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Mike's fantasy baseball waiver wire hitters to add as category boosters for Week 18 of 2025. 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 18 of the 2025 MLB season. We are in the thick of it now, and seasons can be won or lost with our waiver wire additions.
Friends, there is still time to move up in the standings. Do not give up and move to fantasy football. Finish what you started. Seasons can still be saved with some deft maneuvering. Keep grinding!
We will aim to give you three options for each of the five offensive categories in a standard five-by-five league. Our rule: All hitters will be listed according to their percentage of rostered players on Yahoo!, with a maximum of 50 percent. Let's look at names that might be under the radar, but who can help you now.
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Runs Scored (R) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B/OF, Chicago White Sox (32% rostered)
Vargas continues to get daily playing time for an improving Chicago White Sox team, and he has eligibility at three positions. He hits in the middle of the lineup and is scoring runs, with 11 scored this month. See his box below. He is worth rostering in most formats.
Mike Tauchman, OF, Chicago White Sox (4% rostered)
Tauchman could be on the move this week, with the White Sox in last place and the veteran being a nice commodity for a contending team as a fourth outfielder. I would hope the White Sox would hold on to him, but he could have trade value.
Tauchman usually hits atop the lineup, and is at .288 with three home runs, 15 RBI, and 10 runs. Five of those runs have come over the last week. He is low-rostered, but he should land on more teams as the month ticks away.
Nathan Lukes, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (2% rostered)
Lukes is rostered in very few leagues, as you can see, but he should be on more fantasy rosters. He has proven to be useful to many teams already, and the Blue Jays have found a way to play him daily.
In July, Lukes has hit .241 with four home runs, 13 RBI, and 13 runs. Six of these runs have come over the last week, as he continues to hit leadoff against right-handed pitchers. Roster him this weekend.
Home Runs (HR) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Tyler O'Neill, OF, Baltimore Orioles (50% rostered)
O'Neill is back from injury and hitting well for the struggling Orioles. He has hit home runs in his last four games and has hit .355 with eight runs scored and 10 RBI. He is worth adding this week if you can on your waiver wire.
Giancarlo Stanton, OF, New York Yankees (42% rostered)
Stanton could see an uptick in playing time with the news that Aaron Judge is on the IL with an elbow issue. Stanton should play in the outfield, and he should continue to hit home runs when he plays. He's hitting .333 with three home runs over the last week.
Colson Montgomery, 3B/SS, Chicago White Sox (20% rostered)
Montgomery has been alternating between shortstop and third base, and the White Sox are committed to playing the youngster daily. He has hit .262 with four home runs and 15 RBI over the last two weeks. See his incredible bat speed below.
Runs Batted In (RBI) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Josh Jung, 3B, Texas Rangers (31% rostered)
Jung has been on a tear since his recall from Triple-A two weeks ago, and the Rangers have surged with him. He has hit two home runs, scored six runs, and knocked in five while hitting a robust .385. Jung should continue to get the bulk of at-bats at third base in Texas.
Mickey Moniak, OF, Colorado Rockies (26% rostered)
Moniak has been having a great season. For the season, he is hitting .269 with 16 home runs, 41 RBI, 40 runs scored, and five stolen bases. He has been a surprise, playing daily for a moribund Rockies team.
Over the last two weeks, he has hit .342 with three home runs, seven RBI, and nine runs scored. Most teams require outfield help, and Moniak can lend a hand. He is hitting the ball hard this year, as you can see in his Statcast below.
Ramon Laureano, OF, Baltimore Orioles (32% rostered)
Laureano should find himself on the move this week ahead of the trade deadline. On the season, he is hitting .291 with 15 home runs, 46 RBI, 45 runs scored, and four stolen bases. He has been a godsend for a struggling team this season.
Over the last two weeks, he has hit .319 with four home runs, 11 RBI, and 10 runs scored. He has been waiver wire fodder for most of the last three seasons, but Laureano has saved many fantasy seasons in 2025, and he can help you right now.
Stolen Bases (SB) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Chandler Simpson, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (42% rostered)
I am unsure what people want from Chandler. He hits for a high batting average, scores runs, and steals bases, so he helps in three categories. This season, he is hitting .300 with 30 runs scored and 32 stolen bases. He gets dinged for no power.
Over the last two weeks, he has hit .263 with seven runs and six stolen bases in 38 at-bats. He is playing daily and will continue to score runs and steal bases with a helpful batting average.
Colton Cowser, OF, Baltimore Orioles (40% rostered)
Cowser should get ample playing time in a lost season for Baltimore. When he plays, he runs; Cowser has five stolen bases this month, running his total to six on the season. He is hitting only .224, with nine home runs, 20 RBI, and 21 runs scored.
Sal Frelick, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (38% rostered)
Frelick is another helpful player who is flying under the radar. He did just return from the IL for a hamstring injury, but looks like he is back to 100%, and he plays daily on a surging Milwaukee Brewers team that manufactures runs.
Frelick is hitting .294 with eight home runs (a career-high), 40 RBI (also a career-high), 48 runs, and 17 stolen bases. See his Statcast below; his value rests in squaring up the baseball and being outstanding both defensively and on the bases.
Batting Average (AVG) - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Boosters
Jordan Beck, OF, Colorado Rockies (17% rostered)
Beck has quietly put together a nice season for an awful Rockies team. He is hitting .276 with 12 home runs, 36 RBI, 46 runs, and 11 stolen bases. Over the last two weeks, he's hitting .366 with two home runs, five RBI, five runs, and one stolen base.
Beck looks to have a clear path to playing time the rest of the way.
Coby Mayo, 1B/3B, Baltimore Orioles (11% rostered)
Mayo has been a bright spot in a dim season for the disappointing Orioles. The youngster has scored five runs, hit two home runs, knocked in five, and hit .304 over the last week of games. Mayo is eligible at both corner infield spots.
Isaac Collins, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (6% rostered)
Collins is way off the radar, and I am arguing that he should be rostered far more. He started the season in the minors, played his way to the major leagues, and then forced his way into the starting lineup.
Collins is hitting .366 over the last two weeks (a whopping .409 over the last week), with one home run, seven RBI, six runs, and two stolen bases. Milwaukee just continues to churn out guys who can play winning baseball.
I hope this helps you out! Good luck and happy hunting, RotoBallers! You can always message me @mdrc0508 on X to complain about my picks or make other suggestions!
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