MLB FAAB Factor: Top Fantasy Baseball Waiver Targets

This FAAB article is in addition to the AL and NL FAAB articles that run Sunday. Bids are based on a $100 FAAB budget. Throughout the season, this column will have two goals:

1. Identify FAAB targets for fantasy managers in leagues with Thursday FAAB.

2. Offer a preview of FAAB targets ahead of Sunday's columns.

It's been a while since we had a good MLB fight. I can really think of just two from the past decade off the top of my head: Rougned Odor landing a clean right hook on Jose Bautista, and the iconic "Down goes Anderson!" call we got from Jose Ramirez v. Tim Anderson in 2023. That was before the bench-clearing brawl that ensued Tuesday when Reynaldo Lopez threw at Jorge Soler in two consecutive plate appearances after giving up a home run to him in the second inning. I don't think Tuesday's skirmish is going to stand the test of time quite like the other two despite featuring a mound charge, but it has to be up there on the list from the past few years.

Hopefully, you won't have to fight nearly as hard to pick up some of these players:

The number in parentheses represents the player's rostership rate in Yahoo leagues.

Starting Pitcher

 Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals (35%)

After holding a hot Brewers offense to just two runs in five innings during the second game of a doubleheader Saturday, Lugo currently sits on a 1.59 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 10 strikeouts and two walks allowed through 11.1 frames. The 36-year-old has been one to hit the ground running in the past. He held a 2.65 ERA and 1.09 WHIP as late as July 3 last season before the heavy workload of a starter caught up to the former reliever, causing his ERA to balloon to 4.15 by the end of the year. We don't have to worry much about fatigue setting in right now, seeing as though it's only April, so with history on his side and a very friendly matchup coming up against the White Sox on Thursday, Lugo seems likely to continue delivering positive results. FAAB: $3

 Rhett Lowder, Cincinnati Reds (20%)

Lowder showed a lot of promise when he first broke into the major leagues in 2024, recording a 1.17 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over 30.2 innings across his first six MLB starts. Various injuries kept him out of the majors last season, but now that he's healthy, he seems to have picked up right where he left off, allowing just two earned runs with a 9:4 K:BB in 11 innings across his first two outings. He'll make his next start Thursday against a Marlins offense that's cooled off a bit since their blistering-hot start but is still batting .262 (fourth in MLB) as a team this year. Another high-quality effort would further bolster his case to stick around in the Reds' rotation after Nick Lodolo (finger) returns from the injured list later this month. FAAB: $2

Bryce Elder, Atlanta Braves (46%)

During his most recent start Saturday, Elder accomplished the rare feat of taking a loss while allowing zero earned runs. His own throwing error allowed the Diamondbacks to plate two runs on a bunt, and Atlanta's offense wasn't able to give him more than one run of support. Aside from that mishap, the 26-year-old has been outstanding to begin the year, posting a 13:2 K:BB through 13 innings while allowing just the two unearned runs. It's fair to be skeptical of his recent performance after he finished the 2025 campaign with a 5.30 ERA and 1.39 WHIP across 156.1 frames, but his upcoming start Friday against a Guardians lineup that's batting just .218 (24th in MLB) at least sets him up nicely for one more strong showing. FAAB: $1

 Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks (16%)

After Rodriguez posted a 5.02 ERA and 1.53 WHIP over the past two seasons, it feels like it was forever ago that he was dominating on the mound for the Tigers and receiving significant interest on the trade/free-agent market. However, the 33-year-old seems to have turned back the clock to kick off the 2026 campaign, as he's yet to allow a run through 12 innings while posting an 8:3 K:BB. Two starts obviously aren't much to go off of, but the fact that those two starts were against the Dodgers (.841 OPS) and Atlanta (.750 OPS) isn't insignificant. He's probably not who you want to turn to if you're looking for strikeouts, but from a run-prevention standpoint, he's worth an early look. FAAB: $1

Relief Pitcher

 Jakob Junis, Texas Rangers (16%)

Junis remains unscored upon through seven innings over his first six appearances and has now officially joined the mix for saves in Arlington. He closed the door on the Mariners on Monday and Tuesday to pick up his first two saves of the season, doubling his career total and putting him in a tie with Tyler Alexander for most on the team through Texas' first dozen games. With Chris Martin struggling in the early going and several other Rangers relievers off to strong starts, the team's bullpen situation is far from stable, but Junis seems likely to continue receiving high-leverage opportunities as long as other teams struggle to touch him. FAAB: $3

 Bryan Baker, Tampa Bay Rays (7%)

The 31-year-old righty allowed his first hit in four appearances Monday by serving up a solo homer to Matt Shaw, but Baker was able to steady himself afterward and convert his first save opportunity of the season. He was primarily used as a setup man last year, but with Griffin Jax (11.25 ERA) and Kevin Kelly (12.27 ERA) struggling while Garrett Cleavinger (calf) and Edwin Uceta (shoulder) are on the injured list, Baker has separated himself as the Rays' most reliable healthy reliever. It's hard to say how things will shake out once Tampa Bay's other relievers settle in and return from the IL, though I don't think it's a stretch to say that Baker likely will be rewarded with a few more save opportunities in the near future as a result of his early success. FAAB: $1

Catcher

 Carter Jensen, Kansas City Royals (25%)

I said a couple of weeks ago that I expected Jensen to break out of the slump he was in during spring training, and although it didn't happen as soon as I had thought, he now appears to be turning things around. The 22-year-old backstop has gone 5-for-15 over his last five games while swatting a pair of homers, driving in four RBI and scoring four runs. His .226 batting average for the season is a bit below where he projects to sit over the course of the season, but with an average exit velocity of 94.6 miles per hour, the hits should eventually begin to pile up. His RBI totals also figure to receive a nice boost from him consistently batting in the heart of the Royals' order. FAAB: $3

 Francisco Alvarez, New York Mets (36%)

Alvarez has gotten off to an excellent start this year, slashing .300/.400/.633 with three homers and three additional runs scored over his first 35 plate appearances. He's also currently enjoying a five-game hitting streak, highlighted by his multi-homer performance against the Giants last Friday. The 24-year-old has the potential to be one of the best offensive catchers in the game, but injuries have already plagued his young career, limiting him to just 176 games played between 2024 and 2025. His chances of becoming a waiver-wire steal are about as high as his chances of getting hurt, however, which is more than enough to earn him a nod here. FAAB: $2

First Baseman

 TJ Rumfield, Colorado Rockies (17%)

The Rockies just swept the Astros and have fought their way to a 6-6 record – will 2026 mark the return of competent baseball in Denver? If it is, I think Rumfield will end up having a lot to do with it. He's gone 5-for-17 (.294) with a homer, five RBI and three runs scored since we checked in on him last week and he boasts a 1.037 OPS on the season. Colorado isn't lined up to face many left-handed starters in the near future, so the lefty-hitting 25-year-old doesn't figure to step out of the lineup much, though he and the team will be back on the road against San Diego and Houston. You could probably still get away with a relatively low bid on him for now, but if he still has a four-digit OPS this time next week, expect his demand to increase significantly. FAAB: $3

Second Baseman

 Hyeseong Kim, Los Angeles Dodgers (8%)

Let me emphasize right off the bat that this is a short-term play. The 27-year-old arrived in the big leagues Sunday to replace the injured Mookie Betts (oblique), and Kim's opportunities for regular playing time likely will dry up once the former MVP is healthy. That hasn't stopped him from making the most of the time he does have, however, as he's gone 3-for-9 with a pair of walks and three runs scored during his first two starts with the Dodgers. As a left-handed hitter, Kim presumably will receive the bulk of starts while platooning with Miguel Rojas at shortstop. He's also a threat to steal a couple of bases and score runs with Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker and Freddie Freeman batting after him when the lineup turns over. FAAB: $1

Third Baseman

 Max Muncy, Athletics (43%)

In my season-opening article, I brought up the elder Max Muncy as someone to keep an eye on. Turns out, I had the right name but not the right player. Much like his Dodgers counterpart, Muncy the Younger also plays for a team that's expected to have a very productive lineup this season, and he's been an active part of it recently. The 23-year-old has notched a base hit in each of his last five games, three of which were multi-hit efforts, and he's slashing .302/.318/.512 with two homers, five RBI and 10 runs scored through 11 contests. That being said, he continues to struggle with plate discipline, ranking near the bottom of the league with a 35 percent strikeout rate and 2.5 percent walk rate. His fantasy upside will increase if he can improve upon those numbers, but even in his current form, he should be able to deliver a decent batting average alongside runs and RBI. FAAB: $5

 Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers (26%)

Not much has changed about Keith's performance at the plate since we discussed him last week – he's still batting a cool .351 and has a base hit in nine of his 11 games this season. What has changed is that the Tigers have elevated him into the leadoff spot, which has helped him to come across the plate four times in Detroit's last five contests. Everything comes at a cost, however, and Keith moving to the top of the lineup means that he is now far less likely to drive in runs (one RBI since April 1). He appears to have locked down an everyday spot in the lineup while moving around between the corner infield spots and designated hitter, and he still has fantasy eligibility at second base after playing 26 games at the keystone in 2025. FAAB: $2

Shortstop

 Mauricio Dubon, Atlanta Braves (31%)

One of the biggest surprises of the young season, Dubon began the season as a fill-in at shortstop for the injured Ha-Seong Kim (finger) but has quickly turned into one of Atlanta's most productive bats, slashing .333/.362/.556 with two homers, nine RBI and seven runs scored over his first dozen games. The 31-year-old had a .668 career OPS before this year and is therefore likely to come off his hot streak at some point before Kim comes off the IL in roughly a month, but a player swinging the bat well with positional eligibility as widespread as Dubon's is rarely a bad investment. Of course, there's also a chance he doesn't slow down before Kim is healthy, which would make it very hard for manager Walt Weiss to take him out of the lineup. FAAB: $1

Outfielder

 Garrett Mitchell, Milwaukee Brewers (17%)

Mitchell had been a contender to make an appearance here in each of the previous two weeks, and he's now officially earned some well-deserved attention after going 7-for-19 (.368) with 10 RBI in six games since the start of April. The 27-year-old made his MLB debut back in 2022, but because injuries have prevented him from playing more than 69 major-league games in a season, there was still a lot of uncertainty coming into this year about how his power/speed skill set would translate into the bigs. We're still a long way away from drawing any conclusions, especially regarding his ability to stay healthy for a full season, but he's at least shown he can generate positive results despite a putrid 40.6 percent strikeout rate. FAAB: $3

 Troy Johnston, Colorado Rockies (5%)

Much like Rumfield, Johnston has also been a key contributor to the Rockies' surprising early success. He batted .277 as a 28-year-old rookie with the Marlins in 2025, and his above-average tendency to put the ball in the air has, unsurprisingly played well in Colorado, helping him to begin 2026 with a .342/.375/.579 slash line alongside two homers, six RBI and six runs in 11 games. He's not a particularly fast player but has shown a willingness to steal bases, tallying 32 pilfers between Triple-A and MLB last year. The Rockies have had him bat as high as first and as low as seventh within the past week, making it difficult to gauge his potential for runs and RBI, but both should come consistently if he continues to start regularly and bat over .300. FAAB: $1

Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!