RADIO
Nestor Cortes Jr. is a fantasy baseball waiver wire pickup for Week 25 of the 2021 MLB season. Consider adding the SP if he's a free agent in your leagues.
BALLER MOVE: Add in leagues of 10+ teams
ROSTERED IN: 50% of leagues
ANALYSIS: It's taken several stints in the majors since 2018, but Cortes seems to have figured things out on the mound this season. Over 79 2/3 innings of work this year, Cortes has gone 2-2 with a 2.60 ERA, 1.054 WHIP and 27.3 percent strikeout rate. He's looked good over his last three starts with a 2.00 ERA, 0.944 WHIP and 23 strikeouts over 18 innings — including an 11-strikeout performance his last time out against the Orioles.
He'll open up the week at home, which will be a boost to his value as he's pitched far better in New York this year (1.93 ERA, 0.938 WHIP) than on the road (3.19 ERA, 1.157 WHIP). He'll be facing off against the Rangers, who are averaging 5.0 runs per game and slashing .253/.304/.394 over their last 10 games. While that could make it somewhat of a challenging start for Cortes, he'll be aided by the fact that not only are the Rangers hitting worse against left-handed pitchers this year (.232/.288/.363), they are also hitting worse on the road (.226/.286/.363) than at home (.236/.300/.393).
Afterwards he'll head out on the road to Boston, where he'll face the red-hot Red Sox who are slashing .267/.335/.463 and averaging 5.8 runs per game over their last 10 games. Cortes will not benefit from any home-road splits, because along with pitching worse on the road, the Red Sox are hitting much better at home (.278/.348/.477) than on the road (.242/.305/.417). He'll have a slight benefit though as a left-hander, as Boston is hitting slightly worse against southpaws (.261/.328/.426) than against right-handers (.259/.326/.457).
The outing against Texas should be a solid one for Cortes — especially coming off his stellar performance against the Orioles. The Red Sox matchup will be a tougher one, but Cortes could still provide decent value there. Cortes is likely the top two-start streaming option managers can find this week, and he should be targeted in all formats.
More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Deyvison De Los Santos - Prospect Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues CALL-UP ETA: Now ANALYSIS: Following their Opening Day victory over the Colorado Rockies, the Miami Marlins promoted first base prospect Deyvison De Los Santos to the major-league roster. De Los Santos spent nearly the entire 2025 season at our Triple-A level and was knocking on the MLB door for most […]
Konnor Griffin: Prospects To Stash
BALLER MOVE: Add in all leagues CALL-UP ETA: April ANALYSIS: Shortly before the regular season began, the Pirates opted to send Griffin to Triple-A Indianapolis. Griffin remained on the roster throughout most of spring training and was one of the final cuts, suggesting he made a serious push to crack the Opening Day roster. However, the […]
Andrew Painter: Prospects To Stash
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12-team leagues CALL-UP ETA: July ANALYSIS: Philadelphia Phillies top pitching prospect Andrew Painter missed the entirety of the 2023 and 2024 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery. However, the budding ace made his Triple-A debut earlier this season and is quickly approaching his MLB debut. Painter began the season with Low-A, […]
Logan Henderson: Prospects To Stash
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues CALL-UP ETA: July ANALYSIS: Milwaukee Brewers right-handed pitching prospect Logan Henderson made his MLB debut earlier this season and was quite dominant, tossing 21 innings to the tune of a 1.71 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. During this stint, Henderson struck out 29 batters and posted a strong 7.4% […]
Jordan Lawlar: Prospects To Stash
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ team leagues CALL-UP ETA: July ANALYSIS: Arizona Diamondbacks top prospect Jordan Lawlar received his second taste of the majors earlier this season but was unable to produce. Across eight games in Arizona, Lawlar did not tally a hit and held a 9:3 K:BB. During the 2023 season, Lawlar made his MLB […]
Download Our Free Waiver Wire App
Like what you see? You can download our free fantasy baseball mobile app for iPhone and Android which includes more waiver wire recommendations at every position, 24x7 player news, notifications, injury alerts & daily articles.
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!
Check out RotoBaller's entire fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and sleepers list, updated daily!
