Weekly Waiver Wire Roundup — May 25, 2026

Gavin Sheets just posted a .803 wOBA with four home runs in five games, and he's sitting at 12% ownership — if you take one thing from this week's roundup, it's that the San Diego first baseman/outfielder needs to be rostered everywhere immediately. But Sheets is far from the only signal screaming for attention. Our system flagged 80 rising signals across the player pool over the past seven days, with a pronounced concentration at the corner infield positions and a fascinating wave of catcher activity that deserves your attention heading into June.

Top 5 Adds of the Week

Gavin Sheets (1B, OF — SD) — 12% Owned (+9% 7d)

The numbers are absurd, and they're backed by process. Sheets posted a .625 batting average with 4 HR and a .803 wOBA over 23 plate appearances this week, but the underlying quality metrics confirm this isn't all luck. His 55.6% hard-hit rate and 92.7 mph average exit velocity show he's squaring the ball up consistently. Perhaps most encouraging: his strikeout rate cratered from 15.6% over 30 days to just 8.7% this week, while his walk rate ballooned to 30.4% from 14.3%. That's an elite approach shift. At 12% ownership, this is the widest window on the board — it won't stay open past Tuesday night.

Gabriel Moreno (C — AZ) — 32% Owned (+22% 7d)

Moreno is the week's biggest ownership mover for good reason. His .460 wOBA over the past seven days represents a massive jump from his .298 mark over 30 days, and the signal quality is excellent: strikeout rate down from 25.0% to 17.4%, walk rate up from 8.3% to 13.0%, and a 48.3% hard-hit rate supporting the .400 batting average. With 23 plate appearances across five games, the sample is solid. At 32% ownership and surging, Moreno is being added rapidly in deeper formats — but he remains available in most standard leagues. Catcher is thin enough that a hot one demands immediate action.

Nolan Arenado (3B — AZ) — 36% Owned (+14% 7d)

Arenado's renaissance in Arizona continues to build momentum. He slashed his strikeout rate from 16.7% to 11.5% while pushing his walk rate to 19.2%, resulting in a .442 wOBA with a home run across 26 plate appearances. His 90.7 mph exit velocity and 46.7% hard-hit rate suggest the contact quality is legitimate even if not elite. The combination of plate discipline improvement, consistent playing time, and a .442 wOBA that aligns closely with his 30-day .425 mark tells us this isn't a one-week spike — it's a trend. At 36% ownership, he's a plug-and-play corner infielder with a high floor.

Jake Bauers (1B, OF — MIL) — 27% Owned (+6% 7d)

Bauers is flashing the best raw power indicators in this week's entire dataset. His 97.2 mph average exit velocity is elite, and a staggering 75.0% hard-hit rate means he's doing damage nearly every time he puts the ball in play. The result: a .429 batting average with a .491 wOBA and a homer across 22 plate appearances. Bauers appeared on our Watch list earlier this cycle as well, when he posted a .528 wOBA and 95.4 mph EV — the consistency of his quality-of-contact metrics across multiple weeks elevates his profile from hot streak to legitimate breakout candidate. He's one of the strongest adds in this class.

Alec Bohm (1B, 3B — PHI) — 40% Owned (+5% 7d)

Bohm rounds out the top five with the largest raw sample of the group: 30 plate appearances in seven days, all producing a .393 average, 2 HR, and a .479 wOBA. His exit velocity of 92.8 mph and 53.3% hard-hit rate are rock-solid, and the wOBA jump from .345 over 30 days to .479 this week indicates a hitter finding his stroke at the right time. At 40% ownership and rising fast, Bohm is the closest to being universally rostered among this week's top adds. If he's still on your wire, he won't be for long.

Biggest Risers in Ownership

Gabriel Moreno (+22% to 32%) leads all ownership gainers this week, and the data emphatically supports the add. A .460 wOBA with declining strikeouts and rising walks across a solid five-game sample is exactly the kind of multi-signal convergence that justifies a rush to the wire.

Nolan Arenado (+14% to 36%) is climbing rapidly, driven by a .442 wOBA and one of the best approach profiles in this week's data — an 11.5% strikeout rate paired with a 19.2% walk rate. The pickup is justified; this isn't a batting average mirage.

