Week 4 Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Who to add, who to drop with Noah Schultz getting the call for Chicago

Go add Noah Schultz. The White Sox's top pitching prospect is getting the call to make his MLB debut Tuesday after putting up a 1.29 ERA in his first 14 innings of the season, and Scott White tabbed him as a priority pickup when news of his promotion came down over the weekend. Schultz isn't a can't-miss prospect – is any young pitcher? – but he has very good stuff and could be the kind of pitcher who catches fire and helps carry your Fantasy rotation for a while.

Of course, it's easy to say "go pick this guy up!" You should! But roster spots aren't infinite, and there is opportunity cost to every move you want to make. Looking at my bench in one league, my most droppable players are either Cole Young or Kyle Manzardo, a couple of very interesting young breakout picks I don't want to give up on quite yet. But if I want to add Schultz or anyone else this week, I'm going to have to make some decisions I don't necessarily want to make.

Well, that's Fantasy Baseball for you! If every decision was easy, it wouldn't be a decision, would it? So, before we get to this week's targets to add, here are 10 players I'm good with dropping this week:

10 players you can drop with a roster rate over 50%

• Alejandro Kirk, C, Blue Jays (69%) – Obviously if you have the IL spot to play with, go ahead and hang on to him. But in any one-catcher league with any kind of limited IL space, I don't think Kirk is worth waiting until possibly June for.
• Luis Garcia, 1B, Nationals (55%) – There's some moderate power/speed appeal here, but in points leagues, he's a part-timer who can't hit lefties and just doesn't do enough to justify a roster spot. Chase upside.
• Ernie Clement, 2B, Blue Jays (66%) – Look, a .300 average is a .300 average, but … that's it. Well, and the eligibility at pretty much every spot, that's a nice bonus. But he's such a limited hitter that he's just a "nice-to-have" guy. You should be aiming for more.
• Noelvi Marte, 3B, Reds (63%) – Marte has started eight of the Reds' first 16 games. He hasn't hit higher than seventh in any of them. I still have some faith in the bat, but we haven't seen it since August of last year and he's a defensive liability. If you need the roster spot, you can let him go.
• Jose Caballero, SS, Yankees (61%) – Caballero is the most "stolen base specialist" player in baseball. He has almost no appeal in H2H points leagues, and he really only has appeal in a single category in Roto. Unless you're dying for speed, he's an easy drop.
• Kerry Carpenter, OF, Tigers (85%) – "What are you talking about, Chris? Carpenter has started every game so far! This is what we've always wanted!" Take a guess at how many lefty starters the Tigers have faced so far this season. Time's up, it's zero. Carpenter is a righty masher, and unfortunately, he hasn't even taken advantage of this schedule so far.
• Heliot Ramos, OF, (54%) – Ramos is a nice guy for a 15-teamer, because he's going to play everyday and get his 20-ish homers and decent-ish counting stats by the end of the year. But in shallow leagues, he just doesn't bring the kind of upside you need to ride out the slow stretches.

Week 4 Waiver Targets

Catcher

Carter Jensen, Royals (66%)

He just needed a wake-up call. Get it? Jensen earned himself a little benching after he missed his alarm clock, and then went on to homer three times in his next seven games. He started six of the next eight games and figures to remain a fixture in the club's lineup moving forward, either as DH or catcher. He'll need to cut his 38% strikeout rate down, of course, but the power and plate discipline are real and could give him top-12 upside. There's no reason Kirk should be more widely rostered than Jensen.

Deep league option:Victor Caratini, Twins (6%) – Caratini isn't a great hitter, but he's decent enough to matter as a No. 2 catcher, especially when he has started 13 of the first 15 games for the Twins. That playing time edge matters at a position where most guys sit 2-3 times a week.

First Base

Josh Bell, Twins (33%)

There's always a stretch where Bell is a super useful Fantasy option. It usually doesn't last the entire season, but for a month or two (sometimes even three!) every year, you're happy to have Bell around, and this season, he's starting early. And what's even more impressive is he's doing it during an unusually lefty-heavy stretch of the schedule, which usually trips Bell up. He's hitting the ball to the pull side in the air more than usual which is helping make up for an elevated strikeout rate. Again, it won't last, but I'm happy to ride the hot streak as long as I can.

