Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups Include Matt McLain, Kevin McGonigle, Daylen Lile, Connelly Early, Caleb Durbin, more

March 25, 2026

Fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 1 of the 2026 MLB season. These are free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

While most fantasy baseball drafts have been completed or are on their way to being finished, it's never too early to research the waiver wire and add players that could bolster your roster. Today, we begin our waiver wire ranking series with our fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 1 (March 26 - March 29) of the 2026 MLB season. Key players such as Seiya Suzuki, Jeremy Pena, J.P. Crawford, Bryce Miller, and Zach Neto are day-to-day with injuries.  

It is essential to stay on top of the player news as we guide you through the injuries, prospect call-ups, and closer role changes. For those searching for injury replacements or whose teams need a boost, we have you covered with our latest fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings. We've been working hard to put together a list of 100 players to consider for various league sizes to help you prioritize your waiver wire decisions.   

As always, we are here to help you prioritize which player to add using our waiver wire rankings article. This edition features players such as Matt McLain, Kevin McGonigle, Sal Stewart, Daylen Lile, Robert Garcia, Connelly Early, and Caleb Durbin, who are listed in our initial waiver wire rankings. Read more to see where these players rank in our waiver wire rankings for Week 1.

Who To Pick Up for Fantasy Baseball Week 1

Waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league - depending on the league size:

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top names include Kevin McGonigle, Dylan Crews, Andrew Painter, Matthew Liberatore, Roki Sasaki, and more.  We recap why these players rostered under 70% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar for Week 1.

Kevin McGonigle, Detroit Tigers

Detroit Tigers shortstop prospect Kevin McGonigle is staying in big-league camp on Wednesday rather than playing in the spring breakout game, according to Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. "Their focus is in big-league camp and continuing to try to make an impression, state their case to be part of our puzzle," manager A.J. Hinch said.

With just over a week to go until Opening Day next week, McGonigle remains in the Tigers' big-league camp in spring training. The former first-rounder has hit .242 (8-for-33) with two home runs, six RBI, eight runs scored, two stolen bases, and a 7:10 K:BB in 44 plate appearances over 16 Grapefruit League games, and he continues to play well beyond his years.

Even if Detroit decides to have the 21-year-old start in the minors, it shouldn't be long before he's contending for starting duties at the 6 in Detroit. McGonigle needs to be stashed in all redraft formats and should already be rostered in dynasty leagues.

Matt McLain, Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain (illness) is back at second base and is batting second in the team's exhibition game on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer. McLain caught a bug going around the team's clubhouse and was held out of Monday's exhibition game. The 26-year-old former 17th overall pick in 2021 out of UCLA has major bounce-back potential for fantasy managers in 2026, near the top of a powerful Reds lineup.

McLain turned heads as a rookie in 2023 with a .290/.357/.507 slash line with 16 homers, 50 RBI, and 14 stolen bases, but he missed all of 2024 due to injuries and returned as a disappointment last year. He hit .220/.300/.343 in 2025 with 15 homers, 50 RBI, and 18 steals in 147 games played.

McLain has mashed this spring, going 27-for-51 (.529) with seven homers and 16 RBI in 17 Cactus League games. He's an excellent choice as a starting second baseman in fantasy after some of the high-end names at the position come off the board.

Andrew Painter, Philadelphia Phillies

On Wednesday, Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Andrew Painter made what is likely his final spring appearance before the regular season gets underway, twirling four innings of one-hit ball against the Braves, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out three.

The Phils' top pitching prospect had a bumpy outing his last time out (three earned runs), but Wednesday's performance made it three scoreless appearances out of four this spring with an 8:2 K:BB in a total of 11 2/3 innings of work.

The 6-foot-7 hurler is expected to be the team's fifth starter once the regular season begins, and if he lives up to the former hype, the right-hander could remain there for the rest of the season. The former first-rounder struggled to a 5.40 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, and a 13.7 percent K-BB% in 106 2/3 innings at Triple-A in 2025, his first time pitching in minor league regular-season games since 2022 after elbow problems and eventually Tommy John surgery cost him all of 2023 and 2024.

Most fantasy managers may want to wait and see before rostering the tall right-hander, but proactive managers in deeper leagues with available bench space may consider stashing him in the event his spring success carries over into the regular season.

Matthew Liberatore, St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore will get the nod as the team's Opening Day starter in 2026, taking on the Tampa Bay Rays at home on Thursday, March 26. The left-hander was second on the team in wins, quality starts, and strikeouts last season behind Sonny Gray, who is no longer with the club, so Liberatore will assume the role of ace of the staff. The 6-foot-5 southpaw recorded a 4.21 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 122 strikeouts in 151 2/2 innings pitched last season, which doesn't really move the needle much for fantasy.

The former first-rounder has looked good so far this spring, though, as he's allowed three earned runs in 10 innings of work (2.70 ERA) while registering a 1.00 WHIP and an impressive 14:1 K:BB in his three starts, so perhaps he's ready to take a step forward in 2026. The 26-year-old is going undrafted in most fantasy leagues, owning an ADP of 359, right around his RotoBaller ranking of 341 overall.

Roki Sasaki, Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that right-hander Roki Sasaki will be in the team's Opening Day starting rotation despite his struggles in spring training, according to Jack Harris of The Los Angeles Times. Sasaki has been a roller coaster in Cactus League action this year, and it continued in his latest outing on Tuesday night against the Kansas City Royals, when he allowed three runs on four hits, four walks, and five strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings pitched.

He has shown progress with his newly-added cutter, but overall, Sasaki has been underwhelming this spring. When left-hander Blake Snell (shoulder) eventually makes his 2026 season debut, Sasaki may end up back in the bullpen, where he was thriving last fall to close out the season.

Struggles with command have been the biggest issue for the 24-year-old Japanese hurler, making him a boom/bust fantasy option in 2026. In 36 1/3 innings in his MLB debut in the regular season last year, Sasaki had a 4.46 ERA with 28 K's and 22 walks in 10 outings (eight starts).

First Base - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Second Base - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

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Third Base - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

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Shortstop - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

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Outfield - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

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Catcher - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

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Starting Pitchers - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

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Relief Pitchers - Week 1 Waiver Wire Rankings

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Who Should I Pickup Fantasy Baseball Tool

Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool:

Who Should I Pickup?

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2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players like Jorge Polanco, Daylen Lile, Robert Garcia, Kodai Senga, Francisco Alvarez, Carter Jensen, Marcell Ozuna, Jordan Lawlar, Jordan Beck, Carson Benge, Paul Sewald, Chris Bassitt, Cade Cavalli, Coby Mayo, Mick Abel. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections, and more.

Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats, projections, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for players like Jorge Polanco, Daylen Lile, Robert Garcia, Kodai Senga, Francisco Alvarez, Carter Jensen, Marcell Ozuna, Jordan Lawlar, Jordan Beck, Carson Benge, Paul Sewald, Chris Bassitt, Cade Cavalli, Coby Mayo, Mick Abel: