​Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, our weekly fantasy baseball waiver-wire guide. This season we’re shaking things up a bit: Eric Samulski will publish the initial waiver-wire article on Friday afternoons, and then James Schiano will update it every Sunday to ensure you’re getting the most current information. The basic idea is simple. Each week we’ll suggest a handful of adds based on recent production trends or changes in roles. When we mention a player, we’ll indicate the category where we think they can help or provide a quick reason why they’re listed. Our goal is to help you decide whether the player fits your roster needs. Keep in mind that not every trending name will be a fit for your specific squad.
To qualify for this list, a player must be under 40% rostered in Yahoo formats. We know you might say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and we can’t fix that. These players are available in more than 60% of leagues, and some in as high as 98% of leagues, so they’re widely available and relevant to readers who play across different league types.
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Power surge, batting-average upside: Take the rookie Ewing as an example. He’s batting .298/.368/.512 over his last 35 games, with six homers, 18 RBIs, and five steals. He’s homered in three of his last five games and has started elevating the ball more, resulting in a notable uptick in barrels. Over the season his fly-ball rate sits at 36.4%, but in his last 15 games, with a 14.7% barrel rate, that fly-ball percentage has climbed to 41.2%. His launch angle hasn’t swung too far; he’s simply finding more pitches he can elevate and drive out of the park. It’s a promising development from a rookie.
Sunday update: Ewing has hit leadoff for the Mets for seven straight games, including a recent start against lefty Payton Tolle. Hitting directly in front of Juan Soto, Bo Bichette, and Francisco Lindor could provide a significant fantasy boost. There’s a whiff of league-winning potential in the second half here.
Hot stretch, stolen-base upside: Durbin’s season arc has been easier to overlook than it should have been. Early on, the perception around him was negative, especially with Kyle Harrison’s strong stretch in Milwaukee fueling the belief that Durbin was a bust. In reality, he seems to have found his footing. Since June 1, in 32 games, Durbin is hitting .288/.344/.568 with eight home runs, 21 runs, and 17 RBIs. This stretch underscores his potential to contribute across multiple categories as he continues to settle in.