Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Cooper Pratt, Jake Bennett among fresh faces to consider adding

Overall, this week’s article caters to leagues of all sizes. There are still a couple headliners for those in shallow leagues, but in an effort to avoid repeating players who have been mentioned often in this space, this group listed includes some fresh faces, many of whom are still available in 12-team formats.

Hitters to addPaul Goldschmidt, 1B, Yankees, 43%: I understand that the tremendous depth at first base has lessened the demand for Goldschmidt, who has been terrific since the outset of May (13 HR, 36 RBI, .321 BA in 39 games). He’s holding a full-time role on one of baseball’s highest-scoring teams and has been the No. 6 overall player over the past 30 days. It’s time for managers to compare Goldy’s recent production with that of their corner infielder or utilitymen.

>Sam Antonacci, 2B/3B/OF, White Sox, 44%: Antonacci has needed just 61 games to prove himself as a high-end leadoff man. The multi-position asset limits strikeouts (15.2%) and collects his share of walks (7.4%), which enables him to reach base often (.386 OBP). Once he gets there, Antonacci has the wheels to accumulate plenty of runs (37) and steals (11). The 23-year-old is going to be an impactful fantasy asset for the next decade.

>Cooper Pratt, SS, Brewers, 6%: Pratt is a premier prospect in one of baseball’s smartest organizations. The Brewers saw fit to sign the 21-year-old to an eight-year contract earlier this season and then fast-tracked him to the majors. Pratt has premium base-stealing ability and plate patience that is beyond his years. The shortstop position has had several disappointing performers, making the youngster an option in leagues that include a middle infield spot.

>Denzer Guzman, 3B/SS, Angels, 4%: Like Pratt, Guzman is an option in deeper formats. The 22-year-old was tearing up the PCL this season, batting .336 with 12 homers, nine steals and a .974 OPS. The Angels are known to push their prospects to the majors, which made it obvious that Guzman’s tremendous start to the season would earn him an opportunity. He’s now the regular third baseman on a team that is going nowhere fast, and the club’s losing record should ensure that the prospect’s development is at the forefront of the 2026 plan.

>Esteury Ruiz, OF, Marlins, 2%: Ruiz has been terrific in June, batting .367 with two homers, six steals and a 1.213 OPS. Stolen bases have always been his calling card and, true to form, he has needed just 74 at-bats to swipe 14 bases this season. This is a great time to add Ruiz for a few days, as the Marlins will open next week with a four-game series at Coors Field against the woeful Rockies pitching staff.

Pitchers to addJake Bennett, SP, Red Sox, 6%: Bennett was off to a terrific start in Triple-A (1.60 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 41:9 K:BB ratio) when he was summoned to the majors. He has been impressive across five starts with the Red Sox (3.71 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 22:5 K:BB ratio) and was especially impressive last time out when he struck out nine across six shutout innings at Coors Field. Those in deeper formats have had few interesting pitching options in recent weeks, which makes Bennett a must-add player in those leagues.

>Alex Lange, RP, Royals, 24%: I’m not going to tell you that Lange is a good pitcher. His career ratios aren’t impressive (3.73 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) and his 2026 ratios are just about the same (3.86 ERA, 1.37 WHIP). But in leagues where saves are scarce, the 30-year-old needs to be added. Lange has collected all of the Royals’ past six saves without blowing any chances, which should earn him some trust from manager Matt Quatraro. And a Royals team with a 34-48 record has much bigger problems than their closer, which should help Lange keep the role as long as his performance is respectable.

>Dylan Lee, RP, Braves, 22%: Lee ranks 64th in overall value this season, making him the second-highest ranked player (behind Rockies hurler Antonio Senzatela) at any position on the Yahoo Player Rater who is available in the majority of leagues. The lefty collects plenty of whiffs and limits walks, which has resulted in terrific ratios (1.04 ERA, 0.63 WHIP). His 1.86 xERA and 1.49 FIP show that Lee’s success has been well-earned. He can provide ratios help in leagues with daily lineup moves.

Hitters with favorable weekend matchupsTrevor Larnach, OF, Twins, 6%: Larnach has hit well in June (.915 OPS) and should stay hot this weekend when the Twins host a Rockies pitching staff that sits last in the majors in ERA by a wide margin. The left-handed hitter has traditionally fared best against righties, which includes posting an .838 OPS in those matchups this season. Fortunately, Colorado will start a right-hander in all three contests.

>Coby Mayo, 3B, Orioles, 2%: Although Mayo has struggled to hit for average (.189), he has respectable power skills (10 HR). The 24-year-old has terrific matchups against the Nats this weekend, as he has crushed lefties this season (1.111 OPS) and will face southpaw starters on Friday and Saturday. And although his Sunday opponent is right-handed (Zack Littell), he is prone to allowing homers. Mayo could also thrive late in games against a Nats bullpen that ranks 29th in baseball with a 5.05 ERA.

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Pitchers to stream this weekend (ranked in order of preference)Zebby Matthews vs. COL (Sunday, 15%)

• >J.T. Ginn @ LAA (Friday, 45%)

• >Andre Pallante vs. MIA (Saturday, 46%)

• >Anthony Kay vs. KC (Sunday, 14%)

• >Connor Prielipp vs. COL (Friday, 4%)

• >Kumar Rocker @ TOR (Saturday, 7%)

• >Joey Cantillo vs. SEA (Friday, 36%)

• >Jake Bennett vs. NYY (Saturday, 6%)

• >Walbert Ureña vs. ATH (Friday, 47%)

• >Stephen Kolek @ CWS (Friday, 23%)

• >Keider Montero vs. HOU (Friday, 16%)

• >Brady Singer @ PIT (Sunday, 16%)

• >Colin Rea @ MIL (Saturday, 9%)