7 Must-Add Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 25 Fantasy Baseball (2026)

September 12, 2026

Kevin breaks down his must-add fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 25 of the 2026 MLB season. Add these players now off the waiver wire and win more.

Happy Saturday, RotoBallers! I'm back with another edition of our 7 Must-Adds ahead of Week 25 of the fantasy baseball season. If you're still looking for waiver wire pickups at this point in the season, that means you've done extremely well.  We're here to help you get just a bit further to winning that oh so precious fantasy championship we're all chasing. There are a few familiar names we've talked about in recent weeks, so I'll omit them this time, but guys like Heriberto Hernandez are still out there for you.

This week, I'm looking at some of the best fantasy producers over the last two weeks, hoping to identify players on hot streaks we can capitalize on. Last week I told you to get Bryce Eldridge and the Giants' first baseman has had a fantastic week. I won't write about him two weeks in a row (only 25% rostered) but he's the type of player we're aiming for! 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

Coby Mayo, 1B/3B, Baltimore Orioles

19% rostered

The big appeal here is that Mayo is becoming less of a platoon option and more of an everyday hitter. That's fantastic news for fantasy owners. Mayo has been Baltimore's most effective hitter over the last two weeks, crushing for a 199 wRC+.

Coby Mayo's 22nd home run of the season is his 3rd over the past 3 games -- and another off a RHP!

Orioles extend lead over Guardians to 9-5 in 6th inning. pic.twitter.com/JUFU1PgAH7

— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) September 10, 2026

The expected stats read nicely on this as well. Sure, there's some overachieving with his .453 wOBA in this span, but that's paired with a .403 xwOBA. That's still really awesome and very deserving of a roster spot in the fantasy playoffs.

With two lefties scheduled to start against Baltimore next week, Mayo will have two opportunities to really get your lineup going. That matchup on Tuesday against Sean Manaea looks like a really tasty one.

Jake Burger, 1B, Texas Rangers

27% rostered

I'm always going to be a fan of positive regression, especially when you're already hitting pretty well. Burger certainly falls into that category. Over the last two weeks, he's hit for a 124 wRC+, which equates to a .346 wOBA. That's paired with a .381 xwOBA, which is what I'm really focused on here.

Most of that is thanks to a 20% barrel rate. It's only amounted to three homers in this span, so it feels like there could be something more here.

He'll finish Week 25 against former division rival Jose Soriano, who he's 4-for-7 against in his career.

Tyler Stephenson, C, Cincinnati Reds

15% rostered

The Reds don't have a ton to look forward to for the rest of the season, but Stephenson is doing his best to make things interesting. Over the last two weeks, he's hit for a 155 wRC+ with three homers. He's second on the team in that span with eight RBI and is getting productive with runners on base.

Yes, there's some negative regression predicted here, and that should be considered. But his 11.5% barrel rate in this span still points towards productivity.

The week starts a bit tough with LA coming to town, but he should be in a fantastic spot to take advantage of the Cubs' pitching over the weekend.

Cam Smith, OF, Houston Astros

11% rostered

Smith has been one of the streakiest hitters in the league the past couple of seasons, but when he gets hot, he gets really hot. That's certainly the case right now as Smith is hitting for a 180 wRC+ over the last 14 days. He's fueling that with a 16.7% barrel rate, which is almost always going to lead to some really good results.

The @Astros take the lead on Cam Smith's 3rd homer in as many games! pic.twitter.com/eEDsrhGCi1

— MLB (@MLB) September 10, 2026

The only knock I have on his recent game is his high strikeout rate. The 28.9% strikeout rate he's posting is a bit more than his season-long rate, but at the same time, it's paying off with some decent results.

Houston starts the week hosting Kansas City. Those matchups should provide Smith with some solid opportunities to keep his hot streak rolling.

Cristian Javier, SP, Houston Astros

10% rostered

Let's stay in Houston but get some focus on the mound. Javier has been a bit more under-the-radar this season after returning from a shoulder strain, but the recent results look pretty solid for the 29-year-old.

Over his last five starts, he's posted a 3.86 ERA to go along with a 3.10 FIP. He's struck out 30 batters in that span, giving him a 31.9% strikeout rate in those five starts. That's a lot closer to what we've traditionally expected out of Javier in seasons past.

He'll face off against the Royals early next week, making him a top streamer.

Randy Dobnak, SP, Kansas City Royals

13% rostered

It wasn't too long ago that Dobnak was a bit of a darling, going six straight starts with a 1.16 ERA. There have been a couple of slip-ups since then, but it's not like the 31-year-old has fully fallen off. In August, he limited hitters to just a 2.4% barrel rate. That's a fantastic way to limit productivity.

He did have a pretty bad start earlier this month against Miami, but every now and then things are going to go awry. Everything else that Dobnak has done tells us he should be decent to finish the season.

He'll face the Pirates next Friday, which should be a solid spot for him to put a decent start together for fantasy managers.

Kodai Senga, RP, New York Mets

28% rostered

A move to the bullpen may have made more noise if the Mets were any good this season, but it's turned out to be a solid move for Senga. Since moving to the bullpen, he's gotten down to a 4.10 ERA. Impressive? Not fully, but compared to what he was as a starter earlier this season, it's a massive upgrade.

Kodai Senga sets down the Giants 1-2-3 in the 9th!

He's 6-for-6 in save opportunities 💪 pic.twitter.com/XwMkf5jdHj

— SNY (@SNYtv) September 6, 2026

In August, that ERA dropped to 1.74 while he limited hitters to just a .264 wOBA. More importantly, he's notched seven saves since the beginning of August. That's going to be paramount for anyone needing bullpen help on your roster.

The Mets will play host to the Orioles and Phillies at Citi Field next week. While they may be tough tasks, the Mets are playing better now, and that should lead to a couple of opportunities for Senga to notch another couple of saves.

Honorable Mentions

Mickey Gasper, C/1B, Boston Red Sox

25% rostered

I wrote about Gasper as a pickup a couple of weeks ago, and I recently had him in my weekly Breakouts vs Fake Outs article as well. He's better than an "honorable mention" here; I just need you to get him added to your rosters.

His September hasn't yielded as fruitful of results as August did, but he's still hitting for a 140 wRC+. He's also drawing walks at a 17.6% clip. That's going to give him so many opportunities to get driven in.

The upcoming schedule for Boston isn't exactly full of crazy pitching matchups, so Gasper should be able to find ways to be productive.

Brett Bateman, OF, Toronto Blue Jays

7% rostered

Let's finish up in Toronto, where Bateman has been producing pretty well as of late. A few weeks ago I thought maybe Bateman was a beneficiary of luck, but the numbers as of late paint a different picture. He's hit for a .379 wOBA over the last 14 days, which is paired with a .361 xwOBA.

That gap is a lot closer than it has been in the past, which tells me he's starting to get some things figured out.

Now he should be viewed with a bit of caution, especially since he's posting a 54.3% ground-ball rate in this span, but managers in deeper leagues that are really needing some help in OF may be willing to take a chance on Bateman.

Other Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Targets

• Hector Rodriguez, CIN
• Henry Bolte, ATH
• Heriberto Hernandez, MIA
• Tommy Edman, LAD
• Bryce Eldridge, SFG
• Andrew Painter, PHI
• Andrew Alvarez, WSH
• Nick Sogard, BOS
• Hayden Wesneski, HOU
• Spencer Jones, NYY

More Fantasy Baseball Advice