Gavin Sheets (+9% to 12%) is somehow still widely available despite posting four home runs and the highest wOBA (.803) on the entire board. This ownership delta should be much larger, and it will correct by next week's roundup.

Jake Bauers (+6% to 27%) continues to climb on the strength of that 97.2 mph exit velocity and 75.0% hard-hit rate. The underlying data is among the most compelling in the player pool right now.

Alec Bohm (+5% to 40%) is approaching majority-rostered status, and his .479 wOBA with 30 plate appearances this week means the train is leaving the station. Add now or accept you missed the window.

Buy Low Candidates

This is where the next wave of adds lives. These players carry Watch classifications but show underlying metrics that suggest a breakout is imminent or that surface stats are suppressing their true value.

Power-First Targets

Coby Mayo (1B, 3B — BAL, 2% owned) is the Statcast darling of this Watch list. His 102.9 mph average exit velocity and 72.9% hard-hit rate are otherworldly, even if the .235 average and .337 wOBA don't scream for attention on the surface. His strikeout rate is still elevated at 25.0% but trending down from 32.0%, and the walk rate ticked up to 10.0%. When a hitter is barreling the ball at that velocity, the results will come. At 2% ownership, this is a zero-risk stash with enormous upside.

Nolan Gorman (2B, 3B — STL, 5% owned) posted a 99.6 mph exit velocity with a 66.7% hard-hit rate and a 19.0% walk rate this week across 21 plate appearances. His .235 average is keeping ownership depressed, but the .352 wOBA and quality-of-contact numbers suggest he's close to a surge. The walk rate is elite and sustainable.

Jesús Sánchez (OF — TOR, 4% owned) is hiding in plain sight with a 77.8% hard-hit rate and 99.5 mph exit velocity. He hit .400 this week with a .394 wOBA while cutting his strikeout rate to 17.6% from 20.3%. The raw power is undeniable at nearly 100 mph average EV, and the approach is tightening. He's a strong add in formats that reward slugging upside.

Jeremiah Jackson (2B, 3B, OF — BAL, 15% owned but cooling -11%) posted a 79.3% hard-hit rate and 98.1 mph exit velocity this week despite only a .303 wOBA and zero homers. His strikeout rate plummeted from 16.1% to 9.5%. The ownership is dropping because the counting stats haven't materialized yet, but the batted-ball data is screaming that a power streak is coming. Buy the dip.

Spencer Jones (OF — NYY, 17% owned but cooling -14%) is in a similar bucket — his 83.3% hard-hit rate and 98.4 mph exit velocity are elite, and his strikeout rate dropped dramatically from 36.8% to 23.1%. The .309 wOBA and zero homers have managers cutting him, but those contact-quality numbers at that exit velocity profile suggest a massive power surge is on the horizon. Hold or add.

Contact-and-Approach Targets

Brett Baty (1B, 2B, 3B, OF — NYM, 8% owned) quietly put together a strong week: .286 average, 2 HR, .378 wOBA with a 56.9% hard-hit rate and 96.9 mph exit velocity across 31 plate appearances. The multi-position eligibility adds significant roster flexibility. Baty looks like a player putting it together at the plate.

Keibert Ruiz (C — WSH, 3% owned) smacked 2 HR with a .516 wOBA this week. His strikeout rate dipped to 16.7% and his walk rate climbed to 5.6% from 1.9%. As an early signal, the sample is small, but the catcher-eligible power at 3% ownership makes him a zero-cost lottery ticket.

Jacob Young (CF — WSH, 2% owned) exploded for 3 HR and a .529 wOBA with a 62.5% hard-hit rate and only an 11.1% strikeout rate. The power spike from a speed-first profile is surprising, but the contact quality and discipline are real. Worth a speculative add, especially in OBP formats.

Kody Clemens (1B, 2B, OF — MIN, 1% owned) posted a .560 wOBA with a .474 average, a HR, and a 95.6 mph exit velocity across 20 PA. His strikeout rate dropped from 22.4% to 15.0%. Multi-position eligibility at 1% ownership with this caliber of production — he belongs on watch lists in every format.

Cedric Mullins (CF — TB, 6% owned) surged to a .521 wOBA with a .471 average and a homer, cutting his strikeout rate while doubling his walk rate to 14.3%. His 47.9% hard-hit rate is modest, but the approach improvements and stolen base potential make him a strong add in category leagues.

Rhys Hoskins (1B — CLE, 1% owned) drew an extraordinary 41.2% walk rate this week — up from 25.0% over 30 days — producing a .454 wOBA despite only a .222 average. His 60.0% hard-hit rate and 94.8 mph exit velocity show the power tool is intact. In OBP and points leagues, that walk rate makes him an elite play at 1% ownership.

Mike Yastrzemski (OF — ATL, 1% owned) hit .278 with 2 HR and a .445 wOBA, with his walk rate surging to 13.6% and his exit velocity sitting at 92.6 mph. A veteran bat at 1% ownership with a .445 wOBA across 22 plate appearances deserves deeper-league attention immediately.

Blake Dunn (OF — CIN, 0% owned) is a fascinating deep-league target: 100% hard-hit rate and a 100.6 mph average exit velocity across his batted balls this week, with a .400 average and .404 wOBA. The hard-hit rate obviously won't sustain at that level, but the exit velocity is legitimate and the contact quality is outstanding. He's functionally unowned — pure upside.

Josh Bell (1B — MIN, 9% owned but cooling) posted a .375 average with 2 HR and a .453 wOBA across 24 PA despite slightly declining ownership. His 58.3% hard-hit rate and 91.5 mph EV support the production. The cooling ownership creates a buy window that doesn't match the on-field output.

Position Scarcity Report

This week's 80 signals paint a clear picture of where the waiver wire is rich and where it's barren.

Pitching (P: 10, RP: 9, SP/RP: 5, SP: 1) — Pitching dominated the total signal count with 25 combined flags, though notably few translated into top-add or buy-low recommendations this cycle. The reliever market is active but volatile; most of the pitching signals came from role-based changes (closer opportunities, bulk innings) rather than the sustainable skill shifts we prioritize. Names like Jhoan Duran, Alex Vesia, Andrés Muñoz, and Mason Miller remain worth monitoring for save-opportunity fluctuations.

First Base (1B: 5, plus multi-position eligibles) — Corner infield is the deepest part of this week's wire. Between Sheets, Bauers, Bohm, Hoskins, Mayo, and others, first base has an embarrassment of riches. If you need production here, this is the week to act.

Catcher (C: 5) — A rare week with legitimate catcher options. Gabriel Moreno headlines, but Keibert Ruiz, Christian Vázquez, and Jhonny Pereda all flashed interesting signals. Catcher is perpetually the thinnest position in fantasy — when multiple backstops show up with rising metrics simultaneously, it's worth paying attention.

Shortstop (SS: 5, plus multi-position) — J.P. Crawford leads a modest shortstop class that also includes Tristan Gray, Andruw Monasterio, and Joey Ortiz. None are must-adds, but Crawford's .385 wOBA with a 10.0% strikeout rate across 30 PA is intriguing in deeper formats.

Outfield (OF: 8, CF: 3, RF: 2, LF: 1) — Outfield signals were plentiful but mostly in the Watch tier. Blake Dunn, Garrett Mitchell, Jesús Sánchez, and Cedric Mullins represent the most actionable names, all at very low ownership.

Second Base and Third Base — Multi-position eligibility makes pure positional analysis tricky here, but Chase Meidroth (2B, 3B, SS) and Sam Antonacci (2B, 3B, OF) both showed meaningful strikeout-rate declines and could emerge as useful middle-infield options. Nolan Gorman is the power-upside play at the keystone.

Looking Ahead

The convergence of power metrics and approach improvements at first base and catcher suggests we may be entering a broader offensive environment shift as we push deeper into the summer schedule. Watch Coby Mayo and Spencer Jones closely — both are producing elite batted-ball data with depressed surface stats, and those profiles tend to correct violently and quickly. If Gavin Sheets sustains even half of this week's production, he could be a top-100 player by mid-June. Next week's roundup will be critical for sorting the sustainable breakouts from the Memorial Day weekend noise.