Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season.
The premise is pretty straightforward. I’ll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I’ll list the category where I think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. I hope that it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs or not.
For a player to qualify to be on this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and I can’t help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they’re available in many places and that can hopefully satisfy readers in all league types.
Hitters
TJ Friedl - OF, CIN: 38% rostered
(RUNS, SPEED UPSIDE)
Friedl is not a sexy waiver add, but he's the everyday centerfielder for the Reds and has been productive in that role whenever he's been healthy. In 2023, he hit .279 with swiping 27 bases and crushing 18 home runs in 138 games. He had nine steals and 13 home runs in 85 games last year. He makes an elite amount of contact and hits leadoff which should mean a decent amount of runs in that offense. He is likely going to get hurt at some point, but that doesn't mean you should pass up on him for a player who has less fantasy value right now. You're in a redraft league, not a Best Ball league, so stop thinking about August and September.
Kristian Campbell - 2B, BOS: 38% rostered
(BREAKOUT POTENTIAL, EVERYDAY ROLE)
Kristian Campbell didn't have the best spring, so he started falling in late drafts even though it was clear the Red Sox wanted him to be their starting second baseman. So far, Campbell is 5-for-10 with two walks, one home run, and two strikeouts while playing second base in two games and left field in one. He is one of the top prospects in baseball, and if he's going to get everyday run in a good lineup, he needs to be on your roster. If you're just looking for speed, you can add Campbell's teammate Trevor Story - SS, BOS (33%), who stole a base in each of his first two games. People love to rag on Story because he gets hurt often, and that's sapped a lot of his offensive juice, but he will run, and he's been a really good defender for Boston when he's healthy. He's going to play almost every day, and that's a good lineup to have pieces of.
Ivan Herrera - C, STL: 34% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, GOOD SCHEDULE)
Early in draft season, I mentioned that Ivan Herrera was a decent draft value since he hit .301/.372/.428 in 259 plate appearances last year with five home runs and five steals. The offensive upside was there, but the worry was that he was likely going to have to fight for time with Pedro Pages, which gave us some pause about him getting over 400 plate appearances. Well, Herrera started the first two games of the season, which makes me think that this could be more of a 70/30 type of split this season. That makes Herrera worth a gamble in all two-catcher formats. I also think that Alejandro Kirk - C, TOR (13% rostered) is in for a good season and has some viability in one catcher leagues, even. He is going to play almost every day in Toronto and has been an elite contact hitter his whole career.
Tyler Soderstrom - 1B, OAK: 33% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, EVERYDAY ROLE)
Soderstrom got off to a huge start to the 2025 season with a 2-5, two-home run game against Logan Gilbert and the Mariners. He's 5-for-12 in his first three games, but this is really about ...
