Working the Waiver Wire: May 15

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  • By Larry Vannozzi

    Last Updated on May 15, 2026 1:39 pm by Paul Williamson | Published: May 15, 2026

    I sure hope you followed my suggestions last week! J.J. Bleday is on FIRE with two homers and nine RBI in his first three games this week. Joey Cantillo already has one win this week and should have a second strong start this weekend in a favorable matchup against the Reds away from Great American Ball Park.

    Ok, enough with the shameless back-patting. Let’s see the new players to consider claiming off the wire!

    * 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. *

    Connor Prielipp – SP – Twins – 12%

    Twins pitcher Connor Prielipp starts tomorrow’s game against the Brewers, so you need to add him right now. Go ahead, I’ll wait….

    Ok, you’re back. Nice work! You now have a starting pitcher with a 3.32 ERA, sparkling 1.00 WHIP and a 26.6% strikeout rate.

    Admittedly, we have to be a little careful here. Prielipp’s excellent stats are based on the rookie’s first four MLB starts (small sample size alert). Prielipp has an extensive injury history, too, and the Twins are already managing his workload as he was originally going to start Thursday’s game but that was delayed until Saturday.

    Prielipp hasn’t exceeded 82.2 innings in a professional season and I’m not suggesting that we’ll get a 150-inning workhorse the rest of the year. Instead, we have a rookie SP who is off to an excellent start, so why not jump aboard and see where this train heads? You must have at least one or two injured SPs so use Prielipp to fill that gap.

     

    Spencer Steer – 1B/OF – Reds – 21% 

    Spencer Steer hit 20-23 homers in each of the past three seasons but was an afterthought in 12-team fantasy drafts. Why? Well, his .230-ish batting average of the past two seasons sent fantasy managers elsewhere.

    Steer’s season got off to an iffy start. However, his improved contact rate and swing decisions in the past few weeks have produced a hot streak. He has hit .300 so far this month and is up to seven homers (that’s a 25+ homer pace over a full season). His barrel rate and exit velocities are significantly improved. His expected stats show that he could perform even better.

    I’m certainly not guaranteeing that he’ll hit .300 the rest of the way, but he’s worthy of a roster spot. He is hot right now, hits in a great home park and summer heat is coming soon. That is an excellent mix for any fantasy team in need of help at first base or outfield.

     


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    May 15, 2026, 1:39 pm