Best Week 6 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Bats Including Cole Young & Ronny Mauricio

Over the next six weeks, fantasy game managers will find out if their teams are contenders or pretenders. Injuries will crush outcomes, but there will be times when a nucleus of players perform the best over the last three months of the year. The goal each week is to find upgrades in the free agent pool, but the rhythm of the game sometimes brings the most help at the right time (a top replacement second baseman on the waiver wire when your team has an injury at the position).
Here’s a look at the top hitting free agents this week in one of my NFBC 12-team leagues:
Week 6 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Catchers

Pedro Pages, St. Louis Cardinals (1% Rostered)
Over his last five starts, covering eight games for the Cardinals, Pages has a hit in each matchup (8-for-19 with two runs, two home runs, three RBIs, and one steal). He continues to be a rotational player at catcher for St. Louis when Ivan Herrera starts at the DH position (19 games – 12 at catcher).
Over his last 497 games in the majors in 2025 and 2026, Pages hit .276 with 72 runs, 23 home runs, 80 RBIs, and nine stolen bases with a favorable approach. In shallow formats, he should be treated as a bridge, power player at the catcher position, unless the Cardinals increase his playing time. This season, Pages had more walks (25) than strikeouts (22), which is a positive sign for his direction.
Travis d’Arnaud, Los Angeles Angels (5% Rostered)
With Logan O’Hoppe landing on the injured list with a left wrist issue, d’Arnaud will earn the bulk of catching at-bats for the Angels. His bat has been quiet this year (4-for-25 with four runs, no home runs, and no RBIs), along with batting average failure in 2025 (.197/18/6/21 over 213 at-bats). At age 37, his best days are behind him, but d’Arnaud could run into a home run or have a good game as a short-term injury cover.
Other Options: Luis Campusano, Carlos Narvaez, Adrian Del Castillo (needs one more game to qualify at catcher in 10-game minimum leagues)
Week 6 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire First Basemen

Andrew Vaughn, Milwaukee Brewers (14% Rostered)
Over the past two days, Vaughn has started his rehab work at AAA after suffering a hamate bone injury in late March. He has two hits over his first six at-bats with a walk and a strikeout. His bat had a hot stretch last summer (.296/22/9/40 over 169 at-bats), suggesting his ceiling in power has been untapped. At age 29, Vaughn has never been an impact player with his career-high in runs (67), home runs (21), and RBIs (80) coming in 2023. The Brewers expect to have him back in the starting lineup in the next week or so.
Tyler Black, Milwaukee Brewers (0% Rostered)
Since his call-up, Black has made four starts over six games, leading to seven hits over 18 at-bats with two runs and six RBIs. Last year, his bat lost momentum at AAA (.243/33/4/34/22 over 222 at-bats) while opening the year with a broken hamate bone in his right hand. He also began this year with a right shoulder issue in the minors.
When at his best in 2023 (AA and AAA), Black hit .284 over 450 at-bats with 105 runs, 18 home runs, 73 RBIs, and 55 steals at age 22. Milwaukee switched him to left field over the past two seasons, after starting his minor league career at second and third base. The Brewers have yet to play him in the field in 2026.
There’s upside in Black’s profile, and they have been batting him in their cleanup slot when in the lineup against right-handed pitching. Possible sneaky speed at first base, but his window to start may only last until Christian Yelich returns.
Double digits AGAIN thanks to Tyler Black pic.twitter.com/TZLVi7F6Se
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) April 30, 2026
Other Options: Kyle Manzardo, Mark Vientos, Dominic Smith, Ty France
Don't miss the top Minor League hitters who are poised for MLB promotions!
Week 6 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Second Basemen

Travis Bazzana, Cleveland Guardians (0% Rostered)
The Guardians called up their prized prospect (first pick in the 2024 MLB June Amateur Draft) this week after a hot run over 13 games at AAA (18-for-47 with 11 runs, two home runs, seven RBIs, and six steals). His bat unperformed expectations last year at AA and AAA (.246/64/9/37/11 over 284 at-bats). He’s still looking for his first major league hit (0-for-6 with two walks and one strikeout). Bazzana brings a balanced five-category skill set once he hits his stride in the majors. I expect him to be added in 12- and 15-team formats this week.
Cole Young, Seattle Mariners (57% Rostered)
After a quiet run over nine games (4-for-29 with five runs and RBI), Young was kicked to the free agent curb in many shallow leagues. He has a hit in 11 of his last 13 starts, leading to a .383 batting average over 47 at-bats with eight runs, one home run, 10 RBIs, and two steals. Over 1,230 at-bats in the minors, Young hit .279 with 215 runs, 27 home runs, 159 RBIs, and 52 steals. Trending higher, with a playable, balanced skill set.
Other Options: Marcelo Mayer, Nick Gonzales, Nolan Gorman, Kody Clemens
Week 6 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Third Basemen

Connor Norby, Miami Marlins (12% Rostered)
There hasn’t been much to Norby’s bat over his last nine games (4-for-30 with one run, one home run, and three RBIs) due to whiffing 15 times, but he did add speed to his profile (2-for-3) over his last two starts. His strikeout rate (29.4%) remains well above his AAA career (23.6%). He profiled as a 80/20/80/10 player in the minors. Tricky player, as his talent points to upside once he gets his strikeouts under control.
Ronny Mauricio, New York Mets (35% Rostered)
With Francisco Lindor on the injured list with a calf injury, Mauricio figures to see more time in the starting lineup. He hasn't yet earned shortstop eligibility (just six games at the position), but his bat looked sharp to open the year at AAA (.293 with 12 runs, six home runs, 13 RBIs, and five steals over 58 at-bats).
Not one, not two, but THREE homers for Ronny Mauricio 🚀🚀🚀@Mets | @SyracuseMets | @MetsPlayerDev pic.twitter.com/ata75CqorP
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) April 22, 2026
Over three seasons in New York, he's a .231 hitter in 295 at-bats with 32 runs, eight home runs, 20 RBIs, and 11 steals. The concern is his 29.8% strikeout rate with the Mets, and his bat has been quiet over his first 25 at-bats (.160 with two runs and 10 strikeouts). At this point, Mauricio falls into the risk/reward category.
Other Options: Brady House, Coby Mayo
Week 6 Waiver Wire Shortstops

Brooks Lee, Minnesota Twins (46% Rostered)
Brooks picked up the pace with his bat over his last eight games (10-for-31 with six runs, two home runs, five RBIs, and two stolen bases). His bat has been serviceable over his last 93 at-bats (.258/12/5/17/2 over 93 at-bats). He has a low strikeout rate (16.7%) is favorable, pointing to more growth as the season goes along.
Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians (11% Rostered)
The shallow fantasy market has yet to gravitate toward Rocchio due to his bottom of the batting order opportunity. Over his last 15 games, he’s hitting .385 with eight runs, two home runs, 11 RBIs, and two steals over 52 at-bats. His success this year puts him on pace to be a 65/15/70/10 player, which means Rocchio must increase his power or speed with more at-bats to be a trusted asset in 12-team formats.
Other Options: Hyeseong Kim, Chase Meidroth, J.P. Crawford
Week 6 Waiver Wire Outfielders

Nathan Church, St. Louis Cardinals (51% Rostered)
Over the last 16 days in April, Church has put his name on the map in deep and shallow formats. He has 15 hits over 50 at-bats with eight runs, four home runs, 10 RBIs, and three steals. His profile showed growth in 2025 at AA and AAA over 338 at-bats (.337/64/13/50/16), painting a balance skill set with a higher ceiling in batting average.
NATHAN CHURCH ROBS A WOULD-BE WALK-OFF HOMER 🤯@CARDINALS WIN! pic.twitter.com/4cz5zHWJXm
— MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2026
Isaac Collins, Kansas City Royals (2% Rostered)
The pieces to Collins’ game started to come together over his last six games (6-for-19 with four runs, one home run, four RBIs, and one steal), highlighted by a walk in five of his last six starts. He played well in 2024 at AAA over 417 at-bats (.271/74/15/77/23), showcasing a higher ceiling in power. Over three months last season with the Brewers, Collins hit .293 with 39 runs, seven home runs, 42 RBIs, and nine steals.
Brice Matthews, Houston Astros (0% Rostered)
Heading into Friday’s action, Matthews has a three-game hitting streak (6-for-16 with three runs, one home run, and three RBIs). He has a competitive season on his AAA resume (.260/69/17/64/41 over 419 at-bats), but major league pitchers have struck him out 45 times over 111 plate appearances, inviting job loss risk. Matthews brings speed to the table with some power, and Houston has been forced to start him over their last 10 games (9-for-30 with five runs, one home run, five RBIs, and one steal).
Other Options: Matt Shaw, Dylan Beavers, Victor Scott, Esteury Ruiz
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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