RotoBaller Staff Roundtable - Waiver Wire Pickups: Fantasy Baseball Week 20

August 8, 2026

RotoBaller staff's fantasy baseball Week 20 waiver wire pickups for 2026. Expert advice for waiver wire hitter, pitcher, and closer targets from Eric, Joey, Frank, and Marty

Welcome, RotoBallers, to another staff roundtable ahead of Week 20 of the fantasy season. As always, we will spotlight our top waiver wire targets from members of our fantasy baseball staff, including Eric Cross, Joey Pollizze, Frank Ammirante, and Marty Tallman

Prospect call-ups took the spotlight this week as we will look at three of the top infield prospects in the sport who have all earned the call to the majors over the past several days and are top waiver wire targets.

Who should we look to pick up this week? Let's dive in!

Hitter Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

George Lombard Jr., SS, New York Yankees

After the Yankees didn't acquire a shortstop before the trade deadline, you knew a George Lombard Jr. promotion was going to be right around the corner. And sure enough, it was. While his numbers in the upper minors don't blow you away, Lombard was slashing a solid .284/.411/.498 with 24 doubles, 12 home runs, and 14 steals in 78 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

Lombard was especially potent at the plate over the last two months, slashing .306/.426/.571 in June and .370/.517/.630 in July, before starting August with five hits and a home run in two games before his promotion. It didn't take long for Lombard to make an impact for the Yankees either, going yard in his Major League debut on Tuesday.

George Lombard Jr.'s first big league hit is a HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/PkX99Fa9aH

— MLB (@MLB) August 5, 2026

With Lombard, the power is easily plus. In Triple-A, he posted a 92.7 mph AVG EV, 104.5 mph 90th percentile EV, and a 48.7% hard-hit rate. However, the contact rates have been below-average at 79.9% in zone and 68.7% overall. But on the plus side, Lombard doesn't chase too much and walked at a 14.8% clip in his 333 minor league games.

With the Yankees offense floundering and Anthony Volpe now back in Triple-A, Lombard should receive the bulk of the playing time at shortstop for the Yankees moving forward.

- Eric Cross

Angel Genao, 2B/3B/SS, Cleveland Guardians

If you miss out on grabbing Lombard, Angel Genao is a decent fallback option. Genao made his Major League debut on Wednesday, collecting four hits while starting at the hot corner. He then slid over to second base for his second start on Thursday and picked up another hit. Versatility is an added bonus to Genao's profile, as he's played second base, third base, and shortstop this season in the minor leagues, and could fit a super-utility role while playing close to every day for the Guardians moving forward.

Sure, the profile isn't super flashy, but Genao is a solid all-around hitter who can do a little of everything. In 96 games between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Genao slashed .300/.401/.474 with 20 doubles, 13 home runs, and 11 steals.

Making contact has always been a strength here, as Genao has consistently posted contact rates north of 80% throughout his minor league career. He also showed some decent pop in Triple-A this season with an 89.7 mph AVG EV and 45.2% hard-hit rate. Even if he's never more than a 15-20 HR or 15-20 SB guy in general, Genao's ability to provide across-the-board production with multi-positional eligibility makes him an attractive target if you need an infielder right now.

- Eric Cross

Andruw Monasterio, 1B/2B/3B/SS, Boston Red Sox

Andruw Monasterio has been quite the surprise contributor for the red-hot Red Sox, slashing .268/.322/.460 with six home runs and three stolen bases in 234 plate appearances. But the season-long numbers don't even tell the whole story. Heading into Friday night, Monasterio was slashing .345/.406/.607 with three homers and two steals in 97 plate appearances.

Even though Monasterio has been hitting between the 6 to 8 spot in the Red Sox lineup, he's been able to provide a major boost to your batting average. It feels like everyone on this team is in lockstep right now, each in a hot streak at the same time. That means it's a good idea to just pick up Monasterio and ride the wave.

ANDRUW MONASTERIO WITH AN RBI OFF THE MONSTER pic.twitter.com/3oJ8a2wXIs

— NESN (@NESN) August 7, 2026

You also have to like the favorable schedule for next week, as the Red Sox are one of the few teams with seven games on tap. This includes four games at the Blue Jays and three at the Pirates.

With Monasterio swinging the bat so well, he's worth a look, especially since he's eligible at four positions across the infield.

- Frank Ammirante

Walker Jenkins, OF, Minnesota Twins

Outfielder Walker Jenkins is the Twins' No. 1 prospect, and he should be with the big league club in the coming weeks.

