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Nick Mariano's fantasy baseball waiver wire targets for Week 12. Free-agent hitter pickups, emerging starting pitchers, and bullpen arms for every week of the 2026 MLB season.
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Let's dig into some spicy summertime waiver adds! I know that football is building up, basketball and hockey are crowning new champions, and the World Cup has the spotlight, but that makes this the perfect time to strike while your opponents are distracted. Put some distance between you and the competition by keeping that foot on the gas pedal.
As is tradition, we're united in this column by looking for some strong options in fantasy free agency. In the end, you must decide which of them will best fit your team's puzzle. But allow me to do my best at breaking down how the pieces look in my waiver wire targets for Week 12.
We'll use Yahoo rostered rates up to 40%, listing players in an approximate priority order (check our full waiver article for up to 70% rostered!). Please note that most statistics are gathered before Saturday's games, though I'll catch key news and happenings as I write. You can find me on X (@NMariano53) to ask me anything else on your mind.
Nick's Hitter Waiver Wire Targets
Catcher: Alejandro Kirk (28% rostered), Francisco Alvarez (18%), Dalton Rushing (27%), Kyle Teel (8%), Carter Jensen (39%), Logan O'Hoppe (4%), J.T. Realmuto (17%), Endy Rodriguez (1%), Jonah Heim (1%)
Kirk went 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI as the cleanup hitter in his return to play on Friday. He then rested for Saturday’s day game, with Brandon Valenzuela’s strong play making it simple for Toronto to ease Kirk back in. His penchant for contact and batting in the heart of the order makes him a key add.
Rushing is in line for nearly everyday play with Will Smith on the IL due to a neck injury. He went 4-for-4 with his eighth homer of the season last Sunday, his first longball since April 20, and could command a hefty bid for weekly FAAB runs.
Alvarez has hit safely in all three games played since his return from a knee injury, including his fifth HR. He’s been disappointing, as the swing changes that unleashed fury in the second half of ‘25 don’t seem to have materialized. But he’s a top-five C when hot.
Jansen remains the typical leadoff hitter for Kansas City and is on a modest five-game hit streak, but we’re still hoping to see far more from his discipline and power. O’Hoppe is 6-for-11 with a homer over his last four games, but is hitting just .220 over 46 games. Realmuto is ice cold, but remains a clear starter with volume. You can try to play the hot hand with Heim, but the A’s will now leave Vegas’ land of magical homers.
Teel could be back within two weeks and is close to starting his second rehab assignment of the year. Crooks and E. Rodriguez remain intriguing young bats, but I understand that it’s difficult to sit on development curves at C by mid-June.
