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Five hot fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, streamers, and sleepers for Week 16 (2026). Undervalued hitters outperforming their ownership percentage and should be more widely owned.
Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of our Bargain Basement Hitters for Week 16 of the fantasy baseball season. The All-Star break is finally behind us, and we will have real MLB action tonight!
As always, we will look at five hitters who are improving and are widely available across all Yahoo leagues and determine if they are worthy of a closer look on the waiver wire. Be sure to follow RotoBaller MLB on X for all of our league-winning content and me, @A_Smith_FS, for any questions!
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Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, 3B, Athletics
5% rostered (Yahoo)
Leading off this week's column will be an underrated prospect who earned the call shortly before the All-Star break. The Athletics called on their No. 9-ranked prospect (per MLB.com), Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, to add some depth to their infield with Zack Gelof on the injured list.
Through his first 12 contests in the majors, Kuroda-Grauer has been quite productive, posting an impressive .422/.435/.533 line with a sharp .968 OPS. During this stretch, Kuroda-Grauer has hit five doubles and only struck out five times. While he has yet to go deep, the infielder has shown enough upside to put him firmly on the fantasy radar.
Kuroda-Grauer began the 2026 season at Double-A but quickly moved up to Triple-A Las Vegas, paving the way for a late first-half call-up. With Double-A Midland (33 gams), Kuroda-Grauer posted a .285/.313/.500 line with 11 doubles, six home runs, and 11 stolen bases. He bumped up to the top club, where he continued to swing a hot bat.
At Las Vegas, Kuroda-Grauer carried a stellar .352/.405/.461 line with 12 doubles, one home run, four stolen bases, and a 14:16 K:BB. This dominant 42-game stint has pushed him up to the majors and shows no signs of slowing down.
While his sample size in the majors is not overly large, let's take a closer look to see whether Kuroda-Grauer can remain a worthy fantasy option down the stretch.
The most notable component of his Statcast profile is his expected batting average. Even though managers should not expect him to maintain a near .400 AVG going forward, he carries an elite .306 xBA under the hood, suggesting that will remain a strong point of his profile.
Additionally, his elite contact skills will continue to raise his floor in points leagues. He has posted only a low 14.4% whiff rate and a 10.9% K%, which would put him in the elite class of hitters.
However, while his batting-average production (and potential speed upside, given that he swiped 15 bags in 75 MiLB games this season) is strong, his lack of power significantly limits his floor. In the upper minors, he hit just seven home runs in this noted 75-game stretch and has not impacted the ball hard since moving up to the bigs.
The Rutgers product has generated a weak .373 xSLG, a 32.5% hard-hit rate, and a 0.0% barrel rate.
He will be a plus asset for average teams and could chip in double-digit steals, but those seeking power and RBI should look elsewhere on the waiver wire.
Tristan Peters, OF, Chicago White Sox
10% rostered
Chicago's Tristan Peters has quietly turned in a productive season on the South Side. While he has been overshadowed by Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, Munetaka Murakami, and others, the 26-year-old has been a solid No. 4/No. 5 outfielder in most formats.
However, what puts him in this column is his recent play, which has put him among the top 20 at the position over the past month of action. Through his first 72 games of the season, Peters has carried a solid .283/.350/.433 line with a .783 OPS, 15 doubles, three home runs, and four stolen bases.
Since June 21, Peters has been borderline elite, carrying a dominant .355/.369/.613 line with an eye-catching .982 OPS. During this stretch, Peters has hit five doubles, launched three home runs, and chipped in his fifth stolen base of the season.
Is this recent surge the start of a second-half breakout?
The 26-year-old appeared in just four MLB games last summer, so this has been his "true" debut season. Currently, his overall underlying metrics suggest he has been overperforming his stat sheet for the majority of the season.
Peters sits in the 34th percentile in xwOBA (.308), 65th percentile in xBA (.260), and 39th percentile in xSLG (.383), which suggests Peters could take a massive step back down the stretch.
However, given that much of his production has come over the last month, let's take a closer look at his expected monthly production and see if there are more positive indicators in his profile.
When looking at the visual below, managers can see that his xwOBA against fastballs has actually improved steadily over the campaign, but he is expected to take that step back against breaking balls and offspeed pitches.
Given that he sees fastballs 57.7% of the time, this is a positive sign. However, the metrics against the other pitch types should begin to creep into his box score.
While regression is expected, Peters should continue to see an everyday role in this lineup and produce a solid batting average with consistent counting stats (14 runs and 14 RBI over his last 19 games). However, do not look to spend a high tool of your FAAB budget, as his expected metrics should greatly lower his ceiling in the coming weeks.
Tyler Tolbert, SS/OF, Kansas City Royals
10% rostered
Tolbert appeared in 64 MLB games in his debut season last summer and posted a solid .280 AVG with a .321 OBP and .380 SLG. During this stretch, the utility man hit just one home run but flashed his elite speed, swiping 21 bags.
This season, Tolbert has split his time between Triple-A and the majors but has been quite impressive during his second stint in Kansas City. Through 34 total games with the Royals this season, Tolbert has carried a sharp .370/.407/.500 line with two home runs and 10 stolen bases.
However, shortly before the break, Tolbert posted back-to-back five-hit efforts that put him on the fantasy radar, especially in deeper leagues. While his playing time hasn't been overly consistent, can the second-year hitter find a permanent role down the stretch?
Under the hood, Tolbert carries a solid .271 xBA but, like Peters, has some concerning underlying marks in terms of his hard-hit rates. The right-handed bat has generated a low 4.4% barrel rate with a 31.1% hard-hit rate. Additionally, his low 69.2-mph average bat speed will lower his floor from a prospect's perspective.
The other factor about Tolbert that will likely prevent him from reaching must-start territory is his inconsistent playing time. Since the start of July, Tolbert has made only one start against right-handed pitching and has instead been kept on the short side of the platoon.
While his current production could force the team's hand, for now, he is best left for 12+ team daily lineup leagues. He is worth keeping on the bench to deploy against southpaws but is not worth viewing as a reliable weekly option, despite his recent play.
Jake Mangum, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
15% rostered
Pittsburgh's Jake Mangum has been a high-end source of batting average and speed this season, but remains on the waiver wire in nearly 80% of all Yahoo leagues. Across 76 contests this season, Mangum has posted a high-end .310/.364/.389 slash line with 190 doubles, two home runs, and an elite total of 18 stolen bases.
Mangum made his MLB debut last summer and showed similar speed, swiping 27 bags over 118 games with the Tampa Bay Rays. Despite this stable production, managers still have not seemed to "buy in" to the second-year breakout.
In fact, since June 1 (his last 35 games), Mangum has been one of the top outfielders in fantasy like Peters, posting a .344/.388/.448 line with 10 of these stolen bases.
Can Mangum sustain this pace into the second half?
While his overall .291 xwOBA, .260 xBA, and .332 xSLG do not instill much confidence, his recent surge suggests he has taken a massive step forward that these metrics do not yet reflect.
When looking at his per-month data, managers can see that he has made substantial progress against fastballs and breaking balls (his two most common pitch types) over the past month. However, his struggles against off-speed pitches remain a concern.
Additionally, even though his modest .260 xBA does not suggest he will be an elite source of batting average, under the hood, he has taken a notable step forward over the last month. As shown below, Mangum's xBA against fastballs has continued to rise each month (reaching a high in July), and his xBA against breaking balls bounced back in July after a drop from May through June.
While his overall Statcast profile may seem grim, managers should not be afraid to pick him up off the waiver wire for cheap. Seeing him make steady progress against Florida pitching is a very positive sign of his long-term batting average. If he continues to make quality contact, his stolen-base total will remain stable.
Henry Davis, C, Pittsburgh Pirates
1% rostered
Rounding out this week's column is another Pirate, Henry Davis. Davis is a former first overall pick from the 2021 MLB Draft and a once-highly regarded prospect, but has yet to enjoy much success in the majors.
Over his first three seasons in the majors (186 games), Davis has held a .181/.262/.294 slash line with 21 doubles, 15 home runs, and five stolen bases. This season, Davis holds an overall .166/.267/.344 line through 62 games but has been struggling to improve as of late, which has put him on this piece.
Over his last 16 games, the backstop has posted a .270 AVG with two doubles, three long balls, and a stolen base. With Endy Rodriguez on the injured list, Davis has begun to settle in as the "1A" on this depth chart.
While he will not be a reliable source of batting average (.199 xBA), Davis has generated an impressive 10.2% barrel rate and a 74.5 mph average bat speed, both of which are well above average.
The other component of his profile to note is his improvement in walk rate and strikeout rate. So far, Davis has held a solid 20.2% K rate (on pace for a career-best) and raised his walk rate to 9.6%, his highest since the 2024 season.
With a clear path to at-bats, emerging power, and an impending approach at the dish, Davis holds solid No. 2 catcher value for the foreseeable future in this Pittsburgh lineup.
