Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 9 (Hitters and Pitchers)

May 24, 2026

Updated fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 9 of the 2026 MLB season. These are free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

Hey RotoBallers! The MLB season continues at lightning speed as Week 9 is already here. Injuries continue to pile up as Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez was removed on Saturday with back spasms, while Rangers third baseman Josh Jung exited early with shoulder soreness. At RotoBaller HQ, we return with more waiver wire advice to find those injury replacements or to help bolster your roster with our fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 9 (May 25 - May 31) of the 2026 MLB season. This list covers the top 100 hitters and pitchers and helps you prioritize off the waiver wire. 

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 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 Henry Bolte, Dylan Crews, Zebby Matthews, Ryan Waldschmidt, Jonah Tong, and more. We recap why these players rostered under 70% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar:

Henry Bolte, Athletics

Athletics outfielder Henry Bolte has been terrific ever since being promoted to the majors for his MLB debut. Across nine big-league games, he's slashing .310/.382/.345 with an 11.8% walk rate, a 20.6% strikeout rate, and 108 wRC+.

He hasn't launched a home run in the majors yet, but we knew that he didn't have a ton of power even before he was called up. He's made up for it by stealing three bases, as he continues to show off his game-changing speed. Bolte's base-stealing upside gives him a clear path to plenty of production in fantasy baseball.

Bolte is still available in 89% of fantasy baseball leagues, and he ranks as the #62 outfielder in RotoBaller's latest rankings for the 2026 season. Bolte represents a speed-centric waiver wire target as we approach the end of May.

Dylan Crews, Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a strikeout on Saturday. He has appeared in just five big-league games so far, going 4-for-20 with one walk, four strikeouts, and a steal. Previously, he had slashed .258/.345/.432 with five homers and seven steals across 41 Triple-A games.

The results at the plate haven't been great since his promotion to the majors (or in years past), but Saturday's homer could be a sign that he's tapping into some more power going forward. We know he has above-average power upside, as he hit 10 homers over 85 games last year. Hitting homers at a similar rate in 2026 could be enough to keep him on the fantasy radar consistently. As it stands, he's rostered in approximately 21% of fantasy baseball leagues.

Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Zebby Matthews has been highly effective in two starts since being recalled from Triple-A. Through two games (13.0 innings) in the majors this year, Matthews has a 1.38 ERA with one walk and 11 strikeouts. The 26-year-old profiles as a starter who is highly dependent on their breaking ball, and while Matthews' curveball and slider metrics are terrific, we're also impressed that he has kept his fastball velocity around 96 mph.

Although Matthews isn't the flashiest name, his modest strikeout total, low walk total, and ability to pitch deep into games should generate some fantasy appeal, especially as managers look to upgrade and perfect their rosters here in late May. He's a waiver wire option for the vast majority of fantasy managers, as he's currently rostered in less than 20% of fantasy baseball leagues.

Jonah Tong, New York Mets

New York Mets pitcher Jonah Tong pitched well during his season debut against the Miami Marlins on Friday. Tong tossed three scoreless innings with two strikeouts in what ended up being a loss for the Mets. The team hasn't officially announced its rotation beyond this weekend, but Tong has earned a longer look at the big-league level.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza recently said in a press conference that the organization expects a lot from Tong. The 22-year-old is currently working in a bulk-type role right now, but figures to move into the starting rotation at some point. It's clear that Tong isn't going away anytime soon, and his value should be on the rise after a solid debut on Friday.

Ryan Waldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt went 2-for-3 with a stolen base in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Waldschmidt is hitting .500 (9-for-18) with two doubles, three walks, and three stolen bases over his last six games. He has yet to hit a home run, but overall, the 23-year-old is slashing .340/.404/.426 with six RBI and four stolen bases in 52 plate appearances.

He has the potential to be a five-category contributor and slashed .302/.415/.491 with 12 home runs, 25 steals, 14% BB rate, and 20% strikeout rate in 100 games between Double-A and Triple-A last summer. Waldschmidt is only rostered in 15% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues and is quickly becoming a player to add in most formats as he continues to swing a hot bat.

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

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 9 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 9
• FAAB fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 9
• Starting pitcher fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for Week 9
• Hitter streamers, starts, and waiver wire pickups for Week 9
• The Cut List - Players to consider dropping for Week 9

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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Popular Searches

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Cade Cavalli

 

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Max Meyer

 

Jared Jones

 

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Gus Varland

 

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2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players like Logan Henderson, Ryan Waldschmidt, Henry Bolte, Dylan Crews, Zebby Matthews, Jonah Tong, Travis Bazzana, Casey Mize, Jackson Holliday, Jared Jones, JJ Bleday, Grant Taylor, Zack Gelof, Jacob Young, Kirby Yates, Gus Varland, Gabriel Moreno, and Noelvi Marte. 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 Logan Henderson, Ryan Waldschmidt, Henry Bolte, Dylan Crews, Zebby Matthews, Jonah Tong, Travis Bazzana, Casey Mize, Jackson Holliday, Jared Jones, JJ Bleday, Grant Taylor, Zack Gelof, Jacob Young, Kirby Yates, Gus Varland, Gabriel Moreno, and Noelvi Marte: