Major news dropped last night when it was announced that Aaron Judge was dealing with a stress fracture in his ribs. Arguably the most valuable fantasy asset, Judge will be reassessed in 4-6 weeks. The best-case scenario for the hulking slugger is a return around All-Star break, but there is a significant chance that he will be out until August. Although managers with Judge certainly aren’t the only ones scouring the waiver wire today, they are surely the most desperate.
The good news is that the list of available hitters is the best one we have seen in several weeks. And five of the six hitters mentioned in today’s article have outfield eligibility. Since power numbers are the key component of Judge’s game, many managers in category leagues will opt to replace him with the best slugger on the waiver wire. Others may decide that they have plenty of help in that area and instead use his absence to add a speedster. And in certain scenarios, managers will move Judge to the IL, activate a hitter from their bench and use the free roster spot on a pitcher.
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Either way, this is an opportunity to turn some lemons into lemonade. Let’s look at the options:
Hitters to add
Luke Raley, 1B/OF, Mariners, 30%: Managers who need to replace Judge with a slugger can target Raley, who has the highest homer total (13) of anyone who is available in the majority of Yahoo leagues. The 31-year-old is even more appealing given that most of his 2026 production has come of late, as he hit .328 with eight homers and 18 RBI in May. Nearly all of Raley’s production comes against right-handers, which makes it easy to maximize lineup production in leagues with daily transactions.
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Carson Benge, OF, Mets, 33%: I’m not sure what fantasy managers are waiting for with Benge. The rookie has immense upside, which is the reason that the Mets made the bold move to put him on the Opening Day roster. And after a slow start, he hit .306 with 19 runs and 15 RBI during May. Benge is working as the Mets’ leadoff hitter and has opened June in dominant fashion (1.058 OPS) while batting in front of Bo Bichette and Juan Soto. He should be rostered in 12-team, 3-outfielder leagues and any 5-outfielder format.
Carlos Cortes, OF, Athletics, 11%: Although not the world’s best fielder, Cortes has proven over 91 career games that he can flat-out hit. The 28-year-old has logged a lifetime .894 OPS, which includes an impressive .322/.406/.503 slash line this season. The left-handed hitter is the Athletics’ leadoff man against righties but sits against southpaws, which makes his playing time easy to predict in leagues with daily transactions. And like many of his teammates, Cortes may be helped by the hitter-friendly nature of Sutter Health Park as the weather warms up.
Sam Antonacci, 2B/3B/OF, White Sox, 25%: Antonacci has quickly emerged as the exact player he was predicted to be when he debuted on April 15. The 23-year-old knows his skill set, as he keeps his batted balls on a low trajectory and uses his fleet feet to collect hits and swipe bases. The White Sox use the lefty hitter out of the leadoff spot against righties, and unlike Cortes, Antonacci stays in the lineup versus southpaws. Hitting .291 with 27 runs and eight steals in 151 at-bats, he should continue to be a reliable three-category contributor who is easy to fit into a lineup thanks to his multi-position eligibility.
Jake McCarthy, OF, Rockies, 17%: This one was easy to predict. A speedy player who keeps his batted balls on the ground and makes plenty of contact, McCarthy seemed like a perfect match for Coors Field as soon as the Rockies acquired him in January. The results have so far been excellent, with McCarthy hitting .284 with 10 steals, primarily thanks to his excellence at home (.952 OPS). The 29-year-old has played well enough on the road to stay in fantasy lineups in five-outfielder leagues, and he is a streaming option during homestands in shallow formats.
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Curtis Mead, 1B/3B, Nationals, 29%: A productive but top-heavy Nats lineup may have found its third baseman and No. 3 hitter in Mead. Formerly a notable prospect with the Rays, the 25-year-old has logged an .823 OPS that ranks him third among Washington players with at least 75 at-bats. Hitting in between James Wood and CJ Abrams should lead to plenty of counting stats, especially if Mead can maintain his 13.1% walk rate and 10.5% barrel rate.
Pitchers to add
Dustin May, SP, Cardinals, 25%: I’m as guilty as anyone of using arbitrary endpoints to prove a point. But for May, it’s easy. If we take away the right-hander’s initial two starts of the season and track his numbers for exactly two months since April 5, we will find a waiver wire gem with a 3.19 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 53:16 K:BB ratio. In addition to preventing runs, May has found some swing-and-miss in his game by striking out 28 batters over his past four starts.
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Gage Jump, SP, Athletics, 13%: After dealing with poor BABIP luck in his debut, Jump allowed four baserunners over seven innings of one-run ball during his second start. The southpaw has been filling the strike zone in the majors, which is great news for a prospect who had control issues at times in the minors. A challenging home park and mediocre Athletics bullpen lower Jump’s ceiling, but he remains a notable prospect who is off to a solid start. That’s enough reason to be rostered in 12-team leagues.
Jacob Latz, SP/RP, Rangers, 38%: Thanks to improved swing-and-miss skills (26.5% strikeout rate), Latz has emerged as the Rangers’ closer. The lefty has earned eight of the team’s past nine saves, and he has produced excellent ratios this season, which include a 2.00 ERA, 0.59 WHIP and 26:5 K:BB ratio. Although not necessarily World Series contenders, Texas is a roughly .500 team, which should be good enough to get Latz plenty of save chances this summer.
Hitters with favorable weekend matchups
Jake Bauers, 1B/OF, Brewers, 48%: Bauers has generated little fantasy buzz despite enjoying a solid season that includes 10 homers, 36 RBI, four steals and a .269 average. In fact, even in a talented Brewers lineup, his .839 OPS ranks second among players who have logged at least 75 at-bats. The lefty slugger will be perfectly positioned for success this weekend, when he plays at Coors Field against a Rockies pitching staff that ranks last in baseball with a 5.46 ERA.
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Brooks Lee, 2B/3B/SS, Twins, 38%: Lee has been consistent and productive this season, which has resulted in eight homers, 35 RBI and 26 runs scored. He could continue to compile counting stats this weekend when he faces mediocre Royals starters in two of three games and a Kansas City bullpen that ranks 28th in baseball with a 5.01 ERA. And with triple-position eligibility, Lee is easy to fit into lineups.
Pitchers to stream this weekend (ranked in order of preference)
Cade Cavalli @ ARI (Sunday, 46% rostered)
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Zebby Matthews vs. KC (Friday, 30%)
Foster Griffin @ ARI (Friday, 47)
Gage Jump @ HOU (Sunday, 13)
Michael McGreevy vs. CIN (Sunday, 36)
Sean Manaea @ SD (Sunday, 12)
Randy Vasquez vs. NYM (Sunday, 43)
Christian Scott @ SD (Friday, 21)
Trevor McDonald @ CHC (Sunday, 11)
Joey Cantillo @ TEX (Sunday, 31)
Jameson Taillon vs. SF (Sunday, 16)
Spencer Miles vs. BAL (Saturday, 5)
Sean Burke @ PHI (Saturday, 29)
Peter Lambert vs. ATH (Friday, 22)
Griffin Jax @ MIA (Sunday, 31)
Noah Cameron @ MIN (Sunday, 23)
Jack Leiter vs. CLE (Saturday, 41)
Kumar Rocker vs. CLE (Friday, 11)
Rhett Lowder @ STL (Sunday, 6)
