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Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups recommendations for Week 26 of the fantasy baseball season (September 18 - September 24). I'm Dawn Tepper, and I'll be digging through the waiver wires this week to see how I can help you through these last few weeks of the fantasy season.
With football season kicking off, it's easy to get caught up in all the excitement, but remember your fantasy baseball team! There's still plenty of time to make some tweaks and improve your roster for playoffs.
Today, we'll be taking a look at some promising recent prospect call-ups, some veteran arms who may be improving, and the best pitcher in the minor leagues to stash to help fantasy managers. Good luck on the waiver wire this week!
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Waiver Wire Pickups for Shallow Leagues
Pitcher pickup recommendations for leagues of any size
Sawyer Gipson-Long, Detroit Tigers (9% Rostered)
Versus the Angels on Saturday, Gipson-Long walked three batters, gave up a run on two hits, and struck out 11 over five innings. Right-hander Gipson-Long faces Oakland on the road next week. The A's have lost six of their last ten contests and versus righties, they are slashing .214/.279/.344. Gipson-Long is a strong addition to all fantasy leagues.
Michael King, New York Yankees (49% Rostered)
King's roster ownership is currently below 50%, but it's still significantly higher than his percentage from last week. Against Boston on Friday night, the right-hander had built up to 85 to 90 pitches, and he was on target with 87 pitches. In his three previous outings versus Toronto as a reliever, he has one save and a 2.45 ERA in 3.1 innings pitched.
In his last 21.1 innings pitched as a starter, he has struck out 29 and has a 1.27 ERA. Since moving into the Yankees' rotation, King has thrown 21 1/3 innings over five starts and allowed just three runs while striking out 29. Out of all American League pitchers who've thrown at least 80 innings in 2023, King is the league leader with a 2.77 ERA. Add him to your roster with confidence.
Bryan Woo, Seattle Mariners (39% Rostered)
The rookie right-hander has won two of his last three starts, allowing five runs over 16.2 innings. Woo has two starts next week, one against the Rangers in the latter part of the week and a more favorable matchup against Oakland on Monday.
In his previous start versus Oakland, he didn't get the win but allowed just three hits, no runs, and struck out five in six innings pitched. Woo has a great opportunity to add to his "win" column versus the A's and can be rostered with confidence.
Kutter Crawford, Boston Red Sox (18% Rostered)
Crawford received a no-decision in Tuesday's doubleheader against the Yankees, striking out seven batters and allowing only one run on three hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. Crawford has a 4.94 ERA this season but a 4.29 xFIP and a 24.6% K rate. The right-hander has two starts next week, including a great matchup against the White Sox at Fenway Park.
Waiver Wire Pickups for Deeper Leagues
Pitcher pickup recommendations for deeper leagues
Joan Adon, Washington Nationals (2% Rostered)
With only two wins in nine starts, Adon has been inconsistent, but he has two opportunities to get things right next week with a great matchup at home versus the White Sox and a tougher matchup versus Atlanta in DC on Friday.
Adon has a 6.50 ERA--not great, but his xFIP is 5.07. Still not great, but it's a more accurate view of his season thus far. In four starts in the last 30 days, he is 1-2 with a 4.95 ERA and 16 strikeouts. He's risky but worth a shot against a White Sox team with a .147 ISO and 82 wRC+ versus right-handed pitchers.
Jackson Rutledge, Washington Nationals (0% Rostered)
I hate to keep picking on the White Sox, but Nat's pitchers have a few opportunities to pick up some wins next week versus Chicago at Nationals Park. The Nationals promoted right-handed starting pitcher Rutledge last week, where he took the loss at Pittsburgh. He will make his second start on Wednesday at home, looking for revenge versus the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Stashes
Kyle Wright, Atlanta Braves (?% Rostered)
On September 5, Wright (shoulder) had an impressive performance with Triple-A Gwinnett, striking out seven and allowing one hit over 3.2 scoreless innings. On September 6, Wright said that he expects to make at least one more minor-league rehab start, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. He's expected to return this month and is worth stashing in all leagues.
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