Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Analysis: Buyer Beware for Week 8? (2025)

May 17, 2025

Michael's fantasy baseball waiver wire analysis for Week 8 (2025), and whether to buy into MLB hitters and pitchers such as Jordan Lawlar, Dalton Rushing, and Jesus Tinoco. Should you avoid these popular names?

Welcome back to Week 8 of the Buyer Beware waiver wire series. We have passed the quarter point of the baseball season already. This week saw a couple of high-profile position player prospect promotions (five P’s!), but unfortunately, their teams are telling us by words and actions that the young call-ups are meant to be part-time supplemental pieces, not everyday difference-makers.

We know how enticing highly ranked prospects can be, especially those who play for good teams. That’s also part of the problem. The teams in question are so good and deep that it’s hard to envision much fantasy impact for the first two players we analyze here.

We also have a reliever who appears to have taken hold of the closer gig, but he has the opposite problem: a really bad team that doesn’t win (or get saves) much. His skills are also dubious. To the names!

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Jordan Lawlar, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks (40% rostered)

Lawlar, the D-backs' No. 1 and FanGraphs’ No. 13 overall prospect, was called up Monday before a three-game set against the Giants.

Lawlar is an exciting power-speed threat with a 20-30 season under his belt in the minors. He began the year in Triple-A and was better than ever, posting a .336 average, .992 OPS, six home runs, and 13 steals in 37 games. His ATC projection calls for a 15-30 season over 150 games. There is significant upside if he plays regularly.

Unfortunately, Lawlar finds himself in a frustrating situation, just like the next player we will discuss. Nick Piecoro of azcentral.com reported the playing-time plan GM Mike Hazen envisions for Lawlar:

So far, that is looking like an upside playing time estimate. In that first series against the Giants, Lawlar started one game, entered in the seventh in another, and notched just five plate appearances over three games. His only start came against a southpaw. But then on Friday, he did not start or pinch hit despite Arizona facing off against a lefty. It is not clear that Lawlar is even a locked-in short-side platoon player.

Lawlar has a ton of potential and will be an exciting fantasy asset someday. But as long as the D-backs are relatively healthy, that day may not be this season. He may be worth a stash if you have large benches, but this is not a situation calling for large FAAB bids.

Dalton Rushing, C/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (14% rostered)

Rushing got the call to the majors earlier this week, and folks are excited. The Dodgers' No. 1 position player prospect has rightly generated a good deal of hype over the last couple of years.

Last year, Rushing hit .273 and popped 26 homers in just 114 games (146 wRC+). This season, he continued the strong production, hitting .308 in Triple-A with five homers and a near-16% walk rate (145 wRC+). He earned the chance to get some run with the big club.

But will he? Dave Roberts has already outlined the Rushing playing-time plan, and it is underwhelming to say the least. Despite getting some outfield reps in the minors, Rushing will start two games per week at catcher, play no outfield, and occasionally pinch hit:

Dalton Rushing is here, expected to catch a couple times a week as he integrates into the Dodgers' gameplanning. Out goes the longest-tenured position player, Austin Barnes.

“We just felt that it was the right time,” Dave Roberts said. https://t.co/VxuyvDFJXL

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) May 15, 2025

Rushing will essentially be a backup catcher, which is a problem for fantasy managers. The Dodgers are notoriously loyal to their veterans, even when they are not producing (looking at you, Chris Taylor).

Their primary catcher, Will Smith, is one of the best in baseball and is signed through 2033. If L.A. stays true to its word and does not play Rushing in the outfield, it is difficult to see a path to relevant playing time for fantasy purposes.

There are also better catcher options available in many leagues. Braves rookie Drake Baldwin is playing more than Rushing, has a similarly exciting skill set, and is just 7 percent rostered on Yahoo! Tyler Stephenson and Ryan Jeffers are solid, primary catchers for their teams and are only 34 percent and 17 percent rostered, respectively.

Rushing feels so close, but his situation is more bitter than sweet for fantasy purposes right now. Barring a new injury that would open up more playing time, he can be safely ignored by fantasy managers.

Jesus Tinoco, RP, Miami Marlins, 3% rostered

Tinoco puts to the test how far fantasy managers will go for saves.

First, the good: since the middle of April, Tinoco has four of the Marlins’ five saves and has the only two saves for the team in May. Anthony Bender has shown the best skills in this bullpen, but he has settled into a fireman role. Calvin Faucher grabbed one save in April but has even shakier skills than Tinoco.

Which isn’t saying much for Tinoco, whose current skills present a giant red flag. After a journeyman career including a year in Japan, Tinoco had a minor breakout last season with a 3.32 ERA and 18.5% K%-BB% playing for three different teams. He hasn’t carried that over to 2025.

So far this season, Tinoco holds a 4.61 ERA and measly 5.3% K%-BB%. He is not getting unlucky, either (4.77 SIERA). The best thing Tinoco does is avoid the long ball (.66 HR/9). Beyond that, it’s sketchy. His velocity is down one tick (to 95.5 MPH), and his Stuff+ has fallen from 108 to a completely average 100. He’s walking more batters and missing fewer bats (7.8% swinging strike rate from 12.1% in 2024).

Finally, this is the Marlins we’re talking about; they’re a little pesky but rank 27th in saves with just seven on the season. We sympathize with the desperation the saves chase engenders, but Tinoco should be regarded as a low-bid flyer with limited upside.

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