Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 21 (Hitters and Pitchers)

August 16, 2026

Updated fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 21 of the 2026 MLB season. These are free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

Welcome to Week 21 of the 2026 MLB season. MLB rosters will be expanding soon, as we are only a few weeks away from the start of September. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with more waiver wire advice with our updated fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 21 (August 17 - August 23) of the 2026 MLB season. 

On Saturday, the Cardinals promoted top outfield prospect Joshua Baez from Triple-A Memphis. Baez went 3-for-4 with three home runs and five RBI in his MLB debut. The 23-year-old made MLB history by homering in his first three big league at-bats. We also saw the Blue Jays recall left-hand pitching prospect Ricky Tiedemann from Triple-A Buffalo. For injuries to monitor, Phillies infielder Trea Turner exits Saturday's game vs. the Twins after fouling a pitch off his knee. Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb was pulled from Saturday's game against the Rockies after just 80 pitches due to back/shoulder tightness.

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 Joshua Baez, Max Clark, George Lombard Jr., Zac Veen, Kaelen Culpepper, Cole Young, Jake Mangum, Clay Holmes, 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 Joshua Baez, Jordan Romano, Hogan Harris, . We recap why these players rostered under 70% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar:

Joshua Baez, St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Joshua Baez made history during his big league debut against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Baez did something no other MLB player has done before, which is to homer in his first three plate appearances. He took the first pitch he saw as a big leaguer deep to center field for a solo homer off Matthew Boyd.

He continued his success off Boyd with another long ball in the fourth inning. Baez came up for his third plate appearance in the sixth inning and blasted a ball over the right field wall. Overall, Baez went 3-for-4 with three homers and five RBI in his debut. The power and speed potential make Baez worth snagging in all fantasy formats right now after his incredible MLB debut.

Jordan Romano, Rockies

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jordan Romano has 12 saves this season, including eight since the Rockies selected his contract on July 4. He converted his latest chance Wednesday against Arizona, working around a two-out walk in a scoreless ninth to finish a 6-4 win. Romano has gone eight-for-nine in save opportunities with Colorado and owns a 3.09 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings for the club.

The walks are still something fantasy managers have to live with. Romano has issued seven of them during his Rockies stint, contributing to a 1.54 WHIP, but Colorado keeps handing him the ninth. RotoBaller currently lists the bullpen as solid with Romano on top, and he sits 25th in its Week 21 closer rankings.

Even so, Yahoo has him rostered in just 12% of leagues. Romano fits best as an add in 15-team formats, especially for managers who need another steady path to saves.

Hogan Harris, Athletics

Athletics relief pitcher Hogan Harris worked a scoreless ninth Friday, August 14, to finish an 8-3 win over the Texas Rangers. It wasn't a save situation, but the usage keeps him at the front of a bullpen that has bounced around much of the season. Harris has 11 saves, including back-to-back conversions in Boston on August 8 and 9, and RotoBaller currently lists him as the Athletics' closer. There are rough edges.

Harris has walked 34 batters in 53 innings and carries a 1.55 WHIP, but he's also struck out 70 with a 3.57 ERA. That's enough swing-and-miss to keep him useful while he gets the bulk of the ninth-inning work. Harris is rostered in only 13% of Yahoo leagues, even though RotoBaller ranks him 23rd among closers for Week 21. He's best suited for 15-team leagues, but anyone digging for saves should know the job is leaning his way.

Charlie Condon, Colorado Rockies

Colorado Rockies first base/outfield prospect Charlie Condon will have to wait longer for his MLB debut after the Rockies chose to promote his Triple-A Albuquerque teammate Zac Veen. But Condon is no less worthy of a promotion after a dominant season at Albuquerque with 22 homers and 73 RBI with 85 runs scored while hitting .276.

Condon is ranked No. 3 overall in the Rockies system and is graded out with a 55-grade hit tool and 55-grade power. The 23-year-old is a former No. 3 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Georgia and looks very much ready to take on major-league pitching. Condon could soon join Veen on the Rockies' big-league roster. He is still a must-stash and could be a difference-maker down the stretch for fantasy managers in redraft leagues

Kade Anderson, Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Kade Anderson has a lights-out resume this season at Double-A Arkansas, and it turns out that with Bryce Miller struggling in Seattle, he now has a clearer path to a spot in the big-league rotation. Anderson is 10-1 at Arkansas with a 1.13 ERA and 0.65 WHIP with 128 strikeouts in 87 2/3 innings pitched.

The video-game-like numbers are impressive, and at age 22, Anderson has done everything in his power to prove he is major-league ready. The only question mark is the fact that he has yet to pitch at Triple-A and prove himself at the last stop before the MLB.

However, the Mariners' top prospect looks more and more ready each time he pitches, and in his last outing he gave up three hits and no walks in 5 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts on the way to a win. Now is the time to stash Anderson in redraft leagues, as his time looks like it's coming soon.

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 21 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:

• Andy Smith's waiver wire pickups (Premium)
• The Cut List: Time to let go? Who to consider dropping
• Hitter Streamer- Fantasy Baseball Hitter Pickups
• RotoBaller Staff Roundtable Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 21
• FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 21
• Starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 21
• 7 Must-Add waiver wire pickups for Week 21

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 Joshua Baez, Max Clark, George Lombard Jr., Kaelen Cukpepper, Hogan Harris, Jordan Romano, Kade Anderson, Charlie Condon, Angel Genao, Zach Thornton, Mickey Moniak, Zac Veen, Jackson Jobe, Kyle Leahy, Dominic Canzone, Jake Mangum, Zack Gelof, Cole Carrigg, Cole Young, Grant Thornton, and Quinn Mathews. 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 :