Eric Cross' Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Hitters and Pitchers (Week 3)

April 12, 2026

Eric Cross' top fantasy baseball waiver wire adds for Week 3 of 2026 (April 13 - April 19). His favorite free agent hitters and pitchers under 40% rostered.

The first two weeks of the major league season have flown by. We need to remember that fantasy baseball is a marathon, not a sprint, especially when it comes to the waiver wire. Don't put yourself in a situation where you don't have many moves or FAAB left near the end of the season. But at the same time, we need to be addressing areas of weakness on our rosters before they become more prominent issues.

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: Jake Burger (TEX), Mickey Moniak (COL), Liam Hicks (MIA), Kyle Harrison (SFG), Eric Lauer (TOR), Taj Bradley (TBR), Gregory Soto (PIT)

Owen Caissie, OF, Miami Marlins

25% Rostered on Yahoo

After being drafted by the Padres back in 2020, traded to the Cubs shortly thereafter, and then traded again to the Marlins this past offseason, Owen Caissie is finally getting his shot in the major leagues. It's been a solid first dozen games for the Canadian outfielder, too, slashing .324/.385/.618 with two home runs, one steal, and 12 RBI. In fact, Caissie is tied for sixth in the National League in RBI, only three behind Drake Baldwin.

Owen Caissie continues to rake 😤

The @Marlins' No. 3 prospect (MLB No. 39) is 3-for-4 today with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs.

He now has 12 RBIs this season and is batting .324 with a 1.003 OPS. pic.twitter.com/M7LB5o8oxI

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 9, 2026

When rostering Caissie, it's important to know and understand the pros and cons. He's a talented player with plenty of power upside, but he's also been incredibly streaky throughout his half-decade in professional baseball. We're seeing those pros and cons so far this season with a 27.3% barrel rate, 91.3 mph AVG EV, 33.3% strikeout rate, 33.8% whiff rate, and a 75.5% zone contact rate.

Caissie could easily hit 25 home runs and push double-digit steals this season, but I'd bank on the batting average being more in the .240-.250 range.

Josh Bell, 1B, Minnesota Twins

15% Rostered on Yahoo

It feels like I include Josh Bell in a waiver wire article every season. This isn't a guy you get excited about drafting, but he always has stretches that push him onto fantasy teams at various points throughout the season. I'd be willing to bet that at least 75% of you reading this have picked up Bell at least once over the last few seasons, maybe even more than once.

Bell has smacked three home runs in his first 51 plate appearances to go along with 11 runs scored, 10 RBI, eight walks, and a .317/.431/.634 slash line. He's one of just four players to have at least three home runs, eight walks, 10 RBI, and 10 runs so far, joining Ben Rice, Yordan Alvarez, and James Wood.

Under the hood, Bell has a career-best 53.6% hard-hit rate and 15.7% walk rate in the early going, but what really stands out is his eye-popping 78.6% air rate, 53.6% pull rate, and 39.3% Pull AIR%. These will likely stabilize as the season progresses, but if Bell continues hitting the ball in the air and to his pull side more consistently than he has in previous seasons, it's possible that we see a bit of a late-career mini-breakout from the 11-year veteran.

Max Muncy, 3B, Athletics

47% Rostered on Yahoo

Yes, I know Max Muncy is slightly above the 40% roster threshold I have for this article, but I allow myself to push that threshold several times per season. Muncy was one I wanted to include this week, as his roster rate is far too low right now. In his first 48 plate appearances, Muncy has two home runs, one steal, five RBI, and 11 runs scored with a .3196/.333/.574 slash line.

First career triple for Muncy 👏 pic.twitter.com/4LDkR2eZSo

— Athletics (@Athletics) April 9, 2026

There's plenty to be excited about under the hood as well. Muncy is currently rocking a 95.5 mph AVG EV, 67.7% hard-hit rate, and a 16.1% barrel rate, along with an 85th percentile bat speed and 73rd percentile sprint speed. The batted ball angles have been great as well, with Muncy ranking near the top of the league in Pull AIR% (29%) and sweet-spot rate (48.4%).

