Fantasy Baseball Hitter Waiver Wire: Advanced-stats pickups to take advantage of key Week 14 matchups
It's a busy week with nearly half the league playing seven games. We still want to stream our hitters against the Rockies, Nationals, Angels, White Sox and Orioles pitchers. However, the Orioles have a few starting pitchers like Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz and Brandon Young who have been pitching better lately.
Below is our weekly adjusted scores for pitchers to see the team luck factors and skills we should be paying attention to. The one that might adjust over time will be the Astros, with Hunter Brown back into the mix.
Teams With Seven Games in Week 14
Diamondbacks (4 at STL, 3 at TB)
The Diamondbacks face five right-handed starting pitchers in Week 14. The Cardinals have been better than expected from a K-BB% perspective. Meanwhile, the Rays continue to pitch well. Volume will be favorable for the Diamondbacks' hitters, but playing on the road might make the matchups more neutral.
Red Sox (3 at COL, 4 vs. NYY)
The Red Sox project to face three right-handed starting pitchers, including favorable matchups against the Rockies. They'll miss Cam Schlittler, but the Yankees still have solid starting pitchers. Marcelo Mayer and Masataka Yoshida might be the biggest playing-time losers this week.
Cubs (4 at NYM, 3 at MIL)
The Cubs project to face five right-handed starting pitchers in Week 14. It's a mixed bag of matchups, including a few tougher options in Nolan McLean, Freddy Peralta, Jacob Misiorowski and Kyle Harrison.
Tigers (4 vs. NYY, 3 vs. HOU)
The Tigers will face five right-handed starting pitchers in Week 14. Two of the lefties come early in the week via Carlos Rodón and Ryan Weathers. Kerry Carpenter and Colt Keith have been sitting against lefties, though they only faced two since June 1.
Astros (3 at TOR, 4 at DET)
There are six right-handed starters coming up for the Astros. They'll miss Tarik Skubal, but face Framber Valdez as their only left-handed starting pitcher on the schedule in Week 14. Their only strong-side platoon option that should gain playing time is outfielder Joey Loperfido.
Royals (4 at TB, 3 at CWS)
The Royals will have five right-handed starting pitchers in Week 14, including two in their first series against the Rays (Shane McClanahan and Ian Seymour). Michael Massey and Kameron Misner are the strong-side platoon options, though Massey started against two of the six left-handed starters.
Mets (4 vs. CHC, 3 vs. PHI)
Jesús Luzardo is the only left-handed starting pitcher who projects to face the Mets in Week 14. Jared Young, Brett Baty and MJ Melendez should benefit from a right-heavy slate.
Yankees (3 at DET, 4 at BOS)
This looks like a weak-side platoon week for the Yankees' hitters. They'll face Valdez and Skubal in the first series. Then they face Connelly Early, Peyton Tolle and Jake Bennett, so that's five left-handed starting pitchers that project to face the Yankees. This could be a deep-league boost for Amed Rosario and Anthony Volpe.
Phillies (4 at WSH, 3 at NYM)
The Phillies should face six right-handed starting pitchers in Week 14, with Foster Griffin as the only lefty on the slate. Since Gabriel Rincones Jr. has been called up, he has sat against all three left-handed starting pitchers. Justin Crawford seems to be platooned, as he only started against lefties in two of seven games since June 1.
Cardinals (4 vs. ARI, 3 vs. MIA)
Like other teams, the strong-side platoon options should benefit the Cardinals in Week 14. The Cardinals project to face six right-handed starting pitchers. Lars Nootbar (more on him later) and possibly Nathan Church will be the biggest beneficiaries.
Rays (4 vs. KC, 3 vs. ARI)
The Rays will face five right-handed starting pitchers. They'll face one lefty in the first and second series of the week.
Rangers (3 at MIA, 4 at TOR)
Patrick Corbin looks like the only left-handed starting pitcher to face the Rangers in Week 14. Fire up Joc Pederson for some pop in deeper leagues.
Blue Jays (3 vs. HOU, 4 vs. TEX)
MacKenzie Gore is the only left-handed starter on the slate for the Blue Jays. Jesús Sánchez and Yohendrick Piñango (more on them below) should be the main beneficiaries as strong-side platoon options.
Nationals (4 vs. PHI, 3 at BAL)
The Nationals project to face five right-handed starting pitchers, with Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sánchez as the only two lefties on the slate. Luis Garcia Jr. is the only Nationals' hitter who seems to be in a strong-side platoon.
Shallow to Medium-League Hitter Pickups
Alec Bohm, Phillies (44% Rostered)
The Phillies face the Nationals for four games, ranking second-worst in the adjusted score. That indicates the Nationals' pitchers have been brutal in nearly every pitching metric. Since June 1, Alec Bohm has been hitting better. Bohm hit three home runs with 17 RBI, one steal and a .299 batting average since June 1.
