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Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 13 of 2026 (June 22 - June 28). These are his top free-agent pitchers to add and stream.
Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 13 of the 2026 season (June 22 - June 28). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 40 percent (new parameter for us) of Yahoo leagues. For deeper leagues, we try to find pitchers rostered in less than 30 percent of Yahoo leagues.
It is time to make some tough decisions on many of your teams. That veteran pitcher you have been holding in hopes that he will turn it around, and you will benefit from it. That young guy who tantalizes with great stuff but is not getting results. What are you going to do to address this?
There is always help on the waiver wire. Are the guys mentioned here aces? Hardly, but that does not mean that they cannot help your team. At the end of the article, you will see players rostered in less than 15% of leagues who could help your squad.
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Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered between 30-40% on Yahoo
Michael McGreevy, St. Louis Cardinals (39% rostered)
McGreevy took a loss on Friday night, but he's been a serviceable starter much of this season. He has gone at least five innings in 13 of his 15 starts for St. Louis, bringing three wins, a 3.35 ERA, and a 1.15 WHIP to the table. He will not help you add strikeouts.
Don't look now, but the management team in St. Louis has built a good starting rotation. McGreevy is a big part of that, along with Dustin May and Andre Pallante (more on him later).
Stephen Kolek, Kansas City Royals (36% rostered)
Kolek has quietly emerged as a reliable starter in Kansas City. He has gone at least five innings in seven of his eight starts, and pitched into the eighth inning against Houston this week, nabbing a win in the process. Impressively, he has four wins, a 2.68 ERA, and 1.03 WHIP.
While Kolek only has 34 strikeouts in 50 innings, the ratios help, and wins can benefit your team while he is pitching this well. He gets the St. Louis Cardinals next week.
Gage Jump, Athletics (35% rostered)
Like many of you, I had been following Jump since the Athletics recalled him. And then I actually got the chance to see him pitch on Thursday night, and I was impressed: seven innings, a win, and seven strikeouts against the Los Angeles Angels.
Ok, yes, it was the Angels, but Jump has won three of his five starts and has posted a 2.37 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts in 30 innings. Look below. He is limiting hard contact, which is key, and he gets hitters to chase. Jump looks like a veteran out there and knows how to pitch.
Griffin Jax, Tampa Bay Rays (34% rostered)
The questions surrounding Jax have never been about the stuff. He has that in abundance. The questions have always revolved around his role, whether it be in the rotation or the bullpen, and whether he can harness that stuff and cut down the walks.
Look at the box below. He is not getting wins, mostly due to a mix of being inefficient and not being stretched out, which does not allow him to chalk up many innings. Yet, it feels like it is coming together; the ERA since May is good, and strikeouts are coming.
I am trying to roster Jax in some leagues, even if I do not use him weekly, because I will want him when these talents coalesce. Jax went five innings on Friday night, striking out five while surrendering two home runs (solo shots) to get the win.
Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals (31% rostered)
Lugo took a line drive from Brandon Nimmo off the forehead last week and went on the 7-day concussion IL. He showed no ill effects on Friday night, going six innings while surrendering only one run against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Lugo is now 3-4 with a 3.69 ERA, a slightly elevated 1.35 WHIP, and he's not usually a zero in strikeouts. He's a good matchup play in many leagues. I like to be able to count on some ratio controls from veteran pitchers like Lugo.
Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered in less than 30% on Yahoo
Peter Lambert, Houston Astros (28% rostered)
Lambert has been a welcome surprise to Houston as it navigates significant injuries to its squad. The veteran has won six of his 11 starts, posting a 3.23 ERA, a tidy 1.11 WHIP, and has an encouraging 58 strikeouts in 64 innings. He's helping some fantasy teams right now.
Walker Buehler, San Diego Padres (27% rostered)
I was toying with having Buehler in this article last week, and I talked myself out of it. But on Saturday night, he continued his recent excellence. He pitched into the sixth inning, struck out seven Rangers, and allowed only one run.
Buehler has his ERA at 3.96 now, with a 1.32 WHIP and 65 strikeouts in 72 innings. Is Buehler turning the proverbial corner back into a usable starting pitcher?
Andre Pallante, St. Louis Cardinals (26% rostered)
Pallante is a name many fantasy players hedge on when they hear his name, but look at what he has done. We spend much time focusing on what players are not and not enough time on what they actually are. With that slight cognitive shift, Pallante looks good to me.
Pallante has eight wins and is supporting that with a 3.76 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, and 62 strikeouts in 76 innings for the Cardinals. He has given up only 10 runs in his last five starts.
I found this very interesting below. Pallante is using an effective mix of pitches to control both right-handed and left-handed hitters, but does so in two different ways. Note the heavier fastball usage to lefties, and the higher slider and sinker usage to righties. It's working right now.
Joey Cantillo, Cleveland Guardians (24% rostered)
Cantillo continues to tantalize with his skills, but he is inconsistent, which leads to uneven results. On Saturday, Cantillo went eight strong innings with nine strikeouts against the Houston Astros. He is up to six wins, a decent 4.05 ERA, a high 1.40 WHIP, and 76 strikeouts in 80 innings.
Cantillo will get a start next weekend against the Seattle Mariners, and it will be tempting to start him based on his most recent matchup.
Sean Burke, Chicago White Sox (21% rostered)
Burke has found some success in Chicago when he piggybacks after an opener, using a left-hander to face the top of a team's order that is lefty-heavy. Burke went over seven innings in his last outing, notching eight strikeouts and giving up only a solo home run.
Burke has four wins, usable ratios at 3.89 and 1.22, and 81 strikeouts in 81 innings. In deeper leagues, he is worth rostering as he continues to find his footing on a rebuilding White Sox roster.
Sean Manaea, New York Mets (19% rostered)
Manaea is back on the fantasy scene and picking up some steam as a rosterable pitcher. Similar to Burke above, the veteran lefty has found success following an opener in New York. In his last outing, a start, he pitched over five innings and struck out five, giving up three runs.
His next start is scheduled this coming week against the Chicago Cubs, and Manaea is worth rostering in most formats at this time.
Other Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Options
Every week, we will give you four or five other lower-rostered pitchers you could also consider adding from the waiver wire in your league. League context matters, obviously.
- Kodai Senga, New York Mets (14% rostered)
- Brady Singer, Cincinnati Reds (12% rostered)
- Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals (12% rostered)
- Anthony Kay, Chicago White Sox (11% rostered)
- Slade Cecconi, Cleveland Guardians (9% rostered)
- Sam Aldegheri, Los Angeles Angels (3% rostered)
Happy hunting for starting pitchers this weekend! If you have questions, you can always message me on X @mdrc0508. You can even tell me you hate these picks. Remember that fantasy baseball is supposed to be fun above everything. Enjoy it!
More Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Advice
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