Week 8 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Logan Henderson, Robby Snelling looking must-add
Which recent top prospects are worth adding ahead of Week 8?
The second wave of prospect call-ups has begun, and we saw a bunch of big names get the call this week. So, before we get to the rest of our top choices for the Week 8 Waiver Wire, let's take a look at six of the top prospects who were called up this week, with some recommended FAB bids for each in 12-team leagues:
Robby Snelling, SP, Marlins (67%) – The first start wasn't great, with four walks to just two strikeouts over five innings. I don't really expect that to remain an issue – for the strikeouts, at least. The command has been an issue at times in the minors, but I fully expect Snelling's stuff to play up and miss plenty of bats. Even with the middling first start, Snelling looks like a must-roster pitcher to me. Remember, this is a guy with a career 1.46 ERA and 35% strikeout rate at Triple-A. Don't overreact to one poor start. He should go for upwards of 20% of your FAB budget.
Ryan Waldschmidt, OF, Diamondbacks (40%) – Waldschmidt should also be picked up in pretty much all leagues. He hasn't been an elite performance in the minors, but it's close to a .900 OPS across Double-A and Triple-A with good enough plate discipline to go with 12 homers and 25 steals in 110 games. Ideally, he'll combine good enough raw power, bat control, and contact skills with 25-plus steal upside. And there should be good enough plate discipline to make the profile work in H2H points leagues, too. He should go for 10-15% of your FAB budget.
Logan Henderson, SP, Brewers (68%) – The only hang-up I've had with Henderson is that the Brewers just don't seem as enamored of him as the Fantasy community has. But he just continues to pitch exceptionally well whenever he gets the chance, and you have to think he's going to stick around for good this time – as I write, he's in the middle of another solid outing against the Yankees and he still has a sub-3.00 ERA with tons of strikeouts in his first eight MLB starts. The only reason I wouldn't rank him ahead of Snelling is because I just have slightly more concern about his role moving forward. If the Brewers fully commit to him, he might be a top-50 SP for Fantasy. He should go for upwards of 15-20% of your FAB budget.
Jesus Rodriguez, Giants (9%) – The Giants traded Patrick Bailey this weekend, so I think they're pretty pleased with Rodriguez. It'll be a big downgrade defensively, but Rodriguez figures to play pretty regularly moving forward and has an unusual combination of contact skills, speed, and a little bit of pop for a catcher. He's an intriguing No. 2 catcher candidate if you're disappointed with what you've been getting from yours. He should go for 3-5% of your FAB budget.
Spencer Jones, OF, Yankees (59%) – Jones is a tool shed kind of prospect, with legit 30-30 upside and at least average center field defense from a 6-foot-7 frame. He could be a superstar. He's also struck out in five of his first seven MLB plate appearances and has a worse contact profile than basically any player in baseball. He's worth a look in five-outfielder leagues for the upside, but the likeliest outcome here is that he just doesn't make enough contact to truly matter in most leagues. He should go for upwards of 3% of your FAB budget if you have the room to gamble on some upside.
Joe Mack, Marlins (15%) – Mack is probably going to be the primary starting catcher for the Marlins and gives them a big defensive boost back there. He isn't totally without appeal as a hitter, but it's in a very classic "low-end No. 2 catcher" kind of way – he might get to 20 homers, but it'll probably come with a low batting average and little else. In 12-team, two-catcher leagues, he's probably too fringe to matter until he shows us something. He's worth 1-2% of your FAB budget if you are desperate.
Here's who else we're looking to add when waivers run for Week 8:
Week 8 Waiver Targets
Catcher
Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks (40%)
It's been a disappointing start to the season for Moreno, who has just one homer in 20 games while missing time with an oblique injury. Given the state of the position, it's hard to argue for him as, say, a top-12 option. But I still like him for basically all two-catcher leagues, especially with his underlying metrics still painting a very similar story to 2025 (.339 xwOBA so far, compared to a .346 mark last year). He's traded a bit of contact skills for additional power, and we should see that show up in games sooner than later.
Deep league option: Sean Murphy, Braves (9%) – So far, the Braves have used Murphy exclusively as a backup catcher to Drake Baldwin, and if that's all the playing time he's going to get, it might be tough for him to matter much even in two-catcher leagues. But I suspect we'll see him starting 5 times a week before long if he gets hot, with him and Baldwin trading off in the catcher and DH spots.
First Base
Andrew Vaughn, Brewers (38%)
Vaughn hasn't gotten going yet since coming off the IL, but he's still managed to be productive, reaching base in four of five games, scoring four runs and walking three times in 17 trips to the plate. It can be tough to produce at a high level coming off a hand injury, but the approach has been good, and I still believe the production will be there in the long run. If you're looking for more immediate help, TJ Rumfield looks like a solid source of batting average with decent power. He doesn't have Vaughn's long-term upside, and the Rockies are away from Coors Field for three of six games this week, but he's still a solid fill-in with the same roster rate as Vaughn.
Deep league option: Ezequiel Duran, Rangers (15%) – Duran is hot since getting more extended run for the Rangers, and he has the nice bonus of being eligible at literally every position except catcher. I don't expect the hot streak to last forever, but while he's playing well, you might be able to find a spot somewhere in your lineup for him.
Second Base
Travis Bazzana, Guardians (73%)
I didn't need to see Bazzana in the majors to think he was worth adding in most leagues upon his promotion, but it's been nice to see a lot of the skills translating. He's making excellent swing decisions (17.6% chase rate) and has good plate discipline as a result, while still putting up a 92.1 mph average exit velocity. He isn't hitting the ball hard in the air often enough to look like a consistent power source, but I feel comfortable projecting double-digit homers, a good batting average (and excellent OBP), and a lot of steals – he already has seven in 11 games. If he's not already a top-12 2B in Fantasy, he's not far off. This could be what we were hoping for from Luke Keaschall.
Deep league option: Zack Gelof, Athletics (15%) – With some power and speed, Gelof has always had an at least theoretically interesting skill set for Fantasy. He just couldn't make enough contact. Well, he's got his strikeout rate down to 26%, and while his underlying contact skills are still pretty iffy, he is at least making better swing decisions, sporting a career-low 21.4% chase rate. If that can keep the batting average in the .240-.250 range, he might be able to do enough else to be worth using in Roto leagues, at least.
Third Base
Addison Barger, Blue Jays (58%)
The one wrinkle here is that Barger missed Sunday's game with elbow soreness, and he's set to have an MRI on his throwing elbow after a 101-mph throw to nab a runner at the plate in his very first game back from an ankle injury. Hopefully he's okay and able to play on through this, because Barger remains a pretty interesting player. I don't think he's the elite power hitter he looked like for a few months last summer, but I do think he brings a very interesting skill set and plenty of tools to the table if he can just stay healthy. A 25-homer pace if he stays on the field isn't unreasonable.
Deep league option: Miguel Andujar, Padres (18%) – Another reclamation win for the Padres? Andujar has settled in as a pretty good hitter in the past few years, though with a pretty limited skill set – he's hitting .296 on the season while making a ton of contact, but he hits for very little power, rarely walks, and won't run much, either. But if you need some cheap production (and especially batting average help!) he could be useful.
Shortstop
Trevor Story, Red Sox (72%)
Honestly, Story might just be finished. His underlying skill set looks like a nightmare, and he has already struck out 15 times in eight games in May, somehow increasing his strikeout rate from April. There's almost nothing positive to point to right now … except for the fact that he had a 40-game stretch last season where he was even worse and still ended up being one of the best players in Fantasy over the final four months of the season. That he pulled out of that tail spin last summer doesn't necessarily mean he'll do the same thing this time around, but it's enough to give me pause about totally burying him. If you're looking for a middle infielder or shortstop with upside, I still think Story qualifies.
Deep league option: Brayan Rocchio, Guardians (33%)/Nasim Nunez, Nationals (30%) – The shortstop position is deep with stars and shallow with useful players otherwise, so it's harder to find useful deep-league options here. Rocchio is making more contact and running more this season, while Nunez is at least showing a bit more like at the plate to go with what has become elite stolen base production. If he can at least hit an empty .250, he could be close to a must-start option in Roto thanks to his speed.
Outfield
Bleday's never been much more than a fringe Fantasy option, but we're seeing signs here in the early going that he could be more. To a certain extent, that's because he's been shielded from most lefties and has just been allowed to crush righties so far. But he's also carrying a 3.5 mph average bat speed increase without adding length to his swing, a big deal if he can sustain it. Swing speed isn't everything – you still have to make contact and still have good swing decisions, and those things don't always carry over when hitters are swinging with more effort – but it's been a big deal for Bleday, who is hitting the ball significantly harder while also putting up better plate discipline metrics. He's probably just hot, but Bleday looks good enough right now to be worth an add basically anywhere you need outfield help, and I have to imagine the Reds are going to give him a longer leash if this keeps up.
