FAAB Waiver Wire Bidding - Fantasy Baseball Pickups to Target for Week 9 (May 25 - May 31)

May 23, 2026

Joey's FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and bidding guide for Week 9 (May 25 - May 31). His recommended FAAB dollars to spend on waiver wire adds.

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our Week 9 fantasy baseball FAAB waiver wire pickups for May 25- May 31. For those new here, 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.

For this week, we will dive into the 12 best waiver wire pickups. This list will feature seven red-hot hitters, three pitchers currently in the majors, and two pitchers fantasy managers should be looking to stash right now. As a reminder, we will only look at players rostered in under 40% of Yahoo! leagues.

So, let's examine the best waiver wire pickups for Week 9 of the fantasy baseball season.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters to Target

Spencer Steer, 1B/OF, Cincinnati Reds

39% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~7-8% 

Cincinnati Reds first baseman Spencer Steer was on this exact list last week, but is still under the 40% rostership threshold. Steer should definitely be rostered in more leagues in Week 9 and is a must-roster in 12-team leagues at this point in the year. The 28-year-old has been torching the ball at the plate recently, as he is hitting .348 with one home run, six RBI, and two stolen bases over his last 11 games.

Way to bring 'em in, Spence!@spenc__er pic.twitter.com/9JIn9VInvR

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 16, 2026

His metrics also suggest that he is here to stay as a solid all-around fantasy option. Steer ranks in the 89th percentile in xwOBA (.393), 91st percentile in expected batting average (.288), 93rd percentile in expected slugging (.532), and 88th percentile in barrel rate (14.6%). Given that the Reds first baseman just had a 20+ home run, 25+ stolen base season two years ago in 2024, he's the best hitter add of the week.

Nolan Arenado, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks

36% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5% 

Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Nolan Arenado has played his way into being a solid add in most 12-team leagues. The 35-year-old is having a resurgent season after struggling for most of the 2025 campaign. Arenado is batting .274 with seven home runs, 25 RBI, and one stolen base across 47 games and has a hit in 14 of his 19 games this month.

With the power back again for Arenado, he could be a nice source of home runs for your fantasy team. His barrel rate (7.3%) is up 3.3% from last year, and both his expected batting average (.269) and expected slugging (.421) rank in the upper half of the league. The 14-year veteran is on pace for 24 home runs, 86 runs scored, and 86 RBI this year.

Jake Bauers, 1B/OF, Milwaukee Brewers

29% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5% 

Milwaukee Brewers slugger Jake Bauers continues to get consistent at-bats. He has started five straight games for the Brewers and has been one of the team's best hitters in the early going. Bauers currently owns a .289/.357/.493 slash line with seven home runs, 10 doubles, and 29 RBI across 42 games this season.

There doesn't seem to be any plan for Bauers to split first base reps evenly with Andrew Vaughn at this time. The 30-year-old is on pace for a career year at the plate, and it's hard to ignore his offensive metrics. He ranks in the 75th percentile or better in xwOBA (.357), expected slugging (.498), average exit velocity (93 mph), barrel rate (12.5%), and hard-hit rate (54%). That makes him a nice add in all formats.

Jake Burger, 1B, Texas Rangers

19% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~2-5%

When Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger is feeling it offensively, it's best to ride with his hot bat. The 30-year-old is batting an impressive .437 (13-for-32) with three home runs, two doubles, 12 RBI, one stolen base, and five walks over his last nine games. He has been hitting the ball hard during this stretch and has provided a spark for this Texas offense.

Jake Burger cuts the deficit to 1 run in the 8th 👀 pic.twitter.com/UpxKkWYmJz

— MLB (@MLB) April 16, 2026

While Burger's lows at the plate are really low, he is a solid add if you are in need of some power. He has two separate seasons of 28+ home runs (2023 and 2024) and is well on his way to a third. His solid 9.8% barrel rate and 49.2% hard-hit rate should help him remain a viable fantasy option moving forward.

Gabriel Moreno, C, Arizona Diamondbacks

17% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~2-4%

Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno is the best waiver wire pickup at his position this weekend. Moreno missed a few weeks due to an oblique strain in the middle of April, but he has gotten into a groove at the plate since returning from the IL. The 26-year-old is batting .344 (10-for-29) with one home run, one double, five RBI, and three stolen bases over his last seven contests.

Although Moreno won't provide much in the home run department, he is still a valuable all-around fantasy asset. He should hit for a solid average and has shown the ability to steal bases recently. The Diamondbacks catcher has three steals since May 13, putting him on pace for 15 stolen bases in 2026. Moreno is a top-15 fantasy catcher for the rest of the season.

