Mid-Week Waiver Wire Rankings: Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 23

September 2, 2026

Mid-week fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 23 (2026). Free-agent hitters and pitchers to add include Mason Montgomery, Yohandry Morales, Lazaro Montes, Walker Jenkins, Ethan Salas, and Luis Robert Jr.

September is officially here! We have a month left in the MLB season and a short window to bolster your rosters to secure those fantasy baseball championships. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with another edition of our WW rankings series with our mid-week fantasy baseball waiver rankings for Week 23—August 31 through September 6—in leagues that allow daily moves. Our waiver wire list prioritizes who to add and ranks the top overall free agents to consider adding to your fantasy teams.

MLB rosters expanded, and a few prospects got promoted. The Orioles call up former No. 2 overall pick Heston Kjerstad from Triple-A Norfolk, while the Nationals promoted first baseman Yohandy Morales from Triple-A Rochester. We also saw the White Sox call up right-hander Tanner McDougal from Triple-A Charlotte. On the injury front, Diamondbacks star outfielder Corbin Carroll is dealing with back discomfort and is day-to-day. Athletics third baseman Tommy White was removed from Tuesday's contest against the Rangers with lower-back soreness.

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  and more. Read some of the waiver wire outlooks below:

Yohandry Morales, Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals called up corner-infield prospect Yohandy Morales from Triple-A Rochester with rosters expanding on Tuesday, Sept. 1, sources told Francys Romero. The 24-year-old former second-round pick in 2023 from the University of Miami gets his first call to the big leagues after hitting .286/.363/.519 with an .881 OPS, 25 home runs, 76 RBI, 82 runs scored, and six stolen bases in 104 games across 455 plate appearances for Rochester this year.

Morales is not listed among the team's top-30 prospects at MLB Pipeline, but his strong season could not be ignored with rosters expanding for the final month of the season in September. He has experience at first and third base, and the Nats could also use him as a designated hitter, giving him multiple avenues to playing time to close out the season. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues may want to give Morales a look off the waiver wire for power to see if he can continue his strong 2026 season at the major-league level.

Ethan Salas, San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are set to call up top catching prospect Ethan Salas from Triple-A El Paso when rosters expand on Tuesday, according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound 20-year-old backstop is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Padres' top prospect and the No. 23 overall prospect in all of baseball. At the catching position, he is ranked as the No. 4 prospect, behind Rainiel Rodriguez (Cardinals), Vahn Lackey (Twins), and Alfredo Duno (Reds). Salas, who hits from the left side, has turned heads in 24 games with El Paso in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, slashing .326/.410/.539 with a .949 OPS, three homers, 24 RBI, 13 runs scored, and three steals.

He began the year at Double-A San Antonio and hit .286 (74-for-259) with seven homers, 37 RBI, 14 steals, and 41 runs scored in 72 games for the Missions. There are still mixed reviews as to how high a ceiling Salas has offensively, and it is unclear how much he will play in San Diego, which already has catchers Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano on the major-league roster. Fantasy managers in redraft leagues should not be expecting fireworks from Salas in September.

Luis Robert Jr., Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are claiming outfielder Luis Robert Jr. off waivers from the New York Mets on Monday, multiple people familiar with the situation told Chelsea Janes of SNY. The Mets gave up quickly on Robert after bringing him in to be their center fielder last offseason. He has played in only 58 games in 2026 due to a lumbar spine disc herniation in his back, and he has unsurprisingly struggled to a .223/.303/.399 slash line with a .702 OPS, 10 home runs, 23 RBI, 24 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 218 plate appearances.

The Orioles will pay the remaining $5 million in salary that Robert is owed this year, and they will have a $20 million team option for 2027 that comes with a $2 million buyout. The buyout is more likely for the 29-year-old Cuban slugger unless he turns things around drastically in the final month of the regular season in Baltimore. Robert had 38 home runs, 80 RBI, and 20 stolen bases in 2023 with the Chicago White Sox, but that is the only season since debuting in 2020 in which he has capitalized on his power/speed potential. He is currently rostered in 43% of Yahoo leagues.

Lazaro Montes, Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners top outfield prospect Lazaro Montes is being called up to the majors, according to Francys Romero of Beisbol FR. The talented outfielder signed with the Mariners as an international free agent out of Cuba in 2022 and has quickly developed within the organization's farm system. Up until this point, Montes had split his 2026 season between Double-A and Triple-A. Through 43 games at the Triple-A level, he was slashing .267/.359/.564 with 13 home runs, an 11.6% walk rate, a 31.3% strikeout rate, and 125 wRC+.

Strikeouts are evidently a concern with the 21-year-old, but he makes up for it with incredible power, slugging 38 total homers in the minors this year. There's a strong chance that he could be in the lineup for his MLB debut tomorrow against the Boston Red Sox. Regardless of whether he plays on Monday, he should earn consistent playing time in the thick of the playoff race, as the Mariners are five games back in the AL West.

Walker Jenkins, Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins top outfield prospect Walker Jenkins made his major-league debut in the team's 7-4 loss on Friday night to the division-rival Chicago White Sox at Target Field and went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. The Twins are hoping that Jenkins, the No. 15 prospect in all of baseball, can give them the spark they need to sneak into a wild-card spot in the American League with veteran outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) potentially going back on the injured list for a third time this year.

The 21-year-old former fifth overall pick in 2023 will play regularly for the Twins down the stretch, even if Buxton can return, and his power/speed upside from the left side of the plate could be a difference-maker for fantasy managers chasing a championship. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder hit .308/.407/.532 with a .940 OPS, 12 home runs, 28 RBI, 17 stolen bases, and 51 runs scored in his 69 games played at Triple-A St. Paul before getting the call to the Show on Friday. The 21-year-old is slashing .188/.316/.438 with a home run, stolen base, and a .754 OPS over his first five big league games.

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

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Outfield Waiver Wire Rankings

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Catcher Waiver Wire Rankings

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Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Rankings

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Relief Pitcher/Closer Waiver Wire Rankings

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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 Mason Montgomery, Angel Genao, Walker Jenkins,  Jacob Lopez, Kaelen Culpepper, Jake Bennett, Ty France, Mickey Moniak, Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Mahle, Spencer Jones, Jeff McNeil, Henry Bolte, Lazaro Montes, Walker Jenkins, Ethan Salas, Luis Robert Jr., Cole Carrigg, Doninic Canzone, Brandon Pfaadt, Zebby Matthews, Jackson Jobe, Dylan Crews, Ben Joyce, Cam Smith, and Elvis Alvarado. 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 Mason Montgomery, Angel Genao, Walker Jenkins,  Jacob Lopez, Kaelen Culpepper, Jake Bennett, Ty France, Mickey Moniak, Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Mahle, Spencer Jones, Jeff McNeil, Henry Bolte, Lazaro Montes, Walker Jenkins, Ethan Salas, Luis Robert Jr., Cole Carrigg, Doninic Canzone, Brandon Pfaadt, Zebby Matthews, Jackson Jobe, Dylan Crews, Ben Joyce, Cam Smith, and Elvis Alvarado: