7 Must-Add Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 24 Fantasy Baseball (2026)

September 5, 2026

Kevin breaks down his must-add fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 24 of the 2026 MLB season. Add these players now off the waiver wire and win more.

What's up, RotoBallers? I'm back with another edition of our 7 Must-Adds ahead of Week 24 of the fantasy baseball season. The fantasy baseball playoffs are in full swing, so every move you make to your roster is critical. We'll help identify some under-rostered players that deserve your attention.

This week, I've got four hitters, two starting pitchers, and a reliever for you. I've also got a couple of intriguing bonus names that I'll put out there for you in case you're looking to take a flyer on them. 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 24 Waiver Wire Adds

Hector Rodriguez, OF, Cincinnati Reds

20% rostered

There's a lot to love with what Rodriguez is doing in Cincinnati right now. I took a deeper dive into his stats earlier this week in my weekly Breakouts vs Fake Outs series, and it's impressive what he can do when he gets the ball in the air. He's already notched five homers on the season despite posting a 53.7% ground-ball rate.

Héctor Rodríguez (3) GOES DEEP 💥
115.2 mph · 423 ft · 31°
RHP Spencer Bivens · 90 mph cutter

⚾ CIN 4 - SF 9 • Top 9th pic.twitter.com/m8vfgV04uQ

— PlayPulse HRs (@PlayPulseHRs) August 26, 2026

That doesn't quite match what he did in Triple-A Louisville, where he posted a 40.3% ground-ball rate. Some of this may just be an acclimation to the pros, but I'm still intrigued by how successful he's been able to be. He's recently been moved up to the leadoff spot in Cincinnati's lineup, giving him more chances to accumulate those precious fantasy points.

He does come with some warning labels, but he's still worth the shot in deeper leagues if you need outfield help. If you're looking for a streamer, he's been his best hitting against righties on the road with a 164 wRC+.

Henry Bolte, OF, Athletics

12% rostered

Bolte made waves earlier this season, but a cold July caused the hype to calm down. He's started to get things revved up again in the second half, though, and could be worth a spot on your roster. He's hit for a 121 wRC+ since the break while leading the A's in runs scored with 24.

With a .294 batting average, he's got more hits in the second half than he did in the first half with fewer ABs. Part of that is thanks to him already hitting five homers, quite the step up from the three he posted in the first half.

Henry Bolte (5) TAKES ONE DEEP 🔥
111.5 mph · 439 ft · 21°
LHP Raymond Burgos · 85 mph cutter

⚾ ATH 7 - BOS 2 • Top 9th pic.twitter.com/WAcgvYKlCY

— PlayPulse HRs (@PlayPulseHRs) August 8, 2026

There's room for improvement, but his 48.1% hard-hit rate (86th percentile) is starting to pay off and cover up some of his other faults. With him trending upwards and flying under the radar in Sacramento, he makes for a great complementary piece if you're looking for outfield help.

Tommy Edman, 2B/3B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers

26% rostered

Take advantage of Edman having a slow start to August. It was ugly to start, accumulating just a 67 wRC+ in the month. But over the last couple of weeks, he looks to have gotten things turned around, posting a 134 wRC+ in that span. He leads the Dodgers in runs scored in those two weeks and is slashing .306/.404/.408.

While some of the contact stats don't read as nicely in this timeframe, he at least is making a solid effort to keep the ball off the ground. He's got a 35.1% ground-ball rate, which is keeping him out of trouble. That's paired with a 24.3% line drive rate, which is getting him plenty of hits.

With positional versatility, Edman makes for a great complementary piece to your roster as we roll through the fantasy baseball playoffs. The remaining schedule for LA doesn't look all that tough from a pitching standpoint either.

Bryce Eldridge, 1B, San Francisco Giants

21% rostered

If you're looking for someone who's certainly under-rostered right now, it's Eldridge. The Giants' first baseman ranks in the 88th percentile of xwOBA, the 96th percentile of hard-hit rate, and the 90th percentile in walk rate. There is a ton of potential here.

He finished out August with multi-hit games in four of the last six games. Over the last seven days, he's accumulated the second-most fantasy points for first basemen behind only his teammate Rafael Devers. He's hit for a .416 wOBA in the last 14 days, which is paired with a .412 xwOBA. The dude is in a zone!

