The waiver wire is where fantasy baseball championships are won. Unless you are a psychic and have a perfect draft, the waiver wire is the key to getting those players who will push your team over your opponent each week. Whether it’s a high-upside arm or a top prospect making waves, here are five perfect waiver wire pickups for your fantasy baseball team in the fourth week of the regular season.
This is the second article in a weekly waiver wire series. Check back throughout the season for the latest players to target as fantasy baseball league-winners.
Luis L, Ortiz
(P, Cleveland Guardians)
Percent Rostered (Fantrax): 42%
After being traded to the Guardians in December, Ortiz struggled in his first outing in Cleveland. Facing the Padres in San Diego on March 31st, he lasted just 4.2 innings and allowed seven earned runs. But he’s since altered the ship; after a quality start against the Angels, Ortiz was dominant against the Royals on Saturday.
Ortiz struck out 10 over 5.2 outstanding innings, and his electric fastball – it averages 96.1 MPH – was the best it’s been all season. He got 8 whiffs on 17 swings with it (per Baseball Savant), and his 43% CSW (Called Strikes plus Whiff Rate) on fastballs was by far his best mark all season. Ortiz is in line to face the Pirates this week, who have the third-most strikeouts and third-fewest hits among MLB teams this season.
Ben Rice
(1B, New York Yankees)
Percent Rostered (Fantrax): 78%
Rice – who has served mostly as the Yankees’ designated hitter this season – has made the most of his offensive-only role. After being named the Yankees’ 2023 Hitting Prospect of the Year and debuting last season, this has been Rice’s first full MLB season. And boy, what a start it’s been. Rice is slashing .310/.431/.690, with even better expected stats.
Although his second-best 97.5 MPH average exit velocity is clearly unsustainable, the Yankees slugger’s ability to hit the ball hard is very real. His 74.6 MPH bat speed puts him in the 88th percentile of MLB hitters, and his outstanding plate approach helps him access that power.
Rice rarely swings at pitches out of the zone, but he hammers anything pitchers throw in the zone to the tune of a .476 wOBA. Rice is the real deal, and fantasy managers won’t have much more time to pick him up.
Jose Soriano
(P, Los Angeles Angels)
Percent Rostered (Fantrax): 85%
Soriano, being 26, is on the younger side for an MLB starting pitcher. He also throws hard. Those two traits are the defining characteristics of many of MLB’s standout starters in 2025, and the Angels right-hander could join them soon.
After starting his big league career in the bullpen in 2023, Soriano started 20 of 22 games last season and is being used as a starter this year. So far, he’s making the most of the opportunity; in the last two seasons, Soriano has a 3.32 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 133 innings pitched. His hard sinker has fueled his success.
He’s averaged just below 97 MPH on the pitch so far this season (right-handed pitchers across MLB average 93.6 MPH) and last year it sat at nearly 98 MPH. Because of his sinker, Soriano gets most of his outs on the ground; last season, he was in the 97th percentile with a 60.1% ground ball rate.
Brady House
(3B, Washington Nationals)
Percent Rostered (Fantrax): 38%
MLB Pipeline has House as the Nationals’ #3 prospect and 7th-best third baseman in the minor leagues. House, who started the season in Triple-A Rochester, could soon be a sigh of relief for fantasy managers looking for production at third base.
The former first-round pick has a clear path to the big leagues – the Nationals have been starting aging veteran Amed Rosario at third so far in 2025 – and House impressed in Spring Training. After hitting .364 with a .871 OPS in the Grapefruit League, House has torn up Triple-A pitching to start the year.
With five extra-base hits, a .326 batting average, and an .882 OPS in just 43 at-bats, the young stud will be manning the hot corner in our nation’s capital sooner rather than later. And with the lack of depth at the position for fantasy baseball, House could be the difference-maker on a championship fantasy baseball team.
Chase Meidroth
(2B/SS, Chicago White Sox)
Percent Rostered (Fantrax): 32%
Meidroth is the White Sox’ #8 prospect, and he made his debut on April 11th. As Scott Merkin of MLB.com points out, Meidroth has been known for his very good plate discipline in the Minor Leagues. He posted a .437 OBP in Triple-A in 2024 and started off 2025 with a .450 mark (eight walks to just five strikeouts) in nine games before his callup.
And he doesn’t just walk; for managers in rotisserie leagues, Meidroth’s contact skills should help him post at least a .250 average with a decent number of runs scored. According to MLB Pipeline, Meidroth’s “compact right-handed swing and advanced feel for the barrel give him some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the Minors.”
Despite playing on the White Sox, Meidroth is worth rostering in deep leagues as a versatile infielder who can fill in at any position or provide solid on-base numbers and runs scored as a starter. Want to see other shortstops making a difference for fantasy managers? Click here.
The five players above could all be the difference between winning a fantasy baseball championship and sitting out for the playoffs. Ortiz – with high strikeout upside and the results to match it so far in 2025 – is a very good starting pitching option, especially in rotisserie or deep leagues. Rice provides true power and has the most fantasy upside of anyone available on the waiver wire.
The two young infielders, while unproven, have the tools to be fantasy baseball regulars over the next few seasons. And Soriano’s elite sinker and ability to get ground balls will help him eat up innings and post good ERAs while tacking on a few strikeouts along the way.