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Dan's favorite infield-eligible fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups (1B, 2B, 3B, SS) for Week 9 of 2025 (May 26 - June 1). His top free-agent hitters to add.
Hello again, RotoBallers, and happy Memorial Day. Welcome back to another edition of the Infield Waiver Wire Adds series. For those finding their way here for the first time, this weekly column focuses on a handful of infield-eligible players who can help bolster your roster for the week ahead and possibly longer.
Since the Indy 500 is being held today, I thought that would be a good excuse to take some victory laps. Matt Shaw, Nolan Schanuel, and Miguel Andujar were featured in last week’s column, and all paid off for those who bought in. Shaw was recalled on Monday and got to work right away, going 8-for-20 with three runs, two RBI, and two steals in five games since rejoining the Cubs. Schanuel went 8-for-17 in Week 8, with a home run and five runs scored. Lastly, Andujar chipped in three runs and stayed hot at the plate, going 8-for-22 and extending his hitting streak to 11 games entering Sunday.
What pickup are you most proud of in the last week or this season? Reach out on X (@danifestmestiny) or Bluesky (@danifestmestiny.bsky.social) and take a victory lap of your own as we prepare for the week ahead. Get that prep started here with my favorite infield waiver wire adds for Week 9 -- May 26 to June 1.
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Waiver Wire Pickups For Shallow Leagues (30-50% rostered)
Ceddanne Rafaela, 2B/SS/OF, Boston Red Sox (47% rostered)
Ceddanne Rafaela has only seen action as Boston’s center fielder this season, but we won’t let that stop us from using his holdover infield eligibility. Rafaela’s dual eligibility at the middle infield spots is appealing, and there is an outside chance that he gets some action at third base while Alex Bregman (quad) is out.
Be content with his current status, though, as Red Sox manager Alex Cora has already said Rafaela’s involvement at the hot corner would be limited to emergencies.
At first glance, Rafaela does not make for an attractive addition candidate. He carries a .236 batting average, a .642 OPS, and has just two home runs this season. His expected stats offer hope for greater production in the coming months. Rafaela is hitting almost 50 points lower than his expected batting average and slugging over 150 points behind his .488 xSLG.
Positive regression will come for Rafaela soon, and I want to be ahead of the curve.
Chase Meidroth, 2B/3B/SS, Chicago White Sox (31% rostered)
Chase Meidroth’s MLB debut was briefly interrupted at the end of April due to a brief stint on the injured list. In his nine games before hitting the IL, Meidroth posted a .269 average with four runs and one stolen base. Since his activation on May 1, Meidroth has swiped seven bags and is batting a robust .320 and is taking an 11-game hitting streak into the last game of Week 8 on the fantasy calendar.
It is hard not to look at Meidroth’s Statcast profile and not have Luis Arraez or fellow rookie Jacob Wilson brought to mind. Like the latter two, Meidroth combines a passive approach with a slow bat speed to square up the ball to get on base rather than driving it. The result is a 94.6% zone contact rate and a .307 batting average for the season.
Meidroth will be of use to teams who need help in that category, though his impact will be limited elsewhere.
Waiver Wire Pickups For Deeper Leagues (10-30% rostered)
Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/OF, Baltimore Orioles (22% rostered)
Ryan O'Hearn is another option for teams that need help with batting average, and he comes with more power than Meidroth can offer. O'Hearn is no masher, but he did have 29 home runs over his previous two seasons with Baltimore and has seven already in 2025. His .315 average ranks 10th among major leaguers, his .405 OBP ranks sixth, and his .905 OPS ranks 14th, just behind Pete Alonso.
O'Hearn is one of the few bright spots in an underperforming Orioles lineup. If his teammates can get their bats working, then O’Hearn should see better production in the runs and RBI categories. The last time O'Hearn appeared in this column, he came with the caveat that fantasy managers should not expect a full week of games out of him since he usually sits against left-handed pitching.
Fortunately, Baltimore is projected to see six righties in Week 9, so O'Hearn is a safe bet to see a full week of action.
Marcelo Mayer, SS, Boston Red Sox (21% rostered)
This week’s prospect pickup is Marcelo Mayer, the No. 2 prospect for the Boston Red Sox and No. 8 on MLB Pipeline. The Red Sox did us a solid this week by promoting Mayer on Saturday afternoon, sparing us the angst stemming from stashing a highly rated prospect. The move was brought about by the injury to Alex Bregman (quad), leaving a hole at third base.
Mayer was given the start at third in Boston’s second game against Baltimore in its Saturday doubleheader, though it was not the storybook beginning to an MLB career. The 22-year-old went 0-for-4 at the plate with three strikeouts and two runners left on base, but he can be expected to recover from the inauspicious start.
In 43 games at Triple-A this season, Mayer already had nine home runs, 31 runs, and 43 RBI with a solid .271 batting average. Whether the Red Sox stick with him at third or play him at second over a slumping Kristian Campbell, Mayer should see regular work during Bregman’s absence.
The rookie will have the added comfort of continuing his debut in familiar territory, with Boston playing out a six-game homestand in Week 9.
Marcelo Mayer is being called up!
Triple-A: 193 PA, .271/.347/.471, 9 HR, 10.4% BB, 19.7% K
47.8% HH, 9.7% BRL, 84.5% Z-ConWorth a look in all 10+ team leagues. pic.twitter.com/8sY0DERki8
— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) May 24, 2025
Waiver Wire Pickups For The Deepest Of Leagues (Under 10% rostered)
Thairo Estrada, 2B, Colorado Rockies (6% rostered)
Thairo Estrada was cleared to begin a rehab assignment this week, meaning his debut with the Colorado Rockies is drawing close. Estrada was set to open the season as the team’s starting second baseman, but a right wrist fracture near the end of spring training derailed that plan.
Estrada collected 28 home runs and 44 steals over the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the San Francisco Giants, but injuries to his hamstring and left wrist limited him to just 96 games and hampered production. Hopes for a rebound season are buoyed by Estrada’s past success in his new home ballpark.
In 39 career games at Coors Field, Estrada has seven home runs, 32 runs scored, 33 RBI, a .345 batting average, and a .966 OPS.
Upon his activation, Estrada should not have a problem pushing his way into the Rockies lineup. Estrada is an add for me, but only on teams where I have enough of a cushion in the standings to allow for a bench stash or if I have an open IL slot.
Matt Vierling, 3B/OF, Detroit Tigers (3% rostered)
If you need more immediate help, then Matt Vierling (shoulder) was activated on May 23 after missing the first two months of the season due to a right rotator cuff strain. Vierling caught a start in center field the next day and went 1-for-4 with two RBI in a 7-5 loss to the Guardians. Last season, he hit .257 with 16 home runs and 80 runs scored in 144 games.
Vierling’s ability to cover the outfield and also third base will make him a regular presence in Detroit’s lineup. For deep, deep leagues, Vierling is a useful player because he can help maintain a team’s batting average and add some runs and the occasional home run, too.
Welcome back Matty V! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pvlu2zQlJ2
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 24, 2025
More Waiver Wire Pickups To Consider
- Tyler Fitzgerald, 2B/SS/OF - San Francisco Giants (25% rostered)
- Brooks Lee, 2B/3B/SS - Minnesota Twins (4% rostered)
- Edmundo Sosa, 2B/3B/SS - Philadelphia Phillies (2% rostered)
- Spencer Horwitz, 1B/2B - Pittsburgh Pirates (2% rostered)
- Curtis Mead, 1B/2B/3B - Tampa Bay Rays (1% rostered)
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