Sam Antonacci, 2B/3B/OF, Chicago White Sox

16% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~2-5%

Chicago White Sox infielder Sam Antonacci has been a sneaky fantasy contributor since being called up last month. The White Sox's No. 9 overall prospect is batting .288 with one home run, five doubles, two triples, nine RBI, and five stolen bases in his first 33 games. His potential to carry a high batting average and steal bases at an elite clip makes him a strong add in 12+ team leagues.

Antonacci hit .291 with 48 stolen bases in his last full Minor League season in 2025. He should now post above-average numbers in both of those categories in his first Major League campaign. The 23-year-old has a 100th percentile expected batting average (.338) and a 78th percentile sprint speed (28.2 ft/sec) in his limited games with the White Sox. That's enough reason to add him.

Miguel Andujar, 3B/OF, San Diego Padres

8% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~2-4% 

San Diego Padres utility specialist Miguel Andujar has come out of nowhere to be a consistent fantasy option this year. The 10-year veteran has a .289 batting average, five home runs, 17 RBI, and one stolen base across 147 plate appearances. Those strong numbers firmly put Andujar on fantasy radars. He has a solid .270 expected batting average and has been pulling the ball in the air at an elite rate (24.1%).

Although Andujar hasn't been a consistent fantasy option throughout the majority of his career, his consistent playing time in San Diego has allowed him to get into a rhythm at the plate. Last year, he finished with a .318 batting average, 10 home runs, and 44 RBI across 341 plate appearances. This year, he is already up to 143 plate appearances and on pace for 20 home runs and 68 RBI.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers to Target

Bryce Miller, SP, Seattle Mariners

39% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5%

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller started the season on the 15-day injured list due to an oblique strain. However, Miller has needed just two starts to prove he deserves to be rostered in more than 39% of Yahoo! leagues. The right-hander allowed two runs across 5 1/3 innings against the Astros in his season debut and then threw 5 2/3 shutout innings with seven strikeouts against the White Sox in his most recent start.

What makes Miller such an appealing add this week is his added velocity on the mound. His average fastball velocity (97.1 mph) is up 2.4 mph from last year (94.7 mph), and his putaway rate on his fastball (28.6%) is also up from a season ago. It might be only a two-game sample size, but Miller is looking like the pitcher he was in 2024. The same pitcher who finished with a 2.94 ERA and 171 strikeouts.

Bryce Miller's 2Ks in the 1st.

Both 98mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/dRikO6LAKn

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 20, 2026

Jared Jones, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

37% rostered
FAAB Bid: 5-8%

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jared Jones is nearing the end of his rehab assignment. Jones is working his way back from an internal brace procedure on his elbow from last season and has thrown the ball really well across his four rehab outings so far. He has a 1.88 ERA and 18 strikeouts across 14 1/3 innings pitched in these starts.

With Jones nearing an activation from the 60-day injured list, he is a fantastic stash candidate right now. The Pirates pitcher could make his season debut within the next two weeks, and he has the upside to be a quality fantasy pitcher in 2026. Jones had a 4.14 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings in his rookie season in 2024.

Zebby Matthews, SP, Minnesota Twins

26% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~5%

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Zebby Matthews began the year down at Triple-A. Even though his overall numbers weren't the best at St. Paul (4.72 ERA), the Twins decided it was time to give Matthews another shot in the big leagues. After two Major League starts this season, it's clear that the right-hander is here to stay.

Matthews threw seven shutout innings with five strikeouts against the Marlins on May 14 and followed that up by throwing six innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts against the Astros on May 19. These two strong performances make him an intriguing add in 12+ team leagues. The Twins right-hander has done a nice job limiting hard contact (33.3%) through his first two outings.

Grant Taylor, RP/SP, Chicago White Sox

12% rostered
FAAB Bid: ~10-15%

There appears to be a major change for the White Sox in that ninth-inning role. Grant Taylor was called upon in a save situation on Tuesday despite normal closer Seranthony Dominguez being available. He made quick work in that closer appearance, striking out the side on just 13 pitches. While the White Sox have not said that Dominguez has lost his closer job, Taylor seems better qualified for that role.

Be ready to spend big on him on waivers this weekend. Taylor has a 1.78 ERA and a 36.3% strikeout rate this season.

River Ryan, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

12% rostered
FAAB Bid: 5%

It's only a matter of time until the Los Angeles Dodgers call up their top pitching prospect. River Ryan missed the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery the year before, but the 27-year-old looks ready for the big leagues again. Ryan has a 2.81 ERA in four Triple-A starts and recently threw five shutout innings with seven strikeouts in his latest outing.

Ryan has the tools to be a really good big league starter this year. Fantasy managers saw that back during the 2024 season, when he posted a 1.33 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 20 1/3 innings. Make sure to grab him now before your league mate does.

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