We are almost there. The finish line is in sight. Your competitors are scouring the waiver wire, and you should be doing the same. At this point, the potential for any slight edge is more than worth your attention. We want you to improve your team, so let’s take a look at some Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Adds for Week 26. It has been a great season, and I hope enjoyed coming along for the ride. Now, let’s finish off strong.
In doing our weekly diligence, the criteria for inclusion will generally be any player rostered in less than 50% of Fantrax leagues (as of 9/18), with some exceptions. The popularity of Dynasty leagues on Fantrax does sway some of these percentages compared to other platforms, but these are players who should be on your radar.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Recommendations
Luisangel Acuna, SS, New York Mets
At this point in the season, things are relatively quiet on the prospect front. Teams are wrapping up their seasons and looking ahead to next year. That means, in most cases, we are done with high-profile promotions. In New York though, an unfortunate back injury to Francisco Lindor changed that. While the Mets previously resisted promoting Luisangel Acuna, they have reversed course as their hand was forced.
While Lindor is sidelined, potentially for just a few more games, Acuna has found himself as the starting shortstop. When Lindor does return, Acuna could still see time at second base. That will especially be true if he continues to produce as he has been.
In 131 games at Triple-A, Acuna hit .258 with 90 runs scored and 40 stolen bases. Acuna doesn’t have much power, seven home runs, and 50 RBI, but he does hit the ball well and does a good job of limiting the strikeouts. Through his first four games with the Mets, Acuna is hitting .455 with his first career home run. He then added another home run the next night as he continued the success. We are now in crunch time, and Acuna could help to finish the season off on a high note.
Hunter Goodman, C/OF, Colorado Rockies
Following the hot hand is what it’s all about at this time of the season. When it comes to Hunter Goodman, our attention is certainly piqued. The fact that Goodman has catcher eligibility only takes things to the next level. When you then add the fact that, after a trip to Los Angeles this weekend, Goodman finishes the season out at Coors Field, we are really cooking.
If we go over the last 14 days, Goodman has five home runs and 10 RBI over that stretch with eight hits in 30 at-bats. To a large extent, this is an all-or-nothing play, but if you need power, Goodman is worth a look. After a combined 35 home runs last year, Goodman has 13 home runs and 34 RBI in 66 games with Colorado in 2024. Granted he is hitting .193, but we are running out of time for his batting average to truly be a detriment. With a 13.6% barrel rate, when Goodman actually does make contact, good things happen. However, the fact that 11 of his home runs have come at home shouldn’t be surprising.
Davis Schneider, 2B/OF, Toronto Blue Jays
We have seen this story before from Davis Schneider. He finds his way into playing time and then gets hot and has a strong stretch. At this point, with three series left in the year, we aren’t asking for much from Schneider. With the Blue Jays out of the postseason picture and dealing with some injuries, there is a strong chance that Schneider has regular playing time down the stretch.
Over the past seven days, Schneider has taken good advantage of his opportunity with eight hits in 20 at-bats. Three of those hits left the park as Schneider “raised” his average to .202. It’s hard to ignore Schneider’s 21.2% barrel rate and 59.2% hard-hit rate, but that only comes into play when he makes contact. Over the last week-plus of the season, we only need a few instances of strong contact for Schneider to make an impact.
Nick Yorke, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates
While Nick Yorke might have a tremendous amount of prospect buzz, he was a first-round pick a few years ago. After acquiring him for Quinn Priester at the trade deadline, Pittsburgh decided to see what they have in Yorke down the stretch.
Yorke was 0-3 in his debut but he followed that up multi-hit games in each of the next two. The second baseman has strong plate skills although it doesn’t come with much in the way of power and speed. After hitting .310 in Triple-A prior to the trade, Yorke then switched clubs and hit .355. Pittsburgh appears to be committed to playing Yorke every day, and we should see some more hits from the second baseman. It was interesting, in a good way, that he has two stolen bases in three games.
Bailey Falter, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
The push for innings down the stretch can get a little crazy. This is the time when ratios might get ignored, sometimes rightfully so because it’s hard to impact them at this point, and wins and strikeouts get chased. With some teams out of it and some teams in full postseason preparation mode though, it’s difficult to forecast that though.
Bailey Falter is an interesting option as he is slated to make two starts. Facing the Brewers and Yankees would generally be considered imposing. But with both teams preparing for the playoffs, that isn’t as bad. The problem though, is that Falter only has eight victories in 27 starts while striking out just under seven batters per nine innings. His 4.15 ERA shouldn’t be terribly concerning and he does a good job of not letting the walks get out of control.
Jonathan Cannon, SP, Chicago White Sox
Both of Jonathan Cannon’s starts for this week are against teams preparing for 2025; the Angels and Tigers. With four wins in 21 games, 19 starts, we know what we are getting into with Cannon. But, it’s also hard to ignore he pitches for the White Sox.
On the season, Cannon has a 4.61 ERA. However, things are a little better with a 4.08 ERA in his last three starts. Maybe more impressive, is that two of his victories have come in that stretch. Cannon also has 15 strikeouts and just four walks in those 17.2 innings. At this point, we just need him to continue that performance for two more games.
Ian Hamilton, RP, New York Yankees
As the Yankees look to prepare for the postseason, one task is to figure out who will be their closer. At this point, it appears that it might be filled by committee. One member of that committee who appears to be getting a chance to see what he can do is Ian Hamilton.
The right-hander missed the start of the season due to injury. Now, Hamilton is back and healthy and right in the Yankees’ bullpen mix. He picked up a save earlier in the week and has had success. In 34 innings of action, Hamilton is striking out 10 batters per nine innings with a 3.97 ERA. He is certainly worth a look if you are chasing saves in the last week of the season.