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.

To misquote the song "All Star" by Smash Mouth, "the injuries start coming, and they don't stop coming." That's been the thought constantly running through my mind while watching guys like Drake Baldwin, Jose Altuve, Ryan Jeffers, Corey Seager, Kris Bubic and Brendan Donovan all land on the injured list over the past week. Those aren't insignificant names, so I'm sure that many of you have been trying to find suitable replacements to plug the holes with until your regular starters get back. Or perhaps you've grown so fed up with the slow starts of Fernando Tatis and Vinnie Pasquantino that you need someone who can actually give you some production while those two sit in timeout on your bench. Either way, you might be able to find exactly what you're looking for below.

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

Starting Pitcher

J.T. Ginn, Athletics (38%)

We took a look at Ginn last week, but I'll give him another shout-out after he put together one of the best performances a pitcher could hope to have in a game that ended with them taking the loss. The 26-year-old didn't allow a hit through eight innings and recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts during his most recent outing against the Angels on Monday. Things then took a sour turn for the righty in the ninth when he allowed a leadoff single followed by a walk-off home run courtesy of Zach Neto. But don't let the final result dissuade you from picking up Ginn. He's now logged three consecutive quality starts, posting a 1.23 ERA and 0.82 WHIP to go with a 21:3 K:BB in that span, and he's set to take on a Padres offense Saturday that owns a league-worst .658 OPS on the year. FAAB: $3

 Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins (26%)

He's had a shaky big-league career up to this point, but Matthews has twirled back-to-back gems since being recalled from Triple-A last week, giving up just two earned runs while striking out 11 batters and walking one through 13 innings. He has good strikeout upside, and the elite command he has over his pitches will keep his walk totals down. Put those attributes together and combine them with the reps he's likely to receive as long as Mick Abel (elbow) is on the injured list, and you end up with a young pitcher who could establish himself as a solid rotation piece in the not-too-distant future. His immediate fantasy appeal is also boosted by the fact that he's lined up for two starts next week, though they will come against the White Sox and Pirates, both of whom have produced an OPS north of .760 since the start of the month. FAAB: $1

 Connor Prielipp, Minnesota Twins (18%)

Prielipp forced his way into the Twins' rotation in late April after posting a 2.30 ERA in Triple-A and has continued to pitch well since then, logging a 2.88 ERA and 0.96 WHIP alongside a 29:9 K:BB over 25 innings through his first five MLB starts. His best outing yet came during his last appearance against the Brewers, during which he gave up one earned run in six innings to pick up his first big-league quality start while fanning eight batters. The 25-year-old rookie doesn't have the same level of control that his teammate above possesses and is a bit of a health risk with two Tommy John surgeries already under his belt since 2023. That said, Prielipp is still more than capable of sending batters down on strikes and has a bit of an easier assignment coming up Friday against a Red Sox offense that's scored the second-fewest runs in baseball this season. FAAB: $1

Relief Pitcher

 Grant Taylor, Chicago White Sox (10%)

The White Sox view Taylor as a starter in the long term, but they're keeping him in the bullpen this year to limit his innings total following an injury-riddled start to his career. He's thrived as a reliever this season, posting a 1.78 ERA and 1.14 WHIP through 25.1 innings. The Sox rewarded his dominance with a save opportunity Tuesday, which he converted by striking out all three batters he faced. If he continues at his current pace, Taylor could contend to take the closer job away from Seranthony Dominguez, who has struggled to a 4.82 ERA on the season and given up multiple earned runs in each of his last two appearances. FAAB: $1

 Antonio Senzatela, Colorado Rockies (16%)

Speaking of former starters who now may be contending for closer jobs, we find Senzatela with a 1.27 ERA and 0.81 WHIP as well as a 25:8 K:BB through 28.1 innings. Victor Vodnik leads the team with four saves on the year but has given up five earned runs in 5.1 frames since the start of May and landed on the injured list Wednesday with an elbow injury. With the ninth inning now up for grabs, Senzatela seems to be the logical choice to take over as Colorado's closer and has a strong chance to maintain his grasp on the role after Vodnik returns. But of course, Senzatela comes with all the same downsides as any other Rockies arm: His home stadium isn't a very friendly environment to pitch in, and the team he plays for – though much improved from last year – isn't as likely as most others across the league to have a late-game lead that would set up for a save opportunity. FAAB: $1

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

Catcher

 Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks (29%)

Moreno has had a difficult time finding his rhythm at the plate since returning from a left oblique strain. However, he's shown signs of turning things around over the past week, logging four multi-hit performances in his last five games while tallying a homer, five RBI, five runs and two steals. High hit production is easily the most valuable part of Moreno's game from a fantasy perspective, as he typically can be relied upon to keep his batting average around .280 – a notably high mark for a catcher. He also has enough power to be capable of launching 10 to 15 homers in a year, though durability issues have limited his opportunities throughout his career and prevented him from sending more than nine balls over the fence in a season. FAAB: $1

First Baseman

 Spencer Steer, Cincinnati Reds (38%)

Steer has been one of the most reliable bats in baseball over the past several weeks. He's currently enjoying an 11-game hitting streak, though he could have a 22-game streak if it weren't for an 0-for-4 performance against the Astros back on May 8. The 28-year-old is slashing .333/.391/.488 with three home runs, 12 RBI and 16 runs scored over those 22 games, with 13 of the 16 runs coming within his last 11 contests. Now consistently batting between third and fifth in the Reds' lineup and working as an everyday starter at either first base or in the outfield, fantasy managers can expect Steer to continue making reliable contributions toward his counting stats as long as he remains locked in at the plate. FAAB: $4

 Jake Bauers, Milwaukee Brewers (30%)

It initially seemed like Bauers' playing time would take a significant hit when Andrew Vaughn came off the injured list May 4, but the Brewers are finding ways to keep Bauers in the lineup on a regular basis. That's probably because he's recorded a base hit in each of his last 11 games and reached base safely in 21 consecutive contests. The 30-year-old has slashed .346/.411/.531 over the course of his on-base streak while adding two homers, 16 RBI and 14 runs scored, helping to elevate his batting average to .291 for the season – a 56-point improvement over the career-best .235 he logged in 2025. His run has seemingly allowed him to take over as the Brewers' preferred first baseman against right-handed starters, but he will still likely take a backseat to Vaughn (.928 OPS) whenever Milwaukee runs into a southpaw. FAAB: $2

 Jake Burger, Texas Rangers (17%)

Burger has caught fire over the past week, going 13-for-29 (.448) with three homers, 12 RBI and six runs scored over his last eight games. He now sits in first place on the Rangers with nine home runs and 33 RBI for the season, the latter of which is also good enough to put him in a tie for third place among all AL hitters. The 30-year-old hasn't enjoyed quite the same overall success in a Rangers uniform up to this point as he did during his time with the White Sox and Marlins, but he has still proven to be more than capable of contributing to the scoreboard through his power. Burger could make for a strong addition to your team if you're chasing homers and ribbies, but be prepared to take a hit in the batting average and/or OBP department. FAAB: $1

Second Baseman

 Travis Bazzana, Cleveland Guardians (42%)

Bazzana made his first appearance on this list three weeks ago, shortly after his promotion to the majors, and he's now deserving of another look after tallying 13 hits across his seven-game hitting streak, adding a home run, three RBI and three runs in the process. The Guardians have moved him up from seventh to fifth in the lineup as a result of his recent hot streak, though his .304/.429/.406 slash line and seven steals through 20 games make it feel like it's only a matter of time before he claims the leadoff spot. His potential for runs will skyrocket once that happens, since he'll then be positioned just ahead of Jose Ramirez and Chase DeLauter. I wouldn't recommend waiting until then, however, since Bazzana is more than capable of delivering a strong average/OBP, high steal totals and an occasional power display regardless of where he sits in the order. FAAB: $7

Third Baseman

 Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies (40%)

After simply looking lost at the plate throughout the first several weeks of the season, Bohm's OPS sat at just .433 on May 6, and there was a growing possibility that he would lose his job to Edmundo Sosa. The Phillies gave Bohm two days off at that point so he could clear his head, and since then, the 29-year-old has slashed .405/.444/.786 with four homers, seven RBI and eight runs scored across an 11-game hitting streak. The power numbers will surely fade, as Bohm has hit for more than 15 homers just once in his six previous MLB campaigns, but the hits and RBI should continue to come for the career .275 hitter as long as he continues to lay off pitches outside the zone and limit strikeouts. FAAB: $3

 Miguel Andujar, San Diego Padres (7%)

Andujar had a nice eight-game hitting streak going before losing it in Wednesday's loss to the Dodgers, but he's still batting .306 with three homers, seven RBI and six runs scored across his last nine games. Now allowing the 31-year-old to bat second after keeping him in the bottom half of the order for most of the season, the Padres are clearly making an effort to get Andujar as many opportunities as they can while his bat is still hot. The current state of the Friars' offense doesn't make that as exciting a development as it probably should be, but we know Fernando Tatis, Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill are all way too talented to remain this cold for long. Andujar, on the other hand, has been a consistent producer all season, so there's reason to believe he can wait for the stars to start shining again and help his counting stats really take off. FAAB: $1

Shortstop

 Ezequiel Duran, Texas Rangers (34%)

Corey Seager's back inflammation has prompted the Rangers to begin using Duran at shortstop after he had already been filling in for Josh Smith (wrist/illness) at second base and Wyatt Langford (forearm) in the outfield prior to that. The constant moving around the field hasn't affected Duran's focus at the plate, however, as he has hit safely in five consecutive games and is slashing .300/.351/.543 with three homers, 15 RBI and 12 runs scored in 15 contests since the beginning of the month. That's not too shabby for someone who finished last season with a .559 OPS across 90 games. Seager, Smith and Langford are all expected to return from the injured list within the next few weeks, but Texas will almost certainly take advantage of Duran's extreme versatility to keep his bat in the lineup as long as he's seeing the ball well. FAAB: $2

Outfielder

 Carson Benge, New York Mets (31%)

Expectations for Benge were high after he broke spring camp as a regular starter in the Mets' outfield, but the 23-year-old struggled quite a bit during his first month in the majors and finished April with just a .189 batting average and .525 OPS. May has been much kinder to him, though, as he's posted a .362/.413/.478 slash line this month while adding a home run, 11 RBI, 16 runs, two steals and striking out at just a 13.3 percent clip through 18 games. His sudden turnaround has earned him the right to bat leadoff against both righties and lefties, which is great news for anybody hoping he can continue to average almost one run per game and use his speed to keep piling up steals. FAAB: $3

 Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays (34%)

Varsho has also enjoyed a nice resurgence this month, slashing .338/.392/.485 with seven RBI, 10 runs scored and two steals in 18 games since May 1. Now sporting a .277 batting average and .344 OBP for the season – both of which would easily be career highs – the 29-year-old appears to have pivoted from the power-focused approach he used to blast 20 homers in 71 games last year to a contact-first mentality at the plate. His new mindset has helped his strikeout rate plummet from 28.4 to 17.9 percent, though it's also kept him to just one home run for the month. With five long balls on the year, Varsho is still perfectly capable of showing off his power, though it may be wiser for fantasy managers to approach him as a more well-rounded hitter as long as his current approach is still working for him. FAAB: $2