Eric Cross' Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Hitters and Pitchers (Week 20)

August 7, 2026

Eric Cross' top fantasy baseball waiver wire adds for Week 20 of 2026 (August 10 - August 16). His favorite free-agent hitters and pitchers under 40% rostered.

The trade deadline is in the rearview mirror, along with over two-thirds of the Major League season. Where has the time gone? We're in the dog days of the fantasy baseball season, but now isn't the time to take it easy. We still have plenty of moves to be made and championships to win. And, as always, the waiver wire can help get your teams in a better spot to succeed.

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: Max Clark (DET), Cooper Pratt (MIL), Dominic Canzone (SEA), Heriberto Hernandez (MIA), Ian Seymour (TBR), Erik Miller (SFG... at the time)

Cole Young (2B - SEA)

21% Rostered on Yahoo

It's happened with very little fanfare, but Cole Young has been sneaky good over the last two months. After combining for just four home runs in 237 plate appearances through the end of May, Young hit five home runs in June and five more in July. And since May 27, Young is slashing .285/.331/.469 with 11 home runs, 24 RBI, and 32 runs scored in 60 games while only striking out in 11.4% of his plate appearances during that span.

Cole Young 3-run homer 💥

The @Mariners tie the game in the 7th! pic.twitter.com/TGRidM2lbY

— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2026

When you pop the hood on Young's profile, he's around league-average with his 88.8 mph AVG EV and 38.9% hard-hit rate, but making contact is where he stands out. On top of a low 16/3% strikeout rate, Young has recorded an 86.7% zone and 81.4% overall contact rate this season, and his .280 xBA ranks in the 88th percentile of hitters this season.

He won't give you more than a rogue steal here and there, but Young can provide a solid AVG with a 20-homer pace. The second base position has been underwhelming this season, so I'm sure plenty of you reading this could use a second baseman. I was one of those people, and added Young in two of my leagues already.

George Lombard Jr. (SS - NYY)

39% Rostered on Yahoo

After the Yankees didn't acquire a shortstop before the trade deadline, you knew a George Lombard Jr. promotion was going to be right around the corner. And sure enough, it was. While his numbers in the upper minors don't blow you away, Lombard was slashing a solid .284/.411/.498 with 24 doubles, 12 home runs, and 14 steals in 78 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

Lombard was especially potent at the plate over the last two months, slashing .306/.426/.571 in June and .370/.517/.630 in July, before starting August with five hits and a home run in two games before his promotion. It didn't take long for Lombard to make an impact for the Yankees either, going yard in his Major League debut on Tuesday.

George Lombard Jr.'s first big league hit is a HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/PkX99Fa9aH

— MLB (@MLB) August 5, 2026

With Lombard, the power is easily plus. In Triple-A, he posted a 92.7 mph AVG EV, 104.5 mph 90th percentile EV, and a 48.7% hard-hit rate. However, the contact rates have been below-average at 79.9% in zone and 68.7% overall. But on the plus side, Lombard doesn't chase too much and walked at a 14.8% clip in his 333 minor league games.

With the Yankees offense floundering and Anthony Volpe now back in Triple-A, Lombard should receive the bulk of the playing time at shortstop for the Yankees moving forward.

Angel Genao (2B/3B/SS - CLE)

16% Rostered on Yahoo

If you miss out on grabbing Lombard, Angel Genao is a decent fallback option. Genao made his Major League debut on Wednesday, collecting four hits while starting at the hot corner. He then slid over to second base for his second start on Thursday and picked up another hit. Versatility is an added bonus to Genao's profile, as he's played second base, third base, and shortstop this season in the minor leagues, and could fit a super-utility role while playing close to every day for the Guardians moving forward.

Sure, the profile isn't super flashy, but Genao is a solid all-around hitter who can do a little of everything. In 96 games between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Genao slashed .300/.401/.474 with 20 doubles, 13 home runs, and 11 steals.

