7 Must-Add Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 23 Fantasy Baseball (2026)

August 29, 2026

Kevin breaks down his must-add fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 23 of the 2026 MLB season. Add these players now off the waiver wire and win more.

Hello, RotoBallers! I'm here with another edition of our 7 Must-Adds ahead of Week 23 of the fantasy baseball season. I'll be taking over throughout the rest of the year, and I'm looking forward to helping you find some gems on the waiver wire to help with your playoff push.

This week, I'm looking at some hitters that seem to be flying under the radar, including one of "my guys" that I've written about a couple of times this season already. For pitching, I've got three starters that I think could help round out your rotation. Be sure to follow RotoBaller MLB on X for all of our league-winning content and me, @_Kevlar23_. As always, the names in the piece are available in over 70% of all Yahoo leagues.

Additionally, be sure to use discount code KEVLAR for 50% off any Premium Packages and to gain access to our Team Sync platform, featuring customized lineup tools, projections, and more tailored to your league settings. Let's dive in!

2026 Fantasy Baseball Week 23 Waiver Wire Adds

Mickey Gasper, C, Boston Red Sox

12% rostered

Nearly a top-10 fantasy producer over the last couple weeks, Gasper has been a really solid hitter for the Red Sox. He's only had 33 PA for Boston in August, but that's amounted to a 346 wRC+ with five homers, six runs, and 12 RBI. Sure, we can't expect that type of production all the time, but what a stat line.

The Mick Man!

Mickey Gasper mashes a solo home run 💪 pic.twitter.com/DUqcWzzECv

— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2026

Part of this is because he's producing a high barrel rate. At 26.1%, it's hard not to get the type of results he's getting. But should we be worried that he's going to fall off after he levels off? I'm not sure about that quite yet.

At Triple-A Worcester this year, he posted a 164 wRC+ with just a 6.9% barrel rate. He's done well in the minors before, but it does feel like he's starting to turn a corner. At just 12% rostered, and with more opportunities coming to him as a DH, the switch-hitter makes for a solid addition as we head into the playoffs.

Connor Norby, 1B/2B/3B, Colorado Rockies

12% rostered

Norby recently said of his new home in Colorado that, "I just want to be me, and they want me to be me." That sounds like a perfect encapsulation of the idea of just needing a change of scenery to get back to things. Norby has done just that with the Rockies, posting a 150 wRC+ to go along with nine runs and nine RBI.

His strikeout rate is still around the 30% mark, but he's walking at a nearly 15% clip. The barrel rate is still below what we want to see, but his hard-hit rate is up to 46.7%. That's going to help you rack up the hits, especially in a place like Coors Field.

Rockies players always fly a bit under the radar, but with Norby's hot streak and versatility in the infield, he makes for an easy addition to help stabilize your roster.

Heriberto Hernandez, OF, Miami Marlins

10% rostered

I'm a bit shocked to see Hernandez rostered in just 10% of leagues. Sure, he hasn't been as hot in the second half as the first, but there are signs that he's starting to turn it back around.

Heriberto Hernández ties it with his 20th home run 🐟 pic.twitter.com/YgptCO7W1k

— MLB (@MLB) August 26, 2026

The big indicator here to me is xwOBA. He's hitting for a .331 wOBA in August that's paired with a .350 xwOBA. That's positive regression we're expecting. And if you've read my Breakouts vs Fake Outs articles this season, you know I love me some positive regression.

Over the last 14 days, he's up to a .405 wOBA to go with a .403 xwOBA. That's the positive regression we're expecting and what you need on your roster. Capitalize on the hot streak. Available in 90% of leagues? Blasphemy.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 1B/3B, Baltimore Orioles

11% rostered

It's a little feast or famine with Encarnacion-Strand at times, but we're in the middle of a feast here. CES, coming into Friday night's action against the A's, has three straight multi-hit games with one of those being a four-hit performance. Two of those games also feature multiple RBI. He's straight up cooking.

He's been taking advantage of his time up in the big leagues as Blaze Alexander continues to rehab a hand injury. That needs to be considered for Encarnacion-Strand's future value, but in the meantime he's doing enough to have that quick return type of intrigue for fantasy managers that need production quickly.

With a 50.0% hard-hit rate and a 12.5% barrel rate over the last 14 days, there's enough to keep him productive once negative regression starts to hit (.370 wOBA, .324 xwOBA over L14 days). If you need a quick hit, CES may be just what you're looking for.

Hayden Wesneski, SP, Houston Astros

18% rostered

Wesneski may not be a name that's easy to get excited about, but when it comes to finding fantasy gems, we need to dig deep. And honestly, the 28-year-old has been fairly solid in his six starts for Houston this year.

He's posted a 4-1 record to go along with a 3.86 ERA. Those are pretty solid numbers to post after returning from Tommy John surgery. It also helps that he's got the Astros' offense behind him, helping to make securing those wins a bit easier.

If there's a worry, it's with his strikeouts and walks. He's got a 21.1% strikeout rate to go with a 9.0% walk rate. With those numbers not being spectacular, it brings his xFIP up to 4.23 on the season. That's a little negative regression it's predicting, but it's not a terrible amount after just six starts.

At 18% rostered, he deserves to be on more rosters. If he can find a way to limit those walks, then he'll go deeper in games and rack up more fantasy points for you. No drastic moves need to be made to acquire him, but he's worth a shot if you can make it work.

Grayson Rodriguez, SP, Los Angeles Angels

11% rostered

I wrote about Rodriguez in my FAAB piece last week when he was just 6% rostered. He's nearly doubled here at 11%, but that's still well below the 25% mark we look for. Maybe it's because he's on the Angels, but he's been working on turning things around, and the results are showing.

(8/26) Grayson Rodriguez | 6.00 SPRhttps://t.co/kuTJ5fXb1x#mlb #angels #startingpitcherrating pic.twitter.com/VdBhYWKGoC

— Starting Pitcher Rating (@SPitcherRating) August 27, 2026

His appeal had been from a strikeout perspective, but lately he's been finding ways to succeed outside of just strikeouts. If you focus on just his last six starts, he's posted a 3.03 ERA. Hitters are only barreling at a 6.9% rate with just a 31.0% hard-hit rate.

Limiting hitters to that type of contact is something he didn't even do in his Baltimore days. He's turning the corner and is getting overlooked. If you need starting pitching help, Rodriguez could be a perfect addition to your roster's rotation.

Chris Bassitt, SP, Baltimore Orioles

8% rostered

I've been a Bassitt fan going back to his days in Oakland. And while he's not the same pitcher he's been in the past, he's still very much worth a spot on your roster. The 37-year-old has returned from a back injury and has strung together three solid starts in his return.

In those three starts, he's posted a 3.06 ERA. The strikeouts aren't overwhelming, but he's getting solid results by limiting hard contact and not allowing a ton of flyballs.

He's also been doing solid from an innings perspective. In two of these starts, he's gotten into the sixth inning, and in his most recent start he got into the seventh. Though strikeouts are not his forte at this point in his career, he's been crafty enough in his career to figure out ways to get outs effectively still.

At 8% rostered, he's very much worth a shot on your roster. As with Wesneski, you aren't going to make any desperate moves to get him added. But if you're looking for help at starting pitcher, Bassitt's going to be a solid option for you.

Other Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Targets

• Rafael Flores Jr., PIT
• Jeff McNeil, ATH
• Henry Bolte, ATH
• Walker Jenkins, MIN
• George Klassen, LAA
• Ben Joyce, LAA
• Jordan Romano, COL
• Nick Sogard, BOS
• Spencer Jones, NYY
• Abimelec Ortiz, WAS

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