5/31/26 Lab Reports

LAB REPORTS

FAAB | Waiver Pickups

By: The Lab | 05/31/26

Let's get settled on who we should be adding to our teams today.

Shallow Leagues:

Jared Jones - Go get him if he's somehow still available in your league. His first MLB start back from elbow surgery was a mixed bag, so some might not have jumped on adding him due to the box score. Don't weigh results over process with a guy like Jones. His Fastball velocity was up, and that's his calling card pitch. Well, that and the Slider. He was basically a 2-pitch guy when we last saw him. But on Friday, he used his Changeup and Curveball nearly 50% of the time against Lefties. And all 3 of the SL/CU/CH looked spectacular in both Stuff grades and visually to the eye. I'm not positive Jones will immediately be a Top-30 guy starting tomorrow. But I am pretty sure that day is coming, and sooner than we think. He needs to be on your team, add him, trade for him, whatever it takes.

Christian Scott - He's still unowned in far too many leagues. He's got former top-prospect pedigree, great stuff, solid command, strikeout upside. What am I missing? He's not perfect, but neither is that guy you keep holding onto, wondering when to cut him. Scott is someone I expect to keep knocking off the rust and become more and more viable as a weekly play in all leagues as the season builds. Remember, he missed like 18 months of baseball. He already looks good, imagine when he's back in a groove.

Colt Emerson - He's been really hot the last week and is now up to 2 HR's on the year. Is he saving your season? Probably not. But as with most prospects, and especially those with Emerson's talent, I want them on my roster during the assessment period. If he doesn't become an instant fantasy force, that's okay. We can always cut and grab the next hot commodity. But if you're waiting to see sustained results before adding him, he's going to get scooped up. I'd argue I've seen enough over the last week+ to want him on my roster.

Troy Melton - Yes, he just had a start going 7 IP where he only had 1 Strikeout. I don't love that and we have not seen the K's start flowing. But he's looked good in both his starts, with ERA's in the 1's and WHIP at 1 or less. He's going deep enough with his pitch count, and efficiency to make it through 6 or 7 IP regularly. And on top of that, he had a good debut season last year with great ratios and showed potential. You can do much worse than adding Melton. I think he can develop into a Top-60 or even Top-50 arm this season.

Jake Burger - Why is he so lowly rostered on some platforms? 37 RBI, plays every day, has clear power to boot. These guys don't grow on trees, and it's hard to find HR's on the wire. If you're worried about the batting average drag, pair him with someone like Sam Antonacci, or others on the list below, who can help offset the AVG.

Medium Leagues:

Curtis Mead - Finally getting the near-everyday playing time he's been chasing his whole career, he is hitting the ball with authority to all fields. May still be under the radar in a lot of leagues, as his season line includes a couple months of limited at bats. The upside has always been a good MLB hitter. He's been hitting 3rd often.

Spencer Horwitz - Had a huge power outburst last week, after a season of mostly solid on-base skills. He runs a high OBP and his overall statline would surprise you when put up against certain sluggers.

Joc Pederson - Has 5 HR's in his last 5 games. He is known for going on these "Joc Heaters" for a stretch of games, and becomes a very viable short term fill in, if you have had injuries to your roster. I expect him to get cold again after a week or two, but hopefully it can stretch longer before he cools. He's also been leading off when he plays, for the most part.

Jesus Sanchez - Is anyone else surprised to learn he is hitting .285 on the season? He's been red hot, consistently averaging over .300 each of the last few weeks. Yes, he doesn't quite play everyday, but he's been one of the Blue Jays best hitters, and that is saying something.

Adrian Morejon - If you look at his season line, he's not too impressive, but if you look from early-May, he's been basically perfect. You want a guy on your team like this if you play in SVHD or Holds leagues for sure. But even in Saves-only, I would rather put elite reliever ratios in my lineup than a hope-and-a-prayer-SP.

Brayan Rocchio - When you're hitting above .280 on the season and even hotter recently, you would think that would lead to a higher rostered %. Not for Rocchio, who is out there on too many wires. Not a league winner, but he could be a week winner, and that alone is enough to consider him.

Deep Leagues:

David Sandlin - Had an impressive debut and worth it to put him on the end of your bench, just in case. The velocity looked great and clearly the White Sox are winning enough games with their impressive offense.

Gage Jump - I would think he would be more owned, coming in as a top pitching prospect and looking decent enough in his debut. I'm not sure he ends up throwing enough strikes to be meaningful in medium leagues, but I would add to get him on my teams in case he looks meaningfully better in his second start, as prospects often do.

Jacob Gonzalez - We're still in the unknown phase for his playing time situation, but he was called up to fill in for Munetaka Murakami, and presumably that wasn't to sit on the bench. He was lighting up the power numbers in the minors, so there's some level of potential here.

Blaze Alexander - He's been playing more recently and that's about all we need to see sometimes to pick a guy up in very deep leagues. Not a ringing endorsement.

Kai-Wei Teng - He just keeps producing and that's something we need to note. I will say I don't expect this to continue, so maybe prioritize others in this section first.

Chase Meidroth - He's typically viable as a batting average fill-in. 11 Doubles and 5 HR's help his profile a lot. So when he's hot, pick him up and stream week-to-week.

Alejandro Kirk - He was just moved to the 60-Day IL, but he is also starting batting practice and is nearing a rehab assignment. When he comes back in another two-ish weeks, he should resume his regular Top-15 Catcher status. Stash now if you need a catcher.

Max Muncy (ATH) - He is back on a rehab assignment. He was hit on the hand on April 13 and then was playing with a broken hand, before ultimately hitting the IL. Before the HBP: .305/.328/.525/.853 After the HBP: .121/.279/.182/.461. He could be a good flier.

Kaelen Culpepper - We keep thinking it's the right time to stash him, and the Twins keep kicking the can down the road. It's only a matter of time though, with Brooks Lee moving from SS to 3B to clear a spot, and Royce Lewis in Triple-A.

To find out where they all rank in the full list of LFX player subsets such as Relievers (SVHD), Outfielders, Dynasty [WIN NOW], and more:

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