Must-Add Waiver Wire Pickups: Mid-Week Fantasy Baseball Adds for Week 25

September 16, 2026

Dan analyzes six must-add fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups, mid-week adds for Week 25 of the 2026 MLB season. Grab these players ASAP off the waiver wire.

Welcome back to another mid-week edition of Must-Add Waiver Wire Pickups for fantasy baseball. The penultimate weekend of MLB’s regular season is just ahead, which means our shared passion is nearing its end as well. For those still in it to win it, I have a fresh batch of players to give you one last push.

This week, I’m adding a couple of outfielders on tears who can help in at least four categories, and one more whose specialty is stolen bases. I also have my eye on a couple of young starting pitchers, each of whom should bring in a handful of strikeouts and have a good shot at earning a win this weekend. Lastly, I have a reclamation project on a hot streak, whose multi-position eligibility will make him easy to squeeze into a lineup needing a boost to home runs and RBI.

While there isn’t much time left in the fantasy baseball season, there is enough to make a move in the standings. Study your scoreboard, assess your needs, and make the moves to get a championship. I hope that you get the help you need from one of my Must-Add Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 25 of Fantasy Baseball.

2026 Fantasy Baseball: Mid-Week Waiver Wire Adds

Max Clark, OF, Detroit Tigers
33% Rostered

Drafted third overall by the Tigers in 2023, Max Clark shot through Detroit’s farm system and made his MLB debut at the end of July. The 21-year-old made a good first impression, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, and one RBI. Clark has lived up to the hype and delivered to fantasy managers who trusted the phenom. Through 41 games played, Clark has three home runs, 23 runs scored, 22 RBI, five stolen bases, and a .278 batting average.

Clark is striking out more and walking less than he did in the minors, but his plate discipline metrics seem to have carried over. Clark is swinging more freely than before, but he is still making a lot of contact, and his swinging strike rate (6.6%) is consistent with what he put up as a minor leaguer last year.

With their wild card hopes hanging by a thread, the Tigers can’t afford to take a bat as hot as Clark’s out of the lineup. He might not flash much power, but he should contribute to the other non-home run categories. Clark will face the White Sox this weekend, and then the Nationals and Pirates to close out 2026.

Jackson Jobe, SP/RP, Detroit Tigers
25% Rostered

Detroit Tigers pitcher Jackson Jobe made his season debut in August after spending over a year recovering and rehabilitating from his June 2025 hybrid Tommy John surgery. Since his return to the Tigers, Jobe is 2-2 with a 3.89 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts in seven starts.

This weekend, Jobe will face the Chicago White Sox, who have been struggling at the plate lately. Over the last 14 days, the White Sox rank dead last in team batting average (.205) and slugging percentage (.350), and they have the third-highest strikeout rate (27.3%) in MLB. Detroit is barely hanging on to the hope of snagging a wild card berth. They will need a strong start from Jobe to continue their recent hot streak and keep their hopes alive.

Jobe has the potential to get a win this weekend along with a handful of strikeouts. His 23% strikeout rate is in line with the league average, but he has stepped up his production recently, racking up 15 in his last two starts. Jobe would be in line for one more start before the end of the season, against the Nationals or the Pirates.

Victor Mesa Jr., OF, Tampa Bay Rays
24% Rostered

Victor Mesa Jr. made some waves back in July when he hit a home run in three consecutive games. He offered fantasy managers very little in the aftermath of that outburst, and by August 19, he was on the injured list due to a hamstring strain with a .214 batting average and .735 OPS.

Since returning at the start of September, Mesa has looked like a new ballplayer. A few days after going 3-for-4 in his return on September 1, Mesa once again hit a home run in three consecutive games amid a nine-game hit streak. The right fielder is hitting .419 with eight runs and 12 RBI in 13 games this month.

The Rays’ current series against the Athletics goes until Thursday, giving Mesa an extra day of production for fantasy managers who jump on him before Tampa’s weekend showdown with the Red Sox. Next week, the Rays finish the season on the road against the Yankees and Phillies, offering Mesa the chance for a strong finish in two hitter-friendly parks.

Ryan Johnson, SP, Los Angeles Angels
23% Rostered

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ryan Johnson’s abysmal performance for most of the season has kept most fantasy managers from considering rostering him. Through August and September, Johnson has made a remarkable turnaround. Over his last eight starts, he has earned three wins, recorded 33 strikeouts to 19 walks, and put up a 2.03 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP.

Johnson credits a change in his pitch mix for his recent success. The 24-year-old is now leaning heavily on his most effective pitch, his cutter, and being more selective with a sinker that has been getting hammered.

Johnson’s next start comes this weekend at home against the Twins. Minnesota has been cold at the plate lately and is getting colder, as their team batting average has slipped from .214 and wOBA from .299 over the last 14 days to .186 and .270, respectively, in the last week. After that, Johnson’s final start should be against the Mariners in pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park. Johnson struck out seven and allowed one run to the M’s in six innings of work on Tuesday night.

Fantasy Baseball Deep League Targets: Mid-Week Waiver Wire Adds

Jonah Cox, OF, San Francisco Giants
7% Rostered

With nothing left to play for, the San Francisco Giants are giving outfielder Jonah Cox plenty of run as the season winds down. The 25-year-old has been a regular fixture in the top half of the lineup for the last two weeks, and his play has justified the move. Since taking over as the near-everyday center fielder (Cox has sat for three games in the interim), he has hit .302 with 14 runs scored and six stolen bases in 19 games.

Cox’s strengths are defense and speed. Fantasy managers looking to close the gap in stolen bases, take note: the Giants’ upcoming schedule puts Cox in a favorable position to swipe some bags. San Francisco closes the year with two series against the Dodgers, with a set against the Twins sandwiched in between. Minnesota has the worst caught-stealing rate in MLB, and Los Angeles has the sixth-worst.

Brett Baty, 1B/2B/3B/OF, New York Mets
4% Rostered

One look at Brett Baty’s season totals and you will understand why he is so widely available in fantasy baseball. Frankly, Baty has been doing a lot of work recently to raise his batting average to .228 and get his other numbers where they are today. Since the start of September, Baty is hitting .333 (8-for-24) with two home runs and 10 RBI, meaning 20% of his production in the latter two categories can be accounted for in his last 10 games played.

Baty is swinging for the fences as much as ever in 2026. His bat swing speed is in the 87th percentile, and his fast swing rate (frequency of swings over 75 MPH) is 56.3% (compared to the league average of 24.3%). That has generated a lot of swing-and-miss for Baty, but it has also pushed his barrel rate to a solid 10.1%.

Even if his improved contact is temporary, I want a piece of Baty with the expectation that he will be driving these balls for extra-base hits and home runs and accruing RBI for me in doing so. Baty is on the strong side of a platoon, but he will see some favorable matchups this weekend against Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter. The Mets hit the road to finish the season against the Rangers and Nationals.

Other Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Targets

• Michael Arroyo, SEA
• Ty France, SDP
• Steven Cruz, KCR
• Alejandro Kirk, TOR
• Nick Gonzalez, PIT
• Xander Bogaerts, SDP
• Garrett Whitlock, BOS
• Josue De Paula, LAD
• Drew Anderson, DET

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