Fantasy Baseball Week 24 Waiver Wire: Luis Torrens, Taj Bradley And 17 More Pickups

Fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups for September 2025 include Luis Torrens, Jeremiah Jackson, Taj Bradley, and more players to help you down the stretch.

New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens (13) rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the seventh inning at Citi Field. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The mad dash for the finish line in fantasy baseball is upon us. Many pitchers are starting to fade. The starting pitching free agent pool is diminished, and my hitters won’t put the ball in the seats. Regardless of the game outcomes, the diehard gamer press on, hoping for a magical night to push their way back up the standings.

Catchers

Edgar Quero, Chicago White Sox

Heading into Friday night's action, Quero has the second-most at-bats (14) at the catch position (tied with his teammate, Kyle Teel). He has six hits over this span, leading to a .429 batting average with three runs and a solo home run. Other than scoring period Week 20 (1-for-12), Quero has been a helpful C2 in deep formats since the beginning of July (.326 over 135 at-bats with 20 runs, five home runs, and 19 RBIs) despite being a platoon player.

Luis Torrens, New York Mets

The fantasy teams that lost Francisco Alvarez (3-for-13 over his last three games at AAA with a home run and four RBIs) would have been rewarded with two excellent weeks of stats if they rostered Torrens (10-for-28 with eight runs, three home runs, 13 RBIs, and one stolen base. Unfortunately, his playing time window appears to be closing with Alvarez set to return to the Mets' starting lineup on Friday night.

Luis Torrens has a 1.038 OPS since Francisco Álvarez’s injury!

Torrens has stepped up and produced as the starting catcher! pic.twitter.com/Ui8Ud1icNx

— Mets'd Up Podcast (@MetsdUp) September 3, 2025

First Basemen

Sal Stewart, Cincinnati Reds

After success at AA and AAA this season (.309/78/20/80/17 over 437 at-bats), the Reds rewarded Stewart with a major league call-up in September. He has two hits over his first nine at-bats in Cincinnati with a run and three strikeouts. His balance skillset should play well down the stretch, and Stewart controlled the strike zone well this year in the minors (15.5% K rate).

Romy Gonzalez, Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox first baseman Romy Gonzalez (23) runs the bases on his three run home run against the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning at Target Field. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

An oblique injury to Roman Anthony has opened up more at-bats for Gonzalez over the past week in the Red Sox's starting lineup. He’s riding a seven-game hitting streak (13-for-29 with two runs and five RBIs). Boston has rotated him mostly at first base (55) and second base (28) this season.

Second Basemen

Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians continue to hit Rocchio at the bottom of their lineup, but he has been starter-worthy in the fantasy market over the past month. He has 28 hits over his last 105 at-bats (.267), with eight runs, three home runs, 17 RBIs, and four stolen bases.

Maximo Acosta, Miami Marlins

Miami placed Connor Norby back on the injured list on Friday, clearing the way for more playing time for Acosta. His bat was impressive over an 18-game stretch for the Marlins from July 27th to September (18-for-68 with 12 runs, six home runs, 17 RBIs, and five steals). Acosta opened 2025 with 110 games at AAA (.234/56/14/51/31 over 394 at-bats). He offers stolen base upside with some power, but his batting average should be a liability.

Maximo Acosta's first career hit was a home run and he had his family in the stands cheering him on! 👏 pic.twitter.com/NUJH1fulAH

— MLB (@MLB) August 21, 2025

Third Basemen

Brooks Baldwin, Chicago White Sox

Over the past week, Baldwin made six starts over seven games for the White Sox. He hit .333 over his 24 at-bats with four runs, three RBIs, and a home run. His bat has been trending higher over his past 18 games (.316/10/2/5/1 over 57 at-bats).

Ke’Bryan Hayes, Cincinnati Reds

Hayes has been trending in a higher direction over his last 68 at-bats, leading to 12 runs, two home runs, eight RBIs, and two steals. His batting average (.324) has been an asset over this span.

Shortstops

Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (3) drives in two runs with a base hit in the fourth inning against the New York Mets at American Family Field. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

After landing on the injured list, Ortiz was cut in many fantasy leagues over the past couple of weeks. The Brewers’ offense was flying high over the first three weeks in August, and their shortstop (.343/14/0/12/2 over 70 at-bats) was part of that ride. His last home run came on July 19th. Ortiz struggled over his first three games (1-for-9) after returning to Milwaukee’s starting lineup. At best, he chips in with occasional power and speed, with a bottom-of-the-order opportunity.

Ha-Seong Kim, Atlanta Braves

The Braves finally have a viable major league starting shortstop, which has been a significant liability in their starting lineup this year. Tampa Bay released him in late August after returning from the injured list. Over his first two games with Atlanta, Kim went 3-for-8 with a run and a game-winning three-run homer. His 2025 season stats (.228/6/3/8/6 over 92 at-bats) won’t jump off the page, but he has the tools to help fantasy teams down the stretch.

Outfielders

Jake Mangum, Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Jake Mangum (28) hits a single against the Cleveland Guardians during the ninth inning at Progressive Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

For fantasy teams looking for a speed out over the final three weeks of September, Mangum has six steals over his last 15 games (23-for-59 with eight runs and five RBIs). Tampa had him in their lineup over the past four days (8-for-15 with two runs, one RBI, and two stolen bases).

Andrew Benintendi, Chicago White Sox

Over his last 57 at-bats, Benintendi has been a winning fantasy bat while being found in the free agent pool in most shallow formats. He hit .368 over this span with nine runs, three home runs, and eight RBIs, with most of that damage over the past 10 days.

Jeremiah Jackson, Baltimore Orioles

Hits keep coming off Jackson’s bat, but most of the fantasy market won’t give him the time of day. He saw his 13-game hitting streak (19-for-57 with nine runs, four home runs, and 13 RBIs) end on Wednesday, when Jackson didn’t have a hit over four at-bats. His swing was in high gear in 2025 at AAA (.377/29/11/22/9 over 162 at-bats), showcasing Jackson’s growth as a player.

Jeremiah Jackson this season:

.321/.351/.519
4 HR
17 RBI
.870 OPS
141 wRC+

He's one of only six players in Orioles history to hit .300+ with 4+ HR in his first 29 games! pic.twitter.com/3a6vPT3NUq

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) September 4, 2025

Trevor Larnach, Minnesota Twins

Heading into Friday night, Larnach has a six-game hitting streak (13-for-24 with two runs, five RBIs, and one steal). He hasn’t put a ball in the seats since August 11th, but his upside tick in contact invites a power surge. Larnach should only be a free agent in about 20% of 12-team leagues.

Starting Pitching

Luis Garcia, Houston Astros

In his 2025 major league debut on Monday, after not starting in the majors since August 26th in 2023 due to an elbow injury, Garcia gave up three runs, three hits, and two home runs over six innings with a win and six strikeouts. His arm also looked sharp over his four rehab starts at AAA (2.60 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts over 17.1 innings). His next two starts after this week come on the road against the Braves and at home vs. the Mariners.

Luis Garcia in his first start since May 1, 2023:

6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

And the win 👏 pic.twitter.com/YL7j6TivHc

— MLB (@MLB) September 1, 2025

Taj Bradley, Minnesota Twins

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Taj Bradley (26) throws to the San Diego Padres in the first inning at Target Field. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Apparently, getting better and learning weren’t in Bradley’s major league game plan with the Rays. Over his last two starts, his right arm was at least serviceable (five runs, 13 baserunners, and one home run over 10.0 innings with 13 strikeouts). Bradley stated that after his August 30th start, he read a batter scoring report for the first time in his career. The chase with him is strikeouts and potential wins, while hoping his ERA and WHIP come along for the ride.

Luis Severino, Athletics

After missing about a month with an oblique issue, Severino pitched well on his first outing (no runs and four baserunners over five innings with four strikeouts) after returning from the injured list. His arm has been trending upward over his last five starts (2.57 ERA, 0.96 ERA, and 26 strikeouts over 28.0 innings).

Tyler Wells, Baltimore Orioles

Wells is another injured arm who has been progressing well at AAA (2.70 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts over 23.1 innings). In his first start this year for Baltimore, he gave up two runs, five baserunners, and one home run over five innings with four strikeouts. He has two favorable matchups (PIT and @CWS) over the next two weeks.

Ryan Weathers, Miami Marlins

The Marlins expect to have Weathers in their starting rotation next week or so after progressing to 4.2 shutout innings with six baserunners and three strikeouts in his last outing (9/4) at AAA. Over his last 21 starts for Miami, he has a 3.56 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts over 111.1 innings.