Sneaky Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups, Buys: Week 11 - Hot Pitchers To Sustain Success?

June 9, 2026

Andy looks at four sneaky fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for starting pitchers in Week 11 (2026) on hot streaks, and sees if they can sustain their success.

Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of our weekly starting pitcher waiver wire column. With another week of MLB action behind us, it's time to do a deep dive on some of the hottest starting pitchers and determine if managers should pick them up off the waiver wire.

This week, we will look at a rising star in the Angels' rotation and a potential post-hype breakout in St. Louis, among others.

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Walbert Urena, Los Angeles Angels

22% Rostered (Yahoo)

Walbert Urena entered the regular season outside of the team's top-10 prospect ranking on MLB.com and didn't have much hype around him. He made his MLB debut on March 26 but was deployed out of the bullpen in his first two outings, which did not allow him to hold much fantasy value.

However, after two strong long relief showings, the Angels have opted to move him to the rotation, and he has not disappointed. Since moving into the starting rotation, the young right-hander has made nine starts (48 2/3 innings) and posted a 2.77 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP. During this stretch, Urena has struck out 46 hitters but has shown shaky command at times, walking 25.

He was near-perfect in May, logging 33 innings to the tune of a 1.64 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP, but has seen his ratios slightly climb after his first outing of June, when he allowed three runs and three walks to the Colorado Rockies. Overall, Urena has surpassed all expectations and is looking like a capable fantasy option for the remainder of the season.

Should managers view him as a priority target on the waiver wire?

Even though he has been in the majors for just over two months, Urena has already begun to adjust his pitch mix. As shown below, the right-hander has seen his sinker usage gradually climb in the early going while lowering his changeup through the opening week of June. His four-seamer and sweepers have remained his distant No. 3 and No. 4 pitches.

Overall, his changeup and sinker make hup 63% of his current pitch usage. His changeup has remained his most-used pitch and has been very effective, boasting a .212 xwOBA (.220 wOBA) with an elite 36.7% whiff rate and 26.7% put-away rate. The .145 BA on the surface is nearly identical to the .146 xBA under the hood, suggesting that it will not only remain this effective, but won't face any type of regression.

His sinker, on the other hand, could use some work as it holds a high .388 xwOBA. However, on the raw score, it has given up slightly more hard contact, as shown in the .442 wOBA. Despite this, it continues to generate whiffs at a solid 20.8% whiff rate, which should keep his strikeout totals high.

While he only throws it 22.1% of the time, his four-seamer has gotten the job done, carrying a .240 xwOBA with a 23.6% whiff rate. If he can begin to mix this pitch more often with his sinker, he could develop a strong 1-2 punch in terms of fastballs. His other whiff option, his sweeper, has only been thrown 14.2% of the time but has flashed high upside, generating a 30.8% whiff rate.

Overall, Urena sits with a 3.30 xERA (73rd percentile) and an elite .204 xBA (85th percentile). The 22-year-old is generating groundballs at a high 52.1% rate and generating whiffs at a 28.6% rate, which suggests his modest 22.0% K% should continue to climb. His walk rate (12.8%) remains his lone concern, but given that he continues to limit hard contact, his ERA should remain low.

He is the top waiver wire target among the names in this column.

Dustin May, St. Louis Cardinals

20% Rostered

Dustin May often batted injured with the Dodgers, but when on the bump, he was very effective. From 2020 through 2021, May posted a 2.62 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP. However, in 2023 (missed all of the 2024 season), May would fall short of the 50-inning mark in each season and eventually move to the Red Sox in the 2025 season.

Last summer, May would log a career-high 132 1/3 innings (split with the Dodgers and Red Sox) and posted a rough 4.96 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. As a result, joining the re-tooling Cardinals did not put him in a favorable fantasy environment, let alone guarantee him a spot in the starting rotation.

However, after allowing 13 runs over his first two games, the right-hander has begun to gradually turn back the clock. Since April 10 (last 59 1/3 innings), May has posted a 3.19 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP. His most impressive showing has been in his last two starts, where May has posted back-to-back nine punchout efforts while allowing just four runs over 12 2/3 innings.

As shown in his pitch visual below, May has seen his sweeper gradually increase its usage while his four-seamer has remained his No. 2 option. The pitch to note, however, is that his cutter was his No. 1 option in May but was not thrown much in his first outing in June when he racked up nine strikeouts against the Texas Rangers.

May should look to continue increasing his sweeper usage as it has been one of his most reliable options this season. His swing has generated a high 34.8% whiff rate while holding a .256 xwOBA. All three of his fastballs (four-seamer, cutter, and sinker) are not the most dominant, but his cutter appears to be the most consistent, holding a .290 xwOBA (the lowest of three) and generating a solid 21.3% whiff rate.

As expected, May's 3.76 xERA places him just above the average marks, but suggests his recent surge is not fully sustainable. However, his impressive 6.8% walk rate should keep his WHIP low, even if he begins to allow more hard contact, as evidenced by his high 49.0% hard-hit rate. May has shown steady improvements with the Cardinals, and increased usage of his sweeper could make him a reliable option for punchouts even if his ratios take a step back.

Brandon Young, Baltimore Orioles

10% Rostered

The 27-year-old made his MLB debut last summer but did not enjoy much success, logging a hefty 6.24 ERA with a 1.54 WHIP across 57 1/3 innings of work. This season, Young began the campaign bouncing between Triple-A Norfolk and the majors but has since found a role in the rotation.

Since posting a 4.30 ERA over his first 14 2/3 innings of work, Young has held a 3.12 ERA with a 1.24 WHIP since the start of May. Over his last 23 1/3 innings, Young has been even sharper, carrying a 2.70 ERA. Can managers trust this recent surge in production?

As shown in the visual below, Young leans heavily on his four-seamer, as he threw it 45% of the time in May and mixed it with a handful of secondaries under 20.0% of the time, including his split-finger, curveball, sinker, and slider.

His four-seamer led the way in May, carrying a .254 xwOBA (.190 wOBA) with a strong 24.8% whiff rate. While neither of his secondaries was overly productive last month, his slider was deployed just 9.1% of the time; it flashed elite whiff potential, posting a 57.1% whiff rate. As shown in the visuals above, the Young turned to this pitch often in his first outing in June, suggesting that his strikeout totals may continue to climb.

Overall, Young sits with a 4.50 xERA and a .259 xBA, both of which are below average and suggest his production in May is not sustainable. While Young has a strong primary option in his four-seamer and a potential high whiff option in his emerging slider, the other pitches in his pitch mix have not shown enough consistency and will likely suffer from regression in the coming weeks.

Managers looking to ride the hot hand should consider picking up Young, but should expect him to take a step back in the near future.

Luinder Avila, Kansas City Royals

5% Rostered

The final player we will spotlight is someone to monitor in deep leagues. Luinder Avila made his MLB debut last summer and appeared in 13 games out of the Royals bullpen and showed promise, posting a 1.29 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP. During this short 14-inning stint, Avila struck out 16 hitters.

He spent the opening month of the season bouncing between the majors and Triple-A, like Young, but has since found a role in the starting rotation. Since June 1, both of Avila's recent outings have come out of the starting rotation, and he has tossed five innings in each game, matching season highs.

Over these two starts, Avila has allowed just four hits, with two earned runs. However, he has posted a modest 8:7 K:BB, which has limited his upside despite his ability to limit hits and runs.

Overall, through 31 1/3 innings of work (with most of it being in the bullpen), the 24-year-old has posted a 4.02 ERA with a 1.60 WHIP.

Since the rotation (June 1), Avila has not over-modified his pitch mix but has been working to incorporate more of his secondaries, which is worth a closer look. As shown in the visual below, since the start of June, Avila has seen his curveball and changeup usage increase, while his sinker and slider usage have slightly decreased.

In June, his slider still led his pitch mix and remained very effective, posting a .162 wOBA (.231 xwOBA) with a dominant 43.8% whiff rate. His four-seamer experienced some growing pains on the surface with increased usage, generating a .429 wOBA, but managers should not be overly concerned, as it is posting a much lower .262 wOBA under the hood, suggesting it should see far more positive results in the coming weeks.

His No. 3 option, his sinker, has held its own in June, carrying a .175 wOBA but should take a slight step back, as evidenced by the .261 xwOBA lingering in his profile.

Neither his changeup nor his curveball made much progress in June, but in prior months, his changeup was very effective in a limited role. Entering Monday's slate, Avila's changeup holds an overall 37.5% whiff rate with a .224 xwOBA.

While his overall 4.29 xERA does not suggest much confidence in his profile, Avila's pitch mix has shown promise since moving to the starting rotation. Even while operating a reliever, Avila has continued to limit hard contact, posting a 31% hard-hit rate (91st percentile) and generating a high-end 49.4% ground-ball rate (80th percentile).

The lone major concern of his profile, like Urena's, is his command. Currently, Avila ranks in the eighth percentile in walk rate (14.2%), which will keep his WHIP high.

The sample size is small, but managers in deeper leagues should keep a close eye on Avila, as his profile has continued to show solid potential even after moving into a much larger role.

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