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Mike's starting pitcher (SP) fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 9 of 2026 (May 25 - May 31). These are his top free-agent pitchers to add and stream.
Welcome, everyone, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 9 of the 2026 season (May 25 - May 31). In this weekly piece, we search for starting pitchers rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. For deeper leagues, we try to find pitchers rostered in less than 30 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Many fantasy players whom I talk to weekly are in need of starting pitching help. Pitcher injuries and ineffectiveness have plagued just about every roster in 2026. Are you among them? If so, this piece might be for you.
There is always help on the waiver wire. This week, it is another mix of young guys getting runway and boring veterans who could help you. 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 30-50% on Yahoo
J.T. Ginn, Athletics (50% rostered)
Ginn is a big waiver wire pick-up this week after his dominant performance last week against the Los Angeles Angels, taking a no-hitter into the ninth inning while striking out 10 hitters. Sadly, he took the loss on a Zach Neto walk-off homer.
Below, you can see that Ginn has been building to that spectacular last outing. That is three straight quality starts for the right-hander, with two wins, a tidy 2.98 ERA, a 1.07, and 44 strikeouts in 51 innings. Ginn will be rostered in 75% of leagues by the end of the weekend.
Logan Henderson, Milwaukee Brewers (46% rostered)
I keep asking myself, "Self? Why is Logan Henderson so readily available?" And I know I cannot answer that question. He has won in two consecutive starts and has gone at least five innings in four straight. Adding to the goodness, he has eight, five, seven, and seven strikeouts in those games.
Henderson faces the St. Louis Cardinals next week and should be added in most formats this weekend. He should be in rotation full-time now in Milwaukee, even when or if Brandon Woodruff returns from his injury.
Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners (39% rostered)
Miller has made two starts since his return from an oblique strain he suffered in Spring Training. He has pitched into the sixth inning in both, striking out three and then seven batters. Miller has a minuscule 1.64 ERA and 1.00 WHIP thus far.
Miller will be rostered far more and soon, with all of the pitching injuries in baseball, so if you need starting pitching, get a bid in on Miller this weekend.
Ben Brown, Chicago Cubs (36% rostered)
Brown looks to be set in the Cubs' rotation for now, and extended in his last start to five innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. He struck out six while allowing three earned runs and two walks, allowing lots of traffic on the bases, but did not earn a decision.
Look at the Statcast page below. Brown is limiting hard contact and earning lots of groundball outs in 2026, and the swing-and-miss stuff is yielding good results for him. Brown should be a target if you need starting pitching help.
Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers (41% rostered)
Sasaki had his best start of the season last week against the Los Angeles Angels, netting a win while striking out eight over seven solid innings. What I love most: he did not issue a walk. The stuff is incredible with a four-pitch mix, but the control is not.
I picked up Sasaki in multiple leagues last week in hopes that a retooled Sasaki could make a huge difference in my rotations. It is a risk I am willing to take, as my starting pitching plans are not working in most of my leagues this season.
Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Recommendations for leagues of any size rostered in less than 30% on Yahoo
Griffin Jax, Tampa Bay Rays (29% rostered)
Jax has quietly moved into the Tampa Bay rotation and is building stamina to throw more innings. Last week against the Baltimore Orioles, Jax threw five innings, striking out six hitters and allowing only one run. He's thrown five innings in his last two starts.
Note the chart below on Jax. The 51.3% groundball percentage is in the 83rd percentile this year, and his ERA is now a cleaner 3.54, and the WHIP is down to 1.36. Jax is worth rostering as he builds in a valuable rotation piece for the Rays.
Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins (26% rostered)
Matthews is getting lots of helium with the paucity of good pitching options on the waiver wire. I am actually surprised he is not more frequently rostered. Matthews has covered 13 innings in two starts, grabbing 11 strikeouts in 13 innings and a 1.38 ERA and 0.77 WHIP.
Matthews gets the surging Chicago White Sox next week and looks to be a staple in the Twins' rotation for the foreseeable future. Add him now where you can.
Cade Cavalli, Washington Nationals (22% rostered)
Cavali is rostered in so few leagues, and it is beginning to look like he should be on more teams. On Thursday night, Cavalli fired seven strong innings and notched nine strikeouts while giving up two earned runs.
This runs his streak of throwing at least five innings to three, and he had eight strikeouts in his start last week. The WHIP is high at 1.43, but the 3.86 ERA and 61 strikeouts are usable on any team. Consider Cavalli this weekend.
Trevor McDonald, San Francisco Giants (18% rostered)
Yes, McDonald was terrible against the Chicago White Sox on Friday night, coughing up seven runs while hitting two batters in a terrible fourth inning. The bigger question to me is, will he stick in the rotation when Logan Webb returns next week?
You can see below that his previous starts have been decent for San Francisco. Note the low walk rate, so Friday was an aberration; he's got two wins and a 4.76 ERA from the bad outing last night. I wonder if there is any thought of McDonald replacing the struggling Tyler Mahle.
Troy Melton, Detroit Tigers (13% rostered)
Melton makes his first start of the season this weekend, and he should be a big addition to the Detroit Tigers' rotation. In 2025, Melton had three wins, netting a 2.76 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts in 45 innings. Look to add him if your league mates have forgotten him.
Melton should be given an extended look in Detroit, especially as long as ace Tarik Skubal remains on the sidelines with his elbow surgery. Could he even replace veteran Jack Flaherty if he continues to struggle when Skubal returns? It could happen.
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.
- Grayson Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels (17% rostered)
- Stephen Kolek, Kansas City Royals (10% rostered)
- Kyle Leahy, St. Louis Cardinals (8% rostered)
- Kai-Wei Teng, Houston Astros (7% rostered)
- Jesse Scholtens, Tampa Bay Rays (6% 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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