Fantasy Baseball: Week 4 Waiver Wire First Basemen

The quest to solve a first base or corner issue is much more challenging in deep formats, and 12-team leagues bring questionable starting options midway through April.

Nick Kurtz smoked this ball 444 feet!

He was the 4th overall pick in last year's draft and is @MLBPipeline's No. 38 overall prospect. #SpringTraining pic.twitter.com/vMJThU8ES6
— MLB (@MLB) March 8, 2025

1B Nick Kurtz, ATH

After a blistering start to his AAA season (13-game hitting streak – 22-for-57 with 14 runs, seven home runs, and 21 RBIs), Kurtz has two hits over his last 16 at-bats with two runs and one RBI while seeing a bump in his strikeouts (7).

Tyler Soderstrom (.315 over 73 at-bats with 17 runs, nine home runs, and 18 RBIs) has been exceptional out of the gate for the A’s at first base. His success blocks Kurtz, and Brent Rooker has been clogging up their DH slot in the batting order. The Athletics gave Rooker three starts in the outfield so far this season, a sign that they want to find a way to get Kurtz in their major league starting lineup.

Matt Mervis, MIA

Matt Mervis golfs out his fourth homer of the season 🏌 pic.twitter.com/rYfdBr0eCF
— MLB (@MLB) April 12, 2025

Despite success in home runs (9-for-31 with six runs, six home runs, and 11 RBIs) over his last 10 games, Mervis remains a free agent in most shallow leagues. His strikeout rate (44.1) over this span invites job loss risk, but the Marlins' top first prospect (Deyvison De Los Santos) has yet to hit his power stride at AAA (.263/5/0/7/2 over 57 at-bats) due to a high strikeout rate (35.4).’

Last season, De Los Santos had a stellar season between AA and AAA (.293 over 540 at-bats with 89 runs, 40 home runs, and 120 RBIs).

Miami faced five right-handed pitchers next week (CIN and @SEA), giving Mervis short-term value for fantasy teams looking to cover an injury. De Los Santos is a player to follow over the next couple of months.

Ryan O’Hearn, BAL

The Orioles continue to use O’Hearn as a platoon player against right-handed pitchers, making him less desirable in shallow formats. On the positive side, he is 9-for-24 over his last nine games with five runs, three home runs, five RBIs, and one stolen base.

Baltimore has an unfavorable schedule for his playing time over the next two weeks (five lefties over 12 matchups). At best, O’Hearn is a matchup player in deep formats, with three playable splits (two righties and one lefty in three-game lineup pockets).

Other Options: Andrew Vaughn, Carlos Santana, Josh Bell, Jeimer Candelario, Gavin Sheets

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