Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 5 (Hitters and Pitchers)

April 28, 2026

Updated fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 5 of the 2026 MLB season. These are free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

The 2026 MLB season continues to rapidly go by as we are a few days away from April being officially in the books. Fantasy managers continue to navigate through injuries and closer news. At RotoBaller HQ, we break down the waiver wire with our fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 5 (April 27 - May 3) of the 2026 MLB season. This list covers the top 100 hitters and pitchers for Week 5. 

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 Louis Varland, Noah Schultz, Enyel De Los Santos, Connor Prielipp, Jake Bauers, Ben Brown, Peter Lambert, Ronny Mauricio, Brooks Lee, 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 Louis Varland, Jakob Junis, Josh Jung, Noah Schultz, Joel Kuhnel, and more. We recap why these players rostered under 70% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar:

Louis Varland, Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Louis Varland was tasked with holding the lead in the ninth inning during Saturday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. This one nearly slipped away from Varland, but he was able to hold it down in the end. He allowed three hits, one earned run, one walk, and struck out two batters on his way to his second save of the season.

This outing was the first time that Varland had allowed a run all season long. He's likely the favorite to record saves in Toronto, with Jeff Hoffman being pulled out of the role earlier this week. Fantasy managers who are searching for a source of saves should consider adding Varland right now.

Jakob Junis, Texas Rangers

Joel Kuhnel, Athletics

Athletics reliever Joel Kuhnel was tagged with the loss in his last appearance after allowing one run on four hits across 2/3 of an inning in Thursday's loss to the Seattle Mariners. Despite suffering the loss on Thursday, Kuhnel remains the top option for saves for the Athletics.

The 31-year-old owns a 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and three strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings in 2026. He has racked up three saves over his last five appearances, with his most recent save coming in Monday's win over the Mariners. Kuhnel appears to be the favorite in the ninth inning to close games over Mark Leiter Jr., and Hogan Harris.

He is rostered in 26% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues and is ranked 73rd in the latest RotoBaller waiver wire rankings for Week 5. Kuhnel is worth adding in leagues with 12 or more teams for fantasy managers searching for saves

Josh Jung, Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung has been red hot in April, slashing .371/.430/.671 for the month and raising his season OPS to 1.102. Now in his fifth MLB season, Jung appears to be taking another offensive step after previously showing flashes of impact upside.

The 28-year-old has recorded four multi-hit games over his last eight contests while adding three home runs during that stretch. His strong contact quality and growing consistency have helped solidify his everyday role at third base for Texas. If this surge continues, Josh Jung should remain one of the top priority waiver wire additions as fantasy managers look for infield production entering May.

Noah Schultz, Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox left-hander Noah Schultz delivered an impressive rebound outing last Sunday, allowing one run on one hit across five innings while striking out six to earn his first MLB win. He was solid again in Saturday's no-decision versus the Washington Nationals, allowing two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out eight over six innings. The 22-year-old owns a 3.52 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 18:9 K:BB over 15 1/3 frames.

Schultz, a first-round pick in the 2022 draft, carries significant upside with his 6-foot-9 frame and power arsenal. He has used his five-pitch mix effectively, highlighted by a fastball that averages over 96 mph. If Noah Schultz can limit walks and sharpen his consistency, he has the talent to grow into a meaningful long-term rotation piece for Chicago.

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:

Shortstop Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Outfield Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Catcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Starting Pitcher Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Closer/Reliever Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Week 5 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:

• Nick Mariano's waiver wire pickups (Premium)
• Staff roundtable: waiver wire picks for Week 5
• FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 5
• Starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 5
• Hitter streamers, starts and waiver wire pickups for Week 5
• The Cut List - Players to consider dropping for Week 5

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:

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2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players like Noah Schultz, Louis Varland, Jakob Junis, Josh Jung, Joe Juhnel, Tanner Scott, Daylen Lile, Luke Weaver, JR Ritchie, Enyel De Los Santos, Brad Keller, Kyle Harrison, Anthony Volpe, Brett Baty, Ben Brown, and Brooks Lee. 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 Noah Schultz, Louis Varland, Jakob Junis, Josh Jung, Joe Juhnel, Tanner Scott, Daylen Lile, Luke Weaver, JR Ritchie, Enyel De Los Santos, Brad Keller, Kyle Harrison, Anthony Volpe, Brett Baty, Ben Brown, and Brooks Lee.: