Fantasy Baseball: Week 2 Waiver Wire Watch

Over the long haul of a baseball season, the outfield position will have the best opportunity for upgrades, but rarely will those options be lead impact players. Managing the last couple of outfield spots on a fantasy roster tends to be for team needs: power, speed, or a mix of both.

3rd home run for the season for Harrison Bader 🫡

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— Twins Daily (@twinsdaily) April 2, 2025

Outfield

Bryan De La Cruz, ATL

Heading into Friday, De La Cruz didn’t have a hit over his first 11 at-bats. He went 2-for-3 against the Marlins with a walk, hinting at potential fantasy value after the Braves lost Jurickson Profar for 80 games. Over the past two seasons, he appeared in 302 games for Miami, leading to 121 runs, 40 home runs, 146 RBIs, and nine stolen bases with batting average risk (.245).

His biggest competition for playing time is Jarred Kelenic (3-for-20 with a solo home run and eight strikeouts. I expect De La Cruz to be added in most 12- and 15-format this week.

Harrison Bader, MIN

I had Bader listed as my third outfield bid in an NFBC main event last week, but I landed my second option (empty stats) while he smashed a pair of three-run home runs.

Bader has a streaky bat with double-digit power and upside in stolen bases, but he’s never had more than 405 at-bats in a season. The Twins seem committed to his playing time, so I would pick him up in all 15-team formats while offering injury cover value in shallower leagues.

Andrew Benintendi, CWS

The White Sox have given Benintendi seven starts in the middle of their lineup to open 2025, and he has responded with a .320 batting average over 25 at-bats, including four runs, two home runs, and six RBIs.

Last season, his bat was significantly more productive over his final 52 games, hitting .278 with 27 home runs, 12 doubles, 36 RBIs, and 1 stolen base over 187 at-bats. Benintendi has a favorable batting opportunity, providing back-end outfield value in deep formats while serving as a rotational bat in 12-team leagues.

Jake Mangum, TB

Mangum is a switch-hitter with three seasons of experience at AAA (.309 with 141 runs, 13 home runs, 129 RBIs, and 44 steals over 1,009 at-bats). His walk rate (5.3) is below the league average while having a favorable strikeout rate (17.1). He turned 29 on March 8th, with no previous major league experience.

The Rays had Thursday off, and Mangum didn’t play against the Rangers on Friday. Over his previous three games, he went 8-for-12 with three runs, four RBIs, and three steals. Mangum offers help in stolen bases with minimal power. At the very least, Mangum should be added in all AL-Only formats. He falls into the “hot player of the week category” while lacking the pedigree to draw a high bid in the free agent market.

Other Options: Jonny DeLuca, Jack Suwinski, Dane Myers