Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung has emerged as a high-end waiver wire addition in fantasy baseball as he continues to swing a hot bat. Now in his fifth MLB season, Jung is slashing with a .309/.365/.474 slash line, five home runs, a 7.3% walk rate, a 14.6% strikeout rate, and 138 wRC+. He's posting career-best marks in nearly every offensive category, but his most significant improvement has been the strikeout rate. His 25.2% strikeout rate last year was a career-low, and he's on pace to blow that out of the water with a 14.6% mark so far in 2026. The sample size has been large enough to suggest that he'll be able to maintain his offensive success over a full season. As a result, he's a very intriguing waiver wire target in fantasy baseball. As it stands, Jung is available in 57% of leagues, and he ranks as the #16 third baseman in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.

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Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Abner Uribe has emerged as the team's go-to option in save situations, and he remains one of the most appealing closers on the waiver wire in fantasy baseball. Uribe and Trevor Megill opened this year competing for save situations, and while both players have underperformed expectations, manager Pat Murphy has been turning to the former in leverage spots. In the Brewers' most recent save situation on Tuesday, Megill pitched the seventh and earned the hold, while Uribe got the save in the ninth. Through 20 games (18.1 innings) this year, Uribe owns a 3.59 FIP with 9.33 K/9, 3.44 BB/9, 0.98 HR/9, and a 43% ground ball rate. Compared to last year, his strikeouts and ground balls are down, while his walks and home runs are up. With that being said, his 3.48 xFIP is lower than his ERA, xERA, and FIP, suggesting he's been a bit unlucky and is due for some better luck going forward. He has five saves this year, and we expect him to build on that number in no time, especially with the Brewers winning 62% of their games. Still available in 44% of leagues, Uribe should be a priority target for closer-needy managers in fantasy baseball leagues.

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Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (elbow) holds must-stash upside in all standard leagues ahead of his looming return from the 60-day injured list. Jones has not been on an MLB mound since his 2024 rookie season after undergoing an internal brace procedure last season. However, Jones has recently moved his rehab assignment up to Triple-A Indianapolis, which puts him on the verge of returning to the big leagues. Jones began his rehab assignment in the lower levels, where he tossed 10 innings with a near-perfect 0.90 ERA and an 11:1 K:BB. In his first rehab outing with the top club in the system, Jones tossed 4 1/3 innings while striking out seven hitters. Jones is set to make his fifth rehab outing on Saturday, which could set him up to return to the big leagues as early as next week. He should be viewed as a must-stash candidate in all formats ahead of Week 9.

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Chicago Cubs infield prospect Pedro Ramirez has been recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Ramirez has been on the 40-man roster since last November, but he hasn't appeared in a big-league game yet, so his next appearance will be his MLB debut. Signed out of Venezuela in 2021, Ramirez is a 22-year-old infielder capable of playing second and third base. Prior to his promotion, he owned an impressive .312/.395/.547 slash line with nine homers, 40 RBI, 19 steals, a 10.7% walk rate, a 16.3% strikeout rate, and 136 wRC+ across 43 games at Triple-A. He was recently listed as a hitter honorable mention in RotoBaller analyst Eric Cross' list of prospects to stash in fantasy baseball redraft leagues. As a switch-hitter, Ramirez could find his way into the lineup against pitchers of either handedness. That gives him an advantage for playing time and, paired with his power/speed combo, makes him an intriguing waiver wire target in fantasy baseball.

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Chicago Cubs utility player Matt Shaw (back) has been placed on the 10-day injured list with mid-back tightness, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com. Shaw is expected to miss several weeks. In a corresponding move, top infield prospect Pedro Ramirez was promoted to the majors. Shaw owns a modest .242/.291/.400 slash line with three homers this year, but he had been struggling lately with a 0-for-14 skid. The 24-year-old has mostly come off the bench this season, playing a variety of positions. So far this year, he has played all three outfield spots, as well as first, second, and third base. The right-handed hitter was rostered in just 5% of fantasy leagues before his injury, and his roster share could decrease if managers aren't willing to wait for him to return from the IL.

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Cincinnati Reds outfielder JJ Bleday has emerged as a solid power-hitting option for fantasy managers on the waiver wire. Over his last seven games, Bleday is 9-for-29 with two home runs, eight RBI, one walk, and five strikeouts. In total this season, he owns a .299/.402/.636 slash line with six homers, 20 RBI, a 15.2% walk rate, a 15.2% strikeout rate, and 178 wRC+. He's having the best season of his career (by far), but fantasy managers haven't quite come around, as he's still rostered in just 40% of leagues. That means that managers in 60% of leagues have the opportunity to add Bleday and his impressive bat off the waiver wire. It's a worthwhile move, as Bleday has been consistently productive all year long. He has a decent schedule coming up, too, with three games against the Cardinals, whose pitchers have the 12th-worst ERA and the second-fewest strikeouts.

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Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Louis Varland allowed a run in his most recent appearance on Wednesday against the New York Yankees for the first time since April 25 against the Cleveland Guardians, but he still held on for his sixth save of the season and struck out two hitters in an inning of work. The 28-year-old has been reliable for manager John Schneider in the closer's role since taking over for Jeff Hoffman, going 2-1 with a 0.70 ERA (1.27 FIP), 1.17 WHIP, his first six career saves, 37 strikeouts, and nine walks in 25 2/3 relief innings for the Blue Jays. Although Varland gave up a run to the Yankees this week, he has given up just two earned runs in his 25 2/3 frames all year and should be attracting more interest off the waiver wire in fantasy leagues from managers who need more saves. Right now, Varland is available in 31% of Yahoo leagues and is firmly entrenched as Toronto's ninth-inning arm.

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New York Mets rookie outfielder A.J. Ewing, the team's top prospect per MLB Pipeline, has gotten his MLB career off to a nice start in Queens, hitting .276 (8-for-29) with a homer, a triple, four RBI, six runs scored, two stolen bases, eight walks, and 11 strikeouts in his first 10 games across 39 plate appearances. The 21-year-old left-handed hitter not only offers five-category upside for fantasy managers short and long term, but he also has eligibility at outfield and second base in Yahoo leagues, making him an even more attractive prospect to roster in 2026 and beyond. The 5-foot-10, 160-pounder could develop more power eventually, but right now, that's probably where he's the weakest. Ewing excels at making contact at the plate, though, and he's a plus-plus runner on the basepaths and in the outfield. Ewing can spray the ball all over the field and will continue to play regularly in New York's outfield with Luis Robert Jr. (back) not any closer to a return from the injured list. Ewing is currently rostered in 41% of Yahoo leagues.

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Even though Will Klein picked up the save on Tuesday in a 5-4 win over the division-rival San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Tanner Scott is still the closer to roster in L.A. with Edwin Diaz (elbow) out for the foreseeable future. Scott picked up his first win of the year on Tuesday against the Friars, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless and hitless innings while walking one and striking out two. The 31-year-old southpaw hasn't allowed a run since April 24 against the Chicago Cubs and has thrown 8 1/3 scoreless innings since then with two hits allowed, two walks, 11 strikeouts, one sin, and three saves. Scott was used in a critical moment before the ninth inning in his most recent outing on Tuesday with the game on the line in a 4-4 ballgame, so he's not in any danger of falling out of favor for save chances for the Dodgers. Diaz isn't close at all to a return, so Scott is going to get plenty more save opportunities for one of the best teams in baseball. Somehow, he's only rostered in 47% of Yahoo leagues. Scott had a rough first year in L.A. in 2025, but he has a 1.37 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, four saves, and a 20:3 K:BB in his 19 2/3 innings in 2026.

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Cleveland Guardians rookie second baseman Travis Bazzana debuted to plenty of fanfare on April 28 after the Guards took the Australian infielder first overall in 2024 out of Oregon State, and the highly-regarded prospect has quickly made his mark in the majors. The 23-year-old left-handed-hitting second baseman has gone 21-for-73 (.288) in his first 21 big-league contests, adding two home runs, nine RBI, seven stolen bases, and 10 runs scored across 88 plate appearances. Bazzana isn't going to be a major asset for fantasy managers in the power department, but his advanced approach at the plate is already paying dividends as Cleveland's starting second baseman of the future. The 5-foot-11, 199-pounder has been especially hot in his last eight games, going 13-for-32 (.406) with a homer, three RBI, and three runs scored in his 33 plate appearances. Fantasy managers in need of a boost in on-base percentage at the second base position should look no further than Bazzana, who is currently available in over half of Yahoo leagues.

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The Minnesota Twins are calling up outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez to the majors on Friday, according to Milb Central. Gonzalez is considered the Twins' No. 7 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he'll come up from Triple-A St. Paul to temporarily take the roster spot of infielder Tristan Gray, who is on paternity leave. The 22-year-old Venezuelan outfielder gets his first big-league call-up despite hitting just .216 (38-for-176) with a .294 on-base percentage, .392 slugging percentage, .686 OPS, eight home runs, 21 RBI, and 27 runs scored in 44 games across 197 plate appearances with the Saints this year. Gonzalez has walked 18 times and struck out 39 times. The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder has plenty of improvement to do as far as his plate discipline goes, needing to cut back on his chase rate at the plate. Fantasy managers should ignore Gonzalez for now, even in AL-only leagues, since there is a good chance he'll be sent back to St. Paul in a few days when Gray returns from paternity leave.

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Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Quinn Priester (shoulder) was hit around again during his minor-league rehab outing on Thursday with Triple-A Nashville, giving up five earned runs on five hits while walking three and striking out two in three innings of work to take his third loss in the minors for Nashville. In his previous rehab appearance at High-A Wisconsin last weekend, Priester surrendered seven runs in just 1 1/3 innings pitched. Although he was a bit better on Thursday, his velocity was still down a few ticks as he tries to work his way back from thoracic outlet symptoms in his hand and shoulder. It's unclear how many more rehab starts Priester will need before potentially coming off the 15-day injured list for his 2026 season debut with the Brewers, but right now, he doesn't appear to be close to being major-league-ready. The 25-year-old former first-rounder by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 had his best year in the big leagues in 2025 in his first year in Milwaukee, but he doesn't appear to be the same pitcher right now. Priester is rostered in only 17% of Yahoo leagues.

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Athletics right-hander Luis Severino had a get-right matchup on tap on Thursday night against the floundering last-place Los Angeles Angels, and he took advantage of it. Although Severino came away with a no-decision in the team's 3-2 win, he had a strong performance on the mound, allowing only two earned runs and three hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out a season-high 10 for a quality start to lower his season ERA to 4.23. The 32-year-old veteran hurler induced 18 swings and misses on the night at Angels Stadium and reached seven innings for just the second time this year. The only runs that Severino allowed came on a two-run home run to Nolan Schanuel in the first frame. It was a nice bounce-back performance after he gave up a season-high five earned runs and 10 hits in six innings his last time out on May 16 against the San Francisco Giants. Severino now has three quality starts in 2026 and has given up two or fewer runs in five of his last six starts. His next matchup is scheduled to come against the division-rival Seattle Mariners, who rank 20th in MLB in OPS (.694).

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Miami Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers extended his hitting streak to five games in Thursday's 9-3 loss to the division-rival Atlanta Braves by going 2-for-4 with two solo home runs to boost his season average to .228 and his OPS to .694. It was Stowers' first multi-homer game of the 2026 campaign after he did it an astonishing five times during his breakout 2025 season. The 28-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder has gone 6-for-18 (.333) with two homers, a double, five RBI, and five runs scored during his current five-game hitting streak, and fantasy managers are really hoping that this is the start of Stowers hitting more like he did last season. So far in his second full season in Miami, the former second-rounder of the Baltimore Orioles in 2019 out of Stanford has struggled to a .228/.328/.366 slash line with a .694 OPS, only three home runs, eight RBI, 15 runs scored, and a stolen base in his 101 at-bats.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II had his third straight multi-hit game on Thursday in the team's 9-3 win over the division-rival Miami Marlins, going 2-for-5 at the plate with two home runs, three RBI, and a strikeout to raise his season average to .298 and his OPS to .848. It was Harris' eighth career multi-home run game, and his second already this season. In 18 games and 68 plate appearances so far in May, he has gone 18-for-67 (.269) with five home runs, a double, nine RBI, 11 runs scored, and a stolen base. Fantasy managers have to love what they've seen from the 25-year-old former third-rounder in 2019 after he had his first 20-20 campaign with a career-high 86 RBI in 160 games played in 2025 in his fourth year in the big leagues. Harris had a career-worst .678 OPS last year despite hit 20-20 season, but so far in 2026, he has an .848 OPS with 11 total home runs, 29 RBI, 22 runs scored, and three steals in 48 games played across 176 plate appearances. Keep riding him during his current hot streak as the team goes into a series this weekend against the division-rival Washington Nationals.

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Los Angeles Dodgers pitching prospect River Ryan is coming off his best showing at Triple-A and is now firmly in must-stash territory ahead of Week 9 of the fantasy baseball season. Given that Blake Snell recently joined Tyler Glasnow on the injured list, the MLB roster is in need of pitching depth. Even though Ryan missed nearly a month of action due to an injury at Triple-A, he has since returned to action and is showing high-end upside. He returned from the IL on May 15 and logged four innings of one-run ball with a 4:1 K:BB. However, on Thursday night, he looked far more comfortable, tossing five shutout frames with only two hits, no walks, and a season-high seven punchouts. He made his MLB debut in the 2024 season and looked quite comfortable, posting a 1.33 ERA over his first 20 1/3 innings. Given that the Dodgers lack much pitching depth, Ryan appears to be knocking on the big-league doorstep, making him an elite stash option in all standard leagues this weekend.

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Milwaukee Brewers outfield prospect Luis Lara has continued to swing a hot bat at Triple-A Nashville and is emerging as a top hitting prospect to stash. Over his last 17 games at Triple-A (since May 1), Lara has posted an impressive .385/.494/.492 line with a .986 OPS. During this stretch, the young outfielder has launched two home runs, hit two doubles, and swiped five bases. Overall, though his first 46 games with the top club in the Milwaukee pipeline, Lara has carried a .339/.446/.509 line with a .955 OPS. His power is worth nothing as his seven long balls have already surpassed his 2025 total of two home runs. Seeing him not only produce at a higher level but also showcase his elite raw power has put him among the top prospects to stash ahead of Week 9.

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Seattle Mariners pitching prospect Kade Anderson remains an elite option to stash among pitchers despite his recent five-run showing. On May 15, Anderson's near-perfect start to his professional career came to a halt as he allowed a season-worst five runs and six hits to Northwest Arkansas. However, prior to this showing, the former LSU superstar was on an incredible pace at Double-A and was making a case to join the majors much sooner than anticipated. Over his first 30 frames, the lefty struck out 47 hitters while walking five batters with a dominant 0.60 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP. However, the only concern for Anderson's redraft value is his path to the majors. While his upside remains high, he has a difficult path to joining the MLB roster, pitching on a deep Seattle team that already has six proven starters on the MLB roster. Since he will likely have to wait for multiple injuries to earn the call, he is best left for 12-team leagues that have several N/A spots.

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Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hunter Greene (elbow) is scheduled to throw a bullpen on May 26, which will be the first time throwing off the mound since he underwent elbow surgery in mid-March to remove bone chips from his right elbow. Although the timeline to return in July is speculative based on his throwing progression, Greene has so much upside that, if your roster configuration can afford to grab him now, he could be a league-winner down the stretch, especially for teams comfortably at the top of their standings. Coming into the season, Greene was a consensus top-20 starting pitcher, and is coming off back-to-back seasons with a sub-3 ERA and north of 27.7 percent strikeout rate. Greene, who is 26 years old, should be entering his prime, but has been repeatedly slowed by injuries throughout his career. Once he returns, he will immediately be slotted at the top of the Reds' rotation to go along with young star Chase Burns and Nick Lodolo.

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Minnesota Twins infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper has continued to swing a hot bat at Triple-A St. Paul and enters Week 9 as one of the top overall prospects to stash in fantasy. With Royce Lewis now in the minor leagues, Culpepper stands as one of the top options in the system to join the MLB roster. Through the first 42 games with Triple-A this summer, Culpepper has held a .250/.355/.459 line with an .814 OPS. During this stretch, Culpepper has launched nine home runs and swiped nine bags. However, over his last 16 games (since May 1), the former Kansas State standout has been even more impressive at the plate, posting a .277 AVG and a stellar .953 OPS. If he maintains this pace, Culpepper should be poised to earn the call to the majors in the near future. His five-category potential and clear path to MLB at-bats push him to the top of the stash rankings ahead of Week 9.

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