A common refrain throughout the fantasy baseball industry is that GMs shouldn't judge the true level of their team until Memorial Day. Unlike their roto counterparts however, managers in points and head-to-head leagues may not have that luxury, having already reached the mid-point of their regular seasons. Let's take this opportunity to offer some waiver advice for teams both in need of wins, and those well-positioned for a run in the fantasy playoffs.
For those looking to climb up the standings, this article will highlight players performing well right now who are still widely available, even if their current level of performance may not be sustainable. Smash that add button to get them on your roster if they fit your needs. Also profiled will be some stashes, either of top prospects or players returning from injury, for teams in the position to take a potential short-term loss in exchange for long-term gain.
Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!
Catcher
Smash
Carlos Narvaez 
– 23% CBS, 18% Yahoo
Narvaez has been serviceable in the last month, averaging 2.8 fantasy points per game (CBS standard scoring). That's good enough to be a back-end starter in 12-team leagues and a fringe option in 10-teamers. Most importantly, Narvaez has started four to five games every week lately, giving him some extra volume to offset his mediocre skills.
Stash
Catcher isn't the position to burn an extra roster spot on. The vast majority
A common refrain throughout the fantasy baseball industry is that GMs shouldn't judge the true level of their team until Memorial Day. Unlike their roto counterparts however, managers in points and head-to-head leagues may not have that luxury, having already reached the mid-point of their regular seasons. Let's take this opportunity to offer some waiver advice for teams both in need of wins, and those well-positioned for a run in the fantasy playoffs.
For those looking to climb up the standings, this article will highlight players performing well right now who are still widely available, even if their current level of performance may not be sustainable. Smash that add button to get them on your roster if they fit your needs. Also profiled will be some stashes, either of top prospects or players returning from injury, for teams in the position to take a potential short-term loss in exchange for long-term gain.
Find out who to target the rest of the way with RotoWire's MLB Rest of Season Projections!
Catcher
Smash
Carlos Narvaez – 23% CBS, 18% Yahoo
Narvaez has been serviceable in the last month, averaging 2.8 fantasy points per game (CBS standard scoring). That's good enough to be a back-end starter in 12-team leagues and a fringe option in 10-teamers. Most importantly, Narvaez has started four to five games every week lately, giving him some extra volume to offset his mediocre skills.
Stash
Catcher isn't the position to burn an extra roster spot on. The vast majority of players eligible at the position will sit at least once a week and aren't likely to transform fantasy rosters.
First Base
Smash
Gavin Sheets 
– 53% CBS, 34% Yahoo
Sheets has been solid all season, but his playing time has changed for the better of late. After failing to make a single start against a lefty through May 5, Sheets has started each of San Diego's last four contests against southpaws. His results without the platoon advantage haven't been great, but the extra volume still brings fantasy value for points formats.
Stash
Jac Caglianone 
– 20% Yahoo
Caglianone is one of the hottest stash candidates and was the cover boy for James Anderson's recent prospect update. Given the attention, it may already be too late to stash Caglianone, but it's worth checking whether he is available.
Second Base
Smash
Otto Lopez 
– 18% CBS, 8% Yahoo
Lopez has started eight of 10 games since being activated off the injured list. He's not much of a power hitter, but he has a solid 9.0 percent walk rate this season and also has five stolen bases in 39 games. The Marlins also announced that Xavier Edwards will play second base once he is able to return to the field, setting Lopez up to play consistently at shortstop and earn valuable positional eligibility.
Stash
Nick Gonzales 
– 7% CBS
Gonzales is nearing a return from his ankle injury. He doesn't have the upside to stash in most points leagues, but he's worth noting for deeper leagues.
Shortstop
Smash
There have been standout performers at shortstop lately, but they are all rostered almost universally. This isn't the position to go looking for immediate improvements.
Stash
Ha-Seong Kim 
– 18% CBS, 4% Yahoo
Kim is recovering from a serious shoulder injury, so there's no guarantee that he'll be at his best upon his return. We did see him average 2.9 fantasy points per game in 2023, which would be good enough for around 13th best at the position as things currently stand in 2025. That's probably a bit lofty in terms of expectations, so his stashability is limited to deeper formats.
Third Base
Smash
Miguel Vargas 
– 51% CBS, 38% Yahoo
Vargas is starting to get some recognition but is still under-rostered relative to his recent performance, likely due to playing for the White Sox. Across the last 28 days, he's averaged 3.8 fantasy points per game, in the same range as players such as Freddie Freeman, Isaac Paredes and Manny Machado. This also could be more than a short-term hot streak, as Vargas had significant prospect pedigree and may have started to make the necessary adjustments in the majors.
Yoan Moncada 
– 28% CBS, 2% Yahoo
The Angels don't have a reputation for getting the most out of their players, but Moncada has quietly been posting his best season since 2019. Things can fall apart quickly, but the Halos lineup has been clicking and is set to welcome back Mike Trout.
Stash
Noelvi Marte 
– 58% CBS
Marte had a disastrous 2024 season but was getting on track this year before being sidelined by an oblique injury. His recovery is reportedly ahead of schedule, and it seems as if mid-June is a realistic timeline for his return. Marte shouldn't have any issue retaking the starting job at the hot corner away from Santiago Espinal.
The Nationals have struggled to find any consistency at third base this season, using a combination of Paul DeJong, Jose Tena and Amed Rosario. House is positioning himself as the long-term answer at the hot corner and has posted a 120 wRC+ in 51 games with Triple-A Rochester this season. His skillset isn't necessarily built for points leagues (27.3 K%), but he still has the chance to be a difference maker over the summer months.
Outfield
Smash
Will Benson – 30% CBS, 15% Yahoo
A homer-mashing outfielder seemingly emerges for a few weeks every year for the Reds, and Benson is currently taking his turn. His .353 BABIP has inflated his average, but there is real skills growth that he's displayed as well. For example, he's swinging less outside of the zone, making more overall contact and delivering excellent quality of contact (23.3 percent barrel rate, 56.4 percent hard-hit rate, 95 mph average exit velocity). Some of those numbers will inevitably regress, but Benson has prospect pedigree and interesting tools for fantasy. With hints of putting it together, he's worth rostering for fantasy teams that need to go on a run.
Mike Tauchman – 2% CBS
Tauchman is on the opposite side of the spectrum from Benson. He won't stand out in any particular area, but he's excellent at getting on base (career 13.1 percent walk rate, .347 OBP) and hits second against right-handed pitching for the White Sox. In the long term, Tauchman will settle in as a deep-league option, if he's fantasy relevant at all, but he has averaged 4.3 fantasy points per game since being activated from the injured list.
Stash
Shallow Leagues
Colton Cowser 
- 66% CBS
Cowser has been on a rehab assignment for the last 10 days and should be activated soon. His production was okay for points leagues in 2024 (2.3 points per game), so don't expect him to change the outlook of your season. He has the chance to be a viable starter as an OF3 or deeper.
Roman Anthony – 30% Yahoo
Anthony is likely already stashed in most leagues where that's an option, but it's worth checking the waiver wire.
Deep Leagues
Parker Meadows 
– 27% CBS
Meadows is similar to Cowser. His name value and hype has been worth more than his production for most of his big-league sample, but the Tigers are a strong lineup and there's room for Meadows to improve.
Matt Wallner 
- 30% CBS
Wallner is my least favorite of the options listed in the outfield, given his typical platoon role, but he could be viable on a deep-league roster.
The knock on DeLauter is his ability to stay on the field, not his skill. The Guardians are almost always looking for upgrades in the outfield, and DeLauter shoulder get a shot if he can just stay healthy.
