Eric Cross' Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Hitters and Pitchers (Week 17)

July 17, 2026

Eric Cross' top fantasy baseball waiver wire adds for Week 17 of 2026 (July 20 - July 26). His favorite free agent hitters and pitchers under 40% rostered.

Did you have a nice breather over the All-Star break? Well, now it's time to buckle up and strap back in for the second half of the fantasy baseball season. We're now entering the stretch run of the fantasy season, and every waiver wire addition becomes more and more valuable for those of you pushing for a H2H playoff spot or a money finish in a roto league.

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: A.J. Ewing (NYM), Kyle Karros (COL), Cole Carrigg (COL), Jake Mangum (PIT), Jared Jones (PIT), and Jacob Webb (CHC)

Curtis Mead (1B/2B/3B - WAS)

31% Rostered on Yahoo

Surprisingly, the Washington Nationals have had one of the best offenses in baseball this season, and part of that is due to the emergence of Curtis Mead. After fizzling in his first few MLB seasons, Mead has finally found his footing here in 2026 with a .247/.341/.502 slash line and 17 home runs in 296 plate appearances. And after a slow month of June, Mead has bounced back in July with six extra-base hits, three home runs, and a .400 AVG in 40 July plate appearances.

WSH - Curtis Mead Solo HR (17)

📏 409 ft | 💨 102.6 mph | 📐 29°
⚾️ 88.7 mph sinker (NYY - LHP Tim Hill)
🏟️ Out in 19/30 parks

NYY (2) @ WSH (2)
🔻 6th#Natitude pic.twitter.com/MunYmsPXZQ

— MLB Home Runs (@MLBHRs_) July 12, 2026

Mead's metrics under the hood support his breakout season as well. He's currently running a career-best 11.9% barrel rate, 42.6% hard-hit rate, 11.1% walk rate, 90.5% zone contact rate, and 82.9% overall contact rate. Mead has also dropped his chase rate to 25.3% and his strikeout rate to 18.6%. Grabbing an infielder on pace for around 30 home runs and 150 combined runs and RBI who is eligible at first base, second base, and third base on Yahoo is a great waiver wire target as far as I'm concerned.

Brayan Rocchio (2B/SS - CLE)

34% Rostered on Yahoo

Another multi-positional infielder enjoying a breakout season who you should be targeting if he's available is Cleveland's Brayan Rocchio. In 359 plate appearances this season, Rocchio is slashing .276/.343/.408 with 14 doubles, eight home runs, and 15 steals. And in three of the four months so far this season, Rocchio has hit over .300, including a .317 average here in July with three home runs and a steal.

The metrics under the hood won't blow you away, but Rocchio is making contact at an above-average 84.9% in zone and 76.9% overall while also dropping his strikeout rate from 20.1% last season to 13.6% this season. And while the quality of contact metrics are below-average, Rocchio's batted ball angles help, led by a 44.2% pull rate and 19.6% pull-air rate.

If you need some middle infield help, Rocchio is a solid place to look. He's also eligible at both second base and shortstop.

JJ Bleday (OF - CIN)

28% Rostered on Yahoo

Remember the May version of JJ Bleday who slashed .301/.387/.631 with eight doubles and eight home runs in 119 plate appearances? Well, a disastrous June completely squashed all of that hype, but Bleday has bounced back in July with three home runs and a .263/.364/.500 slash line in 44 plate appearances so far. For the season, Bleday is now slashing a solid .242/.350/.496 with 16 home runs in 284 plate appearances.

JJ Bleday crushes a no-doubter to tie things back up 💪 pic.twitter.com/QNluEH45PM

— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2026

I'm a big component of looking at the entire picture along with recent trends. For that reason, Bleday would be a big target for me if he's available in your league. Not only is he hitting well lately, but there are plenty of reasons under the hood to be optimistic that he can provide decent fantasy value over the remainder of the season.

Bleday has posted above-average quality of contact metrics this season, along with a 71.5% air rate, 47.3% pull rate, and a 30.1% pull-air rate. He's also posted a 13.7% walk rate and 19.7% strikeout rate with close to league-average marks in zone and overall contact rate. An outfielder with a .350 OBP and 30-homer pace isn't available on your league's waiver wire very often, so go out and add Bleday if he's available.

Jasson Dominguez (OF - NYY)

12% Rostered on Yahoo

Oh, look who it is. While Jasson Dominguez might not have turned into the second coming of Mickey Mantle, Bo Jackson, and Mike Trout all wrapped up into one, he's still a talented 23-year-old outfielder who is getting regular playing time for the Yankees right now while Aaron Judge is on the IL. And after an underwhelming first 24 games this season, Dominguez has slashed .283/.313/.435 with two home runs and two steals over his last 12 games.

If I take it back another 10 games, Dominguez would have three home runs and six steals in his last 22 games. Dominguez has always shown the willingness to be aggressive on the basepaths throughout his professional career, and he's currently sporting a 79th percentile sprint speed so far this season. At the plate, Dominguez's quality of contact metrics have ticked down to being around league-average in hard-hit rate and AVG EV, but he's also trimmed his strikeout rate from 26.8% to 20% and improved his zone contact rate to 84.6%.

The aggressiveness (36.9% chase rate) will likely continue causing inconsistent play from Dominguez, but he's a worthwhile target in deeper leagues as long as he's playing regularly for the Yankees.

Heriberto Hernandez (OF - MIA)

7% Rostered on Yahoo

After a tough March/April to open the season, Heriberto Hernandez has been one of Miami's best hitters since the calendar flipped to May. In 37 games dating back to May 21, Hernandez is slashing .286/.351/.664 with nine doubles and 12 home runs in 131 plate appearances. Five of those home runs have come in his 39 July plate appearances after smacking six home runs in 81 June plate appearances.

Hernandez's 11 home runs since the beginning of June are tied with Yordan Alvarez and Jackson Chourio for the 9th most in baseball, just ahead of Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso.

Outside of a higher whiff rate, many metrics under the hood for Hernandez provide optimism that he can continue his success into the second half of the season. Hernandez has posted an impressive 91.9 mph AVG EV, 11.9% barrel rate, and 49.7% hard-hit rate this season, along with a .509 xSLG. All four of those rank in the 77th percentile or higher. Hernandez is also an 85th percentile runner who has added five steals in 228 plate appearances this season.

While the average might never be impactful, there's still a lot to like in Hernandez's profile. But the best part about him is that he's only rostered in 7% of Yahoo leagues. That mark is drastically too low.

Christian Scott (SP - NYM)

22% Rostered on Yahoo

With how well Christian Scott has been pitching lately, it's shocking to see him still available in nearly 80% of Yahoo leagues. In 13 starts this season, Scott has posted a 2.87 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 28.5% strikeout rate over 59.2 innings. He finished the first half with five shutout innings against the Kansas City Royals on 7/8, and then opened the second half with 5.2 additional shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. In those two starts combined, Scott allowed six hits and one walk in 10.2 innings while striking out 12.

Christian Scott, Filthy 82mph Sweeper. 😷 pic.twitter.com/jYJtvyk9Ja

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 16, 2026

It's highly encouraging to see Scott rounding back into form so quickly after missing the entire 2025 season. He's even throwing harder in 2026 than he did in 2024, increasing his 4-seamer velocity from 94.2 mph to 95.4 mph. Scott's sweeper has also been an effective offering, recording a .229 BAA and 34.9% whiff rate.

I'm not sure he's going to maintain a sub-3.00 ERA, but there's a lot to like here with Scott moving forward, who could easily post Top-50 SP value over the remainder of the season.

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