With little time remaining in the 2025 MLB season, the focus continues to be players with favorable upcoming schedules or temporary bumps in playing time for fantasy baseball. There are plenty of names on this list, and hopefully there’s something for everyone.
One more note: don’t be afraid to drop core players in favor of streamers at this point in the season. In the second half of September, having a good week is the only goal. If someone who is typically a lineup lock has a difficult upcoming schedule, they may need to go to waivers.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups
Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Guardians, 23%: Manzardo has emerged as a reliable power source. The slugger provided 10 homers and 27 RBI across July and August and, in September, has gone deep three while posting a 1.126 OPS. The left-handed hitter typically fares best against righties, and starting on Saturday, Cleveland will face right-handers in eight of the next nine games.
Otto Lopez, 2B/SS, Marlins, 34%: Lopez is on a roll, having slashed .344/.382/.531 in September. This is a good time to add him, as the Marlins will open next week at Coors Field against a Rockies pitching staff that has logged a 6.57 ERA at home. Managers in head-to-head matchups will want some shares of Miami’s lineup for that series.
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Edmundo Sosa, 2B/3B/SS, Phillies, 2%: Sosa is someone to consider in deep leagues, as he has a respectable .734 OPS this season and has fared well when pressed into a full-time role. With Trea Turner out until the postseason, Sosa will be the Phillies’ starting shortstop for the remainder of the campaign.
Ryan McMahon, 3B, Yankees, 29%: Although McMahon often hits near the bottom of the lineup, a case can be made that hitting anywhere in the Yankees order is better than his previous lot in life as a member of the Rockies. The veteran has posted an unimpressive .692 OPS with New York, but should be able to improve on that number next week, when the Yankees play seven games against teams (Twins, Orioles) who have lacked pitching depth since the trade deadline. It also helps the lefty hitter that New York will face righties in six of the seven games.
Josh Lowe, OF, Rays, 46%: Lowe has hit well of late, posting a .977 OPS since August 30. And he has shown a career-long pattern of faring best against right-handers, against whom he has logged a .784 OPS (.520 OPS vs. lefties). His tendencies put Lowe in perfect position to excel next week, when the Rays face righties…