Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 19 (Hitters and Pitchers)

August 2, 2026

Updated fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 19 of the 2026 MLB season. These are free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

It's officially August, and we have two months left of the 2026 MLB season. The MLB Trade Deadline is on Monday, and we could see players shuffled around as teams bolster their rosters for a World Series run. We saw the Tigers trade ace Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers in exchange for prospects. At RotoBaller HQ, we updated our waiver rankings to account for the latest news with our fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 19 (August 3 - August 9) of the 2026 MLB season. 

Over the weekend, we saw Skubal shipped to the Dodgers for Zyhir Hope, River Ryan, and Brady Smith. The Braves acquired outfielder Lane Thomas and pitcher Bailey Falter from the Kansas City Royals, while the White Sox acquired right-hander Luis Castillo from the Mariners for Seranthony Dominguez, Nolan Jones, and Boston Smith. With the trade deadline comes rumors, as George Kirby, Adley Rutschman, and Randy Arozarena are rumored to be traded. In injury news, Pirates first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn will miss the next six to eight weeks with a left quad strain. 

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 Max Clark, Kade Anderson, Charlie Condon, Zac Thornton, Quinn Mathews, and more, who are listed in our initial waiver wire rankings. Read more to see where these players rank in our waiver wire rankings for the week ahead.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Rankings

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

The roster percentage is from Yahoo! leagues.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Outlooks

Some of the top names include Kade Anderson, Charlie Condon, Zac Thornton, Heriberto Hernandez, . We recap why these players rostered under 70% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar:

Kade Anderson, Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners left-handed pitching prospect Kade Anderson allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four across 4 2/3 scoreless innings in Friday's start with Double-A Arkansas. He threw 72 pitches, firing 45 of them for strikes.

Anderson has been terrific overall and owns a 1.27 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, and a whopping 119:12 K:BB across 82 1/3 innings pitched in Double-A. The 22-year-old has moved beyond Double-A and should be in line for a promotion to the majors, or at least a call-up to Triple-A Tacoma.

Anderson might not make his MLB debut until 2027, but could make a case if he continues to put up outstanding numbers in the minors.

Charlie Condon, Colorado Rockies

Colorado Rockies first base/outfield prospect Charlie Condon could be looking at a promotion sometime in the second half, according to Rockies farm director Chris Forbes. The Rockies' No. 3 prospect has been consistent all year and continues to push for a promotion to the big leagues.

Condon is slashing .284/.400/.545 with 20 home runs, 65 RBI, 79 runs, and six stolen bases with Triple-A Albuquerque this season. The Rockies are rumored to trade Hunter Goodman as well as other players, which could open a roster spot for Condon.

The 23-year-old has done everything he can to prove to be big-league ready and will likely make his MLB debut sometime this summer. Condon has a ton of upside, and fantasy managers should stash him in all leagues.

Zac Thornton, New York Mets

New York Mets starting pitcher Zac Thornton has made five MLB starts, and the rookie has already given fantasy managers more than a short-term streaming case. He is 2-1 with a 2.43 ERA and 0.91 WHIP through 29 2/3 innings, completing at least six frames in four straight outings.

Since returning from Triple-A on July 12, Thornton has allowed three earned runs over 19 1/3 innings. The strikeout ceiling is modest, with 22 punchouts on the season and a fastball that generally sits 89-92 mph. Thornton has compensated by limiting walks, keeping the ball in the park, and working deep enough to remain eligible for wins.

RotoBaller ranks him 27th among its Week 19 waiver options and recommends him for 12-team leagues, while its rankings listed him at just 26% rostered. Thornton has earned a place on mixed-league rosters, even if managers remain selective against tougher lineups.

Heriberto Hernandez, Miami Marlins

Miami Marlins outfielder Heriberto Hernandez is batting .232/.305/.468 with 16 home runs, 43 RBI, 29 runs, and seven stolen bases across 263 at-bats. The power has firm support beneath it. Hernandez owns a 92.2 mph average exit velocity, 51.1% hard-hit rate, and 13.2% barrel rate, while his .506 expected slugging percentage sits comfortably above his actual mark.

The batting average will remain volatile because of a 25.2% strikeout rate, but Hernandez has played regularly in Miami's corner outfield and already provides more than home runs alone. Reaching 20 homers and 10 steals is firmly within range with two months remaining.

Despite that profile, only 18% of Yahoo leagues have him rostered. RotoBaller ranks Hernandez 25th among its Week 19 waiver options and recommends him for 12-team formats. His combination of legitimate power and useful speed makes him a strong addition at that league depth.

Max Clark, Detroit Tigers

Fantasy managers in all league formats need to consider picking up Detroit Tigers outfield prospect Max Clark off the waiver wire, as he is already 5-for-9 with a homer, three RBI, and two doubles in his first two MLB games of his career. The club's top overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline, is coming up from Triple-A Toledo after slashing .276/.368/.434 with 11 home runs and 21 bases in 90 games with the Mud Hens.

The 21-year-old former third overall pick in the 2023 MLB draft should immediately take over in Detroit as the starting center fielder due to his prospect pedigree and five-category upside. The 5-foot-11, 205-pounder, who hits from the left side, has only average pop, but he has started lofting the ball in the air more often.

Clark profiles more as a strong table-setter for the Tigers atop the lineup, and he could form a dangerous one-two punch for years to come with infielder Kevin McGonigle. Most intriguing for fantasy purposes with Clark is his plus-plus speed, so fantasy managers in need of that need to hop on Clark immediately.

First Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Second Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Third Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Outfield Waiver Wire Rankings

Catcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Closer/Reliever Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Week 19 Waiver Wire Roundup for Fantasy Baseball

In addition to these waiver wire rankings, we have also put together an assortment of fantasy baseball waiver wire articles. You can see the full roundup below to help prepare you for waiver wire runs:

• Joey Pollizze's waiver wire pickups (Premium)
• The Cut List: Time to let go? Who to consider dropping
• FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 19
• Starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 19
• 7 Must-Add waiver wire pickups for Week 19
• RotoBaller Staff Picks: Top waiver wire targets for Week 19

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 Max Clark, Heriberto Hernandez, Zac Thornton, Quinn Mathews, Kade Anderson, Charlie Condon, Heliot Ramos, Christian Scott, Joey Cantillo, Kyle Karros, A.J. Ewing, Ty France, Braden Montgomery, Garrett Mitchell, Shane Drohan, Brandon Pfaadt, Kyle Leahy, Dylan Crews, Jacob Webb, Jake Burger, Robert Gasser, Jordan Romano, and Tristan Peters. 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 Max Clark, Heriberto Hernandez, Zac Thornton, Quinn Mathews, Kade Anderson, Charlie Condon, Heliot Ramos, Christian Scott, Joey Cantillo, Kyle Karros, A.J. Ewing, Ty France, Braden Montgomery, Garrett Mitchell, Shane Drohan, Brandon Pfaadt, Kyle Leahy, Dylan Crews, Jacob Webb, Jake Burger, Robert Gasser, Jordan Romano, and Tristan Peters: