Daily Waiver Report — Monday, September 14, 2026

Leo Bernal is the catcher you need to grab this morning — a 5%-owned backstop slashing .280 with a .376 wOBA and 92.5 mph exit velocity over the last seven days, and his ownership has already jumped 4% in a week. The window is closing. If you're streaming catchers or stuck with a cold bat behind the plate in September, this is your move.

Today's Top Adds

Leo Bernal (C, STL) — Add Now

Bernal's breakout has real underlying support. His strikeout rate has dropped from 16.3% over 30 days to 14.8% in the last week, and his 65.3% hard-hit rate paired with a 92.5 mph average exit velocity confirms this isn't empty contact. Over 27 plate appearances in seven days, he's posted a .376 wOBA with 2 home runs and a .280 average. At 5% ownership, this is a September gift — catcher is the shallowest position in fantasy, and Bernal is producing like a top-12 option right now. He's a priority add in all formats.

Max Clark (OF, DET) — Add Now

Clark's plate discipline has taken a massive leap forward, and the results are following. His walk rate has surged from 9.4% over 30 days to 16.7% in the last week, and his wOBA has climbed from .358 to .427 in the same span. He's hitting .316 with a homer and a 92.1 mph exit velocity across 24 plate appearances. At 20% ownership, Clark is still widely available, but the combination of improved selectivity and hard contact (47.2% hard-hit rate) suggests this isn't a fluke. The Tigers' outfielder is making a legitimate September push, and he deserves a roster spot in 12-team leagues and deeper.

Watch List

Daniel Espino (SP/RP, CLE) — Watch

The long-awaited Espino emergence might finally be here. A 0.60 FIP and 31.2% strikeout rate across five games is electric, though the 1% ownership tells you the fantasy world hasn't caught on yet. Monitor his next start for workload — if Cleveland stretches him out, he becomes an immediate add.

Nate Pearson (RP, KC) — Watch

Pearson is punching out hitters at an absurd 35.7% clip over the last week, up from 24.6% over 30 days, with a 0.00 ERA and 1.35 FIP. The stuff has always been there; the command is finally showing up. If he's locking down high-leverage innings for Kansas City, he could have sneaky value down the stretch.

Dennis Santana (RP, AZ) — Watch

A 42.9% strikeout rate. A 0.67 FIP. A 0.00 ERA. Santana is absolutely annihilating hitters with a 14.59 K/9 over the past week. At 30% ownership, he's the most rostered player on this list, and the underlying numbers suggest he should be even more widely held. The only reason he's on the Watch List rather than an Add Now is the early sample — but he's trending toward must-own territory in leagues that count holds or ratios.

Richie Palacios (2B/OF, TB) — Watch

Palacios has posted a scorching .479 wOBA over the past week, up from .303 over 30 days, with a .364 average and a 62.5% hard-hit rate. His walk rate has nearly tripled from 7.9% to 21.4%. The 2% ownership says deep leagues only, but the quality of contact is real.

José Alvarado (RP, PHI) — Watch

Alvarado's strikeout rate has jumped to 36.4% over the last week with a 0.00 ERA and 2.36 FIP. The 13.33 K/9 is nasty. He's worth monitoring for save or hold opportunities with the Phillies in a potential postseason push.

Graham Pauley (1B/3B, MIA) — Watch

A .546 wOBA. A .385 average. Two home runs. A 93.7 mph exit velocity. Pauley is absolutely crushing the ball, and at 0% ownership, nobody is watching. The Marlins' corner infielder has a 55.0% hard-hit rate and a 12.5% walk rate over the past week. The sample is tiny, but the exit velocity and power output demand attention in deeper formats.

Cole Young (2B, SEA) — Watch

Young has cut his strikeout rate nearly in half — from 20.6% over 30 days to 10.0% in the last week — and his wOBA has exploded from .276 to .460. He's batting .400 with a homer and a 58.3% hard-hit rate across 20 plate appearances. At 12% ownership with consistent playing time, he's knocking on the door of Add Now territory. One more strong week and he's a must-roster.

Tim Tawa (1B/2B/3B/OF, AZ) — Watch

Tawa's multi-position eligibility makes him intriguing, and his bat has woken up: a .455 wOBA, .389 average, and a homer over the last seven days. His strikeout rate has plummeted from 27.9% to 15.8%. The caution flag is his ownership dropping 4% over the past week — the market was selling on his cold stretch, and this rebound may not be enough to reverse sentiment yet. But the underlying improvements in contact quality (53.0% hard-hit rate, 90.9 mph EV) are encouraging.

Stream of the Day

No streaming-specific signals today — the algorithm didn't flag any two-start pitchers or spot-start opportunities with favorable matchups. Check back tomorrow for Tuesday and Wednesday streaming targets.

Ownership Movers

  • Leo Bernal (C, STL): 5% ownership, +4% in 7 days — rising fast. Completely justified. The exit velocity, declining K rate, and hard-hit metrics all support the move. This isn't hype; it's the market catching up to real production.
  • Max Clark (OF, DET): 20% ownership, +1% in 7 days — stable. The modest ownership bump doesn't match the production spike. A .427 wOBA and surging walk rate should be driving more adds. He's undervalued relative to his recent output.
  • Daniel Espino (SP/RP, CLE): 1% ownership — unchanged despite a 0.60 FIP and 31.2% K rate. The market is sleeping. Early signal, but worth a speculative stash.
  • Nate Pearson (RP, KC): 3% ownership, flat. The ratios are pristine, but the reliever stigma keeps him off radars. Fair for shallow leagues, a miss for deep ones.
  • Dennis Santana (RP, AZ): 30% ownership, flat. Already the most rostered reliever on this list, and his 42.9% K rate says he should be even higher. The market has this one roughly right, but there's still upside.

Quick Hits

  • Graham Pauley's 93.7 mph exit velocity is the highest among all Watch List hitters today — and he's at 0% ownership. Zero. In deeper leagues, that's borderline negligent.
  • Cole Young has halved his strikeout rate (20.6% → 10.0%) while nearly doubling his wOBA (.276 → .460). That's not a hot streak — that's a mechanical adjustment showing up in the data.
  • Three relievers on today's Watch List — Dennis Santana, Nate Pearson, and José Alvarado — all posted a 0.00 ERA over the past week with K rates above 35%. If you need ratios for the final push, this trio is doing damage.
  • Richie Palacios's walk rate has jumped from 7.9% to 21.4% in a week. That kind of discipline spike, paired with a .479 wOBA, suggests he's seeing the ball differently — not just getting lucky.
  • The catcher position remains a wasteland, which is exactly why Leo Bernal's 65.3% hard-hit rate stands out so dramatically. For context, his 92.5 mph exit velocity would rank among the best at the position if sustained.