Week 14 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Gary Sanchez, Nolan Gorman Lead Infielders

A look at the latest fantasy baseball risers across catcher and infield positions, featuring breakout bats, injury replacements, and deep-league waiver wire gems to watch heading into the second half of 2025.

Baltimore Orioles Catcher Gary Sanchez / Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

With the MLB season heating up, fantasy managers are scrambling for infield help—and this week’s crop of catchers, corner bats, and middle infielders offers a mix of red-hot breakouts and under-the-radar stashes.

Catchers

Gary Sanchez, Baltimore Orioles

The @Orioles have erased a 6-run deficit!

Gary Sánchez gives Baltimore the lead in the 5th! #FridayNightBaseball pic.twitter.com/2llfFAnNeo

— MLB (@MLB) June 28, 2025

For the fantasy teams that missed out on Sanchez in shallow leagues last week, Sanchez upped his success for the Orioles over the past 10 games (12-for-33 with nine runs, four home runs, and 14 RBIs). Adley Rutschman is out through the All-Star break, giving Sanchez a couple of more weeks to help fantasy teams.

Victor Caratini, Houston Astros

Caratini doubled his home run output over his last eight games. He went 8-for-26 (.308) with four runs, three home runs, and seven RBIs. His success makes him a bridge-catching option in deep and shallow formats until a better long-term option emerges.

First Basemen

Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland Guardians

After a frustrating 20 games (11-for-65 with four runs, one home run, and five RBIs), fantasy teams started to peel Manzardo off their rosters. He hit .364 over his last 22 at-bats with two runs, one home run, and one RBI, making him one of the better free-agent first base options in shallow leagues. Manzardo checks the power box, but he must improve his batting average to address his weaknesses in runs and RBIs.

Colt Keith, Detroit Tigers

In shallow formats, Keith continues to be a challenging ride due to his off days against left-handed pitching. His bat showed a power spark over his last 10 games (.258/5/2/5 over 31 at-bats), giving a hint of a better second half of the season. He takes walks (11.8%) with a slightly favorable strikeout rate (20.6).

Second Basemen

Nick Gonzales, Pittsburgh Pirates

Gonzales has been a helpful batting average bat (.339) over his last 62 at-bats. Over this span, he scored six runs with two home runs and seven RBIs. His ceiling in power and speed is relatively low at this point in his career, making Gonzales only viable for fantasy teams already in home runs and RBIs.

Nolan Gorman, St. Louis Cardinals

Nolan Gorman's home run tonight places him in sole possession of the third-most long balls (66) in franchise history for second basemen. Julian Javier (76) and Rogers Hornsby (193) sit ahead of him. #STLCards pic.twitter.com/wAABHaShmt

— Thomas Gauvain (@thomasgauvain) June 25, 2025

Over the past three weeks, Gorman has hit his way into more playing time for the Cardinals. He has 15 hits over his last 57 at-bats with nine runs, four home runs, and 10 RBIs despite striking out 19 times (29.2%). His power is his main attraction, but Gorman can chip in with some speed while continuing to bring batting average risk.

Third Basemen

Luis Rengifo, Los Angeles Angels

For the fantasy teams that haven’t followed Rengifo closely over his career, he tends to be a better second-half player. His bat was off the mark over his first 199 at-bats (.206/15/1/12/1), leading to him being launched into the free agent pool in many leagues.

Rengifo started to find his rhythm at the plate over his last 15 games (.275 over 51 at-bats with three home runs, six RBIs, and one steal). He has plenty of work to do to correct his poor start to the year, starting with stealing more bags. There’s more here than meets the eye.

Caleb Durbin, Milwaukee Brewers

For the fantasy teams that weathered the storm with Durbin, his bat has started to pay off over his last 12 games (15-for-43 with 13 runs, two home runs, seven RBIs, and one steal). Durbin was expected to bring an edge in speed, which should emerge with continued success at the plate.

Shortstops

Brooks Lee, Minnesota Twins

Brooks Lee adds on with a solo homer 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/lbZ6trFO6P

— MLB (@MLB) June 26, 2025

Over his last 14 games, Lee has had a hit in all but one game, leading to a .364 batting average over 55 at-bats with seven runs, three home runs, and nine RBIs. His production over his previous 96 at-bats (.344/12/4/14/1) paints a winning ceiling if repeated over the rest of the year.

Joey Ortiz, Milwaukee Brewers

The excitement in Ortiz picked up over his last nine games. He went 14-for-36 with six runs, two home runs, nine RBIs, and one stolen base. Before this hot streak, Ortiz crushed fantasy teams over two and a half months (.185/25/2/10/7 over 216 at-bats). His 15/15 skill set tends to have more value in deep formats, but Ortiz could work as a bridge middle infield option in 12-team leagues when he’s playing well.

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