Top 12 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 22 (2024)

It’s that time again. Time to get those waiver wire selections in for the start of the week. Were you all able to add Mark Vientos last Saturday? I went on a bit of a rant in my previous article about how fickle fantasy managers have been when dealing with him. Well, he turned in another solid performance where he hit over .300 and drove in five RBI while launching another home run.

Vientos isn’t the only player from last week’s piece to perform admirably. There are still plenty of other standouts who have been mashing or shoving who are widely available. If none of these next 12 players are available to you or fit your needs, it’s a good idea to check back over the last few articles to see if any of those players are still available.

Let’s get right to it. This week, there is plenty to choose from. These next 12 guys have been flying high in the Major Leagues but flying low in fantasy ones. They’re still available in nearly half of all Yahoo leagues, so now is the time to pounce.

I never repeat players week to week, so as previously mentioned, it’s a great idea to check back with previous articles to read about other potential adds.

Without further ado, here are this week’s top 12 waiver wire additions for fantasy baseball.

Top 12 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 22)

Dylan Crews (OF – WAS): 20%

The standout from LSU was called up for his first taste of big-league action on Friday. While Dylan Crews is known more as a gap-to-gap type of hitter, he does possess enough power to make an impact and his average should be decent. His speed is likely going to be his greatest asset in fantasy leagues as he’s already shown his willingness to run in the Minors.

This season, combining Double and Triple-A, Crews has totaled 25 swipes on 30 attempts. The second overall pick in the 2023 draft also hit a combined 13 home runs over 393 at-bats. His final stat line for Triple-A was .271/.343/.464, which is nearly identical to his output in Double-A. So at the very least, he’s consistent.

Whenever a rookie of Crews’ caliber is brought up, regardless of his production in the Minors, he is almost always worthy of a fantasy roster spot. You never quite know what you’re going to get from these top prospects early on, but it’s always better to take the chance than to miss out completely. Add Crews tonight in case he rakes like Matt McLain last year, who is a similar type of talent.

Bowden Francis (SP, RP – TOR): 46%

I have to admit, I didn’t know much about Bowden Francis before last week. I’d heard his name in passing last year as a pen arm for the Jays. Other than that, he’s never been on my radar. That all changed last Sunday after he blanked the Cubs for his second victory in a row.

The six-foot-five, 28-year-old has now pitched well in all four starts since re-joining the rotation in late July. Francis has whiffed 22 batters over his last three games and looks to possibly be part of the Jays’ future. If he continues to produce through September, he may find himself in the starting rotation once again next season. He’s worth a speculative add in deeper leagues.

Porter Hodge (RP – CHC): 17% & Jorge Lopez (RP – CHC): 19%

With Hector Neris‘ release, the Cubs’ ninth-inning job is up for grabs. For now, it should be considered a two-man committee with Peter Hodge closing it out one day and Jorge Lopez the next. The good news for these two guys is that the Cubs are winning, so there are finally save chances to go around.

The bottom line is Lopez has been great for Chicago and has the experience at closer, while Hodge has nastier stuff and strikes out more batters. Both are worth a claim right now if you’re in search of saves.

Brendan Rodgers (2B – COL): 24%

Brendan Rodgers has been a hitting machine over the last two months, especially at Coors. And with the majority of the Rockies’ September games coming at home, Rodgers may be worth adding for the stretch run. If you remember, the Rockies’ shortstop/second baseman was once considered a can’t-miss prospect. He was also an excellent fantasy contributor during the early to mid-2021 season. Injuries have slowed the 28-year-old throughout his career but with a .333/.385/.482 slash line at home, Rodgers is a solid add with the favorable schedule coming up.

Lucas Erceg (RP – KC): 46%

Lucas Erceg has been a godsend for the Royals. The closer position for the club has been a nightmare for most of the season, which cost them more than a handful of games. Now firmly cemented in as the team’s stopper, Erceg should be rostered and started in all leagues that count saves. The tall righty hasn’t surrendered a run over his last 12 outings and that includes four games where he collected more than three outs. He hasn’t walked a batter in over a month and has racked up 17 strikeouts in the process. He’s a must-add at the moment.

Osvaldo Bido (SP, RP – OAK): 35%

Osvaldo Bido was a name I used to seek out for my batters to face. Now he is someone I’m trying to avoid. Bido has been nothing short of spectacular over his last four starts. During that span of 23 innings, the slender right-hander has held opponents to just three earned runs. He averaged a strikeout per inning and didn’t allow a home run. He’s been especially sharp of late, allowing just five hits and one run over his last three outings.

Bido throws five different pitches and all of them he can land for strikes. He has enough in his arsenal to keep hitters guessing and off-balance. It’s been working lately. According to FanGraphs, he’s been the best pitcher in all of baseball over the past 14 days. Bido is an excellent candidate to keep producing for the stretch run.

Connor Norby (2B – MIA): 4%

This is one for my deeper league readers but Connor Norby could help out in standard ones as well. After registering a .300/.392/.552 triple slash for the Marlins’ Triple-A club, Norby earned his promotion. The highly regarded prospect, who came up in the Orioles’ system, has been immediately thrust into the cleanup position for the Marlins lineup.

While the Fins don’t generate much offense to speak of, any time a player is hitting fourth in a lineup it’s noteworthy for fantasy purposes. The Marlins do roster one of the hottest leadoff men in baseball. If he and a few others can continue to reach base, Norby could be a solid source of RBI and perhaps some power over the final month of the season.

Edwin Uceta (RP – TB): 27%

With Peter Fairbanks down with a lat injury, Edwin Uceta is the new closer in Tampa. Uceta has been extremely accurate this season allowing just 1.36 BB/9 and he rarely allows solid contact (only two barrels given up all season). His sinker/changeup combination has been filthy resulting in an overall 31.3 CSW%. Uceta’s K-BB% is 30.2% and he’s surrendered just three runs over 30 innings. He’s as good as you’re going to find off the waiver wire. If he’s somehow still available in your league, consider yourself lucky.

Spencer Torkelson (1B – DET): 39%

Spencer Torkelson is trying to revive what has been a lost season. The third-year pro entered the season with high expectations after launching 19 home runs in the second half last season. Unfortunately, he began the year ice-cold and spent the majority of time toiling in Triple-A where he didn’t fare much better.

Thankfully, the former first-overall pick has been better lately, which led to his call-up early last week. In five games since rejoining the roster, Torkelson is hitting .412, with two doubles, a triple and a home run. The hulking first baseman could revert to regular zeroes at the plate at any time but his ceiling and his past ability to hit dingers make him worth the add for the coming week.

Jason Adam (RP – SD): 44%

For those who need to cut back on their innings (for leagues with innings limits), Jason Adam is a great addition. Adam has always been a great late-innings guy but he’s been elite in San Diego. Getting you the most bang for your buck, Adam has been putting up zero after zero while striking out entire sides.

Since joining the Padres at the trade deadline, the lefty set-up man has tossed nine shutout innings while surrendering just five hits and one walk. He has been extremely sharp lately striking out a whopping 11 batters over his last five innings. If your team is approaching its innings limit, it’s not a bad idea to cut some of those fringe-type starters and replace them with Adam for the final run.

Jack Leiter (SP – TEX): 7%

Jack Leiter’s velo is up and he was dominant in his last two starts in Triple-A. After a short break to collect himself, the former top prospect has somehow increased his effectiveness by adding over two miles per hour to each of his offerings. He’s also stopped giving up free passes. Leiter’s been a walk machine in his professional tenure so far. Since his layoff, he’s only walked two batters over two starts. He’s scheduled to take on the White Sox next week, so it’s a matchup worth exploiting if you are desperate for pitching.

Austin Lowell is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Austin, check out his archive.

Articles MLB Waiver Wire MLB Weekly Advice Mark Vientos Dylan Crews Matt McLain Bowden Francis Porter Hodge Jorge Lopez Hector Neris Brendan Rodgers Lucas Erceg Osvaldo Bido Connor Norby Edwin Uceta Peter Fairbanks Spencer Torkelson Jason Adam Jack Leiter

About Author

Austin Lowell

Fantasy baseball is life! I run a site that focuses solely on fantasy baseball. We cover all things such as rankings, projections, updates, strategies, one on one advice, etc. I played baseball growing up, never made it to pro ball, but always had a knack for spotting talent and was always pretty successful betting on games. I am constantly keeping tabs on all things baseball, looking for anything to gain that competitive edge.