Weekend Waiver Wire Rankings: Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 9

May 29, 2026

Weekend fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 9 (2026). Free-agent hitters and pitchers to add include Jared Jones, Kyle Finnegan, Colt Emerson, Jake Burger, Tanner Scott, and Ezequiel Duran.

Amazingly, May is going by really fast, and it will be officially in the books once the weekend ends. At RotoBaller HQ, we have updated our free agency rankings and are back with another edition of our weekend fantasy baseball waiver rankings for Week 9 -- May 25  through May 31.  The list ranks the top 100 hitters and pitchers. Find out where key players such as Ryan Waldschmidt, Jared Jones, Jackson Holliday, Jacob Latz, River Ryan, David Sandlin, and Jacob Young are listed in our updated waiver wire rankings for Week 9. 

There are key performances, prospect promotions, and injuries to watch for this week. Pirates right-hander Jared Jones is set to make his MLB debut again at home against the Minnesota Twins. It will be Jones' first start since undergoing UCL surgery in May of last year. Mariners top prospect Colt Emerson is starting to heat up and is hitting .429 (6-for-14) with four extra-base hits and three RBI over his last four games. Injuries continue to mount up as Pirates rookie Konnor Griffin is dealing with forearm soreness, while Tigers closer Kenley Jansen lands on the injured list with pelvic inflammation. 

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 later-week rankings list should help you keep track of players emerging in the weekend before we reach Sunday night waivers. 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 and more. Read some of the waiver wire outlooks below:

Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced on Thursday that right-hander Jared Jones (elbow) will come off the 60-day injured list to make his 2026 season debut on Friday against the visiting Minnesota Twins at PNC Park.

Jones missed the entire 2025 campaign after undergoing UCL surgery on his right elbow last May, but he had a nice 2.89 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 24:6 K:BB in 18 2/3 innings over his five minor-league rehab starts and is definitely worth a pickup off the waiver wire in mixed leagues now that he's on the cusp of his season debut for Pittsburgh.

In his final rehab tune-up on the farm, Jones went 4 1/3 innings and got up to 76 pitches, so he might not have any restrictions on Friday from a pitch-count perspective. However, the Pirates will most likely be looking to limit the 24-year-old's overall workload the rest of the way in 2026 after he missed all of last year.

The former second-rounder in 2020 went 6-8 in his rookie season in 2024 with a 4.14 ERA (4.00 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP with 132 K's and 39 walks across 22 starts and 121 2/3 innings pitched. Jones' return is a big boost for the Pirates' rotation going forward.

Kyle Finnegan, Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan could be set to step into a much larger role going forward, and his fantasy value would skyrocket if he takes over as the full-time closer in Detroit. Current closer Kenley Jansen (groin) got a visit from the trainer before Wednesday's outing but pitched through the issue, getting two quick outs before issuing a walk and leaving the game.

The veteran closer will have further evaluation and possibly imaging to determine the severity of the issue and if he'll end up on the injured list. Finnegan had a career-high 38 saves in 2024 with the Nationals before being traded to Detroit at the Trade Deadline last year. The 34-year-old righty has a 1.75 ERA in his 25 2/3 innings in 25 appearances this season with just one save to go with his six holds.

If Jansen lands on the injured list, Finnegan would likely be the next option to step up in Detroit's bullpen and could be a great source of saves for as long as Jansen is sidelined. Finnegan is worth an instant addition in deep leagues as a speculative pickup, and the situation is critical to monitor in standard-sized leagues as well, since Finnegan would be a top closer for as long as he has the full-time job.

Jake Burger, Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers first baseman Jake Burger has cooled off slightly at the plate in recent days, but overall in May, he's hitting .256 (21-for-82) with five home runs, four doubles, 17 RBI, 14 runs scored, and even a stolen base in 21 games across 90 plate appearances. He's added a .354 on-base percentage, .541 slugging percentage, and a .894 OPS to raise his season slash line to .230/.279/.417 with a .696 OPS through 54 games and 211 plate appearances in his second year in Texas.

Burger has 10 total home runs, 36 RBI, 25 runs scored, and one stolen base. The 30-year-old right-handed slugger hit a career-high 34 home runs with the Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins in 2023 in his first full year in the big leagues, so he's certainly capable of providing relevant over-the-fence pop for fantasy managers.

However, with a career OBP under .300 and a strikeout rate at 26.9% in his six years in the majors, Burger isn't going to help your team's average or OBP in the long run. But while he's swinging the bat well, he's a power option off the waiver wire if you need a corner infielder. Burger is available in 71% of Yahoo leagues.

Tanner Scott, Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Tanner Scott has four saves on the season and has been getting most of the save opportunities for his team lately. However, on Wednesday night, he came on in the eighth inning with his team holding a 3-1 lead. He faced the No. 9 hitter and then the top of the Rockies' batting order, giving up just one hit and picking up two strikeouts.

He was replaced for the final frame by Kyle Hurt, who retired the side in order to earn his first save of the season. Scott still seems to be the preferred option, but manager Dave Roberts will deploy the 31-year-old lefty whenever the opposing team is bringing its top lefties to the plate.

Scott may not get all the save situations, but his 1.19 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings indicate he can be effective whenever he enters the game. He isn't an elite fantasy option if you're just looking for saves, but he continues to be a critical contributor in the Dodgers' bullpen.

Ezequiel Duran, Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers infielder Ezequiel Duran (illness) is feeling better on Thursday and is back in the starting lineup for the series finale against the visiting Houston Astros, starting at shortstop and batting seventh against Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, according to MLB.com.

Duran was pulled from Wednesday's loss to the Astros due to an illness, but he's back in there the very next day. The 27-year-old Dominican utility man doesn't have much power or speed, but he can rack up counting stats for fantasy managers in a variety of roles in Texas, as he has been of late.

Duran has been serving as the team's primary shortstop with Corey Seager (back) on the injured list, and he'll enter play on Thursday evening with a .279/.333/.456 slash line with a .789 OPS, four home runs, 26 RBI, 22 runs scored, and four steals in 47 games across 163 plate appearances in his fifth year in Texas. He's most valuable in fantasy because he's eligible at first, second, third, shortstop, and the outfield in Yahoo leagues. Duran is hitless in just three career at-bats against Arrighetti. He ended up going 2-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout in Thursday's loss over the Astros.

First Base Waiver Wire Rankings

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Second Base Waiver Wire Rankings

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Third Base Waiver Wire Rankings

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Shortstop Waiver Wire Rankings

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Outfield Waiver Wire Rankings

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Catcher Waiver Wire Rankings

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Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Rankings

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Closer/Reliever 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 such as Jared Jones, Ryan Waldschmidt, Jake Burger, Kyle Finnegan, Tanner Scott, Hunter Greene, Colt Emerson, Zebby Matthews, Jacob Latz, A.J. Ewing, David Sandlin, Jake Bauers, Grant Taylor, Ezequiel Duran, and Gage Jump. 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 Jared Jones, Ryan Waldschmidt, Jake Burger, Kyle Finnegan, Tanner Scott, Hunter Greene, Colt Emerson, Zebby Matthews, Jacob Latz, A.J. Ewing, David Sandlin, Jake Bauers, Grant Taylor, Ezequiel Duran, and Gage Jump: