Eric Cross' Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Hitters and Pitchers (Week 24)

September 4, 2026

Eric Cross' top fantasy baseball waiver wire adds for Week 24 of 2026 (September 7 - September 13). His favorite free-agent hitters and pitchers under 40% rostered.

The calendar has flipped from August to September, which means we have just one month left in the MLB regular season and the fantasy baseball season as well. If you're still in the hunt in your roto/points league, or entering the playoffs of your H2H format, every single move you make right now takes on extra importance.

The players below are all under 40 percent rostered in Yahoo! leagues. Some of them might already be rostered in your leagues, but if they're available, I'd recommend considering them to see if they could be good fits for your fantasy teams.

Last week's waiver wire recommendations: Walker Jenkins (MIN), Tristan Peters (CHW), Connor Norby (COL), Kaelen Culpepper (MIN), Jacob Lopez (ATH), Grant Taylor (CHW)

Tommy Edman (2B/3B/OF - LAD)

26% Rostered on Yahoo

A fantasy baseball season wouldn't feel complete for me without writing a waiver wire article that included Tommy Edman. While he never seems to be drafted in many redraft leagues in the spring, Edman always has a few stretched each season, which makes him an attractive waiver wire target during the summer. And guess what? We're in one of those stretches right now.

Over his last 13 games, Edman has slashed .321/.410/.453 with four doubles, a home run, two steals, six RBI, and 11 runs scored. His metrics under the hood have remained remarkably consistent with previous seasons as well. Edman remains a slightly below-average power bat, but one who maximizes his power well with a 41.5% pull rate and 17.5% pull-air rate. On top of that, Edman is running an elite 91.9% zone contact rate with a 78.4% overall contact rate and a 20.2% strikeout rate.

Edman's ability to provide a little of everything while being eligible at three different positions can certainly provide some value to fantasy teams down the stretch.

Heriberto Hernandez (OF - MIA)

25% Rostered on Yahoo

It's not very often that you'll find a player who currently has 23 home runs and 10 steals sitting on the waiver wire in 75% of Yahoo leagues, but that's exactly what he have today with Miami outfielder, Heriberto Hernández. On top of the 23 homers and 10 steals, Hernández has added 61 RBI, 43 runs scored, and a .232/.316/.472 slash line in 408 plate appearances so far this season.

Heriberto Hernández hammers the first pitch of the game for a leadoff home run! pic.twitter.com/xU2MU4baTd

— MLB (@MLB) September 3, 2026

There's a lot to like under the hood with Hernández as well. He's stood out in the quality of contact department, currently sporting a 91.3 mph AVG EV, 47.4% hard-hit rate, 13.8% barrel rate, and a .486 xSLG. On top of that, Hernández ranks in the 77th percentile for bat speed and has a chase rate (24.7%) in the 80th percentile. He's also walking at a solid 10.3% clip.

With that said, Hernández does have some warts in the form of his 77.9% zone contact rate and 66.7% overall contact rate. But even if the batting average is never overly useful, Hernández's power and ability to provide a stolen base here and there can absolutely be useful to fantasy managers. Hernández has hit at least six home runs in three straight months, and has slashed .273/.396/.682 with five home runs over his last 12 games.

Hector Rodriguez (OF - CIN)

20% Rostered on Yahoo

After going 3/31 (.097) in his first 34 Major League plate appearances, Hector Rodriguez has really found his footing over the last two weeks. In his last 11 games, Rodriguez has cranked five home runs with a .341/.396/.727 slash line. He's driven in nine runs and scored 10 during this stretch while starting every day and hitting leadoff against right-handed pitchers. Hitting leadoff in front of Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart is a great spot for any hitter to be in.

While Rodriguez has always been more on the aggressive side, he's been able to make it work throughout his minor league career. In Triple-A this season before the call-up, Rodriguez was running an 84% zone contact rate and 75.8% overall contact rate, while posting an 89.1 mph AVG EV, 106.5 mph 90th percentile EV, 42.9% hard-hit rate, and a 10.1% barrel rate.

Rodriguez's blend of contact and raw power already makes him intriguing for fantasy, and even more so when you factor in his hitter-friendly home ballpark and the aforementioned favorable lineup spot against RHP. He's also a solid runner who can add a stolen base here and there.

Henry Bolte (OF - ATH)

12% Rostered on Yahoo

At the end of July, Henry Bolte was slashing an underwhelming .248/.331/.324 through his first 67 Major League games. However, since the calendar flipped over to August, Bolte has slashed .325/.393/.500 with five home runs, three steals, and 22 runs scored over his last 31 games. And in his last six games, Bolte has recorded multiple hits in four of them, while also picking up the first multi-homer game of his Major League career.

Henry Bolte tucks his second homer of the game just inside the foul pole! pic.twitter.com/4LIT2v6M5U

— MLB (@MLB) September 2, 2026

When you pop the hood on Bolte's profile, there are plenty of notable pros and cons. The pros are a 100th percentile sprint speed, 95th percentile bat speed, 91 mph AVG EV, and a 48.1% hard-hit rate, along with stellar defensive contributions. In fact, Bolte is just one of Bolte is just one of 11 hitters to have a hard-hit rate and sprint speed in the 80th percentile or better, and one of just four hitters to have a sprint speed and bat speed both in the 90th percentile or higher.

On the other side, Bolte has posted a below-average 79.7% zone and 66.5% overall contact rate, and has been limited in the home run department due to his lowly 36.9% air rate and 7.6% pull-air rate. But at least his contact rates have been trending in the right direction lately. There's too much upside to leave Bolte on the waiver wire with how he's been hitting over the last several weeks.

Andrew Painter (SP - PHI)

30% Rostered on Yahoo

While it was a rough start to his Major League career, Andrew Painter has looked like a brand-new pitcher since returning to the Phillies rotation. In his last seven starts, Painter has posted a 3.12 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 8.3% walk rate, and a 24.2% strikeout rate. This comes after Painter recorded a frustrating 7.06 ERA and 1.66 WHIP in his first 14 starts before being bumped out of the rotation.

So, what has changed? Well, Painter has made a couple of adjustments to his arsenal and pitch usage recently. He's been going to his sweeper more than he did earlier in the season, and the pitch has had a whiff rate over 30% since the start of July. Additionally, Painter ditched his splitter for a changeup, which he throws a few ticks harder. Here's one of those nasty changeups...

Andrew Painter, Nasty 90mph Changeup. 👌 pic.twitter.com/mSe48EZxKa

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 2, 2026

When a player makes a notable turnaround like this, it's always encouraging to be able to pinpoint certain adjustments that have taken place. That's exactly what has taken place here with Painter. It makes me feel much more comfortable investing in him for the remainder of the season in a redraft league.

Hayden Wesneski (SP - HOU)

32% Rostered on Yahoo

It's been a rocky last few years for Hayden Wesneski in multiple ways, but he's currently healthy and pitching well for a Houston Astros team that is battling for a spot in the postseason. After tossing seven shutout innings against the White Sox on Wednesday, Wesneski now has a 3.18 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across his seven starts and 39.2 innings for the Astros this season.

Wesneski's 20.9% strikeout rate and 25.6% whiff rate don't jump off the page at you, but I believe there's room for growth in those areas. Wesneski's sweeper has been phenomenal this season, recording a .108 BAA, a .135 SLG allowed, and a 41.7% whiff rate. He's also generated a 39.5% whiff rate on his changeup, but that has been his 5th most-used offering at just 12.6%. With that said, Wesneski has been using his changeup more often in his last four outings, going to it between 14.4% and 18.5% of the time in each start.

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