rate (15.5%) and an elevated HR/9 (2.08), a dangerous combination for his ERA. Still, the veteran right-hander has struck out 27.6% of the batters he's faced so far this season and remains locked in to the ninth-inning role in the White Sox bullpen.

He's also currently riding a bit of a hot streak, as he's allowed just one earned run since April 16. In any league where he may have been dropped, Dominguez should be targeted on the waiver wire.

First Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Second Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Third Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Shortstop Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Outfield Waiver Wire Rankings

Catcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Starting Pitcher Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Closer/Reliever Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Week 6 Waiver Wire Roundup for Fantasy Baseball

In addition to these waiver wire rankings, we have also put together an assortment of fantasy baseball waiver wire articles. You can see the full roundup below to help prepare you for waiver wire runs:

• Nick Mariano's waiver wire pickups (Premium)
• Staff roundtable: waiver wire picks for Week 6
• FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 6
• Starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 6
• Hitter streamers, starts and waiver wire pickups for Week 6
• The Cut List - Players to consider dropping for Week 6

Who Should I Pickup Fantasy Baseball Tool

Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool:

Who Should I Pickup?

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2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players like Noah Schultz, Louis Varland, Jacob Latz, Daylen Lile, Spencer Torkelson, Rico Garcia, Tanner Scott, Seranthony Dominguez, Payton Tolle, Kyle Finnegan, Cam Smith, Jake Burger, Sal Frelick, Samuel Bassallo, Sam Antonacci, and Jung Ho Lee. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections, and more.

Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats, projections, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for players like Noah Schultz, Louis Varland, Jacob Latz, Daylen Lile, Spencer Torkelson, Rico Garcia, Tanner Scott, Seranthony Dominguez, Payton Tolle, Kyle Finnegan, Cam Smith, Jake Burger, Sal Frelick, Samuel Bassallo, Sam Antonacci, and Jung Ho Lee: