Diamondbacks Ketel Marte to miss several weeks with left hamstring strain

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.

Everybody freaked out when Garcia was not in the lineup on Opening Day, and it’s become just another example of not putting so much stock into one lineup. With Vinnie Pasquantino needing to DH due to his hamstring injury, the Royals had to reconfigure the lineup a bit, and for one day, Garcia was heading to the bench. He then started five straight games, even starting one in centerfield, which suggests some added versatility. When Jonathan India and Michael Massey are both healthy, there will be some days off for Garcia as the Royals rotate all three hitters, but Garcia has gone 8-for-25 (.320) with two home runs and six RBI to start the season and has 30+ stolen base upside.

Spencer Torkelson – 1B, DET: 37% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, EVERYDAY ROLE – for now)

Last week, I said I’d much rather have Manzardo or Soderstrom than Torkelson and that stands, but Torkelson remains a solid add if you need power. He’s gotten off to a strong start, and, even though it’s a small sample size, he’s making far better swing decisions, which is leading to fewer whiffs and more contact overall. With the Tigers’ lineup banged up, Torkelson should get another month or so to prove he’s made enough changes to stay in the big leagues. Michael Busch – 1B, CHC (27% rostered) is another power-first first base option. The 26-year-old hit 21 home runs in 152 games for the Cubs last year and is going to be the everyday first baseman in a lineup that’s deeper than it was last year. His swing decisions haven’t been great early in the season, but his 11.5% swinging strike rate last year wasn’t that high for a player with plus power, so I think we could see another step forward from Busch this year.

Hunter Goodman – C/OF, COL: 30% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, STARTING JOB)

As spring training was winding down, it seemed like Hunter Goodman had hit well enough to earn himself the backup catcher role and maybe a start or two in the outfield when he wasn’t catching. Then the regular season started and Goodman hasn’t left the lineup. He has started all but three games behind the dish, and he’s been the starting DH in all the games he hasn’t caught. Considering he’s also gone 7-for-30 to start the season with two home runs and a 91 mph average exit velocity, he’s certainly hit well enough for Colorado to continue operating like this. Goodman is a must-add in two-catcher formats, but he’s also a good add in one-catcher leagues where you have daily moves because you can slide him into your catcher spot if your other catcher is not playing and not lose a spot in the lineup.

Trevor Story – SS, BOS: 30% rostered
(SPEED UPSIDE, EVERY DAY JOB)

I’m not sure Story gets enough respect because he’s had a checkered past when it comes to injuries, and many fans just want to see Marceo Mayer in Boston. However, Story has turned himself into a really good defensive shortstop, and his speed makes a real impact in fantasy leagues. Through eight games to start the season, Story has two steals and two home runs while playing every day at short. He may hit just .250 on the season, but he’s been hitting fifth in the Red Sox order, which gives him some real counting stat upside to go with 25+ stolen base speed.

Jung Hoo Lee – OF, SF: 26% rostered
(COUNTING STATS UPSIDE, EVERY DAY JOB)

Not every add is going to be exciting. In fact, some of the best waiver moves you can make during the year will be kind of boring. Jung Hoo Lee is kind of boring. That’s not a knock on him, but he doesn’t steal a ton of bases or hit a ton of home runs, so he gets forgotten about a lot in fantasy circles. However, he does make an elite amount of contact and has an everyday job hitting third in the Giants’ lineup. That counts for something. Lee has also been pulling the ball more to start the 2025 season, so maybe that leads to some harder contact this year. If you wanted an outfielder that was more speed-centric, you could go after TJ Friedl – OF, CIN (36% rostered), who is leading off for Cincinnati and hitting 10-for-34 (.294) with six runs scored and one stolen base on the season. His sprint speed has been falling over the last few years, but he has also consistently stolen bases when he’s in the lineup and he’ll play every day while he’s healthy.

Ben Rice – 1B, NYY: 25% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY)

I loved Ben Rice’s upside based on his batted ball quality, and I covered him in my article on potential second-year breakout hitters. The biggest knock on Rice was potential playing time concerns in New York, but he has been hitting the cover off the ball, and the team has responded by starting to play him every day. If we knew he was locked into a starting role, he’d be rostered in way more leagues. His bat speed is up, the barrels are there, and he needs to be on your roster if you have an open spot for a corner infield bat. If you need a corner infield player in deeper formats, then I think you can turn to Wilmer Flores – 1B, SF (11% rostered), who is playing nearly every day with Jerar Encarnacion out for a few months with a fractured hand. We’ve seen Wilmer go on these kinds of hot streaks before, so it’s unlikely he has become a different player; however, he’s seeing the ball well right now and has three home runs already this season. Ride the bat while it’s hot.

Matt Wallner – OF, MIN: 21% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, GOOD LINEUP SPOT)

By now, we know the deal with Wallner: he’s going to play every day against right-handed pitching and sit versus lefties. Well, the Twins have seven games this upcoming week, and six are against right-handed pitching. Wallner has gotten off to a slow start to the 2025 season, but he’s hitting leadoff for the Twins and has a 17% career barrel rate. He also tweaked his approach in the second half last season and hit .275 with 12 home runs, 34 RBI, and three steals over the final 73 games. There is some volatility in his skill set, but the power is unquestioned, and if the approach changes carry over, he’s a great addition, especially in daily moves leagues. In deeper leagues, I’m also a big fan of Wallner’s teammate Trevor Larnach – OF, MIN (3% rostered). Much like Wallner, Larnach will start against all right-handed pitchers, and I wrote about him as one of my favorite post-hype hitters this off-season.

Jordan Walker – OF, STL: 16% rostered
(BREAKOUT POTENTIAL, EVERYDAY ROLE)