Waiver Wire Targets - June 1 by Blake Meyer
Blake brings us his favorite waiver wire targets for the week ahead
It’s all Blake this week since I’m traveling. But I went through a bunch of names in this week’s daily notes iterations. Here’s what Blake has for you, check out his Substack - Fake Baseball.
Catcher
David Fry - Cleveland Guardians
ESPN: 1% | Yahoo: 5% | CBS: 5% | Fantrax: 23%
The waiver wire gem of the 2024 season is finally back from his long recovery from elbow surgery. Fry was reinstated on Saturday and should find himself with an everyday role in the Guardians’ lineup moving forward. He struggled during his rehab stint, but hitters coming off of elbow surgery tend to struggle early and progress back to their former selves over time. It may take him a bit to regain the form he showed in 2024, but it’s better to be early than miss out when it comes to this waiver wire addition.
First Base
Josh Bell - Washington Nationals
ESPN: 4% | Yahoo: 4% | CBS: 8% | Fantrax: 32%
Bell has a history of being hot and cold, but he’s never had a history of being as bad as he is currently. That seems to be changing. With seven hits and three home runs across his last three games, Bell seems to be finding that home run stroke you have come to expect from him every year. He has a great barrel rate, decent zone contact, and an xBA 50 points higher than his current batting average. He’s a guy you can pencil in for 25 doubles and 20 home runs every year, and I think that version of Bell is going to start showing itself more this coming week.
Kody Clemens - Minnesota Twins
ESPN: 3% | Yahoo: 9% | CBS: 13% | Fantrax: 28%
If you’re subscribed to Fake Baseball or read any of my other work, you’d know that I’m all in on Clemens right now. He’s one of the hottest hitters in baseball, and it’s all earned; there hasn’t been any luck involved. He’s swinging harder, making better swing decisions at the plate, and the statistical output is second to none. His wOBA being the best in baseball over the last two weeks proves that. I know the Twins do have some guys returning from injury, but I don’t think that eats into Clemens’ playing time at all, especially with him being eligible at four different positions. He’s my favorite waiver wire pickup this week.
Second Base
Thairo Estrada - Colorado Rockies
ESPN: 2% | Yahoo: 6% | CBS: 15% | Fantrax: 38%
Estrada signed with the Rockies this offseason and quickly became one of my favorite breakout candidates for the 2025 season. He then went on and injured his wrist and missed the first few months of the season. He has an underrated power/speed combo that should play up in Coors Field. That Rockies lineup doesn’t have enough depth to really challenge Estrada for playing time, so lock him in for everyday at bats and production from here on out.
Ernie Clement - Toronto Blue Jays
ESPN: 2% | Yahoo: 3% | CBS: 10% | Fantrax: 26%
The Blue Jays have seemingly found themselves a hidden gem in the middle infield in the form of Ernie Clement. In his last 24 games, he’s hitting an impressive .322 with nine XBH, 14 runs, 12 RBI, and a stolen base. His .863 OPS in that timeframe is fourth amongst all qualified second basemen. There isn’t much that Clement does that you can find an issue with. He’s shown some pop, hits for average, scores runs, and limits strikeouts. I love him in all deeper leagues right now, especially points leagues.
Third Base
Addison Barger - Toronto Blue Jays
ESPN: 2% | Yahoo: 6% | CBS: 15% | Fantrax: 38%
If Clement was going to make this list, it’s only right that I added his red-hot teammate to the list as well. Barger will forever be infamous in my household as “the guy you said sucked when we went to the game on your birthday and then he did really good and crushed the Mariners”. Referencing his 3/4 day with three doubles and two RBI back on the ninth. Whatever got into him that day seems to have never left, as he has five doubles and four home runs since then. The Blue Jays are content with playing Barger every day at this point in the season, and if you’re hurting for corner infield production, then you should be too.
Caleb Durbin - Milwaukee Brewers
ESPN: 2% | Yahoo: 4% | CBS: 20% | Fantrax: 44%
The player I affectionately refer to as “Infield Steven Kwan” has lived up to most of that profile, while the power has yet to catch up. What he is, though, is a high-contact hitter with great speed and an uncanny ability to drive in runs for a guy hitting at the bottom of the lineup. In his last 10 games, he’s hit six doubles, driven in seven, and stolen three bases. MLB Data Warehouse has him projected to steal 1.5 bases, have seven total bases, and walk more than he strikes out this upcoming week. Easy production you can count on from a guy available almost everywhere.
Shortstop
Cole Young - Seattle Mariners
ESPN: 1% | Yahoo: 2% | CBS: 14% | Fantrax: 42%
I’m not one to call prospects a “must add” in redraft formats, so don’t take this as me calling Young a must add, but if you need a middle infielder, I think Young has the upside to be an interesting choice. He isn’t the fastest and doesn’t have the most power, but what he profiles as is an elite contact hitter and on-base machine with the ability to hit 30+ doubles, 15 home runs, and steal 15 bases. He’s a good at everything but master of none type of player that can be a consistent contributor all season should the Mariners keep him in the lineup.
Ernie Clement is my second favorite option at shortstop, so if you need one and Cole Young isn’t available, go grab Clement instead.
Outfield
Parker Meadows - Detroit Tigers
ESPN: 4% | Yahoo: 12% | CBS: 28% | Fantrax: 63%
Meadows was a preseason darling whose been on a lot of people’s radar since the end of the 2023 season. This was supposed to be the year he put it all together and had an official breakout campaign but that was crushed by a nerve issue in his arm. Now he’s two weeks into a rehab assignment where he hit .250 with three XBH, stole a base, and had a walk rate of 17.2% in seven games. It’s looking like he has a real shot at returning to the Tigers’ lineup on Monday, where he’ll likely be an everyday player moving forward. He offers both power and speed and should contribute significantly in both points and roto leagues. He’s a must-add for me right now.
Mike Tauchman - Chicago White Sox
ESPN: 1% | Yahoo: 1% | CBS: 2% | Fantrax: 15%
So first off, Tauchman is a platoon player, which may limit his playing time a bit here and there, but he only typically sits agaisnt leftie,s which is ok. Secondly, he’s locked in as the number two hitter for the White Sox which by itself makes him interesting. Now add in the fact that he came off of the IL and has been tearing the cover off of the ball,l and I’m sold in all five outfielder leagues. MLB Data Warehouse projections for next week seem to agree, projecting him for 9+ total bases and a fantasy points output similar to the likes of Josh Naylor, Austin Riley, and Cody Bellinger. He’s a pickup that will slide under the radar of many of your league mates, so take advantage of the cheap outfield production while you can.
Early Week Pitching Options
Richard Fitts - Boston Red Sox
Max Meyer - Miami Marlins
Kyle Harrison - San Francisco Giants
If you enjoy this content and want to see more, remember to check out my Substack, Fake Baseball, where I put out tons of weekly fantasy baseball content covering everything you’ll ever need for a successful fantasy baseball season. Also, be sure to follow me on X to keep up with all the random baseball-related things I have to say.
I look forward to putting more content out right here for you guys every week!