Pirates Promoting Esmerlyn Valdez, Viewed as Priority Waiver-Wire Target?

The Pittsburgh Pirates are promoting outfielder/first baseman Esmerlyn Valdez from Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, a source told Pirates insider Jason Mackey. In a corresponding move, the team optioned outfielder Billy Cook to Indy. The 22-year-old is considered Pittsburgh's No. 9 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and the Dominican should have an opportunity to play alongside fellow […]

Fantasy Baseball Sell-Highs: Early-Season Overachievers to Trade Away?

There have been some unexpected players who have turned into fantasy superstars in the early portion of the 2026 season. Jordan Walker has become a top fantasy outfielder, Munetaka Murakami ranks toward the top of the league in home runs, and Drake Baldwin has settled into a top fantasy catcher. While all three of those […]

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters - Category Boosters for HR, SB, RBI, AVG, Runs (Week 8)

Welcome back to our Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters - Category Boosters column for Week 8 of the 2026 MLB season. At this point, we have a good idea of where our teams are and what we need to do to remake them. Can we salvage it? The one thing I will never embrace is […]

Mid-Week Waiver Wire Rankings: Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 8

Amazingly, the middle of the week is here, and it's time for waiver wire advice. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with another edition of our mid-week fantasy baseball waiver rankings for Week 8— May 18 through May 24 to help break down the waiver wire in leagues that allow daily moves.  We rank the […]

Fantasy Baseball Buy-Lows? Unlucky Star Players (Week 8)

The fantasy baseball season is quickly moving along. We are currently in Week 8 of the fantasy season, and there are plenty of star players who have underperformed in the early going. These unlucky stars now present fantasy managers with a perfect buy-low opportunity. This article will highlight seven of the top buy-low star players. […]

5 Bargain Basement Hitters - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 8featured ho

Welcome, RotoBallers, to another edition of our bargain basement hitters. In this weekly column, we take a look at five of the hottest hitters in baseball (who are rostered in 25% or fewer of Yahoo leagues) and determine whether they were worth picking up. This week, we will look at some intriguing power options at […]

MLB Prospect Debuts: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups and Rookie Stashes (Week 8)

Over the past few weeks, recently called-up prospects like A.J. Ewing, Henry Bolte, and Ryan Waldschmidt have made an immediate impact for fantasy managers. With MLB teams becoming more aggressive in promoting prospects, fantasy managers need to stay on top of the latest news and adjust accordingly. To help with that, we’ll break down two […]

8 Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers - Carson Benge, Kyle Bradish, Eury Perez, More

Welcome to the mid-week edition of RotoBaller's Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers article series for Week 8 of the 2026 season! While you may be used to this type of article being posted on Mondays, with so many constant risers and fallers to keep track of, we decided to start providing twice as much content! […]

Fantasy Baseball Breakouts or Fake Outs? Hitters Delivering Elite Results For Week 8

Here we go with another edition of Fantasy Baseball Hitter Breakouts or Fake Outs. Truth be told, this is my favorite weekly article to write because the deep dive analysis always forces me to learn so much more about so many different players around the league. You love the payoff of what the analysis can […]

Fantasy Baseball Breakouts and Resurgences - Are They For Real?

One of the best ways to find value in fantasy baseball is on a bounce-back candidate. These are veterans coming off down years, but have enough of a track record to buy back in. Some late bloomers come out of nowhere, worth exploring. In this article, we're going to look at breakouts and resurgences in […]

Must-Add Waiver Wire Pickups: Mid-Week Fantasy Baseball Adds for Week 8

Week 8 of the fantasy baseball season is at its midway point. With the next set of MLB matchups on the horizon, now is a good time to examine the waiver wire in our fantasy baseball leagues to see who can help us this weekend and beyond. Leading off this week’s list is a 20-year-old […]

Top 25 Injured Players to Stash for Fantasy Baseball - Week 8 (2026)

Welcome to our Injured Players to Stash for Fantasy Baseball series, as we move past Week 8 of the 2026 MLB season. Throughout the season, it's always a good idea to check the wire for players to stash to add upside to your rosters, as long as you have room. Remember, you don't want to waste roster […]

Buy Low, Sell High Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice for Week 8 (2026)

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly buy/sell fantasy baseball trades advice article for Week 8 of the 2026 season, highlighting the best players to trade for and trade away. If you are new to this weekly series, we look at the best players to buy and sell each week of the fantasy baseball season.  In this […]

TJ Rumfield Stays Hot at the Plate, Emerging as Must-Add Slugger?

Colorado Rockies first baseman TJ Rumfield has been a huge addition to his team's offense, and he can give your fantasy lineup a boost if you're looking for some power production at first base from the waiver wire. Rumfield was acquired from the Yankees in a trade late in spring training and earned the starting […]

MLB Home Run Player Prop Bets Today: Best Hitter HR Props (5/21/2026)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We have a weak Thursday slate, and the weather isn't looking particularly great either. This is going to be a slate where we have to dig deep and find some sneaky spots for people to go yard today. Zach absolutely crushed it yesterday, hitting dingers on Juan Soto and Ketel Marte. Hopefully, […]

Yandy Diaz Avoids Serious Injury, Could Return on Friday

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz (hands) got an X-ray and CT scan on Tuesday night after being hit by a pitch on both of his hands, according to Rays reporter Ryan Bass. The imaging came back negative on Diaz, who woke up sore on Wednesday, which is why he was held out of […]

Yandy Diaz Out on Wednesday After Being Hit by a Pitch

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz (hand) is out of Wednesday's lineup versus the division-rival Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field after he was hit by a pitch on the hand on Tuesday, according to MLB.com. Ryan Vilade will draw into the lineup at first base and will bat cleanup for the first-place Rays against […]

Freddie Freeman Snaps Hitless Skid With Two-Homer Performance Against Padres

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman dramatically ended a cold stretch to help the Dodgers beat the division-rival San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday night by a score of 5-4. The veteran left-handed slugger went 2-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, three RBI, and two strikeouts. It was a nice […]

Nick Kurtz Continues Strong Month of May, Drives in Five on Tuesday

Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz continued to swing the bat well in May in the team's 14-6 blowout victory over the hosting Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night, going 3-for-5 at the plate with a double, season-high five RBI, two runs scored, and a stolen base to boost his season average to .276 and his […]

MLB DFS Picks for 5/20/26: Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategy and Tips For FanDuel, DraftKings

Tonight we have a small six-game slate on DraftKings and a nine-game slate on FanDuel. This is a very offense-deprived slate, so finding stacks that we want to target heavily is tough. We also have a wind game in Wrigley and some aces toeing the rubber. The key to tonight's slate will be getting our […]

MLB Home Run Player Prop Bets Today: Best Hitter HR Props (5/20/2026)

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We have a stuffed Wednesday of baseball lined up to fill the entire day with MLB action. The schedule spreads the first pitches of today's matchups from 1:05 p.m ET through 9:38 p.m. ET, which should mean almost 12 hours of non-stop baseball action. Let's dive into the matchups and find some […]

Yandy Diaz Exits Early on Tuesday After Being Hit By Pitch

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman/designated hitter Yandy Diaz (hand) exited early from his team's matchup against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday after being hit by a pitch on his hand in the eighth inning, per Ryan Bass of MLB TV. Diaz was two-for-four with a home run and two RBI before leaving the game. The […]

Ernie Clement Out on Tuesday With Strep Throat

Toronto Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement (illness) is out of the starting lineup on Tuesday against the division-rival New York Yankees due to strep throat, according to Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. Clement told Mae that "it started yesterday." Davis Schneider is starting at second base for Toronto and will hit seventh for the Jays against […]

Ralphy Velazquez Headed to Triple-A, Officially on the Stash Radar?

The Cleveland Guardians have promoted first base prospect Ralphy Velazquez to Triple-A, according to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. Velazquez was the Guardians' first-round pick in 2023, signing for $2.5 million out of Huntington Beach High School in California. It's a much-deserved promotion for the left-handed hitter, who was slashing .317/.414/.566 with seven home runs, a […]

Homerless Drought Continues for Charlie Condon, Still a Stash Option?

Colorado Rockies corner infield/outfield prospect Charlie Condon continues to tread water at Triple-A Albuquerque, collecting a hit in eight of his last 10 games but going just 9-for-42 (.214) over that span with a 36.2 percent strikeout rate. The former third-overall draft pick has a superb 19.7 percent chase rate (88th percentile) that's allowed him […]

Bryce Eldridge Falling Out of Role in Giants Lineup?

San Francisco Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge has struggled to earn consistent playing time lately, and that trend could continue going forward. Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News reports that Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey acknowledges Eldridge hasn't been afforded consistent playing time, which could be impacting his ability to get into […]

Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 8 (Hitters and Pitchers)

Week 8 has officially arrived, and another week is in the books. Injuries continue to pile up as the Mets pitcher Clay Holmes will miss three months with a right fibula fracture, while the Red Sox shortstop will be out six to 10 weeks with a sports hernia. At RotoBaller HQ, we help you find […]

Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects to Stash (Redraft): Eric Cross' Rookie Rankings for Week 8

Another week is in the books, and we had a few more exciting prospect promotions. Henry Bolte and A.J. Ewing were called up last week, and Colt Emerson got the call Sunday night. We've seen a steady trickle of notable prospect promotions all season, and I don't expect that to change in the coming weeks. […]

Josh Bell Snaps Lengthy Homerless Drought With Two Long Balls on Monday

Minnesota Twins first baseman Josh Bell ended a lengthy dry spell in the home run department in Monday night's 6-3 win over the visiting Houston Astros by going 3-for-4 at the plate with two home runs and four RBI to boost his season average to .223 and his OPS to .647. Both of Bell's home […]

MLB Home Run Player Prop Bets Today: Best Hitter HR Props (5/19/2026)

I love writing for Tuesday slates because we almost always get all 30 teams to pick and choose from. There are several strong starters on the docket tonight, but there are also so many pitchers playing poorly that we can pick on. We have games in Arizona, Colorado, Anaheim, and Philadelphia, all of which are […]