Must-Add Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 7 Fantasy Baseball (2026)

May 9, 2026

Andy breaks down his must add fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 7 of the 2026 MLB season. Add these players now off the waiver wire and win more.

Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of our 7 Must-Add series. With another week of MLB action behind us, it's time to turn our attention to the waiver wire to pick up the next breakouts.

We will dive into the seven best waiver wire pickups heading into Week 7 of the fantasy baseball season. This week, we will look at two emerging starting pitchers who recently earned the call and a potential new closer in Baltimore. As always, the names below are available in more than 50% of all current Yahoo leagues.

So, let's look at the best waiver wire targets this weekend.

2026 Fantasy Baseball: Week 7 Waiver Wire Adds

Samuel Basallo, C, Baltimore Orioles

This week's catcher target is former top prospect Samuel Basallo of the Baltimore Orioles. Basallo made his MLB debut last summer but struggled to find his footing, posting a rough .165/.229/.330 slash line with just four home runs over a short 31-game stint. However, during his second taste of the majors, Basallo has looked quite comfortable and is beginning to tap into his former elite prospect pedigree.

Through a similar 30-game stint in 2026, the backstop has posted a much higher .257/.328/.467 line with five doubles, five home runs, and a solid .795 OPS. However, the 21-year-old has been even more impressive lately. Since April 12 (his last 20 games), Basallo has posted a dominant .324/.379/.603 line with four of these five round-trippers.

Under the hood, the young backstop has generated a strong 92.3 mph average exit velocity with an above-average 47.2% hard-hit rate and 75.1 mph bat speed. In the minor leagues, Basallo showcased incredible power upside, hitting 26 home runs over 97 total games with Triple-A Norfolk.

With a never-everyday role in the lineup (sharing time at catcher and DH), Basallo is a priority target as he continues to make steady progress against MLB pitching.

A PSA for pitchers this season:

Don't throw down and in to Samuel Basallo.

Basallo, the Orioles' No. 1 prospect, cranks this fastball by Andrew Painter, the Phillies' No. 2 prospect, for a 375-foot home run to right field. pic.twitter.com/kewgNBj7bI

— Jacob Calvin Meyer (@jcalvinmeyer) March 13, 2026

Casey Schmitt, 1B/2B/3B, San Francisco Giants

When looking for a boost in the infield, managers should consider adding Giants utility man Casey Schmitt. Schmitt has never been known for offensive output during his MLB career, but has begun to turn the corner in his fourth MLB season. Through his first 31 games in 2026, the infielder has posted an impressive .296/.444/.539 slash line with eight doubles, six home runs, and two stolen bases.

He appeared in a career-high 95 games for the Giants last season and was far less productive, posting a .237/.305/.401 line. Despite playing in nearly a third of these games, Schmitt has nearly halved his previous career-high HR total (12) while posting an average nearly 60 points higher.

While some managers may not be willing to truly trust the breakout, as evidenced by his lower roster percentage relative to his current production, his underlying metrics are quite impressive. In the early going, Schmitt has generated a strong .281 xBA with an elite .536 xSLG. His .371 xwOBA places him in the 83rd percentile, while his 46.7% hard-hit puts him in the 75th percentile.

However, the catalyst for his breakout has been the surge in his barrel rate. Through the opening month, Schmitt has generated an elite 16.9% barrel rate, which is seven points higher than his 2025 mark. Pairing this barrel rate with his current 32.2% Pull AIR%, his power numbers have soared. While his Pull AIR% is highly unsustainable, the rise in barrel rate should keep him on track to flirt with a 20+ HR campaign.

Even with the surge in power totals, Schmitt has posted a 20.8% K%, a nice decline from his 2025 mark, which has kept his value high in the points league. When looking for an all-around hitter to cover multiple infield positions, managers should look to scoop up the 27-year-old ahead of his true breakout.

Casey Schmitt homers in a second straight game 🚀 pic.twitter.com/0WrHg3UFIU

— MLB (@MLB) May 6, 2026

Brandon Marsh, OF, Philadelphia Phillies

The final hitter we will highlight is Brandon Marsh of the Phillies. Despite his dominant start, the outfielder is still widely available in most standard leagues. Through 34 games this season, Marsh is on pace to enjoy a career season, holding a .333/.359/.504 line with four home runs and three stolen bases. This is a major increase compared to the .280/.342/.443 line he carried during the 2025 campaign.

However, when looking under the hood, his recent production may be sustainable, which could set him up for a very valuable season in terms of fantasy. Per Baseball Savant, the outfielder has generated a stellar .294 xBA, which places him in the 90th percentile among qualified hitters, while his 50.0% hard-hit rate and 45.8% LA Sweet-Spot% are both well above the average marks.

He also generated a 16.7% Pull AIR%, which has helped boost his home run total, along with his surge in hard-hit rate, according to his 2025 production. Adiditonly, Marsh has continued to show a strong eye at the plate, striking out at a low 19.7% rate and flashing high-end speed on the basepaths, placing in the 76th percentile in sprint speed.

While the Phillies will likely continue to keep Marsh primarily on the strong side of a platoon, he has begun to draw occasional starts against southpaws, which will only boost his counting stats further. Those who need an outfielder should not be afraid to raise their FAAB bid on Marsh.

Logan Henderson, SP, Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers recalled Logan Henderson after placing front-line starter Brandon Woodruff on the 15-day injured list. While Woodruff is not expected to miss much time, Henderson has a path to claiming a full-time role, especially if he can pick up where he left off after his breakout MLB debut last season. In 2025, Henderson made five starts for the Brewers and was highly effective, logging 25 1/3 innings with a 1.78 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.

During this stint, the right-hander struck out 33 hitters while walking 8.1% of the batters he faced. Despite his strong showing last season, the Brewers opted to open the 2026 campaign with Triple-A Nashville. However, he did not have to wait long to make his return, as he was given a spot start on April 4 against the Royals.

Unfortunately, Henderson did not enjoy as much success in this outing, allowing two runs over a brief two-inning outing. After a return to Triple-A, which saw him strike out 21 hitters over 14 2/3 innings with a 1.23 ERA, the Brewers recalled him to replace Woodruff in the rotation. In his most recent MLB outing, Henderson looked much more like his 2025 self.

Facing the Washington Nationals, the right-hander struck out the high hitters while allowing just two runs over six frames. While his track record is not overly extensive, his strategy upside is borderline elite, making him a top option on the wire. Henderson should see at least 2-3 more starts while Woodruff remains out and could even remain in the rotation if Brandon Sproat continues to struggle.

Logan Henderson, K'ing the Side in the 6th pic.twitter.com/qiJ1cCHGUB

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 3, 2026

Robby Snelling, SP, Miami Marlins

The other starting pitcher in this week's column was a recently promoted top prospect. Snelling made his MLB debut on Friday evening against the Nationals as he took the starting role from Chris Paddack, who was designated for assignment earlier this week.

Prior to his call-up, Snelling was looking borderline elite at Triple-A. Over 29 innings with Jacksonville, Snelling struck out 44 hitters while holding an incredible 1.86 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. During the 2025 campaign, Snelling was just as sharp during his first taste of Triple-A ball, logging 63 2/3 innings to the tune of a 1.27 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.

In this stint, Snelling flashed just as much strikeout upside, racking up 81 strikeouts while walking only 17.

With Paddack off the roster, Snelling should be given an ample opportunity to remain in the rotation. While a slow start could prompt the Marlins to turn to Braxton Garrett, who has far more MLB experience, Snelling will remain in the driver's seat for now to stay in a starting role.

Even though Snelling endured some growing pains in his debut on Friday night, the young southpaw should be given several opportunities to work out any major struggles.

Tony Santillan, RP, Cincinnati Reds

The first closer we will look at is slated to operate in a committee for the foreseeable future. With Emilio Pagan hitting the injured list and set to miss at least the next four weeks of action, Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft are the likely candidates to take over ninth-inning duties in Cincinnati. While both have shown some growing pains in this role over the last week, Santillan is the likely candidate to take on more opportunities.

On May 5, Santillan entered the contest in the ninth inning, but below his save opportunity, serving a home run. These struggles persisted on Friday as he served up two long balls in a non-save situation. However, prior to this minor rough patch, Santillan held a solid 2.45 ERA with nine holds, one save, and one other blow save over 14 2/3 innings. Seeing that most of the action has come in a high-leverage role in the eighth inning, he is slightly above Ashcraft on the team's pecking order for saves.

While he has generated a high 5.23 xERA under the hood, his above-average strikeout rates should keep him in the temporary ninth-inning role. Additionally, his lone competition for this role, Ashcraft, also stumbled in his most recent save opportunity, which will only help Santillan's case. On Wednesday night, Ashcraft allowed two runs en route to blowing the save.

While Santillan may not see every opportunity, he should see the bulk of them for the foreseeable future.

Rico Garcia, RP, Baltimore Orioles

The other closer on our list may not hold the closer role as long as Santillan, but has far more job security. With Ryan Helsley on the 15-day injured list, Rico Garcia has taken over the closer job for the Orioles.

Over his last two outings, Garcia has picked up a victory and a save while pitching in the late stages of the contests. Over these 2 1/3 frames, Garcia has not allowed a hit or a run while holding a 3:2 K:BB. Overall, the right-hander has been among the sport's most dominant setup pitchers this season, logging 17 innings to the tune of a 0.53 ERA, 0.41 WHIP with seven holds, two saves, and a 19:6 K:BB.

Under the hood, his production appears to be very sustainable as the 32-year-old sits in the 97th percentile or higher in xERA, xBA, hard-hit rate, and whiff rate. His 59.4% ground-ball rate places him in the 95th percentile as well.

Given that Helsley is on the shelf with an elbow injury, there is an outcome in which the Orioles slow-play their primary closer to ensure he is ready for the second half. In the meantime, Garcia holds must-start upside as he should receive the bulk of the save opportunities for the Orioles.

Rico Garcia Earns Second Save, Emerging as Temporary Closer for Orioles https://t.co/qxkFnjZK0Y

— RotoBaller MLB (@RotoBallerMLB) May 7, 2026

Other Waiver Wire Targets

• Jared Jones, PIT
• Jack Perkins, ATH
• Chase Dollander, COL
• Gregory Soto, PIT
• Cole Young, SEA
• Christian Scott, NYM
• Moises Ballesteros, CHC
• Carter Jensen, KC
• Andrew Vaughn, MIL

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