Deep league option:Rhys Hoskins, Guardians (9%) – Hoskins hasn't really gotten hot yet, but he's playing plenty for the Guardians and still has some pop in that bat. There's still 25-homer potential here.

Second Base

Max Muncy, Athletics (64%)

Muncy is super locked in right now. He's spraying hard hit balls all over the field, sporting a 95.8 mph average exit velocity. He's not the new Aaron Judge, but it's a good sign for a guy with a pretty intriguing power/speed skill set. The .300 average is a mirage given the strikeout issues, but Muncy is showing enough to at least be worth adding to see if he can keep something like this going, especially given his terrific home park.

Deep league option:Sam Antonacci, White Sox (16%) – There are some reports indicating that Antonacci is on the verge of making his MLB debut, perhaps as soon as Tuesday of this week. Antonacci isn't a can't-miss prospect, but he has strong contact skills, plenty of speed, and could establish himself as a top-of-the-lineup option for the White Sox before long. There might be average-ish raw power here too, with some signs since late last season that he is tapping into it a bit more. We're probably not talking about 20-homer upside, but double digits with a bunch of steals could be possible.

Third Base

Colt Keith, Tigers (63%)

Like Carpenter, Keith is getting more playing time than usual thanks to the righty-heavy stretch the Tigers have found themselves in to open the season, but unlike Carpenter, he's actually taking advantage of it. Keith has been one of the biggest gainers in average bat speed this season and it's led to big production in the early going, including a .354 average and seven doubles in 14 games. The playing time could be iffier moving forward when they face more lefties, but the skill changes here are interesting enough to merit a second look.

Mark Vientos, Mets (49%)

With Jorge Polanco limited to DH duties while dealing with an Achilles injury, Vientos suddenly finds himself with an everyday role. He's gone a bit cold over the past five games or so, but let's not forget this is a guy who hit 27 homers two years ago, and he's making a lot more contact in the early going. I'm skeptical it's going to amount to much in the long run, but the opportunity is there.

Deep league option: Curtis Mead, Nationals (2%) – You're going to see a bunch of Nats on this list throughout the season, because well … They're a bad team. Which means they're probably going to cycle through a bunch of options all over the field hoping one or two of them becomes a long-term contributor. In Mead's case, he's only 25 and a career .298/.372/.506 hitter throughout his minor-league career, so it's a more interesting bet than most. Right now, Mead is primarily the short-side platoon option at first base, but it's not at all inconceivable that he could carve out a bigger role.

Shortstop

Jose Fernandez, Diamondbacks (19%)

Life finds a way. When Fernandez came up and hit two homers in his MLB debut, the obvious question was, "Yeah, but where is he going to play?" With Carlos Santana on the IL with an adductor strain, first base (and a little DH) is the answer. Fernandez hasn't homered again in 10 games since, but he does have three multi-hit games in his past five while showing off high-end bat speed and solid contact skills. He's coming off a .272/.321/.454 line with 17 homers and 12 steals as a 21-year-old at Double-A last season and has the chance to take a job and run with it.

Deep league option:Nasim Nunez, Nationals (17%) – There's no bat to speak of here, but Nunez will draw a few walks, slap a few singles, and steal a bunch of bases – seven and counting in 13 games. He doesn't have Jose Caballero's positional flexibility, but he might be an even better bet for speed.

Outfield

Daylen Lile, Nationals (72%)

The production hasn't been there yet, which is why Lile's roster rate is starting to dip. I'm not worried. The plus contact skills and athleticism are still there, and while he isn't crushing the ball, he's hitting it hard enough to still think there will be plenty of extra-base hits here in the future. Lile still profiles as a .280-plus hitter with double-digit power and speed. I'm not giving up.

