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Five hot fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, streamers, and sleepers for Week 10 (2026). Undervalued hitters outperforming their ownership percentage and should be more widely owned.
Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of our Bargain Basement Hitters. With another week of MLB action behind us, it's time to look to the waiver wire and spotlight some surging bats who could be worth a pick-up.
This week, we will look at a red-hot slugger in the Lone Star State and a few former highly-regarded prospects who appear to be turning the corner. As always, the players in this piece are rostered in 25% or fewer of current Yahoo leagues.
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Joc Pederson, UTL, Texas Rangers
10% rostered (Yahoo)
After putting together a productive 2024 campaign in the desert with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Pederson was a popular late-round option as he moved to the Texas Rangers ahead of the 2025 season. While he was expected to be on the strong side of the platoon, Pederson has continued to hit right-handed pitchers at a high rate, which has made him a valuable asset for fantasy.
However, his 2025 season did not go as planned for the slugger as he posted a pedestrian .181/.285/.328 slash line with a .613 OPS. During these 96 games, the 34-year-old designated hitter went deep just nine times while tallying a mere 26 RBI.
Given his weak play in the previous season, Pederson was only on the radar of those playing in deeper 14+ team formats, as his role was uncertain and his trajectory was not moving in the right direction. However, the slugger has quickly rebounded into form and put together a very productive May, and is now firmly back on the waiver wire radar.
Over his first 29 games of the season, Pederson posted a .225/.341/.324 line with a low .665 OPS. However, over his last 28 contests, Pederson has posted a much-improved .278/.392/.568 line with six doubles, six home runs, and an elite 17:15 K:BB. During this dominant stretch, Pederson has posted a .974 OPS while tallying 16 RBI with 13 runs.
Is this recent surge sustainable? When looking at his splits below, managers can see that while he is "overperforming" his expected marks in May, he was quite unlucky in the first month.
In April, Pederson was quite unlucky against four-seamers as his BA (.233) was nearly four points lower than his xBA (.276). However, in May, his .306 BA was higher than the underlying .269 xBA. As a result, managers should expect his batting average for the remainder of the season to remain somewhere in the middle, which is still very valuable.
While his xSLG against fastballs took a massive step forward in May as well, it is also worth noting his whiff rates against breaking balls and offspeed pitches. Pederson is showing a strong eye at the dish, dropping his whiff rate by nearly 20 points on each of these pitch types, which makes him valuable in points leagues.
Overall, the 34-year-old carries a .349 xwOBA (71st percentile) with a .249 xBA, .401 xSLG, and an above-average 46.1% hard-hit rate. Pairing his hard-hit rate with an elite 23.5% Pull AIR% should continue to bolster his home run marks, as he is already just one home run shy of matching his 2025 total and well on pace for another 20+ HR campaign.
Even in a platoon role, Pederson will continue to find success, and his counting stats should only increase once Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford return from the injured list. This recent surge has pushed him to the leadoff spot, and managers needing an upside power hitter in their utility spot should feel confident grabbing Pederson.
Anthony Volpe, SS, New York Yankees
10% rostered
The former top-ranked prospect has yet to truly put together a complete season in the majors. While he has always been known for his power/speed skill set, he has been a liability at the plate for those in standard leagues. During the 2025 campaign, Volpe went deep 19 times (second-most of his career) and swiped 18 bags, but carried a low .212 AVG, which limited his upside.
Volpe opened the 2026 season on the shelf with a shoulder injury and was ultimately optioned to Triple-A following his activation, as Jose Caballero was promoted to a high level on the MLB roster. However, Volpe would eventually make his season debut with the Yankees on May 13 and has begun carving out a steady role in the offense.
Through 14 games, Volpe has continued to showcase his high-end speed, swiping five bags, but has gone deep only once with a .234 AVG. While his batting average will not remain his best skill for fantasy, can managers expect an even more productive season on the basepaths?
So far, Volpe has ranked in the 65th percentile in sprint speed while posting an elite .357 OBP, giving him ample opportunities to showcase his speed. In 2025, Volpe posted a much lower .272 OBP, which limited his opportunities on the basepaths. The major driving force behind his higher on-base skills has been his surge in walk rate.
So far, Volpe has drawn walks at a high 16.1% rate, which is a nine-point drop from his 2025 mark. While this mark is unlikely to be suitable, even if it can remain in the double-digit mark, Volpe could push for a 25+ SB campaign.
The other interesting component of his profile is his rise in Pull AIR%. While he is not hitting the ball hard (32.4% hard-hit rate), he is generating an impressive 20.6% Pull AIR%, which is on pace to be the best of his career and right in line with the 19.9% Pull AIR% he posted as a rookie. During his debut season, Volpe hit a season-high 21 home runs.
While his playing time may remain inconsistent, he has started in six of his last seven games, a positive sign. Given his rise in on-base skills and improved pull rate, Volpe could flirt with a 20/25+ campaign.
Bryce Eldridge, 1B, San Francisco Giants
10% rostered
The other former top prospect we are spotlighting is Bryce Eldridge of the Giants. Eldridge made his MLB debut late in the 2025 season but has since earned another call for his first "formal" taste of the majors.
Through 20 games this season (72 PAs), Eldridge has posted a .254/.333/.460 line with a .793 OPS. Eldridge has already gone deep twice and added another seven doubles. While he was playing time was scarce during the first few weeks of his promotion, Eldridge has begun to carve out a more prominent role in the offense, especially with Casey Schmitt moving to the outfield.
Since May 20, Eldridge has started in all but two games (out of 12 games), which is a great sign for his fantasy outlook. While Eldridge showed elite raw power at Triple-A, launching five home runs with a .963 OPS over 30 games, can he carry this production into a full-time role in the big leagues?
While the sample size is small, Eldridge is impacting the ball at an elite rate this season. So far, the former 16th overall pick from the 2023 MLB Draft has generated a .393 xwOBA, .300 xBA, .560 xSLG, and a 58.7% hard-hit rate, all of which would place him in the elite class of hitters if he logged enough at-bats.
He is also drawing walks at an 11.1% rate while striking out at 25.0%, which is slightly below average.
As we noted for Volpe, the most positive aspect of this limited sample in the majors has been his incredible Pull AIR%. While finding power production in San Francisco is not the easiest, he is pulling the ball at a remarkable 28.3% rate. While this will drop as he sees more at-bats, if this remains above 20.0% and pairs with his above-average hard-hit rates, Eldridge could put together a breakout season as he begins to see every day at-bats.
Bryce Eldridge hits his first Major League home run! pic.twitter.com/xJ99jBqjmm
— MLB (@MLB) May 10, 2026
Jake McCarthy, OF, Colorado Rockies
10% rostered
We took a look at Jake McCarthy in a previous edition of this column, but given his consistent track record of success and his current rostership mark, he is worth another look.
Since May 16 (his last 17 contests), McCarthy has posted an elite .309/.329/.471 line with three doubles, one home run, and three stolen bases. Overall, across 51 games in Colorado, McCarthy has looked very comfortable in his new home, carrying a .291/.337/.477 line with 10 doubles, four home runs, and 10 stolen bases.
This is a major improvement compared to the low .204/.247/.345 line he held across a similar 67-game stint with the Diamondbacks last summer, with only six stolen bases.
While McCarthy has never been known for his power upside, he is beginning to tap into that part of his game with his new club. So far, the outfielder has generated an elite 38.4% LA Sweet-Spot%, which is on pace to be the highest of his career by a wide margin. While his barrel rate and hard-hit rates remain very low, McCarthy is impacting the ball effectively to find success at the dish.
While his 13.6% Pull AIR% is still well below the average mark, it is on pace to be the highest of his career, which has allowed him to already go deep four times and remain on pace to enjoy his first double-digit home run season. Additionally, playing his home games at Coors Field will only help boost his home run upside.
In terms of batting average and speed, McCarthy has posted a .267 xBA, placing him in the 71st percentile, and remains one of the fastest players in the game, sitting in the 100th percentile in sprint speed. While this has always been his main calling card, seeing him maintain his above-average contact rates while tapping into more power is a great sign.
While he began the season in a platoon (on the strong side), since May 21, he has started three games against southpaws and even moved up to the leadoff spot against right-handed pitching.
His current play, and the fact that both Brenton Doyle and Mickey Moniak are on the shelf, should keep him locked into the everyday center field role for the foreseeable future. Even when both outfielders return, it will be hard to keep McCarthy's bat out of the lineup.
Those looking for a plus asset in batting average and speed, with the upside to chip in a high total of runs (12 in his last 17 games), should look to pick up McCarthy. If he maintains this pace, do not be surprised if he finishes the season with double-digit round-trippers.
Keibert Ruiz, C, Washington Nationals
20% rostered
As always, let's round out this column with our "budget" catcher of the week. While this position is quite thin, this week's option is still available in more than 80% of current Yahoo leagues.
The backstop showed promise at the beginning of his MLB career when he shipped to the Washington (originally a Dodger), but his productivity has since slowly declined. Since hitting 18 home runs with a .260 AVG during the 2023 season, Ruiz's fantasy value has been in slow decline over the past three seasons.
However, despite being in a timeshare in this role with Drew Millas, the switch-hitter is beginning to rediscover his swing. Through 39 games this season, Ruiz has held a .273/.291/.496 line with 12 doubles and five home runs. Over his last 13 games, he has been even more productive, carrying a .370/.375/.674 slash with five doubles and three of these home runs,
In relation to his 2025 marks, Ruiz has taken an impressive step forward. He currently holds a 42.% hard-hit rate with a 17.1 degree launch angle, both of which are massive improvements over his 2025 marks. As noted for many players in this column, finding that high home run ceiling is notable when looking at players' Pull AIR%.
Ruiz is no different, as he carries a ridiculous 37.3% rate in this statistic. While it is far from unsustainable, even though it sits above 25% for the season, Ruiz should return to his 2023-level of power. Those in need of a backstop should not be afraid to target Ruiz this weekend. Batting in one of the hottest lineups in the sport provides a nice boost to his counting stats as well.
Following his home run in the third inning, Keibert Ruiz ranks among Major League catchers since May 5:
⚾️Extra-base hits: 1st, 11
⚾️Home runs: T1st, 4 pic.twitter.com/b2nxt3GHgw— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) May 29, 2026
