Week 6 of fantasy baseball highlights key waiver wire pickups, including Ronny Mauricio from the New York Mets. Managers are encouraged to seek upgrades as injuries impact team performance.
Key points
Ronny Mauricio is a top waiver wire pickup this week.
Injuries can impact fantasy baseball outcomes significantly.
Managers should seek upgrades from the free agent pool.
The next six weeks are crucial for fantasy team performance.
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Week 6 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickup: Ronny Mauricio, New York Met
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:
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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.
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.
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.
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.
Week 6 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Second Basemen
Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana
Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana (37) reacts after striking out in his first MLB at bat in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. | David Richard-Imagn Images
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.
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.
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).
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.
Minnesota Twins shortstop Brooks Lee (22) hits a single against the Seattle Marinersa during the eighth inning at Target Field. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
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.
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.
Week 6 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickup: Nathan Church, St. Louis Cardinal
St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) gets the game ball after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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.
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.
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).