Carson Benge, Mets (58%)
It's been a disappointing start to Benge's career, but I haven't really lost much faith in the long term. He's starting to show some signs of figuring it out lately, too, with an .857 OPS in May and a .376 expected wOBA over the past 50 plate appearances overall. He hasn't looked overwhelmed despite his struggles, and I still think the upside for 15 homers and 25 steals is still evident here.
Carlos Cortes, Athletics (49%)
We're already starting to see Cortes slow down, so maybe the hot-hand play no longer applies here. Except even as he has slowed down, Cortes still has a .338 expected wOBA over his past 50 plate appearances, a sign that he hasn't been totally lost even as he has slowed down. His combination of decent power and great contact skills is mostly working, and I still think there's a lot to like about Cortes right now.
Sam Antonacci, White Sox (34%)
The key thing for Antonacci if he wants to be Fantasy relevant is to run a lot. He didn't do much of that early after his promotion, which was frustrating because he's actually hit pretty well all along (albeit with very little power). However, after he stole zero bases in his first 18 games, he now has two in his last five. With four attempts in 23 games, that gives him a full-season pace of 28. I'd like to see him be even more aggressive than that given how often he is getting on base, but Antonacci can be a pretty useful Fantasy option at 25 steals. And he could be even more useful if he's more like a 35-steal guy, something he did in the minors.
Starting Pitcher
Bryce Miller, Mariners (61%)
Miller is going to make his season debut Wednesday, so the Mariners are going to find space for him in the rotation despite some concerns about that. He struggled mightily while pitching through bone spurs in his elbow last season, but his velocity has been up during his rehab assignment, so it looks like he's healthy for now. Can he stay that way moving forward? Skepticism is reasonable, but when all it costs is a bit of FAB and a roster spot, I don't see much reason to be too skeptical here. Remember, Miller was phenomenal in 2024, putting up a 2.94 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 180.1 innings. That upside makes him worth rostering in all leagues.
Michael Burrows, Astros (30%)
On the whole it's still been a pretty bad season for Burrows, whose ERA and WHIP sit at a very ugly 5.04 and 1.48 right now. But he's showing signs of figuring it out, most notably, of course, with his seven shutout innings Friday against the Reds. He now has a 2.50 ERA with 17 strikeouts in his past 18 innings across three starts, and his 3.79 expected ERA suggests more good days are ahead. He's still a flawed pitcher – his fastballs are generally pretty bad, so he's just trying to survive to get to his very good secondaries – but he looks like he'll be useful moving forward.
Janson Junk, Marlins (35%)
Even after he gave up four runs in six innings Saturday, I still think Junk is worth adding. He's still got some of the best command of any starter in baseball, and he's starting to turn his improved stuff into more strikeouts lately, with 16 in his past three starts. The Marlins have shown a quick hook with Junk, which is going to limit his win potential on a mediocre team, but I look at his 3.84 xERA and see a pitcher worth rostering in most leagues.
Connor Prielipp, Twins (30%)
I think Prielipp might be pretty good. He'll be limited to five innings more often than not, I suspect, given his injury history and lack of innings total. But I don't think his early success is a fluke right now. His slider has legitimate bat-missing potential, and he has a deep enough arsenal that he doesn't just profile as a one-pitch pitcher. The upside here isn't so high that I think Preilipp needs to be rostered everywhere, but his 3.36 xERA suggests he's not just getting lucky right now.
I don't have a ton of faith in the move back to the rotation for Brown. He was thriving in the bullpen, and his arsenal still looks like it is going to limit him as a starter – the sinker is the only new addition to his arsenal, and I don't think that's going to fix his long-standing issues with lefties, nor with pitching multiple times through the order. But his first start was decent enough that if you're in a deeper league, you can justify taking a flier just in case.
Relief Pitcher
Griffin Jax, Rays (22%)
Another pitcher making the transition back to the rotation, I think Jax certainly has the arsenal to get away with the move better than Brown. He hasn't really seen a big drop in velocity since his move to a starting role, though to be fair, he has yet to pitch into even the fifth inning. But Jax has a deep arsenal that should allow him to turn the lineup over, and if he can keep the velocity around 95 mph while working deeper, the whole thing could work. It's a bit of a long shot, but I'm intrigued enough to put some bids in for deeper leagues to stash Jax on my bench.
Gregory Soto, Pirates (52%)
Yeah, I think Soto is just the closer in Pittsburgh now. He had two saves earlier this week, and as of writing, I'm watching Dennis Santana work in the eighth inning of a tied game on the road -- decidedly not a closer's situation. They may still choose to mix and match with their two highest-leverage relievers, and the end goal might be to get Santana back in the ninth inning. But for the time being, Soto looks like the pitcher to roster in the Pirates bullpen.