After Bohm's home run totals have been trending down over the past two seasons, with 15 in 2024 and 11 in 2025, he already has nine in 2026, projecting for 15-16. Though Bohm's 3.4% barrel rate per plate appearance is down by over one percentage point, he hit four of 10 season-long barrels since June 1. Add Bohm in shallower leagues to stream in Week 14.
Bryson Stott, Phillies (44% Rostered)
Earlier in the season, Bryson Stott was being deployed as a strong-side platoon option. Like Bohm, Stott has been hitting better since June 1. Stott has a .290 batting average, zero home runs and four steals since June 1st. His .353 BABIP since June 1 is boosting his batting average, though his season-long batting average should regress closer to .250-.260.
Stott has been pulling the ball more often (40.5%) into the air (16.1% pulled air rate). That coincides with Stott boasting a career-best 5.2% barrel rate per plate appearance, two points above his career norm. He is making small but notable approach changes. Though Stott isn't as valuable in OBP leagues, he should be added and streamed in BA leagues.
Cole Carrigg, Rockies (16% Rostered)
Cole Carrigg was a top waiver pickup last week in deeper leagues. The Rockies will play three games in Colorado against the Red Sox and three at the Twins in Week 14. Boston and Minnesota rank inside the bottom 12 in the adjusted scores, suggesting we should stream hitters against them. Since Carrigg was called up on June 9, he played every day in center field.
Though Carrigg's lower batting average (.250) doesn't wow us, three home runs and three barrels in the early sample garner our attention. Carrigg hasn't been known for his power, but he swings the bat fast (74.6 mph bat speed) while pulling the ball into the air often (29%). Fantasy managers will want to scoop him up in shallower formats for some outfield help because there's power and speed within the profile.
Andrés Giménez, Blue Jays (14% Rostered)
Andrés Giménez is hitting better, with a .294 batting average, one home run and four steals since June 1. Giménez has been more aggressive, given his career-high 43% chase rate, though his 77.2% contact rate is similar to his career average. The matchups against the Astros and Rangers could be challenging in Week 14. Though Giménez hits in the bottom of the Blue Jays' lineup, he should be a medium to deep-league consideration for batting average and speed.
Nasim Nuñez, Nationals (20% Rostered)
There's a league where I've been rolling with Nasim Nuñez at a middle infield spot for stolen bases. Earlier in the season, Nuñez's batting average was awful, but he was stealing. Since June 1, Nuñez has a .404 batting average and four stolen bases, boosted by a .528 BABIP and six stolen bases. Nuñez already has 28 of the Nationals' 79 stolen bases (35.4%) this season.
Most projection systems have Nuñez for 40-45 stolen bases. Ride Nuñez's BABIP high as a hitter pickup for batting average and steals.
Deep-League Hitter Pickups
Lars Nootbaar, Cardinals (5% Rostered)
We highlighted Lars Nootbaar last week after his return from injury. Since Nootbaar returned, he sat in all three games against left-handed starting pitchers. The Cardinals project to face six right-handed starters in Week 14, making Nootbaar a priority option in deeper leagues. Nootbaar is swinging the bat slightly harder (73.9 mph) and hitting four barrels with two home runs this season. The Cardinals face the Diamondbacks and Marlins in Week 14. Both teams rank in the bottom 10 in the adjusted scores, hinting at us wanting to stream against them.
Nootbaar is more valuable in OBP leagues and should be a target for power in deeper formats.
Josh Bell, Twins (15% Rostered)
Josh Bell has been solid this season, with eight home runs and a .240 batting average. Bell continues to barrel up the ball with a 7% barrel rate (2026) and 8.6% (2025). He has been hitting well since June 1, rocking a .343 batting average and four home runs. Bell rocks an 8.3% barrel rate with a .396 BABIP since June 1, suggesting a mix of luck and skills in his favor. Look toward Bell for power and batting average in Week 14.
Jesús Sánchez (5% Rostered) and Yohendrick Piñango (1% Rostered), Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have faced six left-handed starting pitchers since June 1. Jesús Sánchez and Yohendrick Piñango both played against one of the lefties since the beginning of June. Sánchez (1 HR, .256 BA) and Piñango (1 HR, .262 BA) have been solid since June 1, but the plate appearances have been limited. Both Sánchez (8.1% barrel per PA) and Piñango (5.1% barrel per PA) have power. Since the Blue Jays project to face six right-handed starting pitchers in Week 14, Sánchez and Piñango should warrant deep-league consideration to pick up and stream.
