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Nick Mariano's fantasy baseball waiver wire targets for Week 4. Free-agent hitter pickups, emerging starting pitchers, and bullpen arms for every week of the 2026 MLB season.
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If your fantasy baseball experience has been anything like mine thus far, you cannot believe that it's only mid-April. Please join me in taking a deep breath and reminding yourself that it is early, but trends are certainly sharpening up. The elevated league-wide walk rate could be tied to the ABS challenges, bullpen bedlam is peaking just as managers are trying to optimize leverage spots, and injuries never stop.
You want to stay active with the waiver-wire clicks and keep panning for gold nuggets. As usual, this column looks to blend high-risk, high-reward plays alongside some safer volume. It's time to check some pulses with my waiver wire targets for Week 4.
We'll use Yahoo rostered rates up to 40%, listing players in a rough priority order (check our full waiver article for up to 70% rostered!). Please note that most statistics are gathered before Saturday's games, though I'll catch key news and happenings as I write. You can find me on X (@NMariano53) to ask me anything not addressed here.
Nick's Hitter Waiver Wire Targets
Catcher: Carter Jensen (35% rostered), Moises Ballesteros (13%), Samuel Basallo (25%), Dillon Dingler (37%), Dalton Rushing (6%), Gary Sanchez (5%), Adrian Del Castillo (1%)
Jensen went yard on Saturday for his fifth homer in 20 games as Kansas City continues to bat him fifth. It’s criminal that he’s rostered in half of the leagues that Yainer Diaz (68%) is.
Ballesteros is 13-for-22 with three homers since April 7, and Carson Kelly is 10-for-22 with two longballs of his own in the same window. The two tend to split C/DH reps, though Miguel Amaya still squeezes someone out at times.
Basallo has homered twice this week, but he has only one other hit in that span, as consistent contact remains hard to come by. Sanchez is a similar profile with a tenth of the buzz. Teel is a worthwhile stash if you’re comparatively weak and have space.
Del Castillo may finally be breaking through against MLB pitching (.346 AVG, 1 HR, 13 R+RBI in seven games), but still only plays every other day. Rushing plays even less, but that red-hot bat is going to force itself into more conversations.
Dalton Rushing has hit 5 homers in 18 ABs this season 😯 pic.twitter.com/vsf1FHIFJs
— MLB (@MLB) April 19, 2026
