We've got two more potentially impactful rookies added to the fold this week in Chicago White Sox catcher Kyle Teel and Colorado Rockies shortstop Ryan Ritter. Teel has torn up Triple-A pitching over the last two months, reaching base safely in 38 of his 39 games since April 10 while slashing .326/.424/.525 with eight doubles, six home runs, 21 RBIs and 29 runs scored during that span.
It's an incredible stretch for him, and he's worthy of a roster spot in all formats. On the other hand, Ritter is the Rockies' No. 11 prospect and has hit .306 with 16 home runs and a 1.048 OPS in 52 games for Triple-A Albuquerque. He's been even better over his last 18 games with at least one hit in each and an elite .443/.489/.987 line. With Colorado's regular everyday shortstop Ezequiel Tovar (oblique) set to be out for likely longer than the minimum stay on the 10-day IL, Ritter should get an extended leash in the lineup.
Tovar wasn't the only athlete to fall victim to the injury bug over the past few days, as Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Corbin Burnes (elbow) will have season-ending Tommy John surgery. It's possible we don't see Burnes until 2027 -- late 2026 at the earliest.
New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (toe) sustained a broken right pinky toe when a pitch hit him on Wednesday. Fortunately, he's on the day-to-day side of things and is reportedly "progressing quickly." He could pinch-hit in a few days.
According to Dr. Keith Meister's recommendation, Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (elbow) was shut down during his Tommy John surgery rehab. There is no timeline for him to resume throwing.
Lastly, St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Matthew Liberatore (fatigue) experienced a velocity dip in his most recent start, giving up eight hits and seven earned runs over four innings to the Kansas City Royals. According to Liberatore, mechanical issues were to blame for his decline in velocity, and there's no injury to speak of. Still, it's something to keep tabs on.
As a reminder, this column typically assumes point formats and will only feature athletes at or around 50% ownership on Yahoo!. A player will only appear on this list twice if they continue to perform well from weeks prior. Happy hunting!
Waiver Adds
Michael Busch, 1B - Chicago Cubs (50% Owned)
Cubs first baseman Michael Busch is enjoying a breakout season, even if he hasn't yet garnered an everyday role. The former first-round pick has been excellent against right-handed pitching in 2025 -- slashing a strong .296/.390/.562. However, he's been dreadful against lefties, batting .148 over 27 at-bats. Despite this, there's reason to believe he can turn that around after hitting .258 against them in 2024.
Busch is striking out at a lower rate than last year, bringing his strikeout percentage down to a palatable 23.3%. It's still high, but he's getting better results with a significant increase in hard-hit rate (47.8%). Not only is he making more contact when he decides to swing, but he's also dropped the rate at which he's chasing pitches.
He should be a nice source of power over the remainder of the year and is currently riding a seven-game hit streak.
Willi Castro, 2B/3B/SS/OF - Minnesota Twins (43% Owned)
Willi Castro's Baseball Savant page is one of the more uninspiring ones. However, he's cooked MLB pitching over the last week with four multi-hit outings, including two two-homer games. The 28-year-old has taken a small step back regarding the quality of his contact compared to the previous season, but he's still been productive (and better than he was in 2024).
The Puerto Rican native isn't going to wow you with his power or speed, but he does everything at a slightly-above-average rate, making him a viable fill-in while he's hot. That said, he's on pace to easily smash his previous career-high of 12 home runs. I don't believe this recent hot stretch is the best we'll see from Castro, and I'm willing to bet the Twins continue to move him up in the order. He's up to the five-hole in four of his last five appearances.
Addison Barger, 3B/OF - Toronto Blue Jays (41% Owned)
I've kept my eye on Addison Barger all year, and his production is finally beginning to match his underlying metrics. His Baseball Savant page is the exact opposite of Castro's, mentioned above. The top half of his chart resembles teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr's more than you'd think.
Barger is obliterating the ball, with average exit velocity (94.6 MPH) and hard-hit rate (54.1%) marks that put him in the 98th and 94th percentile of all big-leaguers, respectively. Additionally, he looks to be due for some positive regression on his .271 season average with a .297 xBA. The Washington native has also cut his strikeout rate by over 4.5 points from 2024 (22.0%).
Before a 0-for-4 performance on Wednesday, Barger had gone six straight games with at least one hit and four straight with a home run.
J.P. Crawford, SS - Seattle Mariners (11% Owned)
J.P. Crawford has been a viable player all year, but has been scorching hot recently. Crawford has at least two hits in five of his last six outings and is batting a ludicrous .545 over that stretch. He's tallied three doubles and a home run to go along with three runs scored, two RBI, and a 4:2 BB: K ratio.
The former No. 16 overall pick has rebounded nicely from a dreadful 2024 (.202 average). It's a wonder he hasn't scored more runs during his recent hot-hitting with Julio Rodriguez producing at nearly the same rate and Cal Raleigh -- the league leader in home runs -- tucked in behind him. Still, Crawford should be rostered in more than 11% of Yahoo! leagues if not for his batting line alone (.283/.398/.395).
If you're looking for more reasons, a career-high in walk rate (15.4%) and xBA (.280) should be enough. He's been on base nine times this month and scored a lone run. That has positive regression written all over it.
Nolan Schanuel, 1B - Los Angeles Angels (9% Owned)
Nolan Schanuel is coming off a May in which he boasted a .302/.402/.375 triple slash with four doubles, one long ball, and 16 runs scored. High batting average aside, he has displayed exceptional plate discipline in his second full campaign. Schanuel has walked (33) more than he's struck out (30) in 2025 and has done a fantastic job of squaring up the ball.
The 23-year-old's meteoric rise through the minors in his first big-league season is evident in his wildly high batting line and walk rate, which are finally starting to show up big time in the pros. A .281 xBA shows he's right in line with expectation, with growth potential, too. During his (brief) minor league career, he showed the ability to hit for a BABIP in the high .300s, and it's currently at an uncharacteristically low .308.
Schanuel should be one of the better pure hitters in baseball moving forward. He gets a massive boost in OBP leagues and should score another 15+ runs in June.
Deep League Adds
Mike Tauchman, OF - Chicago White Sox (6% Owned)
Mike Tauchman has been stellar since the White Sox reinstated him from the injured list. Over 13 appearances, he's a cool 14-for-46 (.304) with five doubles, a triple, two home runs, nine RBI, and ten runs scored. Furthermore, he's sitting right at one fantasy point per at-bat, which is typically an indicator of an elite fantasy contributor. I don't believe he'll be able to sustain that for the remainder of the year, but he's holding a .282 xBA and one of the highest walk percentages in the league (17.4%) -- matching his K%. At 34 years old, I don't expect him to have some magical breakout. However, it's worth noting he has the highest hard-hit rate of his career (46.7%). You won't get too much power, and he's a zero in the steals department, but he's otherwise looking very productive right now.
Wenceel Perez, OF - Detroit Tigers (2% Owned)
Detroit Tigers outfielder Wenceel Perez recently returned from a back injury and picked up right where he left off before his ailment. It's not a large sample, but the Dominican Republic native is hammering the ball, slashing a robust .323/.364/.710 across 31 at-bats (ten hits). He's already notched three home runs and three doubles. Look for the RBIs to start pouring in with a strong first four batters in front of him. While Perez doesn't project to be this impactful for an extended period, he was a productive bat during his minor league career. He's been in the Tigers' organization since 2017 and is still just 25 years old.
Two-Start Streamers
Clarke Schmidt, RHP - New York Yankees (54%/72% Yahoo!/CBS)
Not only is Clarke Schmidt my favorite streamer of the week, but I'd be looking to scoop him up for the rest of the year if he were still available in my leagues. He's been stellar thus far, bolstering an xBA of .216 against him and an xERA far lower than the slightly inflated 4.04 he's compiled (3.05). The South Carolina product has had some trouble issuing free passes (10.3% BB%), though he's striking out batters at a good clip (24.5%) and limiting hard contact at an 80th percentile rate amongst all pitchers.
Schmidt gets an uber-favorable matchup early next week against the bottom-of-the-barrel offense of the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City has the best strikeout rate per game of any team, but that doesn't concern me when they score the fourth-fewest runs. He'll toe the rubber a second time later in the week against a good Boston Red Sox lineup. Still, the 29-year-old has pitched well enough to earn our trust under challenging circumstances and has one of the best lineups in baseball behind him.
Thanks for reading, and good luck in your matchups next week!
