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Joey's FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and bidding guide for Week 8 (May 18 - May 24). His recommended FAAB dollars to spend on waiver wire adds.
Welcome, RotoBallers, to our Week 8 fantasy baseball FAAB waiver wire pickups for May 18 - May 24. 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.
This week's edition features many interesting names. There's a hitter who can't be stopped at the plate right now, two prospects who were recently called up, and a pitcher who is breaking out right in front of our eyes. There will be 12 waiver wire pickups for this week, and each of them is rostered in under 40% of Yahoo! leagues.
So, let's look at the best waiver wire pickups for Week 8 of the fantasy baseball season.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters to Target
A.J. Ewing, 2B/OF, New York Mets
38% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~8-10%
The New York Mets called up outfielder A.J. Ewing earlier this week to spark the offense. In just three games, Ewing has done that. He went 1-for-2 with one triple, two RBI, one stolen base, and three walks in his first game on Tuesday and then launched his first career home run on Thursday. The rookie is hitting .250 (3-for-12) with one triple, one homer, one stolen base, and four walks to start his career.
A.J. Ewing launches his first career home run! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/8hRcuVsIs4
— MLB (@MLB) May 14, 2026
That's enough reason to pick up Ewing in all formats. He is going to see consistent playing time for as long as Luis Robert Jr. is out and will be a solid source of batting average and stolen bases for fantasy managers. The Mets' top prospect batted .315 with 70 stolen bases across 124 minor league games last year. He's a must-add this weekend.
JJ Bleday, OF, Cincinnati Reds
29% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~6-10%
Cincinnati Reds outfielder JJ Bleday has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball since being promoted. Bleday is batting .345 with six home runs, five doubles, one triple, and 19 RBI in 18 contests and just had a two-homer, six RBI game against the Nationals on Thursday. There is simply no stopping the lefty slugger at the plate right now.
He has an expected .337 batting average, a .694 expected slugging, a 16.3% barrel rate, a 55.8% hard-hit rate, and a 51.2% launch angle sweet-spot rate to start the season. All five of those metrics are elite and rank among the league leaders. Fantasy managers should ride his hot bat for the time being and pick him up for around 6-10% of your remaining FAAB.
Luke Raley, 1B/OF, Seattle Mariners
22% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5%
Seattle Mariners outfielder Luke Raley has been absolutely lacing the ball in his sixth major league season. He ranks in the 88th percentile in expected batting average (.286), 99th percentile in expected slugging (.621), 99th percentile in barrel rate (24.3%), 98th percentile in hard-hit rate (57.1%), and 97th percentile in launch angle sweet-spot rate (44.3%). Those metrics have led Raley to post solid all-around numbers in the early going.
The 31-year-old is currently slashing .265/.336/.584 with 10 home runs, four doubles, and 27 RBI across 40 games. While Raley won't start many games against left-handed pitching, he will almost always be in the lineup with a righty on the mound. As a result, the Mariners slugger is a nice add this weekend. He's on pace for over 30 home runs this year.
Spencer Steer, 1B/OF, Cincinnati Reds
21% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5-7%
Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer is heating up at the plate. He is hitting .333 with three home runs, nine RBI, and one stolen base over his last 17 games and is emerging as a solid fantasy option. His metrics also back up this recent nice stretch, as he has a .387 xwOBA, a .282 expected batting average, a .541 expected slugging, a 15.9% barrel rate, and a 42% launch angle sweet-spot rate.
Fantasy managers have seen Steer perform well in the past. He batted .271 with 23 home runs, 86 RBI, and 15 stolen bases in 2023, had 20 home runs, 92 RBI, and 25 stolen bases in 2024, and totaled 21 home runs with 75 RBI across 146 games last year. With his potential to hit 20+ home runs, steal 20+ bases, and drive in 75+ runs, he's worth a look in 12-team leagues.
Henry Bolte, OF, Athletics
17% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~6-8%
The Athletics called up their No. 5 prospect, Henry Bolte, earlier this week. The 22-year-old was tearing it up at the Triple-A level with a .384 batting average, 12 home runs, and 17 stolen bases across 37 games this year. Bolte is now showing that potential to start his major league career. He went 5-for-10 at the plate with two RBI, one walk, one strikeout, and one stolen base in his first three games.
Athletics No. 5 prospect Henry Bolte knocks his first MLB hit in front of his family ❤️ pic.twitter.com/AWsIWAIIr1
— MLB (@MLB) May 14, 2026
Bolte has the tools to be an exceptional fantasy player in Year 1. He hit over double-digit home runs in three of his last four minor league seasons and stole 44 bases across 114 minor league games last year.
However, the biggest concern with the speedy outfielder is his potential playing time. Bolte might not play every day with Tyler Soderstrom in left field, Lawrence Butler in center field, and Carlos Cortes mixing in right field.
