Weekend Waiver Wire Rankings: Fantasy Baseball Pickups for Week 5

May 2, 2026

Weekend fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings for Week 5 (2026). Free-agent hitters and pitchers to add include Jack Perkins, Logan Henderson, Cade Cavalli, Jacob Latz, and Gus Varland.

It's officially May! We have seen plenty of close calls and injuries happen this past month. If you need an injury replacement or are looking for a closer, we've got you covered with our weekend fantasy baseball waiver rankings for Week 5 -- April 27  through May 3 for leagues that allow daily moves. The list covers the top 100 hitters and pitchers. In this article, you will find names such as Louis Varland, Bryan Baker, Noah Schultz, Jack Perkins, Miguel Vargas, Cam Smith, Connor Prielipp, Logan Henderson, Jung Hoo Lee, and Daniel Schneemann. 

There are key performances, prospect promotions, and injuries to watch for this week. Athletics right-hander Jack Perkins picked up the save on Thursday, allowing one hit while striking out one over a scoreless ninth inning against the Royals. Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff was pulled from Thursday's start against the Diamondbacks after just 21 pitches. Woodruff is dealing with a dead arm and is expected to receive some time off before his next start. Since being called up earlier in the week, Cleveland's top prospect, Travis Bazzana, is hitless in his first eight big league at-bats. 

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 in 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 Gus Varland,Jack Perkins, Cade Cavalli, Jacob Latz, Logan Henderson, and more. Read some of the waiver wire outlooks below:

Gus Varland, RP, Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals right-handed reliever Gus Varland is seeing his fantasy baseball value rise after earning his third save of the year in the team's 5-4 win over the division-rival New York Mets at Citi Field on Thursday. Varland entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning and ended up tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings with one hit allowed and one strikeout.

The 29-year-old had a nice bounce-back outing after he blew his second save of the year on April 25 against the Chicago White Sox. The next save went to right-hander Paxton Schultz on Sunday. The Nationals are in a closer-by-committee situation right now with Clayton Beeter (forearm) currently on the 15-day injured list.

Varland appears to be the best short-term option for saves in D.C. right now, and he has a 2.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, three saves, and a 14:3 K:BB in his 12 2/3 frames. He's rostered in only 6% of Yahoo leagues, and he's really only an option in deeper leagues for a short-term boost in save chances.

Jack Perkins, RP, Athletics

Athletics right-handed reliever Jack Perkins picked up his third save of the season in the team's 6-3 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Thursday, allowing a hit while striking out one in a scoreless inning of work at Sutter Health Park.

Harris has become a reliever on the rise for fantasy managers to consider picking up in a closer-by-committee situation that also involves lefty Hogan Harris and right-hander Joel Kuhnel. Mark Leiter Jr. also picked up a save on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Perkins came into Thursday's series finale with a 2-0 record, 2.92 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings of work in just his second season in the majors.

Perkins could deserve a look off the waiver wire from fantasy managers searching for saves, but he hasn't been used as a traditional closer by any means, with Perkins' first two saves of the year coming in two-inning stints. He's a multi-inning weapon for the A's and gives them options late in games. Right now, Perkins is only rostered in 7% of Yahoo leagues, with his stock rising.

Cade Cavalli, SP, Washington Nationals

Washington Nationals right-hander Cade Cavalli was hit around a bit in Wednesday's victory over the division-rival New York Mets, but he still managed to pick up his first win of the 2026 season, allowing two earned runs on eight hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out 10 in six innings.

It was Cavalli's second quality start of the year, and he was able to generate 18 swings and misses despite giving up a season-high eight hits and his first home run of the year. It was nice to see the 27-year-old go deeper in an outing. He's now 1-1 with a 3.82 ERA (2.82 FIP) and 1.66 WHIP with 38 strikeouts and 14 walks in 30 2/3 innings pitched over his seven starts.

Efficiency and length have been issues for Cavalli early in the 2026 campaign, but perhaps his outing on Wednesday will be a turning point. He has another plus matchup upcoming in his next scheduled outing versus the Minnesota Twins. Cavalli is currently rostered in only 13% of Yahoo leagues, but he could quickly become a popular waiver-wire pickup if he has a second straight strong outing.

Jacob Latz, SP/RP, Texas Rangers

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jacob Latz worked two shutout innings on Wednesday night to help his team close out a 3-0 win over the visiting Yankees. Latz allowed one hit and had one strikeout, lowering his ERA for the season to 1.08 with a 0.48 WHIP in his 16 2/3 innings over 13 appearances.

While the Rangers continue to use a committee to close out games, Latz has been their best reliever for fantasy this season, posting two saves and two holds. He isn't an elite closer option due to his undefined role, but he does have good upside and is worth considering for a roster spot in some formats since he has been so effective wherever the Rangers decide to deploy him

Logan Henderson, SP, Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect Logan Henderson continues to be one of the top pitchers to stash for fantasy baseball while being downright dominant for Triple-A Nashville to begin the year. The Brewers' sixth-ranked prospect made his longest appearance of the season in his last outing, throwing 67 pitches (46 strikes) over five innings of one-run ball while striking out nine batters.

The right-hander now owns a 1.02 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 26:9 K:BB over 17 2/3 innings pitched. A 12.3 percent walk rate is a bit out of character for the former fourth-rounder after coming into the season with a 7.1 percent walk rate during his minor league career to that point, but he's still posting a strong 23.3 percent K-BB%.

With Quinn Priester, who had a strong 2025 campaign, currently in the midst of a rehab assignment at Nashville, Henderson may have some competition the next time a rotation spot opens up, but he offers far more strikeout upside, and the 24-year-old is worthy of stashing in all formats.

It is worth noting that Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff exited his start on Thursday in the second inning after seeing a significant dip in velocity compared to his previous starts, so the time is now to grab Henderson from 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

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Closer/Reliever Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

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 such as Jack Perkins, Cade Cavalli, Gus Varland, Logan Henderson, Jacob Latz, Noah Schultz, Mickey Moniak, Bryan Baker, Daylen Lile, Reid Detmers, Cam Smith, Carter Jensen, Moises Ballesteros, Travis Bazzana, Jake Bauers, Erik Miller, Ryan Jeffers, and Daniel Schneeman. 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 Jack Perkins, Cade Cavalli, Noah Schultz, Gus Varland, Logan Henderson, Jacob Latz, Mickey Moniak, Bryan Baker, Daylen Lile, Reid Detmers, Cam Smith, Carter Jensen, Moises Ballesteros, Travis Bazzana, Jake Bauers, Erik Miller, Ryan Jeffers, and Daniel Schneeman :