Making contact has always been a strength here, as Genao has consistently posted contact rates north of 80% throughout his minor league career. He also showed some decent pop in Triple-A this season with an 89.7 mph AVG EV and 45.2% hard-hit rate. Even if he's never more than a 15-20 HR or 15-20 SB guy in general, Genao's ability to provide across-the-board production with multi-positional eligibility makes him an attractive target if you need an infielder right now.

Andruw Monasterio (1B/2B/3B/SS - BOS)

13% Rostered on Yahoo

Honestly, I never thought I'd be writing about Andruw Monasterio in a waiver wire article, but that's baseball for ya. The Red Sox have been on a magical run since the end of June, and Monasterio has played a part in that. After slashing .338/.413/.631 with eight doubles and three home runs in 76 July plate appearances, he's off to a .368/.381/.526 start to July with three doubles in 21 plate appearances.

Monasterio's metrics under the hood aren't too shabby either. He's slightly above MLB-average with his 9% barrel rate, 89 mph AVG EV, and 38% hard-hit rate, while also running an impressive 89% zone contact rate and 82% overall contact rate.

Adding Monasterio isn't a league-winning move, but he can be a solid filler at any infield position if your starter is currently on the IL. At this point, since the Red Sox didn't bring in a shortstop via trade before the deadline, it looks like they're going to roll with Monasterio at shortstop until Trevor Story returns or they call up Franklin Arias. Story is at least a few weeks away from returning =, and I'm not sure the Red Sox are going to push Arias to Boston this season. At least not in the next couple of weeks.

Jackson Jobe (SP - DET)

16% Rostered on Yahoo

Welcome back, Jackson Jobe! It feels like it's been forever since we saw Jobe on a Major League mound, but that's what happens when you undergo a "hybrid Tommy John surgery", which is basically Tommy John plus an internal brace procedure. I wonder if Jobe got a buy one get one half off surgery coupon or something.

Jackson Jobe starting off strong in the 1st inning, collecting two Ks 💪

🎙️ @ThatDanHasty pic.twitter.com/U0rHKUXsUf

— West Michigan Whitecaps (@wmwhitecaps) August 2, 2026

Adding Jobe is 100% an upside flier. There aren't a ton of metrics I can point to from his 2025 rookie season to get you excited about adding him, as he had a pedestrian 4.22 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in his 10 starts before getting hurt. But before he debuted, Jobe was one of the top pitching prospects in the game who seemed destined to become the #2 in Detroit's rotation behind then-ace Tarik Skubal.

In Jobe's final rehab outing on 8/2, he allowed five hits, one earned run, and two walks in four innings while striking out five. From what I saw, the stuff looked good, and he was able to generate 10 whiffs in his four innings of work. Just keep in mind that Jobe is going to be on a pitch count in his upcoming starts, likely in the 70-80 range for the time being after throwing 70 in his last rehab outing.

Grant Taylor (RP - CHW)

28% Rostered on Yahoo

While the White Sox made some moves before the deadline, no move was made to bring in a veteran reliever to close out games for them. In fact, they traded away Seranthony Domínguez, who had been one of their 9th inning options this season. With Domínguez gone, there's an opening for the electric Grant Taylor to seize a larger opportunity in the 9th inning picture for the White Sox. And if those save opportunities start swinging his way more consistently, Taylor becomes a must-roster player for fantasy.

In 42 outings this season, Taylor has recorded a 2.31 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 8.1% walk rate, and a 33.2% strikeout rate across 58.1 innings. There's plenty of red on his Savant page with Taylor ranking in the 77th percentile or higher in xERA, xBA, chase rate, whiff rate, strikeout rate, groundball rate, fastball velocity, and extension. Taylor has been dominating with his 4-seamer, curveball, and slider, all three of which have a BAA under .220 and a whiff rate above 28%. Both breaking balls have a whiff rate above 32%.

If you're looking for saves and Taylor is sitting on your league's waiver wire, I'd look to add him immediately. This is a player where I could easily see his roster rate flipping from 28% to 82% by the end of the season.

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