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RotoBaller staff's fantasy baseball Week 6 waiver wire pickups for 2026. Expert advice for waiver wire hitter, pitcher, and closer targets from Eric, Joey, and Mike.
With another week of MLB action behind us, it's time to head to the waiver wire and bolster our fantasy baseball teams.
This week will highlight a top injury stash candidate who could emerge as a must-start pitcher and a budding outfielder on the Athletics.
Who should we look to pick up this week? Let's dive in!
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Hitter Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Ryan Jeffers, C, Minnesota Twins
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.
- Joey Pollizze
Daniel Schneemann, 2B/3B/SS/OF, Cleveland Guardians
One of the sneaky-good starts to the season has come from Cleveland's Swiss Army Knife, Daniel Schneemann. In 89 plate appearances so far this season, Schneemann is slashing .313/.382/.550 with four home runs, two steals, 14 RBI, and 12 runs scored. Out in the field, he's been playing multiple spots, drawing starts at second base, third base, and center field in the last week, which gives him that long list of position eligibility that you see above.
Schneemann's quality of contact metrics has all been above average so far, with an 11.5% barrel rate, 90 mph AVG EV, and a 41.2% hard-hit rate. Having a 65.4% air rate, 48.1% pull rate, and a 25% Pull-Air rate has helped as well. Schneemann is also walking at a 10.3% clip with an 82% zone contact rate. However, his strikeout rate is just a hair under 30%, and he has registered a 35.1% chase rate and a 36% whiff rate.
The average will almost surely come down, but Schneemann is playing regularly, has eligibility at four positions, and could make a run at a 20/10 season.
- Eric Cross
Cole Young, 2B, Seattle Mariners
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.
- Joey Pollizze
Nasim Nunez, 2B/SS, Washington Nationals
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.
- Joey Pollizze
Carlos Cortes, OF, Athletics
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.
- Joey Pollizze
Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Foster Griffin, SP, Washington Nationals
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.
- Joey Pollizze
Nick Martinez, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
Martinez seems to be available on the waiver wire in most leagues much of the time, but he is making a claim this year to be rostered far more often. The veteran has two wins, a 1.70 ERA, and a 1.00 WHIP. He will not help you much in strikeouts, as he has only 24 in 37 innings this year.
Below, you can see a microcosm of his game. Martinez has not given up more than two runs in any start this season, and he is limiting hard contact. His average exit velocity this year is 86.3 MPH, good for the 84th percentile, and he limits walks. A great piece for the back end of your rotation.
- Mike Carter
Jared Jones, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Remember Jared Jones? Of course you do. Well, he just made his first rehab outing and should be back with Pittsburgh later on in the month of May. Now is the time to stash him before someone else in your league does, as his roster rate has already jumped 12% in the last 24 hours. Oh yeah, Jones touched 101 mph in his first rehab outing down in Single-A, which is surely adding to the building hype surrounding him.
Back in Jones' rookie season in 2024, he flashed considerable upside. In 22 starts and 121.2 innings, Jones registered a 4.14 ERA, 1,19 WHIP, 7.7% walk rate, and a 26.2% strikeout rate. Jones was averaging 97.3 mpg on his 4-seamer that season, and his slider had a .207 BAA and a 37.3% whiff rate. Overall, Jones' 30.4% chase rate, 30.2% whiff rate, and 22.7% in zone whiff rate were highly impressive, especially for a rookie.
It's always hard to project how a pitcher will look after missing a full season due to injury. But what I can say with a high level of confidence is that Jones has the upside to be a top-50 starting pitcher (or better) for the remainder of the season once he returns.
- Eric Cross
Steven Matz, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
Matz looks at home in the Tampa Bay rotation this year. Last week, he fired seven strong innings against the Cleveland Guardians, surrendering only two runs while grabbing the win. That is four wins now for the veteran lefty, who also holds a 4.31 ERA, a 1.12 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts in 31 innings.
His next start is today against the San Francisco Giants, so he continues to have appeal to me as a streamer in deep leagues.
- Mike Carter
Kyle Harrison, SP, Milwaukee Brewers
I'm going to break my 40% roster threshold rule a little bit for this one. Over the years, I've generally been a bit lower than most on Kyle Harrison. However, since he got to Milwaukee, he's looked better than ever. The Milwaukee pitching wizards strike again!
In five starts for the Brew Crew, Harrison has recorded a 2.28 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 8.3% walk rate, and a 31.3% strikeout rate. He's also coming off perhaps the best start of his entire Major League career on Monday when he fired six shutout innings, allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out a dozen.
Kyle Harrison's 10th, 11th and 12th Strikeouts. 😮 pic.twitter.com/HSmrmc5i1q
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 26, 2026
Harrison is still predominantly a 4-seam/slurve guy, but he's been mixing in his changeup regularly to right-handed batters, using it 17% of the time. Overall, Harrison is missing more bats than he ever has, currently sporting a career-best 29.1% whiff rate, 33.8% chase rate, and the afforementioned 31.3% srtrikeout rate.
I'm not saying he's going to be a top-25 pitcher or anything like that, but I do believe Harrison is trending in a positive direction and is worth rostering in 10-team redraft leagues or deeper.
- Eric Cross
Jacob Latz, RP, Texas Rangers
- Joey Pollizze
Jack Perkins, RP, Athletics
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.
- Joey Pollizze
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