Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: It’s Burger Time

Another week of baseball has flown by, and that means it’s time to scour the fantasy baseball waiver wire. Whether you’re looking for injury replacements or trying to take advantage of the latest hot streaks, the fantasy baseball waiver wire is your go-to source for roster improvements.

In this week’s fantasy baseball waiver wire, there are plenty of available bats to help fill power and speed needs. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about available pitchers this week, as there aren’t many quality options hanging around. With that, let’s get to the Week 9 fantasy baseball waiver wire targets.

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Week 9 Waiver Wire Targets

Jake Burger, 1B, Rangers (70%)

Jake Burger is on a heater. He piled up 13 hits in his last eight games, including five multi-hit efforts. Over those 34 plate appearances, Burger has two doubles, three homers, 12 RBI, and he even chipped in a steal. A .500 BABIP is certainly helping the cause, but Burger has looked good since the calendar flipped to May. In that 16-game stretch, Burger has a .305/.369/.559 slash line with a .254 ISO and 161 wRC+. He’s also flashing elite plate skills for the month with a 9.2% walk rate and 16.9% strikeout rate. Burger is a 30-HR bat with a .240-.250 BA, and is a strong power pickup while he’s swinging it.

Zack Gelof, 2B/3B/OF, Athletics (59%)

Zack Gelof has struggled to do much since his 2024 season, when he hit 17 dingers and stole 25 bases across 138 games. But he’s been a staple in the Athletics’ lineup since the start of May and is looking good. In those 69 plate appearances, Gelof has a .270/.333/.556 slash line with five home runs, 12 runs scored, 12 RBI, and two steals. He also posted a 14.6% barrel rate while striking out at a 21.7% clip — a significant improvement from his career 32.2% rate.

Gelof has done a good job of leaning into his pull-side power this season, and his 23.6% pulled-air rate is a career-best mark. Combine that with 90th percentile sprint speed, and Gelof is an intriguing power/speed play — especially if he can keep his Ks in check. Gelof is worth an add in 12-teamers.

Mark Vientos, 1B/3B, Mets (57%)

Mark Vientos is starting to round into form. He’s seen steady playing time since the beginning of May, and his power is starting to pick up. He smacked four home runs in his last 17 games to go with 14 RBI and a .243 ISO. Vientos is also sporting strong quality contact metrics during that stretch, with a 19% barrel rate and a 93.3 mph average EV.

Overall, Vientos had made some strides at the plate that could benefit his power. He cut his strikeout rate from 24.8% last season to 20% this year, and his 81.5% zone contact rate, while still below league average, is a career-best mark. Vientos is the Mets’ cleanup hitter and is a sneaky power pickup on the cheap.

Ezequiel Duran, 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, Rangers (59%)

Ezequiel Duran started receiving everyday playing time at the end of April and has been a flat-out hitting machine in that 19-game stretch. He reached base safely in all but three of those games while logging seven doubles and one triple. He also contributed across the board with three home runs, 14 runs scored, 15 RBI, and one steal while hitting .319 with a .944 OPS.

Duran is a contact hitter who brings a little bit of everything to the fantasy table. He offers 15 HR/15 SB upside and a .250 BA. He also hits in the heart of the Rangers’ order and qualifies at every position. Duran is a productive injury replacement in shallow formats and a solid everyday addition in deeper formats.

Alec Bohm, 3B, Phillies (66%)

Alec Bohm has been on a tear of late. He’s in the middle of an 11-game hitting streak, going 17-for-42 with four doubles, eight runs scored, and seven RBI. He also hit four of his five homers in that stretch. Some positive regression was headed Bohm’s way, as a .230 BABIP helped suppress his numbers this season. While Bohm doesn’t bring much power to the table, he’s been a reliable source of 10-15 homers to go with a few steals and a strong batting average.

Hopefully, Bohm’s turnaround over the past few weeks is the start of more positive results. He’s batted either third or cleanup over the past six games and should benefit from a Phillies club that’s been on fire. They’re 16-5 since Don Mattingly took over at the end of April and scored the third-most runs in that span. Bohm is a solid add with some upside in 14-teamers.

Gavin Sheets, 1B/OF, Padres (69%)

Gavin Sheets has been one of the hottest power bats in May. He swatted five home runs over 60 plate appearances this month and hit .292 with a .333 ISO, 1.058 OPS, and a league-leading 198 wRC+. Sheets also showed off some strong plate skills, drawing more walks than strikeouts (20% BB%, 18.3% K%).

Overall, Sheets’ season looks like a continuation of his breakout in 2025. He has nine homers on the year and is well on his way to surpassing his career-best mark of 19 from last year. Additionally, he made gains in his underlying skills, with career highs in his 10.7% barrel rate and 90% zone-contact rate. The knock on Sheets is that he sits against lefties, which limits his upside. But if you have the roster space, Sheets is worth deploying in RHP-heavy weeks, especially given his multi-eligibility.

Dylan Crews, OF, Nationals (74%)

The Nationals called up Dylan Crews earlier this week, and he should be rostered more widely. After failing to crack the Opening Day roster, Crews has spent the season in Triple-A, where he hit .258/.345/.432 with five homers and seven steals across 177 plate appearances.

An oblique injury derailed Crews’ 2025 season. But he still managed to produce when he returned, popping three home runs and swiping six bags over 40 games with a .222/.295/.348 slash line. Crews’ pop/speed combo could come in handy on a Nationals team that leads the league in runs scored and is tied for the fifth-most stolen bases this season. The former top prospect is well worth adding in shallow formats to see how he shakes out.

J.T. Ginn, RP, Athletics (65%)

J.T. Ginn has been excellent in his last three trips to the mound. He allowed two earned runs or less in each of those starts with a 21:3 K:BB across 22 innings. He also picked up three quality starts and two wins in that stretch. Overall, Ginn holds a steady 2.64 ERA (3.63 xFIP) and 1.06 WHIP across his eight starts with a 14.3% K-BB. He’s also keeping balls on the ground at a 49.1% clip. Ginn is worth adding in shallow formats, especially given the dire state of quality arms available on the wire.

Steven Matz, RP, Rays (55%)

The Rays piggybacked Steven Matz in his first start after dealing with elbow inflammation. The veteran looked good, logging four innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts to two walks. While it’s unclear how the Rays will use Matz moving forward, he’s worth taking a shot on in deeper formats.

For the year, Matz allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his eight starts and posted a 3.70 ERA (4.31 xFIP), 1.11 WHIP and 10.2% SwStr% across 41.1 innings. While none of that is super-sexy, it’s definitely playable in 15-teamers. Plus, Matz is ticketed for a nice two-step next week against the Orioles on the road and the Angels at home.

Zebby Matthews, SP, Twins (72%)

Zebby Matthews has looked solid in two starts since his call-up. He tossed seven scoreless innings against the Marlins in his first start, followed by a two-run, six-inning outing against the Astros. Over those 13 innings, Matthews has a shiny 1.38 ERA (3.27 xFIP), 0.77 WHIP, and 20.8% K-BB. However, we should expect some pullback, as Matthews benefited from a .229 BABIP and 93% strand rate. Despite the regression, Matthews is an interesting arm worth picking up to see where this goes. Just temper expectations for the upcoming week, as he’s scheduled for a tough two-step on the road against the White Sox and Pirates.