Weekend Waiver Wire Rankings: Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 21

August 22, 2026

Weekend fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 21 (2026). Free-agent hitters and pitchers to add include Kodai Senga, Kade Anderson, Jackson Jobe, Tanner Scott, Brandon Pfaadt, Brandyn Garcia, and Andruw Monasterio.

The weekend is here, and Week 21 will be in the books. There is just over a month and a half left in the season to make a fantasy baseball championship run. At RotoBaller HQ, we continue to update our rankings all season and are back with our weekend fantasy baseball waiver rankings for Week 21 (August 17 through August 23) for leagues that allow daily moves.

This weekend the Mariners are set to call up top pitching prospect Kade Anderson. As always, there are injuries to monitor. Royals infielder Maikel Garcia is expected to be placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain. Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson will be placed on the injured list and is likely out for the season, while Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena is day-to-day after being hit in the hand by a pitch. 

Stay on top of our weekly waiver wire rankings and turn on MLB news alerts in our free mobile app to stay ahead of the curve. Once you're done here, check out our fantasy baseball prospects articles for the latest names to stash and pick up.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups List

Since many fantasy baseball leagues have daily waiver wire moves or multiple waiver wire runs per week for adding players, this later-week rankings list should help you keep track of players emerging over the weekend before we reach Sunday night waivers. This article will guide you through our weekly ranking of the relevant waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league (depending on the league size).

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 waiver wire names include Jackson Jobe, Brandyn Garcia, Tanner Scott, Brandon Pfaadt, and Andruw Monasterio. Read some of the waiver wire outlooks below:

Jackson Jobe, Detroit Tigers

After undergoing hybrid Tommy John/internal brace surgery in June 2025, Detroit Tigers right-hander Jackson Jobe missed the remainder of the 2025 season and the first four-plus months of 2026. However, the 24-year-old returned to the big league mound on August 8 and has now made three starts, recording a 1-1 record with a 4.50 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts across 14 innings.

Jobe's stuff looks to be back to where it was before the injury, as he's averaged 98 miles per hour on his fastball. He also dominated in his minor league rehab outings before returning to the Tigers, recording a 1.76 ERA with 17 strikeouts across 15 1/3 innings.

Jobe hasn't yet figured out how to generate consistent whiffs at the MLB level, logging just a 17.6% strikeout rate across 67 career big league innings. Still, the young right-hander was considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball before getting injured and remains a high-upside waiver wire target in leagues where he's not already rostered.

Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks

After a rough start to the season, Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt was moved from the starting rotation into a bullpen role in mid-April. However, Pfaadt pitched well out of the pen and has kept up his strong production since being moved back into the rotation in late June. Across his last 60 1/3 innings (10 starts), the 27-year-old has recorded a 7-0 record with a 1.79 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts.

Pfaadt's fantasy upside is limited by his lack of strikeouts, as he's posted just a 17.1% strikeout rate for the season and owns a 21.1% strikeout rate for his career. He's also likely benefited from some batted-ball luck, as his .261 opponent batting average on balls in play in 2026 is significantly below his career mark of .305.

Still, Pfaadt's numbers since rejoining the Diamondbacks rotation are hard to ignore. At the very least, he should be viewed as a high-end starting pitcher streamer in leagues where he's available on the waiver wire.

Tanner Scott, Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Tanner Scott picked up his 18th save of the season on Wednesday night, pitching a scoreless 10th inning with a strikeout in his team's 6-4 extra-inning win over the Colorado Rockies. With Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz (neck) back on the injured list, Scott has now earned saves in back-to-back appearances and should see regular save opportunities for as long as Diaz remains sidelined.

Across 51 1/3 innings (55 games) this year, Scott has pitched to a 2.28 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with 63 strikeouts and 18 saves. The 32-year-old has struck out 32% of the batters he's faced while posting just a 5.6% walk rate. In any league where Scott is available, he should be viewed as a must-roster saves source until Diaz returns from the IL.

Brandyn Garcia, Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Brandyn Garcia has emerged as one of the better arms in his team's bullpen so far this season, recording a 2.48 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 42 strikeouts, and four saves across 36 1/3 innings (43 games). Since designating veteran reliever Paul Sewald for assignment in early August, Arizona has operated with a committee approach to the closer role.

Along with Garcia, Diamondbacks right-handers Justin Martinez, Kevin Ginkel, and Juan Morillo are also candidates to see save chances. Still, Garcia has posted an excellent 30.4% strikeout rate while walking just 6.5% of the batters he's faced. He's also generated a 63.7% ground-ball rate while allowing just 0.50 HR/9.

Even if Garcia does not see every save opportunity in Arizona, he should continue to provide elite ratios and could pick up the occasional win while working in high-leverage spots. In deeper leagues, Garcia could be worth targeting on the waiver wire.

Andruw Monasterio, Boston Red Sox

Across 286 plate appearances this season, Boston Red Sox infielder Andruw Monasterio is hitting .261/.319/.424 with six home runs, 37 RBI, 31 runs scored, and four stolen bases. The 29-year-old has been hot since the start of July, hitting .305 with three homers, 25 RBI, 16 runs scored, and three stolen bases across his last 149 trips to the plate.

Monasterio has seen an extended stretch of regular playing time as Boston's everyday shortstop, which will likely come to an end with the impending return of Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (abdomen) from the 60-day injured list. However, Monasterio's ability to play every infield position should allow him to still earn fantasy-relevant playing time.

Monasterio's profile at the plate may not jump off the page in any one area, but he brings balanced, high-floor production and multi-positional eligibility. In deep leagues, he profiles as a valuable depth piece for fantasy managers to target on the waiver wire.

First Base Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Second Base Waiver Wire Rankings

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Third Base Waiver Wire Rankings

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Shortstop Waiver Wire Rankings

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Outfield Waiver Wire Rankings

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Catcher Waiver Wire Rankings

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Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Rankings

Closer/Reliever 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?  heck the Who Should I Pickup tool:

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2026 Player Decisions.  Today's focus is on specific players such as Joshua Baez, George Lombard Jr., Angel Genao, Max Clark, Brandyn Garcia, Jackson Jobe, Andruw Monasterio, Tanner Scott, Brandon Pfaadt, Zac Veen, Tyler Mahle, Lawrence Butler, Ryan Jeffers, Jeff McNeil, Ben Joyce, Kodai Senga, Hogan Harris, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Alejandro Kirk, Cal Quantrill, Rafael Flores Jr., and Joey Ortiz.  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, and 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 Joshua Baez, George Lombard Jr., Angel Genao, Kade Anderson, Max Clark, Brandyn Garcia, Jackson Jobe, Andruw Monasterio, Tanner Scott, Brandon Pfaadt, Zac Veen, Tyler Mahle, Lawrence Butler, Ryan Jeffers, Jeff McNeil, Ben Joyce, Kodai Senga, Hogan Harris, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Alejandro Kirk, Cal Quantrill, Rafael Flores Jr., and Joey Ortiz :