We are now nearly one month into the 2023 fantasy baseball season. We have seen a handful of prospects being called up and a shocking demotion of Jordan Walker. Also, the Tampa Bay Rays sent down Taj Bradley last week. Typically, I recommend being aggressive on the waivers early because some of the early waiver wire finds can be league winners. See Justin Steele.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Hitters

Brandon Drury, 3B, Los Angeles Angels

Brandon Drury is one of the hottest hitters in Major League Baseball right now. He is on a tear. As of Friday morning, he is 9/15 in his last plate appearances with four home runs and 12 RBIs.

Additionally, he has multiple positions he is eligible for and provides a lot of value if you need any sort of infield value. On CBS, he is eligible at 1B, 2B, and 3B. This weekend, he lines up for a matchup at Milwaukee.

Jack Suwinski, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a big surprise so far this season. Jack Suwinski went from a platoon player to a break out. This season he is batting .276 with five home runs and 13 RBIs. Additionally, he has four stolen bases. Right now, Suwinski is just 24 years old and seems to be in the middle of a breakout. This current pace he is on would put him in the range of a 20/20 player and a nice add to your fantasy baseball leagues.

Brent Rooker, OF, Oakland Athletics

One player having a major breakout this month is Brent Rooker. Excelling at the plate, he is batting .305 with seven home runs and 18 RBIs. Rooker hit his seventh home run of the season on Thursday night against Shohei Ohtani. Additionally, he’s added a multi-home run game this week as well. Overall, Rooker is red-hot at the plate, making him a priority waiver wire add. Especially in deeper formats where you roster five outfielders.

Esteury Ruiz, OF, Oakland Athletics

Esteury Ruiz has been well known for his speed. Needless to say, he has found that speed this week. Against the Angels on Wednesday, Ruiz stole four bases and added another one on Thursday. In total, that’s 10 stolen bases for the season. Furthermore, if he keeps this pace up, we could see him top 30 or 40 stolen bases. Offensively, he is batting .240 with 10 RBIs, but if you play in a category league, Ruiz can massively help your stolen base department out.

Jarren Duran, OF, Boston Red Sox

Jarren Duran’s time in the majors this go around has been very good. Through 10 games, he is batting .400 with a home run. A grand slam, at that, and 10 RBIs. Additionally, he has stolen two bases as well. Duran is known for his speed but has flashed some ability to hit. All in all, he is a flashy pickup for the Red Sox. Not to mention, if you play in deeper formats with five outfielders, Duran is an intriguing option if he can continue his hot start.

Jake Burger, 3B, Chicago White Sox

Jake Burger has done a very good job of filling in for Yoan Moncada. He is batting .240 this season but has six home runs and 12 RBIs. Last week he went on a stretch where he hit four home runs in five games. Can he keep this up? Maybe not, but he has been very reliable as the month goes on.

Furthermore, Burger was batting over .300 last week then cooled down. Now, he seems to have heated back up after a 2/3 performance Thursday night where he hit a home run, a double, and two RBIs.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pitchers

Tanner Bibee, SP, Cleveland Guardians

Tanner Bibee is another minor league call-up by the Guardians. After Logan Allen dominated in his first start, the Guardians brought up Tanner Bibee. In his first start, Bibee was dominant against Colorado. He threw 5.2 innings while striking out eight batters and issuing zero walks. After that, Bibee was given another start, and it seems he may be up to stay if he can keep up this hot start.

Griffin Canning, SP, Los Angeles Angels

Griffin Canning turned in another good outing against the Athletics. He threw five innings and struck out seven batters while allowing three runs. It appears the Angels are easing him back into the majors by not allowing him to go deep into games. However, the results have been promising so far. He currently has a 4.11 ERA with 15 strikeouts. This week, he has a tough matchup ahead in St. Louis, but Canning did well against the Yankees. Maybe there is something here if you’re desperate for a pitcher off the waiver wire.

Drew Smyly, SP, Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are enjoying the success of Justin Steele, but also are seeing Drew Smyly have a good start to the season as well. He just missed a perfect game against the Dodgers and has been efficient so far this season. Additionally, he has thrown 28 innings and has a 3.21 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP. In total, he has 27 strikeouts and a quality start. Smyly has two great matchups ahead next week as he is a two-start pitcher. This week, he goes to Washington and returns home to face Miami.

Vince Velasquez, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates

Vince Velasquez is becoming an intriguing waiver wire addition. This season he has a 3.76 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP. Also, he has 27 strikeouts in 26.1 innings and has posted three quality starts. In his most recent start against the Reds, he struck out 10 batters while throwing seven scoreless innings. This weekend, he lines up to start the Nationals on Saturday. Then, he’ll return home to face Toronto and Colorado next.

Matt Strahm, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

Matt Strahm has been a solid starter for the Phillies this season so far. He has a 2.31 ERA with a 0.81 WHIP. Additionally, he has 32 strikeouts in 23.1 innings. Last week he struck out eleven batters against Colorado and followed it up by striking out five Mariners. If Strahm keeps this up, he makes for a solid addition in any format, especially in deeper fantasy baseball leagues.

Minor League Stashes

Brandon Pfaadt, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Any day, right? Brandon Pfaadt should have been up by now, especially after Madison Bumgarner was released. Pfaadt is a high-strikeout pitcher and has been excellent in AAA. The Diamondbacks sent down Drey Jameson as well leaving numerous holes in the rotation. Based on Pfaadt’s most recent AAA start, he could be in line to start next week in the majors if they decide to call him up. However, if he is on your waiver wire he is a must-stash.

Colton Cowser, OF, Baltimore Orioles

A name not heard too often in the fantasy baseball waiver wire is Colton Cowser. The first-round pick in 2020 has been crushing it in AAA. While a promotion doesn’t seem likely till the summer, there is always potential for him to make it sooner. He has shown himself to hit for power, has speed, and hit for average in AAA, as he is batting just below .300. Furthermore, Baltimore is experiencing struggles in their outfield outside of Cedric Mullins. Overall, it’s possible we could see Cowser sooner than later.

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