Opening Day is in the rearview and the MLB season is underway. There has been a lot of conversation about torpedo bats, but that may have cost your fantasy baseball team in Week 1. If it did, you are probably looking at the waiver wire to get the 2025 fantasy baseball season off to a solid start. We have the five best pickups for the upcoming week across all scoring systems.
Each of the players on the list is claimed in less than half of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues. Our Week 1 list featured Nathan Eovaldi in the top spot, who threw a Maddux shutout against the Reds on Monday. If you followed that advice, we have you covered for Week 2. If your opponent took that advice, be sure to beat them to the wire this week.
Without any further ado, here is the top five waiver wire pickups for Week 2 of the 2025 fantasy baseball season.
Week 2 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups
#1: Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland DH (Rostered: 19.1%)
Last year, Manzardo only had 20 plate appearances against left-handed pitching and had a .566 OPS. This year, he already has six with a 2.881 OPS. While that is an unsustainable offensive clip, it does show that the Guardians will use Manzardo against lefties more this year. If you’re DH is struggling to start the year like Rafael Devers or you have Giancarlo Stanton in a keeper league, Manzardo’s hot start is worth betting on.
The Guardians have an easy schedule on paper this week, with series against the Angels and White Sox. While those teams have played surprisingly well so far, Cleveland should be up for the challenge in both series. Manzardo will be key to the Guardians’ success this year, and he should keep the good start rolling.
#2: Brady Singer, Cincinnati SP (Rostered: 43.4%)
Singer was fantastic in his first start with the Cincinnati Reds. He threw seven shutout innings against the Texas Rangers on Monday, helping secure a 14-3 win for the Reds. If you can pick him up before Saturday, he will face a struggling Brewers offense and a lackluster Pirates attack in his next two starts. That is a solid runway for a pitcher who will be important to Cincinnati’s season this year.
After that 14-3 domination of Texas, the Reds lost consecutive games 1-0. Fantasy baseball stars Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain went quiet in those games, as did the rest of the offense. Cincy will have to pick it back up to keep pace in the NL Central early in the season. Two divisional series where those stars will be under the spotlight should be good for Singer’s win total.
#3: Tyler O’Neill, Baltimore OF (Rostered: 44.3%)
In our last waiver wire rankings, we said that someone had to hit home runs for the Orioles this year. That turned out to be Tyler O’Neill, who smoked his sixth consecutive Opening Day blast against the Blue Jays. He has five total RBIs and a remarkable .571 batting average to start the year. Baltimore’s road trip takes them to two hitter-friendly parks, Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City and Chase Field in Arizona.
Fantasy baseball players will want to keep an eye on the Orioles in the early going this season. Despite last year’s late-season collapse, they have come out of the gates firing this year. Adley Rutschman is back to his normal self, Jackson Holliday has been great, and Jordan Westburg is off to a nice start. It is a team to watch for waiver wire pickups outside of O’Neill.
#4: Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics 1b (Rostered: 32.4%)
The Sacramento era of Athletics baseball has begun, and the ball is flying out of Sutter Health Park. Despite some bad losses to start the year, you can still bet on the Athletics’ offense by picking up Soderstrom in fantasy baseball. He has three homers and four RBIs to start the year with a .348 batting average. This is the perfect time to pick him up, as their only road series before April 15 is in Colorado.
The Athletics may be an important team for fantasy baseball managers this year. If their park proves to be an offensive haven, it will determine matchups on both sides of the ball. And Sacramento is not a one-year solution either, as the Athletics will be staying there until at least 2027.
#5: Luke Weaver, Yankees reliever (Rostered: 30.7%)
The Yankees’ ideal victory features Luke Weaver pitching the eighth inning and handing it off to Devin Williams. That could lead to a lot of holds, which are key in fantasy baseball. He also racks up the strikeouts when he is on, which will help players in every scoring system. Pitching coach Matt Blake turned Weaver from one of the worst qualified starters in baseball in 2023 to a World Series closer in 2024. With Williams behind him, it should be a solid season for Weaver.
While the Yankees dominated Opening Weekend with torpedo bat conversation, their bullpen cost them in their first loss of the season. Mark Leiter Jr allowed a game-winning grand slam to Eugenio Suarez on Tuesday to secure a Diamondbacks victory. After that, Aaron Boone may stay with the top-line guys for a few days.
The post 2025 Fantasy Baseball: Top 5 waiver wire pickups for Week 2 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
