Championship Week Waiver Wire: Five bats and three arms (plus a few quick hits) still sitting on plenty of waiver wires, all heating up at exactly the right time.
Stats through games of Sept. 22, 2026. Roster percentages via Yahoo.
The Baseball Effect is back for one last push. With just a handful of games left in the regular season, this is the time to take advantage of expanded rosters, hot streaks and young players who are finally finding their footing in the majors. Here are eight names who can help you win your matchup and take home the crown.
At a Glance
| Player | Team | Pos | Rostered | Why? |
| Travis Bazzana | CLE | 2B | 38% | .302/.403/.698, 6 HR in September |
| AJ Ewing | NYM | 2B/OF | 31% | .355 AVG, 2 SB in Sept.; 95th-pct. sprint speed |
| Brooks Lee | MIN | 2B/3B/SS | 58% | Career-high 24 HR; .385 over the last week |
| George Lombard Jr. | NYY | 2B/3B/SS | 27% | .318, .939 OPS, 2 HR over the last week |
| Ty France | SD | 1B | 31% | .301/.366/.519, 21 HR; .436 over the last two weeks |
| Jackson Jobe | DET | SP | 34% | 12.46 K/9 in Sept.; final start vs. PIT |
| Aaron Ashby | MIL | RP | 33% | 11.81 K/9, 3.27 ERA, 13 W |
| Dean Kremer | MIN | SP | 24% | 0.77 ERA last two weeks; final start vs. TEX |
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians (38% rostered)
The first Australian ever taken first overall in the MLB Draft arrived with plenty of prospect pedigree. After some early struggles following his call-up, he held his own through the first half, and in September he is showing exactly why Cleveland took him with the top pick. This month, Bazzana is hitting .302/.403/.698 with six home runs and a stolen base.
To be clear, the underlying data doesn’t scream sustainability. He’s making good swing decisions, but his barrel rate, hard-hit rate and bat speed all sit below the 35th percentile. That’s a question for 2027 draft season, not for this week. It’s not April anymore, and at 38% rostered, Bazzana is exactly the kind of hot bat who can carry you into the sunset with a championship.
AJ Ewing, 2B/OF, Mets (31% rostered)
The Mets’ young outfielder is in a similar spot. After a solid start in Queens, Ewing slumped to a .171 average in August. But his hard-hit and barrel rates have actually been a tick better than Bazzana’s over the full season, which makes his current run more believable. In September, Ewing is hitting .355/.406/.532 with three homers and two steals.
The real separator is his legs. Ewing’s 29.4 feet-per-second sprint speed ranks in the 95th percentile, giving him the ability to swing both batting average and stolen bases in a single championship matchup. I’m putting my money where my mouth is and adding both Bazzana and Ewing to multiple rosters, including one in a title matchup. At 31% rostered, I’d suggest you do the same.
Brooks Lee, 2B/3B/SS, Twins (58% rostered)
Lee is a little older than the first two names here, but he carries plenty of pedigree as the eighth overall pick in the 2022 draft. Billed as a hit-over-power prospect, Lee has seen those tools flip a bit this season. After hitting 16 home runs in his first full season last year, he’s up to a career-high 24 while hitting “only” .253. In today’s game, that’s nothing to sneeze at; it’s just not the line you’d expect from a hit-tool guy.
The bat-to-ball skills are still there. His whiff rate, strikeout rate and squared-up rate all rank above the 70th percentile. Meanwhile, his hard-hit rate, barrel rate and average exit velocity all sit below the 35th percentile. So where is the power coming from? Like a lot of hitters these days, Lee is pulling the ball in the air about 5% more often than last season, turning modest contact quality into more balls over the fence.
Over the last month, Lee is hitting .280 with a .759 OPS, five homers and a steal. Over the last week, that jumps to .385 with a .931 OPS. Get it while it’s hot, though at 58% rostered, he may already be gone in your league.
George Lombard Jr., 2B/3B/SS, Yankees (27% rostered)
Lombard homered in his first major-league game and followed it with a respectable August, hitting .253 with two homers and a steal over 79 at-bats. Not bad for a first cup of coffee in the majors. September has been bumpier: he’s hitting .208/.259/.415 with three homers and another steal on the month.
The good news is he has turned a corner over the past week, hitting .318 with a .939 OPS, two homers and a steal. This is what makes the fantasy playoffs so fun. Top prospects who got the call in July and August often start to settle in right as the season winds down, and those hot streaks win weeks. At 27% rostered, Lombard could be the perfect fill-in for teams with middle-infield trouble.
Ty France, 1B, Padres (31% rostered)
France has been one of the most overlooked players in fantasy this season. He’s hitting .301/.366/.519 with 21 homers and a cherry-on-top stolen base over 418 at-bats, yet he’s rostered in only 31% of leagues.
For comparison, Freddie Freeman is hitting .292/.367/.438 with 16 homers and seven steals over 559 at-bats and is rostered in 97% of leagues. That’s deserved for a future Hall of Famer, but it doesn’t change the fact that France has put together a fantastic season while sitting on the waiver wire in nearly 70% of leagues.
Even better, over the last two weeks France is hitting .436 with an OPS north of 1.000, a homer and eight RBI. That’s the kind of run that can win a category or two on its own over a short stretch. Yes, first base is deep, but if your lineup is light, slide France into a utility spot and ride a hot streak that has effectively lasted all season.
Jackson Jobe, SP, Tigers (34% rostered)
Another high-pedigree prospect, Jobe is showing real signs of life in recent weeks. The third overall pick in the 2021 draft struggled in his 2025 rookie season before needing Tommy John surgery midway through the year. His stuff was underwhelming relative to expectations, though it wasn’t all bad: 49 innings with a 4.22 ERA, 7.16 K/9 and 4.96 BB/9.
After he returned in August, it was more of the same: a 4.63 ERA, 7.33 K/9 and 3.86 BB/9. We’ll chalk that up to shaking off rust, because over 17.1 innings in September, he has posted a 3.12 ERA, 12.46 K/9 and 2.08 BB/9. That’s a pitcher who can help a fantasy playoff team right now. Jobe’s final scheduled start comes Friday, September 25th, against the Pirates, who own the sixth-highest strikeout rate in baseball.
Aaron Ashby, RP, Brewers (33% rostered)
A familiar name around here, Ashby continues to rack up appearances out of the Milwaukee bullpen. Every pitch in his arsenal grades at 115 Stuff+ or better, which has translated into a 3.27 ERA, 11.81 K/9, 4.32 BB/9 and an absurd 13 wins this season. With only a few games left, Ashby offers strikeouts, a helpful ERA and a real shot at a vulture win, save or hold. Just know the walks can bite your WHIP in a small sample.
Dean Kremer, SP, Twins (24% rostered)
Kremer isn’t the flashiest add on the wire. He has likely gone unrostered for most of the year in leagues of 12 teams or fewer, and after a rough start in Baltimore, he was dealt to Minnesota at the deadline. But baseball is a brutal grind leading up to the final matchups of the year, and Kremer has shown some flair over the last couple of weeks.
On the season, he owns a 4.97 ERA, 8.86 K/9 and 3.13 BB/9 over 83.1 innings, which is nothing to write home about. Over the last two weeks, though, he has been spectacular in a small sample: a 0.77 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 14 strikeouts and a quality start over 11.2 innings. He has one start left, against a Rangers lineup with the eighth-highest strikeout rate in baseball. There’s risk here, but if Kremer can squeeze out one more quality start, he could help lock up a pitching category even with Josh Jung back in the lineup (more in him below).
Quick Hits
A few names that were missed earlier but are definitely worth a look:
Henry Bolte, OF, Athletics (41% rostered)
The A’s rookie center fielder has turned into a legitimate five-category contributor, and he’s peaking at the right time. Bolte has five homers this month to go with 21 steals on the season. He strikes out a lot, but he hits the ball hard and has the speed to beat out grounders, which keeps his average afloat. If you need power and speed from one roster spot, he’s the best combination left on the wire.
Nolan Arenado, 3B, Diamondbacks (42% rostered)
Remember Nolan Arenado? After a quiet first year in the desert, the 35-year-old is turning back the clock at exactly the right time. Over his last 14 games, he’s hitting .412 with seven homers and 14 RBI, and he’s riding an eight-game hitting streak into the final week. The highlight came Sunday against the Yankees, when he just missed a grand slam down the left-field line and then crushed the very next pitch for one, his third slam of the season. Arizona is fighting for its playoff life, which means Arenado is playing every day in a lineup with something to prove. If you need power and RBI at third base or a corner spot, ride the hot veteran.
Walker Jenkins, OF, Twins (11% rostered)
The Twins’ top prospect had a rough welcome to the majors after his late-August call-up, but he’s figured something out in a hurry. Over his last six games, Jenkins is 11-for-24 with three homers, including a game-tying ninth-inning shot against the Angels. Minnesota is out of the race and has every reason to keep writing his name in the lineup, and his minor-league track record (.308/.407/.532 with 17 steals at Triple-A) says the talent is real. If you need an outfield bat with pop and some speed upside, he’s the add.
Robert Gasser, SP, Brewers (23% rostered)
Gasser won’t rack up strikeouts, but he’s been one of the steadiest arms in baseball this month: a 1.71 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over four September starts for a first-place Milwaukee team. His final start comes Friday at home against the Cardinals. If you’re protecting a lead in ERA and WHIP rather than chasing strikeouts, he’s a safe way to add a quality start without putting your ratios at risk.
Josh Jung, 3B, Rangers (22% rostered)
Before a calf strain cost him a handful of weeks on the IL, Jung was quietly putting together his best season since his All-Star rookie year, leading Texas in hits, doubles and OPS. It seems he is picking up right where he left off homering against the Blue Jays and holding his average right around .295. With Joc Pederson out and the Rangers in the mix in the AL West, Jung is locked into the middle of the lineup every day. He’s a steady, high-floor corner-infield option for managers who need batting average more than a lottery ticket.
Go for Glory
This is it, folks. This is what we do it for. The final games of the season will either send you on a victory lap or wake you from a dream that almost was. Every name here is a small-sample bet, but when a title comes down to one pitch or one at-bat, you can throw the season-long stats out the window. Trust your gut and go for glory.
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