Waiver Wire Gems: Five Players Ready to Break Out
Fantasy baseball managers constantly scan the waiver wire for undervalued talent that can shift the balance of their leagues, and this week a cluster of players is emerging as particularly compelling options.
Luis Garcia Jr. of the Washington Nationals has been on a tear, launching six home runs over his last six contests and finishing the month with twelve homers in the past 30 days. He is batting .279 with an .850 OPS and already has sixteen round-trippers in the 2026 season, and he remains on the waiver wire in roughly one‑third of leagues.
Jake McCarthy, out of the Arizona Diamondbacks, is posting a .304 average and an .834 OPS while stealing thirteen bases in the current campaign, a combination that has made him available in two‑thirds of leagues, a surprisingly high figure given his recent breakout.
Right‑hander Ryan Weathers continues to show steady growth, posting an ERA that hovers between three point six and four point zero across the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons, while averaging just over one strikeout per inning in 2026. He has collected three wins in fifteen starts, routinely going close to six innings per outing, a workload that makes him an attractive add for teams needing reliable depth.
Esmerlyn Valdez is surprising many with a .262 batting average paired with a 1.001 OPS, having cracked five home runs in just forty‑two at‑bats, and his availability in ninety‑four percent of leagues suggests that his recent surge may still be under the radar for many.
Finally, Chase DeLauter is carving out a niche with a .265 average, a .746 OPS and seven homers in the 2026 season, while ranking in the top eleven percent of MLB players in several key metrics such as Squared‑Up percentage, chase rate, whiff rate and strikeout rate, a profile that could translate into a valuable waiver pickup.