Chase Meidroth, 2B/3B/SS, Chicago White Sox
16% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~2-4%
If you need some batting average boost in your league, Chicago White Sox infielder Chase Meidroth could be a nice pickup. He has a hit in 12 of his last 14 games and is batting .328 with two home runs, four doubles, and seven RBI since April 29. While he won't provide much in the home run or RBI departments, he can boost your batting average in roto formats.
Meidroth has been really hitting the ball well recently. He is squaring up the ball at an elite clip (30.1%) and has been an extremely patient hitter at the plate (24.6% chase rate). His overall numbers are nothing special, but his current .277 batting average with 28 runs scored makes him an appealing target in some leagues.
Austin Martin, 2B/OF, Minnesota Twins
6% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~2-4%
Minnesota Twins outfielder Austin Martin is off to a nice start in 2026. He's slashing .330/.448/.422 with one home run, seven doubles, 11 RBI, and seven stolen bases in his first 39 games and has been one of the Twins' best hitters over the past few weeks. Martin is batting .342 with six RBI and five stolen bases since April 23.
His ability to maintain a solid batting average and steal bases at a high level makes him a waiver wire target this weekend. He continues to get on base at an elite rate with a .448 on-base percentage and a 16.9% walk rate. If you need some batting average and stolen base boosts at this point in the season, Martin is a solid pickup.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers to Target
Bailey Ober, SP, Minnesota Twins
35% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5-6%
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober is coming off the best start of his career on Tuesday. Ober threw a complete game shutout with two hits allowed and seven strikeouts against the Marlins earlier this week. That outing now firmly puts the right-hander on the must-add waiver wire list.
After struggling throughout the 2025 season, Ober has bounced back in a big way on the mound in 2026. He has a 2.23 ERA and 25 strikeouts in his last five starts and has thrown a quality start in four of those five outings. With a 3.16 expected ERA, a .220 expected batting average against, and a low 30.1% hard-hit rate, Ober should continue to be a solid fantasy option.
Rico Garcia, RP, Baltimore Orioles
35% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~10% if you need saves
Baltimore Orioles reliever Rico Garcia should be rostered in much more than 36% of Yahoo! leagues. He has arguably been the best reliever in all of baseball this year. Garcia has allowed just one run on one hit with 22 strikeouts across 19 innings pitched. The veteran has also recently operated as the Orioles closer, with Ryan Helsley currently on the 15-day injured list.
Garcia is enjoying a breakout campaign in the early portion of the 2026 season. He ranks in the top 1% in expected batting average against (.149), average exit velocity (83.1 mph), and whiff rate (39.7%) and should continue to earn saves until Helsley returns. The Orioles reliever has earned two saves and one hold in the team's last three close wins.
Ben Brown, SP/RP, Chicago Cubs
17% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5%
Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown is an intriguing pickup for this week. He began the season in the Cubs bullpen, where he had a 2.10 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 12 appearances. Chicago has now moved the right-hander to the rotation. In his first two starts, Brown has thrown eight scoreless innings with one hit allowed, two walks, and 10 strikeouts.
7 Ks in 4 innings 🔥
Ben Brown was DEALIN' 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/DboWZKX3dR
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 15, 2026
Brown is taking Matthew Boyd's spot in the rotation for the time being while Boyd recovers from a meniscus injury. Given the way the 26-year-old has pitched to begin the season, he's someone who should be on fantasy managers' radars. He has an elite .196 batting average against, a 3.6% barrel rate, and a 26.4% strikeout rate across 33 2/3 innings this season.
Caleb Kilian, RP, San Francisco Giants
8% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5-7% if you need saves
Ryan Walker started the season as the San Francisco Giants closer, but his recent demotion to Triple-A puts the Giants' closer job up for grabs. The favorite to earn this job right now appears to be Caleb Kilian. He has a 1.40 ERA and 19 strikeouts across 18 appearances and was the pitcher that manager Tony Vitello went to in a save situation on Tuesday night against the Dodgers.
Kilian earned that save by tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout. If you need some saves, it's worth grabbing the Giants reliever in 12-plus team leagues. He has thrown the ball well recently and continues to miss bats at a high level. The tall right-hander has a 29% whiff rate and a 24.1% strikeout rate this season.
Lucas Giolito, SP, San Diego Padres
7% rostered
FAAB Bid: <2%
The San Diego Padres will be calling up Lucas Giolito to make his season debut on Sunday. The Padres signed the right-hander in late April in the wake of Nick Pivetta landing on the injured list, and Giolito has been building up in the minors ever since. Although he struggled in his four outings (4.76 ERA across 17 innings pitched), he could be an interesting waiver wire target in deeper leagues.
Giolito had a 3.41 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 26 starts with the Boston Red Sox last year.
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