Working the Waiver Wire: June 5

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  • By Larry Vannozzi

    Last Updated on June 5, 2026 4:39 pm by Paul Williamson | Published: June 5, 2026

    Every team has played at least 60 games and the calendar shows June, so we are solidly in the middle third of the season. How did that happen so fast? Weren’t we drafting just a couple weeks ago? Seems like it. Man, time flies.

    Actively scouring your waiver wire is still a great way to hunt for performance, value and injury replacements. At SportsEthos, we’re pumping out these “Working the Waiver Wire” articles three times each week so that you receive great ideas for claims frequently throughout the season. Are you ready for a fresh batch of ideas as we head into the weekend? If so, see below!

    * Note: Although all listed roster percentages are from Yahoo, at the time of the writing of this article, most of our waiver wire recommendations are widely available across all major platforms. *

     

    Jung Hoo Lee – OF – Giants – 17%

    Sometimes, a guy is so hot that you simply must roster him. This is one of those times.

    Jung Hoo Lee is absolutely on fire. After missing 10 days with a back strain in mid-May, Lee returned to play a series at Coors last weekend. He went bonkers (11-for-15!!) then stayed hot early this week despite facing a much better Brewers staff. He went 8-for-14 in that series which brought his seven-day tally to 19-for-29. You read that correctly – he is hitting .655 for the past week!

    Is that too good to be true? Yes. Will it last long? Of course not. However, when a player is this hot, you jump aboard for the ride knowing that you’ll need to jump off in due time.

    Lee and the Giants play at Wrigley Field this weekend when the wind will surely blow out at least one game. Things look even better early next week when the Giants play at the Nationals. The Nats, by the way, have been a bottom 10 pitching staff over the past 30 days… and bottom 5 staff against left-handed hitters (yes, Lee is a lefty!). So, pick up Lee ASAP and hold him through at least the Nats series, then reevaluate his status on your team.

    Joc Pederson – Util – Rangers – 10%

    Here’s another player who is hot and worth a waiver claim. Pederson isn’t as hot as Lee but he brings better HR and RBI potential.

    Pederson has been a very streaky player at times over his career. He is on another one of his patented hot streaks by going 13-for-44 (.295) with five homers and 12 RBI just in the past two weeks. That level of production plays in any fantasy format.

    He has some of the best walk and strikeout rates of his career and his exit velocities are in line with those of his past few years. A note of caution, though: his bat speed and contact rates are noticeably lower this year.

    Pederson’s UTIL designation limits his appeal a tad but try hard to find a way to add him to your team. Enjoy the hot hand but be ready to send him back to the wire as soon as he cools off, probably within the next couple weeks.

     


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    June 5, 2026, 4:39 pm