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Nick Mariano's fantasy baseball waiver wire targets for Week 8. Free-agent hitter pickups, emerging starting pitchers, and bullpen arms for every week of the 2026 MLB season.
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We're into the second half of May, but the fantasy baseball season remains young. Don't be afraid to get more aggressive with those end-of-roster slots as we pursue fewer avenues to true breakouts after the opening month of play. Alongside the waiver wire, don't forget to do your best to leverage your opponents' weaknesses via trade, unless your league is like mine, where no one ever wants to trade, ever!
But I digress, because this column is all about those free agents. We'll try to cover all sorts of names here, from rookies to veterans, stable volume to upside longshots, and more. Let's make some improvements with my waiver wire targets for Week 8.
We'll use Yahoo rostered rates up to 40%, listing players in an approximate priority order (check our full waiver article for up to 70% rostered!). Please note that most statistics are gathered before Saturday's games, though I'll catch key news and happenings as I write. You can find me on X (@NMariano53) to ask me anything else troubling you!
Nick's Hitter Waiver Wire Targets
Catcher: Samuel Basallo (40% rostered), Carter Jensen (32%), Kyle Teel (11%), Joe Mack (2%), J.T. Realmuto (17%), Carson Kelly (0%), Logan O'Hoppe (3%), Jesus Rodriguez (3%), Danny Jansen (1%), Alejandro Kirk (27%), Daniel Susac (2%), Gabriel Moreno (11%), Mitch Garver (0%), Christian Vazquez (1%), Luis Torrens (0%)
Teel went yard in his first rehab game at Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday. He reported that he’ll handle nine innings of catching duties on both Saturday and Sunday, which could lead to activation early on this coming week. Kirk has started swinging a bat and should return to Toronto before the end of the month as well.
Mack is still coming around offensively, but his defensive prowess displays why his spot is safe. These ridiculous pop times and his strong arm can handle even the fastest of base-stealers. Of course, nobody is perfect, as Saturday's misfire wide of second base led to some extra-inning shenanigans. He'll have plenty of time to warm up at the dish.
Jansen is a cheap ticket to the Rangers’ Coors series to kick off the week. Others like Kelly are warming up, while we’ll have to see how San Francisco proceeds with Susac back in the fold next to J. Rodriguez. Those in dire need of some at-bats in 2C leagues can look to injury fill-ins like Garver, Vazquez, and Torrens.