The ball just sounds different off the bat of Bryce Eldridge 💥 pic.twitter.com/M90sg7xuVC

— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 12, 2026

He's been a very solid option in the Giants' lineup and will continue to be throughout the rest of the season. If you're in need of help at first base, add the 21-year-old. Even just as a complimentary piece, he's going to be very solid for you.

Andrew Painter, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

30% rostered

Just barely clearing the threshold of roster percentage, Painter has simply been a much different pitcher in the second half. Hitters tagged him for a .389 wOBA in the first half of the season. That's now dropped to a .228 wOBA, resulting in a 3.12 ERA.

He's getting hitters to hit it on the ground a lot more since the break. That rate's at 46.5% in the second half after being at 38.9% in the first half. That's leading to a barrel rate of just 3.8%, which is almost always going to lead to good results.

He's also increased his strikeout rate to 24.2% in the second half. Is that going to blow you away? No, but he certainly appeared to find himself and will be a valuable starter down the stretch.

Painter will make two starts next week, adding to his value as a plug-and-play, facing the Astros and Braves.

Andrew Alvarez, SP, Washington Nationals

15% rostered

Maybe one of my favorite targets here is Alvarez. He's already posting some really solid numbers on the season, coming in with a 3.47 ERA and a 3.80 xFIP. As of late he's starting to see an uptick in strikeouts, posting six in back-to-back starts against the Marlins and Rockies.

(8/30) Andrew Alvarez | 8.20https://t.co/kuTJ5fXb1x#mlb #SPR #Nationals pic.twitter.com/jcfs2VpwIx

— Starting Pitcher Rating (@SPitcherRating) August 31, 2026

He's also been limiting runs,  not having given up more than three earned runs since early July. That's a pretty good recipe for success for any pitcher.

While there may be concerns with his second-half xFIP, I'm less worried about them because he's slated to end the season with starts against the Angels, Cardinals, and Mets. Not much in the way of the southpaw continuing his success down the stretch.

Paul Blackburn, RP, New York Yankees

12% rostered

Sometimes it's tough to buy into a reliever that isn't racking up the saves, but there's a strong case for Blackburn here. For starters, he's notched nearly as many fantasy points as David Bednar in the last 30 days, yet Bednar is the one that gets the save opportunities. Bednar's rostered in 96% of leagues, but Blackburn is just at 12%? Feels like opportunity is here!

Blackburn has been the workhorse out of the Yankees' pen, throwing 29.1 innings in the second half while posting a 0.61 ERA. The 8.28 K/9 isn't overly impressive, but he's very simply limiting contact, racking up innings, and being an incredibly efficient reliever for New York.

If you need some bullpen help, and you're unsure about other closers, Blackburn may be a sneaky under-the-radar player that can get you similar results without needing the save opportunities.

Honorable Mentions

Tyler Phillips, SP, Miami Marlins

6% rostered

I wanted to get Phillips into my top seven, but he's got a rather tough schedule to finish the season. That shouldn't diminish the pitcher he's become, though. He's started to turn things around as a starter, allowing more than two earned runs in just one start since July 8th.

He's limited his hard-hit rate to 40.0% in the second half and looks like he's starting to get things figured out. He may be worth a flyer in deeper leagues, but given the schedule he's slated to face, it looks pretty tough (facing the Cubs on Sunday and the Dodgers next weekend).

Jordan Romano, RP, Colorado Rockies

15% rostered

If you can stomach watching the Rockies with a late-inning lead (ask me, as a Rockies fan, how that's gone for most of my life), there's actually a good chance that Romano will find a way to slam the door shut and get the save. He's converted ten of 11 save opportunities with Colorado and has a 2.00 ERA in 19 appearances.

The Rockies, similar to the Marlins, have a tough schedule to finish the season. But if you're in desperate need of saves, or simply a relief pitcher, Romano could be your answer.

Other Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Targets

• Mickey Gasper, BOS
• Connor Norby, COL
• Heriberto Hernandez, MIA
• Christian Encarnacion-Strand, BAL
• Hayden Wesneski, HOU
• Grayson Rodriguez, LAA
• Chris Bassitt, BAL
• Nick Sogard, BOS
• Spencer Jones, NYY
• Abimelec Ortiz, WAS

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