Eric Cross' Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Hitters and Pitchers (Week 8)

May 15, 2026

Eric Cross' top fantasy baseball waiver wire adds for Week 8 of 2026 (May 18 - May 24). His favorite free agent hitters and pitchers under 40% rostered.

Some weeks, the waiver wire looks pretty barren. Other weeks, it looks fantastic. This is one of those fantastic weeks, as there are plenty of intriguing names to consider adding off the waiver wire right now. These guys can help you in a variety of ways and make an impact in a wide array of categories.

The players below are all under 40 percent rostered in Yahoo! leagues. Some of them might already be rostered in your leagues, but if they're available, I'd recommend considering them to see if they could be good fits for your fantasy teams.

Last week's waiver wire recommendations: Samuel Basallo (BAL), Spencer Jones (NYY), Isaac Collins (KCR), Sean Burke (CHW), Robby Snelling (MIA), Rico Garcia (BAL).

JJ Bleday (OF - CIN)

24% Rostered on Yahoo

Outside of a decent 2024 season with the Athletics, it's been a rough major league career for the 2019 fourth overall selection. However, JJ Bleday seems to have found a home with the Cincinnati Reds this season, and his surface-level performance and underlying metrics are highly intriguing right now. In his 66 plate appearances for the Reds this season, Bleday has slashed an impressive .321/.455/.755 with 10 extra-base hits, six home runs, 18 RBI, 10 runs, and more walks (13) than strikeouts (10).

JJ Bleday goes yard AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/4UULXExwrh

— MLB (@MLB) May 14, 2026

Having more walks than strikeouts is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Bleday's profile right now. He's currently running a 15.4% barrel rate, 94 mph AVG EV, and a 56.4% hard-hit rate with his usual elite batted ball angles. And while his contact rates don't stand out, Bleday is around average both in zone and overall, while only chasing at a 21.6% clip.

Forget about the name and the previous struggles and focus on the underlying metrics here. This is a hitter you should want to pick up if he's available in your fantasy leagues.

A.J. Ewing (2B/OF - NYM)

37% Rostered on Yahoo

It's no secret that the New York Mets season hasn't gone according to plan. Their season isn't circling the toilet yet, but let's just say it's in the bathroom and the light/fan are on. This team desperately needed an offensive spark, and A.J. Ewing has provided that in his first few games. In his first three major league games, Ewing has picked up three hits, four walks, three RBI, four runs scored, a stolen base, and his first career home run.

A.J. EWING'S FIRST CAREER HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/vkJDNHlk1U

— SNY (@SNYtv) May 14, 2026

Ewing was excelling in the minors before his promotion as well, slashing .339/.447/.514 in 30 games with 13 extra-base hits, two home runs, 17 steals, and more walks (22) than strikeouts (20). Hitting for a high average, getting on base, and stealing bases have always been notable parts of Ewing's game as a career .290 hitter with a .395 OBP in the minor leagues.

At Triple-A this season, Ewing had an 85.4% overall and 90.5% zone contact rate along with a 89.2 mph AVG EV.

I'm not sure Ewing will provide more than 10-15 homers over a full season, but he has the speed to make a sizeable impact in the stolen base column, while also providing a good AVG and OBP. And his dual second base and outfield eligibility gives him an added level of intrigue for fantasy.

Carson Benge (OF - NYM)

15% Rostered on Yahoo

Ewing isn't the only Mets rookie outfielder to consider grabbing this week. Carson Benge has been finding his stride over the last week or so, and the underlying metrics have screamed buy-low all season. This is why we can't make 100% of our fantasy baseball decisions based on surface stats alone. Yes, those are what cause us to succeed or fail in leagues, but sometimes those surface stats don't paint the full picture, as was the case here with Benge.

Despite having three straight multi-hit games and a .341/.400/.488 slash line this month, Benge is still slashing just .237/.296/.344 in 142 plate appearances this season. But when you pop the hood, you'll find a 90 mph AVG EV, 42.7% hard-hit rate, 85.2% zone contact rate, 78.8% overall contact rate, and a chase, walk, and strikeout rate right around league-average.

Benge also has an 83rd percentile sprint speed, and his strong defense has helped him stay in the lineup through his offensive struggles. I'm still quite high on Benge for 2026 and beyond. If you need an outfielder, I'd give Benge a look.

Zack Gelof (2B/3B - ATH)

14% Rostered on Yahoo

Welcome back to fantasy relevance, Zack Gelof. After a rough 2025 season dropped him off the fantasy map entirely, Gelof has taken advantage of his opportunity to play regularly over the last few weeks. In 81 plate appearances, Gelof is slashing .270/.316/.527 with five home runs, 13 RBI, 14 runs scored, and a pair of stolen bases.

But after all the headaches Gelof caused fantasy managers over the last two seasons, should we believe in this performance enough to consider adding him in fantasy leagues?

Obviously, I'm at least somewhat intrigued given his inclusion this week. Gelof has been hitting the ball hard since returning to the Athletics lineup, posting a 9.4% barrel rate, 90.9 mph AVG EV, and 41.5% hard-hit rate. He's also been leaning into his pull power with a 50.9% pull rate and 26.4% pull-air rate.

However, what I'm most encouraged by are the improvements Gelof has made in the contact and approach departments. He's improved his zone contact rate by 8.7% from last season while cutting his strikeout rate down to 24.7%.

Gelof has also trimmed his chase rate to an impressive 21.3% and improved his overall contact rate to a serviceable 71.2%. He's still a below-average contact hitter, even with the improvements, so I'm not banking on a high batting average. However, Gelof has shown in the past that he can be a solid power/speed threat while bringing dual eligibility at second and third base.

Bailey Ober (SP - MIN)

34% Rostered on Yahoo

Listen, I know Bailey Ober burned fantasy managers last season while he basically served up batting practice in most of his outings. But sometimes we need to have short memories when it comes to fantasy baseball. Ober's terrible 2025 season is in the rear-view mirror, and he's back to being a serviceable fantasy starting pitcher.

In nine starts this season, Ober has posted a 3.46 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with a 3.15 xERA and 7.2% walk rate. He's allowing far fewer hard-hit batted balls as well, dropping his hard-hit rate allowed from 39.1% to 30.1%, along with a lower barrel rate and AVG EV allowed.

Ober has been able to turn things around without premium velocity. In fact, his velocity is down from last season, with his average fastball velocity sitting at just 88.6 mph. But what helps Ober succeed is solid command and a deep arsenal that he mixes well. Sure, the upside is limited here, especially with a below-average strikeout rate, but Ober is back to being a usable arm in fantasy leagues.

Ben Brown (SP/RP - CHC)

16% Rostered on Yahoo

With the Cubs' rotation suffering a few injuries, Ben Brown has been thrust into a more prominent role lately, and he's been impressive so far. For the season, Brown has a pristine 1.60 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 14 outings. And in two starts since entering the Chicago rotation, Brown has combined for eight shutout innings with 10 strikeouts while allowing just one hit and two walks.

7 Ks in 4 innings 🔥

Ben Brown was DEALIN' 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/DboWZKX3dR

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 15, 2026

While Brown is still predominantly a fastball/knuckle curve guy, he's mixed in a sinker and changeup semi-consistently this season, giving him a more well-rounded arsenal. The changeup has generated a 30.8% whiff rate this season, to go along with Brown's 44.9% whiff rate on his knuckle curve. Overall, Brown is running a 26.4% whiff rate and a 30.2% chase rate while allowing considerably less hard contact.

The upside is there, and I'm certainly encouraged by the arsenal development this season and additional innings Brown is stepping into.

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