FANTASY BASEBALL WAIVER WIRE PICKUPSBryce Miller (SP Mariners) - Rostered in 28 percent of Yahoo leaguesFew seemed especially excited about Miller this year after a 2025 season in which he was twice on the IL with elbow problems and amassed a 5.68 ERA in his 18 starts, but it's hard to write off a Mariners starter getting to pitch half of his games in T-Mobile Park. Plus, Miller was fantastic in 2024, posting a 2.94 ERA with a 171/45 K/BB in 180 1/3 innings. Alas, after just one spring start, Miller went down with an oblique injury. He's since made two rehab starts, and though the second didn't go well, it still seems like a good idea to pick him up in leagues in which he's available.
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It's worth grabbing him now because Miller unlocked something over the winter that has him throwing harder than ever. His handful of fastballs in his first spring start averaged 97.3 mph. In his first Triple-A rehab start, he came in at 97.1 mph. Miller averaged 95.2 mph during his big 2024 season and 94.8 mph last year, so it's quite the significant gain. His slider was up even more in his last rehab start, averaging 88.6 mph. That's four mph harder than he threw it previously.
Miller is probably still an injury risk, but he's one with a great deal of fantasy upside in arguably the league's best situation for pitchers. Even if he were still averaging 95 mph with his heater, he might rate as a top-50 SP when healthy. At 97 mph, he could be a big difference maker, for however long it lasts.
With Bazzana having a mediocre first week in Triple-A, Juan Brito was the Guardians' pick to replace the injured Gabriel Arias in the Cleveland infield earlier this month. Three weeks later, the Guardians have now deemed Bazzana ready; the 2024 No. 1 overall pick was officially added to the team's roster on Tuesday and should serve as the primary second baseman for now and, ideally, for several years to come.
Bazzana had batted .328 with nine doubles, two homers and 16 walks in 16 games since being bypassed. He's a patient, disciplined hitter, but he struggled to hit for average while also missing time due to injuries in his first year and a half as a pro. This year, he has his average exit velocity up to 90.5 mph, which would currently put him in the 68th percentile of major league hitters. He's also upped his steal game, going 8-for-10 in 24 games for Columbus. He was 12-for-14 in 84 games last year.
Travis Bazzana with a 110.1 mph laser for his second roundtripper of the year.The @CleGuardians' No. 1 prospect has gone deep twice in four games and has a .910 OPS for the Triple-A @CLBClippers. pic.twitter.com/ZFvmpZ5Nfw
Whether or not Bazzana is a mixed-league asset right away could hinge on whether he's platooned against lefties. The Guardians have been treating Daniel Schneeman like a full-timer of later, and even though he's left-handed, he could get the nod over Bazzana at second base against lefties. Or maybe not, since the Guardians only have four righty bench players for the six lefties that are potentially in need of platoon partners. If Bazzana plays against most lefties and keeps up with the steal attempts, he'll probably prove of use in shallow leagues. He's not ready to crush a bunch of homers, but he could pretty easily wind up hitting first, second or even fourth for Cleveland in short order.
Scott's first big-league start since 2024 was quite the disaster; he walked five of the 10 batters he faced and hit another while totaling four outs last Thursday against the Twins. Incredibly, though, he was only charged with one run. Scott was sent down after the game, but he'll get another chance now with Kodai Senga landing on the IL due to a back issue. Hopefully, this time, he'll make the most of it.
Scott debuted with the Mets in 2024, posting a 4.56 ERA in nine starts before requiring elbow surgery. He missed all of 2025 before returning this spring. In three Triple-A starts this year, he had a 5.27 ERA, but he struck out 17 and walked just two in 13 2/3 innings. That's typical of his old minor league numbers; Scott has an incredible 149/22 K/BB over 118 career innings between Double- and Triple-A. His slider and splitter are both quality swing-and-miss pitches, and he's gained one mph on his fastball since surgery, putting him at 95.3 mph on average this year.
Christian Scott have yourself a day 5.1 IP | 5 K | 2 R | 2 ER | 2 H | 1 BB pic.twitter.com/wUFwiwKezd
Scott might give up more homers than most, but he's probably not going to lose the strike zone again like he did against the Twins. He'll sport a fine strikeout rate, and he should prove especially strong in WHIP over the long run. There's always the chance that he'll wind up back in the minors in a few weeks anyway, but given time, he could resemble peak Bailey Ober as a fantasy starter.
- The Pirates' Gregory Soto (25 percent rostered) probably gets a boost after Dennis Santana's miserable game Monday against the Cardinals. He's been unusually steady to start the season, giving up runs in just two of 15 appearances and striking out 20 in 14 2/3 innings.
- Elmer Rodriguez, who is serving as Luis Gil's replacement, would be quite interesting in the Bronx if the Yankees had a permanent spot for him, but with Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole both set to return in the coming weeks, disaster would have to strike to keep Rodriguez in the rotation.
- Injuries have left Gus Varland (five percent rostered) as pretty clearly the primary ninth-inning option in Washington. He should be worth rostering for at least the next few weeks.