For the first time in his young career, @WalkerJenkins6 has homered twice in a game. He demolishes this changeup 400 feet to right field. Over his last 36 games, Jenkins is hitting .326 (45-138). Go ahead #MNTwins fans, have at it pic.twitter.com/vhATGdWzbQ

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) August 7, 2026

Although he has struggled to stay healthy, when he has been on the field, Jenkins has been impressive, slashing .285/.386/.445 with four home runs and 10 stolen bases across 233 Triple-A plate appearances.

Jenkins has the upside to become a five-category fantasy stud and projects as a potential top-20 outfielder. The 21-year-old possesses excellent bat-to-ball skills, 55-grade raw power, and enough speed to steal 20-plus bases over a full season.

The biggest concern with Jenkins has always been his ability to stay healthy. Last season, he dealt with a quad strain and a left hamstring strain before re-aggravating the hamstring this year. He then suffered an AC joint sprain after crashing into the outfield wall.

However, Jenkins appears to be fully healthy now, and he has been on a tear. Since June 17, he is batting .319 with two home runs, 10 doubles, five stolen bases, and only 19 strikeouts compared to 13 walks.

While the Twins added talent at the trade deadline and are pushing for the playoffs, Jenkins remains a strong candidate to make his debut down the stretch and should be in Minnesota by September.

If you have a minor league roster spot, Jenkins is worth stashing in any league. Otherwise, he's worth adding in 15-team leagues and formats with five starting outfielders, and he should be rostered everywhere once he reaches the majors.

- Marty Tallman

Cole Young, 2B/SS, Seattle Mariners

It's happened with very little fanfare, but Cole Young has been sneaky good over the last two months. After combining for just four home runs in 237 plate appearances through the end of May, Young hit five home runs in June and five more in July. And since May 27, Young is slashing .285/.331/.469 with 11 home runs, 24 RBI, and 32 runs scored in 60 games while only striking out in 11.4% of his plate appearances during that span.

Cole Young 3-run homer 💥

The @Mariners tie the game in the 7th! pic.twitter.com/TGRidM2lbY

— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2026

When you pop the hood on Young's profile, he's around league-average with his 88.8 mph AVG EV and 38.9% hard-hit rate, but making contact is where he stands out. On top of a low 16/3% strikeout rate, Young has recorded an 86.7% zone and 81.4% overall contact rate this season, and his .280 xBA ranks in the 88th percentile of hitters this season.

He won't give you more than a rogue steal here and there, but Young can provide a solid AVG with a 20-homer pace. The second base position has been underwhelming this season, so I'm sure plenty of you reading this could use a second baseman. I was one of those people, and added Young in two of my leagues already.

- Eric Cross

Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Minnesota Twins

Kaelen Culpepper was finally called up to the big leagues, making his debut on August 7th. This is a 23-year-old shortstop who slashed .271/.367/.478 with 14 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 343 plate appearances.

There's a nice power and speed profile here, so I recommend picking up Culpepper immediately to see where this goes. Remember, rookies have unknown ceilings. They can blow expectations out of the water, especially in short spurts. Just look at what Esmerlyn Valdez did in Pittsburgh earlier this year.

Culpepper hit seventh in his MLB debut, but there's opportunity for him to move up in the order, especially when he does things like this:

WELCOME TO THE SHOW KAELEN CULPEPPER pic.twitter.com/Mn0ETtRPEw

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 8, 2026

The rookie shortstop went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in his debut. Pick him up before it's too late.

- Frank Ammirante

Endy Rodriguez, C, Pittsburgh Pirates

If you are in need of a catcher, Pittsburgh Pirates backstopper Endy Rodriguez could be a nice option to pick up off waivers. Rodriguez is batting .294 with two home runs, four RBI, and four stolen bases since coming off the injured list on July 27. The switch-hitting catcher has a hit in eight of nine games, which included hitting back-to-back home runs earlier this week on August 4 and August 5.

There's a lot of optimism surrounding Rodriguez's game. His .338 xwOBA, 92.4 mph average exit velocity, 10.8% barrel rate, 47.3% hard-hit rate, 37.6% launch angle sweet-spot rate, and 14.6% walk rate are all encouraging signs that the Pirates catcher can remain a viable fantasy option the rest of the season.

- Joey Pollizze

Pitcher Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups

Matthew Liberatore, SP, St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore has been so hit-or-miss on the mound recently. He threw six shutout innings against the Braves on July 11, gave up five runs across 5 1/3 innings against the Angels on July 21, allowed three runs across 3 2/3 innings against the Cubs on July 27, and recently threw six shutout innings with seven strikeouts against the Blue Jays last week.

With two scoreless performances over the past few weeks, Liberatore could be worth grabbing in some deeper formats. His strikeout rate is way up over his last few outings (28.5% strikeout rate in his last six starts), and he has a solid 3.48 ERA since June 30. He also draws a start against the Rockies on Saturday, further solidifying that he should be added in 15+ team leagues.

- Joey Pollizze

Jackson Jobe, SP, Detroit Tigers

It has been a while since Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Jackson Jobe has pitched in the big leagues. He threw 49 innings pitched during the 2025 season before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery. Jobe is now returning to the Major League mound again and is set to make his season debut on Saturday against the San Francisco Giants.

Jackson Jobe, Evil 97mph Sinker. 👿

19 inches of Run pic.twitter.com/IOEPxwvhqI

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 18, 2025

Jobe was fantastic in his five rehab assignment starts as part of his build-up. The hard-throwing right-hander had a 1.76 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 17 strikeouts across 15 1/3 innings pitched at four different levels (rookie ball, Single-A, High-A, and Double-A). He's an add in most 12+ team leagues this week.

- Joey Pollizze

Kade Anderson, SP, Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson is the consensus top pitching prospect in MLB right now. The Mariners lefty came into Friday's action on a completely dominant run in the minors. Anderson has a 1.20 ERA and a 0.66 WHIP with a 40.5% strikeout rate and a 4.1% walk rate in 82.1 innings at Double-A. Simply put, those are video game numbers. It's clear that Anderson is ready for the big leagues.

We saw him continue to dominate on Friday night, tossing 5.1 scoreless innings with zero walks and nine strikeouts.

Kade Anderson strikes out the side in the top of the first. 13 pitches, 11 strikes, 6 whiffs. pic.twitter.com/zPRb9k3PMV

— Mariners Minors (@MiLBMariners) August 8, 2026

The Mariners are currently 56-60 as of Friday night, so they definitely need a spark to ignite the team for the stretch run. Otherwise, they're going to miss the playoffs. What better way to do that than call up Anderson?

After trading Luis Castillo, that opens up a spot in the rotation. They can bring up Anderson and go back to a six-man rotation. It's also worth noting that both Emerson Hancock and Bryce Miller have fallen off after strong starts.

In Hancock's last eight starts, he has a 4.43 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP in 40.2 innings. In Miller's last five starts, he has a 5.81 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP in 26.1 innings. It's clear that they can use Anderson.

What's encouraging is that the M's have publicly stated that once Anderson is up, he'll be starting rather than deployed out of the bullpen. With that in mind, it's only a matter of time before this potential difference-maker is up in Seattle.

- Frank Ammirante

Jacob Webb, Chicago Cubs

Jacob Webb has been rock-solid for the Cubs this year, registering a 2.49 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP with a 26.5% strikeout rate and an 8.1% walk rate in 50.2 innings. The numbers are supported by the underlying metrics, including a 3.24 SIERA.

We've seen Webb convert saves on August 5th and August 7th, so it's clear he's the top option for saves, even though the Cubs acquired Ryan Zeferjahn at the deadline.

With Danny Palencia still a week or two away, it makes sense to pick up Webb if you're desperate for saves. Remember, there's a chance that Palencia will be eased back into the role once he returns, especially since he's coming off an extended absence.

Webb is so widely available in leagues, so he's worth a look.

- Frank Ammirante

Grant Taylor, RP, Chicago White Sox

While the White Sox made some moves before the deadline, no move was made to bring in a veteran reliever to close out games for them. In fact, they traded away Seranthony Domínguez, who had been one of their 9th inning options this season. With Domínguez gone, there's an opening for the electric Grant Taylor to seize a larger opportunity in the 9th inning picture for the White Sox. And if those save opportunities start swinging his way more consistently, Taylor becomes a must-roster player for fantasy.

In 42 outings this season, Taylor has recorded a 2.31 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 8.1% walk rate, and a 33.2% strikeout rate across 58.1 innings. There's plenty of red on his Savant page with Taylor ranking in the 77th percentile or higher in xERA, xBA, chase rate, whiff rate, strikeout rate, groundball rate, fastball velocity, and extension. Taylor has been dominating with his 4-seamer, curveball, and slider, all three of which have a BAA under .220 and a whiff rate above 28%. Both breaking balls have a whiff rate above 32%.

If you're looking for saves and Taylor is sitting on your league's waiver wire, I'd look to add him immediately. This is a player where I could easily see his roster rate flipping from 28% to 82% by the end of the season.

- Eric Cross

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