RADIO
Mike's fantasy baseball waiver wire hitters to add as category boosters for Week 12 of 2026. His top hitters to pick up or stream for HR, RBI, SB, AVG, and runs.
Welcome back to our Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters - Category Boosters column for Week 12 of the 2026 MLB season. This week, we are in the middle of June. Every fantasy player has holes to fill somewhere on their roster.
But by now, you should know where your team is strong and where you may need to upgrade your roster. Almost every team is behind in some category. Attacking categories now, before it is too late, is a great strategy to employ to make up ground.
We will give you multiple options for each of the five offensive categories in a standard five-by-five league. All hitters will be listed by their percentage in Yahoo! leagues, with 40% being our new max. Let's see who can help boost your categories.
Featured Promo: Save 50% the regular price with discount code SPRING, for a limited time. Exclusive access to our Team Sync platform, DFS cheat sheets, Lineup Optimizers, betting/prop picks, and exclusive content from Nick Mariano and Eric Cross! GAIN ACCESS NOW
Runs Scored (R) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Braden Montgomery, OF, Chicago White Sox (36% rostered)
I swear I am not making hometown picks. Montgomery has scored four runs in his first five games with the White Sox, and playing time in an all-rookie outfield seems assured at this time. Montgomery brings a blend of power and speed, and will be fun to watch in the coming weeks.
See below; very early data, obviously, but it supports the idea that he is here to stay and can make an impact at the major league level.
Troy Johnston, 1B/OF, Colorado Rockies (13% rostered)
Johnston is very quietly putting together a nice season in Colorado. He's hitting .316 over the last month there, .333 over the last week, while knocking in six and scoring five in the last seven days. Given his eligibility at first base and outfield, he is a usable player on deep fantasy rosters.
Samad Taylor, 2B/OF, San Diego Padres (7% rostered)
Taylor has surprised in his recent call-up, and it looks like he could continue to get regular playing time in the San Diego outfield. He started seven consecutive games last week, and hit .385 with eight RBI, a couple of steals, and five runs scored in that streak.
Home Runs (HR) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Blaze Jordan, 1B/3B, St. Louis Cardinals (17% rostered)
Jordan was called up last weekend, and he is expected to hit home runs. Jordan hit his first home run last weekend, and he looks the part playing third base. He has two multiple-hit games, five RBI, and three runs scored in four starts so far. Jordan could easily stick in St. Louis.
TJ Rumfield, 1B, Colorado Rockies (15% rostered)
The slugging first baseman has three home runs over the last week, and has four multiple-hit games over that span as well. Rumfield is up to nine homers and 34 RBI on the season, and if you recently lost a guy like Vinnie Pasquantino to injury, Rumfield could make sense for you.
Look below. His aggressive pull tendencies are leading to slugging home runs, and those are stats that can help you make up ground in this category.
Cole Carrigg, OF, Colorado Rockies (11% rostered)
Carrigg is off to a good start, perhaps overshadowed a bit in the run of players recalled from Triple-A for their debuts over the last 10 days. Carrigg has three home runs in 31 plate appearances so far, and his path to daily playing time seems assured for the Rockies. Grab him now.
Runs Batted In (RBI) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Bryce Eldridge, 1B, San Francisco Giants (40% rostered)
Eldridge is going to be rostered far more and shortly, and rightfully so. The big first baseman has three home runs and nine RBI over his last six starts, and is hitting a robust .471 over that span. He will be rostered far more frequently this coming weekend. Grab him now if you can.
Chase Meidroth, 2B/3B/SS, Chicago White Sox (36% rostered)
Meidroth is quietly putting together a really nice season for the White Sox. Originally hitting leadoff, he has since ceded that spot to Sam Antonacci and is currently hitting sixth in the middle of a packed lineup.
You can see that Meidroth has driven in 22 runs in his last six weeks, and also tallied five homers over that span. He could easily hit over 10 home runs and keep driving runs in from his new spot in the order. Given his eligibility at three positions, Meidroth is underrated in fantasy baseball.
Dominic Canzone, OF, Seattle Mariners (17% rostered)
Canzone is no longer stuck in a platoon in Seattle, and he is hitting .417 with three home runs, six RBI, and seven runs scored over the last two weeks. He is knocking in runs and hitting for power. I added Canzone to many rosters, and you might want to consider him, too.
Canzone is a guy who will help in four offensive categories if he continues to get the playing time, which he should, even with the returns of J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh.
Stolen Bases (SB) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Cleveland Guardians (40% rostered)
Bazzana is having some expected growing pains at the plate, but he continues to be a threat to steal bases for Cleveland. He has gone somewhat cold at the plate, but still stole three bases in his last eight starts. These are the ups and downs of young players. He will figure it out.
Jake Mangum, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (6% rostered)
Mangum was acquired by the Pirates in the Brandon Lowe trade this winter as bench depth, but he has established himself as a regular player for the team. He is hitting .385 over the last two weeks and won't help you in power, but he has five steals over that time. Mangum can fly; see below.
Cooper Pratt, SS, Milwaukee Brewers (4% rostered)
Pratt was recalled and should get regular at-bats at shortstop, given the struggles of current starter Joey Ortiz. One thing we know Pratt will do is run if he gets on base. Pratt had 17 stolen bases in 58 Triple-A games this season and should be an offensive improvement over Ortiz.
Batting Average (AVG) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Willi Castro, 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, Colorado Rockies (39% rostered)
Castro has proved to be useful in his career when he earns playing time, and he does that by being eligible now at every offensive position except catcher. He is hitting .356 over the last two weeks with three homers, 10 RBI, and seven runs scored. He's valuable in the right context.
Alejandro Kirk, C, Toronto Blue Jays (30% rostered)
Kirk just returned from a broken thumb, and we know he will hit in the middle of a good Toronto order. He should help with your team's batting average. In his first start off the IL, Kirk got three hits, and he should get most of the playing time behind the plate for a strong Blue Jays team.
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, New York Yankees (18% rostered)
The veteran has snuck his way into the lineup in New York, starting against right-handed pitching as well. All he has done over the last two weeks is hit .378 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and five runs scored. Ride this late-career surge while you can if you need help.
Happy hunting this week! Message me directly @mdrc0508 if you have specific questions or need to vent about your fantasy teams. I will help if I can! Good luck and most importantly, have fun with this hobby! Have a great week.
More Fantasy Baseball Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!