However, I also need to inform you of Muncy's shortcomings. While the quality of contact has been great so far, Muncy also has a 35.6% chase rate, 33.3% strikeout rate, 2.1% walk rate, and a 37.5% whiff rate. I'm banking on him being more in the .250 range, but that could come with more than 20 home runs and double-digit steals.

TJ Rumfield, 1B, Colorado Rockies

20% Rostered on Yahoo

With all the big-name rookies making waves right now, a rookie like TJ Rumfield is flying way under the radar. The former Yankees prospect and current Rockies rookie is slashing an impressive .326/.388/.535 in his first 49 major league plate appearances, along with six runs, four extra-base hits, two home runs, and eight RBI. And out of the 22 rookies with at least 20 plate appearances so far, Rumfield's 144 wRC+ is the sixth-highest mark.

There are some encouraging metrics under the hood as well. Rumfield has recorded an 11.8% barrel rate and 41.2% hard-hit rate so far, while walking at a 10.2% clip and keeping his strikeout rate in check at 20.4%. He's also made contact in the zone at a stellar 90.2% mark, and his 76.6% overall contact rate is better than the major league average.

Rumfield won't provide many steals, but the bat is sneaky-good. It also helps that Rumfield has ideal batted-ball angles and gets to call Coors Field home. He's running a 70.6% air rate and 26.5% Pull AIR% rate so far.

Brady House, 3B, Washington Nationals

11% Rostered on Yahoo

The Washington Nationals are in the midst of a rebuild, so it makes sense for them to give all their younger players plenty of run this season. One of those names who is playing regularly and off to a solid start is third baseman Brady House. In his first 48 plate appearances this season, House is slashing .295/.354/.500 with two home runs, five RBI, and seven runs scored.

House is barrelling up pitches at a much higher rate this season (12.9%), and his 89.8 mph AVG EV mirrors his mark from last season. But what has me encouraged right now is the walk rate rising from 2.9% to 8.3%, along with minor improvements to his zone contact rate, chase rate, and overall contact rate. House has been more patient this season, looking for pitches he can do damage on, and the early results have been promising.

Ryan Weathers, SP, New York Yankees

27% Rostered on Yahoo

Ryan Weathers was a popular late-round flier in drafts this spring, but a poor showing in spring training let out a ton of helium from Weathers' hype balloon. However, Weathers is starting to gain that momentum back with two good starts in his first three outings of the 2026 regular season. His best outing came on Thursday, when he went eight innings, allowing seven hits, one earned run, and zero walks while striking out seven.

Ryan Weathers, 2Ks in the 4th. pic.twitter.com/yW5KEf9BnD

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 9, 2026

For the season, Weathers now has a 2.81 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 7.4% walk rate, and a 26.5% strikeout rate through his first 16 innings. He's been going to his 4-seamer and changeup less often in favor of more sinkers, and Weathers' sweeper has yet to allow a hit while recording a 44.4% whiff rate.

I'm sure we'll see some peaks and valleys from Weathers throughout the season, as he's never been a consistent pitcher. But if he can stay healthy and get up around 150 innings, the upside is a top-50 starter for fantasy purposes.

Joey Cantillo, SP, Cleveland Guardians

28% Rostered on Yahoo

Without much fanfare, Joey Cantillo has gotten off to a really strong start to the season. In his first three outings for the Guardians, Cantillo has posted a 2.45 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 33.3% strikeout rate. This comes after Cantillo finished the 2025 season with a 1.59 ERA over his final seven starts.

Once again, Cantillo's changeup has been a dominant pitch for him, recording a .154 BAA and 48.3% whiff rate so far. He's also throwing more sliders than he did last season, and all three of his secondaries are at different velocities this season. Cantillo is throwing his changeup 2.2 mph harder, his curveball 1.9 mph harder, and his slider 2.1 mph slower.

As a below-average velocity guy, Cantillo needs to rely on location and good secondary offerings to succeed. I believe he can make it work and provide top-75 SP value this season.

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