Owen Caissie, Marlins (71%)

It's been a bit feast-or-famine for Caissie lately, with a three-hit, two-double game Thursday sandwiched between a bunch of hitless efforts. There's a bit too much swing-and-miss here at present, too. But the plus power has been on display with the 91.6 mph average exit velocity and 25% barrel rate, and the underlying plate discipline metrics aren't quite as scary as the 37% strikeout rate would make you believe. Caissie is going to be fine. He's going to be a big-time power hitter.

Jorge Soler, Angels (29%)

The case for Soler is a lot like the case for Bell: We know he's going to go on a crazy tear at some point, and you want to be along for the ride when it happens. He homered in three straight games this week, so if you're looking for an outfielder, why not hop aboard and see if he can keep it going?

Angel Martinez, Guardians (20%)

Martinez opened last season hot, hitting .333 with a .778 OPS in April before ultimately collapsing. It's a high-contact skill set, and while Martinez's foot speed is pretty average, he's been an active baserunner so far, swiping four bags. With eligibility at second base and in the outfield, he could be a useful speed and average combo.

Troy Johnston, Rockies (18%)

The Rockies are doing a bunch of mixing and matching but Johnston has been a pretty consistent part of the lineup. Is his .283/.327/.478 line real? Probably not, but there are solid contact skills that will be elevated by the effects of Coors Field, and I do think he'll at least be pretty good at home.

Starting Pitcher

Mick Abel, Twins (39%)

The first couple of starts from Abel were pretty rough, as he walked as many as he struck out (seven) over his first 7.1 innings of work and probably had you wondering what all the fuss was about. But he got on track Thursday against the Tigers, striking out six over six shutout innings. The fastball still looks like a really good swing-and-miss pitch when he locates it well, and I still think it makes sense to bet on him figuring it out over other more stream-ier types out there.

Randy Vasquez, Padres (63%)

There's definitely something here. With the added tick and a half or so of velocity, Vasquez's fastball has become more of a swing-and-miss weapon and has allowed the rest of the arsenal to play up, leading to eight strikeouts in two of his first three starts, with only one run allowed in his first 17.2 innings of work total. The home park helps, too. I'm not buying Vasquez as a high-level bat misser or anything, but even a slightly above-average strikeout rate could go a long way to keeping him viable.

Jeffrey Springs, Athletics (67%)

I don't really buy Springs' hot start, but his most recent start against the Yankees gave some reasons for optimism. After relying mostly on soft contact in his first two starts, he dialed in his slider and missed a bunch more bats Thursday. Let's not forget, this was a guy with a 26% strikeout rate two seasons ago, and though that was in a limited sample size, he does now have 13 strikeouts in his past two starts, and now the schedule shows starts against the White Sox, at the Rangers (a great park to pitch in), and against the Guardians in his next three. He could keep this up.

Spencer Arrighetti, Astros (27%)

The Astros rotation is falling apart stunningly quickly. Cristian Javier followed Hunter Brown to the IL with a shoulder injury of his own this weekend, and now Tatsuya Imai is dealing with a "tired arm," putting his status in question for at least the short term. Enter Arrighetti? It hasn't been announced, but with 20 strikeouts to six walks in 14.1 innings in his first three Triple-A starts, you have to think he's coming, right? Injuries wrecked what was supposed to be Arrighetti's breakout season, but let's not forget that Arrighetti had a 3.18 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 65 innings in the second half of the 2024 season. There's still some upside here if and when he gets the chance.

Relief Pitcher

Joey Cantillo, Guardians (68%)

I'm not the biggest believer in Cantillo's – his changeup is awesome, but I'm not sure the rest of the arsenal is more than average – but he has a 3.11 ERA since the start of last season, misses plenty of bats, and has a two-start week on the way. I'm starting him in all points leagues, at least.

Jakob Junis, Rangers (22%)

Junis probably isn't an elite closer, or anything. He doesn't miss enough bats, with just four strikeouts in his first seven innings this season (and well below a strikeout per inning last season). But he's a quality reliever who seems to have emerged as the Rangers top option in the ninth inning, so if you're chasing saves, he's worth a look.