Mid-Week Waiver Wire Rankings: Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 8

May 21, 2026

Mid-week fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 8 (2026). Free-agent hitters and pitchers to add include Travis Bazzana, Colt Emerson, J.T. Ginn, Thomas White, and Ryan Waldschmidt.

Amazingly, the middle of the week is here, and it's time for waiver wire advice. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with another edition of our mid-week fantasy baseball waiver rankings for Week 8— May 18 through May 24 to help break down the waiver wire in leagues that allow daily moves.  We rank the top 100 hitters and pitchers to add off the waiver wire. Find out where key players such as JJ Bleday, Ryan Waldschmidt, Colt Emerson, Travis Bazzana, Henry Bolte, and Thomas White are listed in our waiver wire rankings for Week 8. 

There are key performances, prospect promotions, and injuries to watch for this week. The youth movement in the MLB continues as the Mariners called up top shortstop prospect Colt Emerson on Sunday. Emerson is 1-for-8 with a three-run home run in his first three big league games. Guardians top prospect Travis Bazzana is starting to heat up and is 12-for-27 (.462) with a home run, three RBI, and three runs scored over his last six games. Injuries are taking a toll once again as the Rangers placed Corey Seager on the injured list, while the Braves placed Drake Baldwin on the IL.  

Stay on top of our weekly waiver wire rankings and turn on MLB news alerts in our free mobile app to stay ahead of the curve. Once you're done here, check out our fantasy baseball prospects articles for the latest names to stash and pick up.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups List

Since many fantasy baseball leagues have daily waiver-wire moves or multiple waiver-wire runs per week for adding players, this early-week rankings list should help you keep track of players emerging in the middle of the week before we reach Sunday. This article will guide you through our weekly ranking of the relevant waiver-wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league (depending on the league size).

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

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top waiver wire names include Thomas White, J.T. Ginn, Ryan Waldschmidt, Colt Emerson, Travis Bazzana, and more. Read some of the waiver wire outlooks below:

Thomas White, SP, Miami Marlins

Miami Marlins left-handed pitching prospect Thomas White, who is ranked as the team's top prospect per MLB Pipeline, will not start as scheduled for Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday due to what is being described as precautionary reasons, sources told Fish on First Prospects.

Fellow lefty pitching prospect Robby Snelling (elbow) got the first shot at joining the big-league rotation when the Fish cut right-hander Chris Paddack, but he's now on the injured list and could be facing season-ending elbow surgery.

Lefty Braxton Garrett was next up, but he struggled in his two starts and will be sent back to Jacksonville on Wednesday, potentially paving the way for White to make his MLB debut for Game 3 of a series in Miami against the division-rival Atlanta Braves.

The former first-rounder in 2023 has a 4.01 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and 35:15 K:BB in 24 2/3 frames over seven starts for Jacksonville and Single-A Jupiter this year, so he hasn't exactly been killing it down on the farm. With his potential big-league debut looming, White is one of the best young arms to stash in fantasy. He's rostered in 6% of Yahoo leagues. 

J.J. Ginn, SP/RP, Athletics

Athletics starting pitcher J.T. Ginn took a brutal loss on Monday against the Angels after an exceptional outing. The 26-year-old righty entered the ninth inning with a no-hitter before giving up a single to Adam Frazier and a walk-off homer to Zach Neto to take the loss.

Ginn did still get the complete game with 10 strikeouts and just one walk, but he couldn't quite seal the victory. Ginn has allowed a total of just three earned runs over 22 innings in his last three starts, with a 1.23 ERA and 0.82 WHIP.

He has 21 strikeouts in his 22 innings in those starts, and he has been a strong option since joining the rotation in mid-April, with just one rough start against the Guardians. He will look to continue his momentum with his second start of the week on Saturday night in San Diego against the Padres. He's a great grab from the waiver wire in all formats with so much recent success and a solid lineup behind him.

Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt has impressed through his first 10 games in the majors and looks ready to be a long-time fixture in Arizona's outfield moving forward. The 23-year-old is the team's No. 1 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and has lived up to the hype, hitting .294 (10-for-34) with four doubles, three stolen bases, three walks, and six RBI.

He hasn't hit a homer yet in the majors, but had 18 in 134 games in the minors in 2025 and three in 34 games in Triple-A before his promotion. He has a 16.7% barrel rate and has caught barrels in back-to-back games after going 3-for-3 with two doubles in Monday's 12-2 rout of the Giants. Waldschmidt is a great fantasy baseball addition if you need outfield depth at this point in the season and offers well-balanced production with good speed and batting average production right away.

Colt Emerson, SS, Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners shortstop/third baseman Colt Emerson only needed two career games to make an impact as he hit his first MLB homer on Monday night in his team's 6-1 win over the White Sox. Emerson went 1-for-4 with the eighth-inning three-run blast.

He started each of the last two games at the hot corner for the Mariners, who are set to give him a long look at that spot with Brendan Donovan (groin) on the injured list. Emerson is just 20 years old but hit .255 with seven homers and 10 stolen bases in his 38 games in Triple-A before his promotion.

He is a top-10 prospect in all of baseball (according to MLB.com) and looks ready to make an immediate impact. In mixed leagues, he's a nice grab if still available, although there isn't a clear spot for him when Donovan returns. Emerson has a solid plate approach, but he did have a 27.2% K% in Triple-A. He has the tools to be a great fantasy contributor if he keeps his strikeouts under control and climbs to a more prominent spot in Seattle's batting order.

Travis Bazzana, 2B, Cleveland Guardians

Cleveland Guardians rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana, the team's top prospect per MLB Pipeline, is worth considering off the waiver wire for his speed and on-base abilities after recently debuting in the big leagues.

The 23-year-old Australian has gone 20-for-67 (.299) at the plate with two home runs and nine RBI in his first 19 major-league games with the Guards, but he's also produced a .427 on-base percentage with 13 walks and 13 strikeouts, and he has added seven stolen bases in 82 plate appearances.

He's extremely disciplined as a hitter and rarely chases, so he should continue to take plenty of walks and get on base frequently, even if he's not hitting for average or power. Bazzana has a quick, compact swing from the left side and is more of a gap-to-gap hitter than one that features over-the-fence pop. Fantasy managers looking for counting stats should look elsewhere, but those in need of a boost in OBP should look his way. Bazzana is currently rostered in 41% of Yahoo leagues.

First Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Second Base Waiver Wire Rankings

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Third Base Waiver Wire Rankings

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Shortstop Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Outfield Waiver Wire Rankings

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Catcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Rankings

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Relief Pitcher/Closer Waiver Wire Rankings

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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, including Ryan Waldschmidt, A.J. Ewing, JJ Bleday, Travis Bazzana, Thomas White, J.T. Ginn, Colt Emerson, Hunter Greene, Zebby Matthews, Zack Gelof, Christian Scott, Jhostynxon Garcia, Noah Schultz, Ben Brown, Jacob Latz, and Joe Mack. 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 Ryan Waldschmidt, A.J. Ewing, JJ Bleday, Travis Bazzana, Thomas White, J.T. Ginn, Colt Emerson, Hunter Greene, Zebby Matthews, Zack Gelof, Christian Scott, Jhostynxon Garcia, Noah Schultz, Ben Brown, Jacob Latz, and Joe Mack: