Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 20 (Hitters and Pitchers)

August 9, 2026

Updated fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 20 of the 2026 MLB season. These are free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

The first week of August is in the books as the 2026 MLB season continues to roll. With a month and a half left in the season, there is still time to secure a category or make a playoff push. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with more waiver advice to help strengthen your rosters with our fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 20 (August 10 - August 16) of the 2026 MLB season. 

Over the weekend, we saw the Twins call up top shortstop prospect Kaelen Culpepper from Triple-A St. Paul on Friday. Culpepper homered in his MLB debut and could provide a huge boost for fantasy managers after hitting 14 homers and stealing 17 bases over 74 games in Triple-A. On Saturday, the White Sox promoted pitching prospects Tanner McDougal and Hagen Smith. A key injury to monitor is Rays right-hander Griffin Jax, who was scratched from Saturday's start against the Mariners due to right elbow discomfort.

As always, we are here to help you prioritize which player to add using our waiver wire rankings article. This edition features players such as Max Clark, Kaelen Culpepper, George Lombard Jr., Angel Genao, Brandon Pfaadt, Grant Taylor, and more, who are listed in our initial waiver wire rankings. Read more to see where these players rank in our waiver wire rankings for the week ahead.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Rankings

Waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league - depending on the league size:

The roster percentage is from Yahoo! leagues.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top names include Kaelen Culpepper, Grant Taylor, Cooper Pratt, Gage Jump, and Angel Genao. We recap why these players rostered under 70% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar:

Kaelen Culpepper, Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins are promoting top infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper to the major leagues, according to Aaron Gleeman. Culpepper is currently viewed as the team's No. 2 prospect (behind only Walker Jenkins) and the overall No. 32 prospect in the sport on MLB.com. The budding infielder has battled injuries this season, but when on the field at Triple-A St. Paul, he has been nothing short of dominant.

Through 74 games at the top club in the system, the former 21st overall selection has posted a .271/.367/.478 line with a .845 OPS. He has gone deep 14 times, added 15 doubles, and even swiped 17 bags. During the 2025 season, Culpepper hit 20 home runs and stole 25 bags over a 113-game stint.

Managers should expect the infielder to see an everyday role at shortstop going forward. He is a priority target on the waiver wire in all formats given his elite five-category potential.

Gage Jump, Athletics

Athletics rookie left-hander Gage Jump showed his upside on the mound in Saturday's 7-3 win over the red-hot Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, allowing only two earned runs on six hits while walking two and striking out a career-high 11 hitters in six innings for his fifth win of the year. It was Jump's fifth quality start in his first 14 major-league starts for the A's.

The young southpaw has been up and down since the All-Star break, going six innings in two of his four starts and allowing 12 runs in 8 1/3 innings pitched in the other two appearances. Through his first 14 starts in the big leagues, Jump now sports a 4.46 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 84:33 K:BB in 72 2/3 innings pitched. Jump will have a middling matchup his next time out against the division-rival Texas Rangers, a team that he has yet to face so far in his first season in the majors.

Jump has a decent 25.3% strikeout rate and plenty of upside in that department, but unsurprisingly, his command has been spotty with a 10.8% walk rate going into his start in Boston on Saturday.

Cooper Pratt, Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt is giving fantasy managers two things that can be tough to find together on the wire: batting average and steals. The 21-year-old is hitting .272 with two home runs, 17 RBI, 20 runs, and 10 steals through 136 at-bats after scoring and driving in a run Thursday. Milwaukee has kept him in the lineup at shortstop, and there is enough speed here to matter without chasing empty at-bats. The power is a different story.

Pratt hit six homers in 58 Triple-A games before his promotion, and that part of his game is still developing. This is not a five-category breakout call. It is a useful middle infielder who can run and has held his own against big-league pitching. RotoBaller now has Pratt in the 12-team add tier, while he remains rostered in only 19% of Yahoo leagues

Grant Taylor, Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox reliever Grant Taylor has been one of the better strikeout arms on the wire all year, and the deadline made his saves path more interesting. He owns a 2.31 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 78 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings, with a 33.2% strikeout rate that sits in the 97th percentile. Seranthony Dominguez is gone, traded to Seattle, but Taylor still isn't being used like a one-inning closer.

He worked 1 2/3 scoreless innings on August 2 and two more on August 6, a reminder that Chicago will deploy him when the game needs him, not just in the ninth. That caps the save total, which sits at five, but it also makes the ratios and strikeouts useful even between chances. Taylor is rostered in 27% of Yahoo leagues, and RotoBaller still has him as a 12-team add. Managers chasing saves with strikeout help should be interested.

Angel Genao, Cleveland Guardians

Cleveland Guardians infielder Angel Genao has made an immediate impression, going 5-for-9 through his first two major-league games. The 22-year-old became the first player in franchise history to collect four hits in his MLB debut Wednesday, then added another hit Thursday. He earned the promotion after batting .300 with 13 home runs, 53 RBI, and 11 stolen bases across 96 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

There is more here than a two-game hot streak. MLB Pipeline ranks Genao 40th overall and gives him a 60-grade hit tool and 55-grade speed, while his ability to play shortstop, second base, and third gives Cleveland options for keeping him involved. Gabriel Arias was also designated for assignment when Genao arrived. Genao is rostered in only 16% of Yahoo leagues, making him one of the more intriguing high-upside bats still sitting on waiver wires.

First Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Second Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Third Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Outfield Waiver Wire Rankings

Catcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Closer/Reliever Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Week 20 Waiver Wire Roundup for Fantasy Baseball

In addition to these waiver wire rankings, we have also put together an assortment of fantasy baseball waiver wire articles. You can see the full roundup below to help prepare you for waiver wire runs:

• Joey Pollizze's waiver wire pickups (Premium)
• The Cut List: Time to let go? Who to consider dropping
• Hitter Streamer- Fantasy Baseball Hitter Pickups
• Eric Cross' Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 20
• FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 20
• Starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 20
• 7 Must-Add waiver wire pickups for Week 20

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 like Max Clark, George Lombard Jr., Grant Taylor, Gage Jump, Kaelen Culpepper, Angel Genao, Brandon Pfaadt, Christian Scott, Andruw Monasterio, Kyle Karros, Cooper Pratt, Jackson Jobe, Kyle Leahy, Jackson Holliday, Garrett Mitchell, Braden Montgomery, Jacob Webb, Joshua Baez, Josh Bell, Hogan Harris, 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 :