Mid-Week Waiver Wire Rankings: Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 16

July 16, 2026

Mid-week fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 16 (2026). Free-agent hitters and pitchers to add include Christian Scott, Clayton Beeter, Kade Anderson, Garrett Mitchell, and Lane Thomas.

The MLB All-Star Game is officially in the books, and the second half of the season kicks off for Thursday night baseball.  At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with more waiver wire advice in our mid-week fantasy baseball waiver rankings for Week 16—July 13 through July 19 — to help navigate the waiver wire in leagues that allow daily moves. Our waiver wire list features the top 100 hitters and pitchers to target, including A.J. Ewing, Kyle Karros, Josh Bell, Mason Montgomery, Henry Bolte, and Lane Thomas.

With it being the All-Star break, no prospects were called up midweek, but there are injuries to monitor. Rays star third baseman Junio Caminero was removed from the MLB All-Star Game after getting hit on the hand by a pitch from Cardinals right-hander Riley O'Brien. X-rays on Caminero's hand came back negative, and he is day-to-day. Dodgers reliever Edwin Diaz could be returning soon. Diaz pitched a clean inning of work in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League on Tuesday as he works his way back from elbow surgery.

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 early-week rankings list should help you keep track of players emerging in the middle of the week before we reach Sunday. 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 Clayton Beeter, Christian Scott, Kade Anderson, Lane Thomas, Garrett Mitchell, and more. Read some of the waiver wire outlooks below:

Clayton Beeter, Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Clayton Beeter leads his team with seven saves on the season, and he seems to have the job as primary closer under control going into the All-Star break. He did blow a save and take a loss on Saturday, though, allowing two home runs and three hits without recording an out against the Yankees.

He entered the game with a one-run lead with one out in the eighth inning and allowed homers to Trent Grisham and Paul Goldschmidt. Before that outing, he had not allowed a hit in five straight appearances, earning a win, a save, and two holds over that stretch. Manager Drew Butera has been very unpredictable in his bullpen usage this season, although he doesn't have many great options to choose from.

Beeter is probably the best option in the bullpen, but the situation has been very unpredictable all season. He's one of the best widely available closer options for saves, but he has been a wild ride for fantasy managers all season. Unless the Nats bring in a closer at the Trade Deadline, he'll remain in a high-leverage role with boom-or-bust upside. If you're desperate for saves, he's worth a look, but be ready for some major volatility.

Christian Scott, New York Mets

New York Mets right-hander Christian Scott hasn't provided much length as a starting pitcher in his 12 starts for the Mets through the first half of the season, but other than that, he's looked strong in 2026 in his return from Tommy John surgery. Scott hasn't gone six innings in any of his starts this year, but he's gone 2-1 with a 3.17 ERA (4.10 FIP) and 1.29 WHIP with 65 strikeouts and 26 walks in 54 innings in his second year in the big leagues.

The 27-year-old former fifth-round selection from the University of Florida in 2021 has improved his strikeout rate from 19.8% in his rookie year in 2024 to 27.9% this year, but his 11.2% walk rate isn't ideal. It's also not that big of a surprise for a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery.

If Scott can improve his control and command while inevitably increasing his workload, he could quickly become a must-roster starting pitcher in fantasy. Managers in deeper leagues may want to get a head start during the All-Star break after Scott threw five shutout innings with five strikeouts in his final start before the break on July 8 against the Kansas City Royals. He's rostered in only 16% of Yahoo leagues currently.

Kade Anderson, Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Kade Anderson capped off a spectacular first half of 2026 with a one-inning start in the All-Star Futures Game, facing four batters in the contest with his only blemish coming via a base hit yielded to MLB's No. 1 overall prospect, Jesus Made.

The left-hander earned the start for the AL after posting a 1.36 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, and an elite 37.5 percent K-BB% in 72 2/3 innings pitched, all ranking best in the minors among pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched. The former third-overall draft pick looks poised to see some time at Triple-A in the second half and should have a good shot at making his major league debut later in the year.

Given his workload, his 108 strikeouts equate to a fantasy-friendly 13.38 K/9, and although his debut is not imminent, the 22-year-old's stuff warrants stash consideration in all leagues with an NA spot for managers looking for pitching help.

Garrett Mitchell, Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell is a trendy waiver-wire pickup this week thanks to a strong finish to his first half. In 13 games so far in July, he's gone 18-for-47 (.383) with two home runs, six doubles, a triple, six RBI, and eight runs scored to boost his season slash line to .274/.362/.459 with an .822 OPS in 310 plate appearances.

The 27-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder has hit eight home runs, driven in 44 runs, scored 42 runs, and stolen six bases across 86 games in his fifth year in the big leagues through the first half in 2026. At the very least, fantasy managers looking for outfield upgrades should look Mitchell's way to begin the second half in hopes that he can continue his hot streak for the rest of the month.

The oft-injured former first-rounder out of UCLA currently ranks in the 91st percentile in hard-hit rate and 89th percentile in barrel rate, but he also sits way at the bottom with a second percentile strikeout rate (32.9%) despite the fact that he's in the 90th percentile in chase rate. Strikeouts will continue to be a problem, but if Mitchell can stay healthy, he should be of use for power and speed the rest of the way. Mitchell is rostered in only 22% of Yahoo leagues.

Lane Thomas, Kansas City Royals

Kansas City Royals outfielder Lane Thomas got off to a very slow start to the 2026 season, hitting .208 with one home run across his first 125 plate appearances. However, the 30-year-old has begun to turn it on in the summer months, hitting .254 with six home runs across 144 plate appearances since the calendar flipped to June.

Thomas owns a strong 12.4% walk rate for the season, which gives him a safe on-base floor and helps keep his bat in the lineup. With Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel (foot) currently on the injured list due to plantar fasciitis, Thomas has emerged as the everyday center fielder in Kansas City. As long as he continues to see regular playing time, Thomas profiles as a useful compiler with some power/speed upside for fantasy managers to target on the waiver wire.

First Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Second Base Waiver Wire Rankings

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Third Base Waiver Wire Rankings

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Shortstop Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Outfield Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Catcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Relief Pitcher/Closer Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

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, including A.J. Ewing, Christian Scott, Kade Anderson, Garrett Mitchell, Lane Thomas, Walbert Urena, Gage Jump, Cole Carrigg, Kyle Karros, Jake Burger, Mason Montgomery, Alex Lange, Henry Bolte, Luis Lara, Garrett Whitlock, Erik Miller, JJ Bleday, Robert Gasser, Jake Mangum, and Clayton Beeter. 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 A.J. Ewing, Christian Scott, Kade Anderson, Garrett Mitchell, Lane Thomas, Walbert Urena, Gage Jump, Cole Carrigg, Kyle Karros, Jake Burger, Mason Montgomery, Alex Lange, Henry Bolte, Luis Lara, Garrett Whitlock, Erik Miller, JJ Bleday, Robert Gasser, Jake Mangum, and Clayton Beeter: