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Jeremy's catcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 3 of 2025 (April 14 - April 20). His top catcher streamers and free-agent adds to target on waivers.
Week 3 of the MLB season is approaching, and as always, plenty of intriguing catchers are rostered in less than 50 percent of leagues.
Streaming catchers on a week-to-week basis is a viable strategy if you didn't spend up at the position on draft day, but there's also a chance to find a gem on the waiver wire that could stick on your roster for the rest of the season. Ivan Herrera looked like he was about to break out but is now set to miss at least a month with a bone bruise in his knee.
Whether you're looking for a short-term replacement for Herrera or searching for the next catcher with breakout potential, certain guys stick out. Below, we'll look at catcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 3 of the 2025 season -- April 14 through April 20 for shallow leagues (30-49 percent rostered) and deeper formats (0-29 percent rostered). Additionally, we'll look at one very low-owned catcher who could be worth keeping an eye on.
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Fantasy Baseball Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies (33 percent rostered)
Hunter Goodman was featured on this list last week as a deep league target, and now he’s officially graduated to a shallow league option with 33 percent ownership. He works as a weekly streaming target in very shallow leagues but could be a long-term play if you can snag him in deeper leagues.
Playing almost every day while hitting in the heart of the Rockies order, Goodman gets the playing time that many other catchers lack. For Week 3, he gets to face a weak Nationals staff for three games at Coors Field and a banged-up Dodgers rotation in Los Angeles that includes Landon Knack and possibly a spot start by Bobby Miller.
He is currently batting just .220 on the season after a rough Week 2, but his power has remained with a 14.8 percent barrel rate, which ranks in the 81st percentile. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him send multiple balls out of the park in the upcoming week, which would make him well worth the stream.
Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves (30 percent rostered)
Sean Murphy was also a deep league mention last week and now just barely qualifies for the shallow league section with 30 percent ownership. The recommendation last week was to go out and add him before he came off the injured list, just in case he got off to a hot start.
That’s exactly what he did, blasting a home run off Zack Wheeler in his first at-bat of the season. With a sample size of only three games, it’s impossible to make any definitive conclusions, but it’s important to remember just how good he was back in 2023. He slashed .251/.365/.478 with 21 home runs, 68 RBI, and 65 runs in 108 games. That’s the type of pedigree that isn’t usually found on the waiver wire, but a disappointing 2024 where he batted just .193 seemingly erased all optimism surrounding the catcher.
Sean Murphy crushes a three-run homer in his first AB of the season! pic.twitter.com/xPnA8qzBg7
— MLB (@MLB) April 8, 2025
It wouldn’t be the wildest thing if it turns out that 2024 was the outlier year and not 2023. Murphy should get plenty of at-bats in what should be a very good offense, and he would be a must-own catcher if he regains his form from two years ago when he was one of the best catchers in fantasy.
Fantasy Baseball Catcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Jonah Heim, Texas Rangers (16 percent rostered)
Jonah Heim didn’t get much hype coming into this season after an uninspiring 2024 where he hit for a .220 average with 13 home runs, 59 RBI, and 45 runs in 131 games. However, the entire Rangers offense underperformed expectations last year, but it’s looking like they might have their juice back in 2025.
Heim has been as hot as anyone on the team, slashing .303/.303/.576 with three home runs and two steals through 33 plate appearances. The last time the Rangers lineup was one of the best in the league was in 2023, when Heim managed to hit .258 with 18 home runs, 95 RBI, and 61 runs in 131 games.
It’s hard to expect him to drive in over 90 runs again, but even 75 percent of that production would most likely make him a fantasy-relevant catcher in leagues of all sizes. His current production warrants him being a must-own player in all two-catcher leagues and a streaming option in one-catcher leagues, but that could change if he keeps this up.
Jonah Heim - Texas Rangers (3)
pic.twitter.com/7XSMyMliQO— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) April 9, 2025
Joey Bart and Endy Rodriguez, Pittsburgh Pirates (17 percent and 2 percent rostered)
This is a double feature, with both catchers benefiting from Pittsburgh’s very favorable upcoming schedule. Joey Bart is the main target here, but his status for Week 3 is currently uncertain at the time of writing after being pulled from Friday night’s game with lower-back discomfort.
He is slashing .275/.370/.425 on the season, continuing his impressive performance after going to the Pirates in 2024. Last year, he hit .265 with 13 home runs in only 80 games, which is very good power for the position. He would have the opportunity to continue his hot start to the season in the upcoming week, where he gets seven games against the Nationals and Guardians. Brad Lord, Jake Irvin, Luis L. Ortiz, and Logan Allen are some examples of the opposing pitchers.
Endy Rodriguez has been serving as the Pirates' everyday first baseman, so he’ll get playing time regardless of Bart’s injury status. He would be a very deep league play at just 2 percent rostered, as he hasn’t done much so far this season. However, he was a highly regarded prospect in his own right, and this is as good of a week as ever for his bat to heat up.
Fantasy Baseball Catchers Waiver Wire Watch List
Carlos Narvaez, Boston Red Sox (1 percent rostered)
Carlos Narvaez became the main catching option for the Red Sox after the starter, Connor Wong, suffered a fractured finger. It won’t be a short stay on the injured list by any means, allowing Narvaez to make a name for himself.
The 26-year-old doesn’t have much major league experience, as he has only played in 14 games in his career. In 96 games in Triple-A for the Yankees in 2024, he slashed .254/.370/.412 with 11 home runs and nine steals in 96 games.
While it’s unlikely he will become a star, he does seem to have a knack for getting on base while having average power for a catcher. There’s no need to rush to the waiver wire to add him now, but he could be a useful streaming option in two-catcher leagues if he starts to produce in that talented Boston lineup.
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