Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 8 (Hitters and Pitchers)

May 19, 2026

Updated fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 8 of the 2026 MLB season. These are free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

Week 8 has officially arrived, and another week is in the books. Injuries continue to pile up as the Mets pitcher Clay Holmes will miss three months with a right fibula fracture, while the Red Sox shortstop will be out six to 10 weeks with a sports hernia. At RotoBaller HQ, we help you find injury replacements with our fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 8 (May 18 - May 24) of the 2026 MLB season. This list covers the top 100 hitters and pitchers for Week 8. 

It is essential to stay on top of the player news as we guide you through the injuries, prospect call-ups, and closer role changes. For those searching for injury replacements or whose teams need a boost, we have you covered with our latest fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings. We've been working hard to put together a list of 100 players to consider for various league sizes to help you prioritize your waiver wire decisions.

As always, we are here to help you prioritize which player to add using our waiver wire rankings article. This edition features players such as and more, who are listed in our initial waiver wire rankings. Read more to see where these players rank in our waiver wire rankings for the week ahead.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Rankings

Waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league - depending on the league size:

The roster percentage is from Yahoo! leagues.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top names include Ben Brown, Zack Gelof, Tanner Scott, Connelly Early, JJ Bleday, and more. We recap why these players rostered under 70% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar:

Ben Brown, Chicago Cubs

After opening the season in a bulk relief role, Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown was moved into the starting rotation on May 8. The 26-year-old has impressed since the role shift, allowing just one hit while striking out 10 over eight innings of work (two starts). Brown's year-long numbers are excellent as well, as he's pitched to a 1.60 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 34 strikeouts across 33 2/3 innings (14 games).

Brown's 0.27 HR/9 is a significant improvement from the 1.52 HR/9 he posted in 2025, so he could be in line for some ERA regression as the weather heats up in Chicago and the ball starts to fly at Wrigley Field. Still, the hard-throwing right-hander owns a career MLB strikeout rate of 26.6% and appears to be finding his groove as a big-league pitcher. Now that he's back in the Cubs rotation, Brown offers some upside as a waiver-wire target for fantasy managers.

Zack Gelof, Athletics

Since being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on April 10, Athletics infielder Zack Gelof has re-emerged as an everyday piece of his team's lineup. Across 85 plate appearances, the 26-year-old is hitting .247/.299/.481 with five home runs, 13 RBI, 15 runs scored, and two stolen bases. Gelof has always offered high-end power upside, and he's posted a strong 10.2% barrel rate so far in 2026.

The main difference for Gelof this season has been his ability to make consistent contact, as his 23.5% strikeout rate is significantly improved from his career mark of 32.5%. Given his history of swing-and-miss issues and his 19.2-degree average launch angle, fantasy managers may not want to count on Gelof continuing to provide value in the batting average category. Still, Gelof profiles as a power/speed asset with upside who should be a priority waiver wire target in most league formats.

Tanner Scott, Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Tanner Scott opened 2026 in a setup role, but early-season elbow surgery for Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz (elbow) has reopened the path to the ninth inning for Scott. The veteran left-hander has recorded four saves since Diaz was placed on the injured list, including three in his last five appearances.

Scott's overall numbers for the season are strong as well, as he's pitched to a 1.47 ERA and 0.60 WHIP with 18 strikeouts across 18 1/3 innings. Scott's 24.6% K-BB rate is excellent, and he's allowed just 11 out of the 65 batters he's faced so far this season to reach base. With Diaz expected to be sidelined until the late summer at the earliest, Scott is a must-roster closer across all fantasy formats.

Connelly Early, Boston Red Sox

Across 47 2/3 innings (nine starts) so far this season, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Connelly Early has recorded a 3-2 record with a 3.21 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, and 45 strikeouts. The 24-year-old has been particularly effective in his last two times out, allowing just two earned runs and one walk while striking out 14 across 12 innings of work against the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves.

Early hasn't been quite as dominant as he was upon making his MLB debut in 2025, when he posted a 36.7% strikeout rate in a small sample size of 19 1/3 innings (four starts). Still, the young lefty appears to be settling in and finding his groove after working through some command issues early in the year. Early profiles as a worthy high-upside waiver-wire target for fantasy managers ahead of his next scheduled start in Kansas City against the Royals on Wednesday.

JJ Bleday, Cincinnati Reds

Something has clicked for outfielder JJ Bleday since joining the Cincinnati Reds. In 16 games with the team, Bleday has gone 20-for-62 (.323) with six home runs, 19 RBI, 12 runs scored, one steal, 13 walks, and 10 strikeouts across 75 plate appearances. In his first four MLB seasons with the Miami Marlins and Athletics, the left-handed-hitting outfielder slashed just .215/.307/.394 with a .702 OPS and 49 home runs across 404 games played.

The 28-year-old's assault on opposing pitchers continued in Thursday's 15-1 rout of the Washington Nationals, when he went 3-for-5 at the plate with two more home runs and six RBI. Bleday, a former fourth overall pick out of Vanderbilt, is red-hot right now with Cincy and will continue to play regularly in a hitter-friendly home environment as long as he continues to produce.

Fantasy managers who need power production should be looking his way, if even for just a short amount of time until he cools off. Bleday is currently rostered in only 44% of Yahoo leagues. He's gone 10-for-22 with 12 RBI in the last six games.

First Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Second Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Third Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Shortstop Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Outfield Waiver Wire Rankings

Catcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Starting Pitcher Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Closer/Reliever Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Week 8 Waiver Wire Roundup for Fantasy Baseball

In addition to these waiver wire rankings, we have also put together an assortment of fantasy baseball waiver wire articles. You can see the full roundup below to help prepare you for waiver wire runs:

• Nick Mariano's waiver wire pickups (Premium)
• Staff roundtable: waiver wire picks for Week 8
• FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 8
• Starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 8
• Hitter streamers, starts, and waiver wire pickups for Week 8
• The Cut List - Players to consider dropping for Week 8

Who Should I Pickup Fantasy Baseball Tool

Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool:

Who Should I Pickup?

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2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players like Logan Henderson, Ryan Waldschmidt, Ben Brown, Connelly Early, Colt Emerson, Zack Gelof, JJ Belday, Henry Bolte, AJ Ewing, Zebby Matthews, Carson Benge, Tanner Scott, Christian Scott, Grayson Rodriguez, Spencer Jones, Noah Schultz, Ryan Zeferjahn, Gus Varland, Spencer Arrighetti, and Mark Vientos. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections, and more.

Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats, projections, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for players like Logan Henderson, Colt Emerson, Ryan Waldschmidt, Ben Brown, Connelly Early, Zack Gelof, JJ Belday, Henry Bolte, AJ Ewing, Zebby Matthews, Carson Benge, Tanner Scott, Christian Scott, Grayson Rodriguez, Spencer Jones, Noah Schultz, Ryan Zeferjahn, Gus Varland, Spencer Arrighetti, and Mark Vientos: