Fantasy Baseball Week 10: Jared Jones Leads Top Pitcher Waiver Wire Stashes

Pitching comes in ebbs and flows in Fantasy Baseball. We'll have stretches where there are seemingly too many interesting pitchers to add at once on waivers, and others where there are nothing but low-upside streamers to look for. Right now, it seems like we're in one of those fallow periods, where there are some intriguing options, but few who look like true must-add targets for the long run.

But if you look to the horizon, you'll see plenty to get excited about. So, if you're not looking for immediate help for your lineup in Week 10, here are three pitchers worth adding who could make a big impact in the long run:

Troy Melton , Tigers (21%) — In the interest of full disclosure, I'm writing this at 5 pm Sunday, about an hour before Melton makes his return to the rotation for the Tigers. It might go terribly, and it might make him a much lower priority add if he gets bombed by the Orioles . But Melton was an interesting young pitcher with some breakout hype coming into the spring (before an elbow issue delayed his season), and he went out on his rehab assignment and struck out 16 in 11.2 innings to force his way back into the Tigers' rotation plans. There's upside here no matter what happens in his first start back, but if he dominates he could be one of the top targets this week.

Jared Jones , Pirates (68%) — Jones is eligible to make his return from the IL this week, and after getting up to 76 pitches on his rehab start Saturday, I suspect his return is imminent. His stuff has looked excellent on his rehab assignment while working his way back from an Internal Brace surgery on his elbow, striking out 24 and walking just six over 18.2 innings of work. I'm generally skeptical of pitchers coming off a significant surgery, but Jones' stuff has looked as good as ever and his command has mostly been very good, so he should be 100% rostered as he gets set to make his return.

River Ryan , Dodgers (17%) — Another young pitcher coming back from elbow surgery, Ryan has looked incredible on his rehab assignment, sitting up nearly 2 mph from his 2024 level and striking out 21 with just three walks in 16 innings. His return and ultimate role are harder to figure out than Jones', who figures to waltz back into the rotation. That being said, the Dodgers are currently using a five-man rotation when they typically prefer a six-man, so there could be an opportunity here very soon. I suspect we'll see him in the next few weeks, if not sooner.

Here's who else we're looking to add ahead of Week 10:

Week 10 Waiver Targets

Catcher

Keibert Ruiz , Nationals (32%)

We know what Ruiz is at this point, and it's been a while since anyone really viewed him as a potential top-12 catcher. But as a cheap, widely available second catcher, he's fine — you'll get some useful batting average and not much else from him. At least he's hitting well (.372) in May.

Deep league option:  Mickey Gasper , Red Sox (5%) — Gasper is a journeyman without much upside, which makes it awfully curious that he's been serving as the Red Sox's occasional DH lately. It isn't close to everyday usage, and will probably slow down as he does, but if you're desperate for a second catcher, he might be useful in very deep leagues.

First Base

Jake Burger , Rangers (43%)

Burger has one trick, and his Fantasy value depends entirely on how often he can pull it off. If he's homering once every four game or so on average, he's a pretty useful Fantasy option; if it's more like once every six games, he's pretty useless — that's how slim the margins here are. He has four homers in 19 games in May entering Sunday, so he's doing enough to be worth using right now.

Gavin Sheets , Padres (46%)

Sheets isn't very different from Burger, though he isn't quite as one-dimension. But he's equally streaky. He's hot right now (.983 OPS in May) and is both starting against lefties more often and running a bit (two steals in May), which makes him more interesting than usual right now, even if he isn't likely to remain a long-term lineup stalwart.

Deep league option:  Kyle Manzardo , Guardians (24%) — It's been a tough season for Manzardo, who I liked quite a bit as a sleeper coming into the season. But there are still skills to like here, including a near-lite 14.6% barrel rate for the season. And lately the production has been there, with Manzardo hitting .278/.350/.574 in May. I still think that kind of long-term upside is here.

Second Base

Ezequiel Duran , Rangers (49%) — The primary thing Duran has going for him is eligibility at every spot except catcher (and SP/RP, if you want to be pedantic about it). But he is playing better so far this season while taking advantage of a near-everyday role for the Rangers, and it might not be a fluke — his average exit velocity is up to 91.3 mph, by far a career high, and his quality of contact metrics are pretty close to career-bests across the board without costing much in plate discipline. I don't expect this to last too long, but it's nice to have a useful player with this kind of flexibility on your bench at least — even (and perhaps especially) in points leagues, where you typically want as many pitchers on your bench as possible. Duran is a great guy to have around while he's hitting.

Deep league option:  Austin Martin , Twins (16%) — The batting average will be good and he'll steal some bases. I'm not sure you can count on Martin for much more than that — maybe some decent run totals if he stays at the top of the lineup — but it's not like you don't need batting average help, right? I mean, maybe you specifically don't, you lucky dog, you. But someone in a lot more than 16% of leagues could use some batting average help.

Third Base

Zack Gelof , Athletics (50%)

The production has slowed down a bit — Gelof is 1 for 17 in four games entering play Sunday — but there's still a lot to like here. He's combining the best quality of contact skills of his career with the best contact skills, and it remains a very Fantasy-friendly skill set — he has six homers and six steals in 36 games, a 25-25-ish pace. It might all fall apart, but Gelof still looks like a very useful option in all category leagues right now.

Deep league option:   Pedro Ramirez , Cubs (9%) — In theory, Ramirez could be a very interesting player for Fantasy — he's always made a lot of contact, and since Spring Training has been hitting the ball with a lot more authority, leading to a career-high nine homers in just 43 games at Triple-A. Add in the 19 steals to date and it's very easy to see how he could make an impact. The problem is that his primary positions are second base and third base, where the Cubs have a lot of money locked up long-term. He's up with the big-league team, and if you've got a roster spot to play with in a deeper categories league, he could be an interesting stash. But his long-term appeal probably comes whenever the Cubs decide to make a splash in the trade market and find him a new home.

Shortstop

Colt Emerson , Mariners (65%)

Emerson hasn't made a huge impact yet, with just two hits in his first six games. But the Mariners are still going to give him plenty of opportunities to prove himself while they wait for Brendan Donovan to get back — they were even working J.P. Crawford out at third base recently, a sign that they are thinking about more than just the next couple of weeks with their top prospect. Emerson might just be a work in progress who continues to struggle (as a 20-year-old, mind you), but he also might pull a Konnor Griffin and start to hit after a few weeks of adjusting. The upside is high enough that I'm willing to stick through the struggles, even if I may not be ready to trust Emerson as a starter yet.

Deep league option:  Jett Williams , Brewers (15%) — "I love the kid, and I think it won't be long." That was Brewers manager Pat Murphy this week when asked about Williams, who continues to play well at Triple-A. The biggest thing here is that the Brewers seem to want a single spot in the lineup waiting for Williams when they eventually call him up, despite Williams' defensive versatility (he has played the outfield as well as multiple infield spots). Ultimately, it'll just depend on when the Brewers want to pull the plug on Luis Rengifo at third base, and that's probably coming soon, as BrewerFanatic.com noted this week. Williams has bounced back from a slow start to the season and has 15-homer, 30-steal upside, so if you're looking for some longer term upside at shortstop, he's an excellent stash target at a position where upside is hard to find outside of the known quantities.

Outfield

Ryan Waldschmidt , Diamondbacks (63%)

Before I look for top prospects to make an impact, I just want to see them look like they belong. Waldschmidt is passing every test with flying colors right now. He won't keep hitting .340, of course, but his .287 expected batting average suggests there's plenty to like here even with some regression baked in. He'll need to lower his 28% strikeout rate at some point, but Waldschmidt is hitting the ball on a line all over the field and letting his athleticism play up. He'll hit for some power moving forward, and when he does, he'll look even more ready to make an impact. But he looks like he belongs right now, and that's the biggest test to pass.

Henry Bolte , Athletics (48%)

On the one hand, I'm still waiting for Bolte to transition from being "interesting" to be "actually useful for Fantasy." On the other hand, he's hitting .281 with three steals through his first 10 games, which isn't half bad. There is obvious raw power here, but he might be focusing more on putting the ball in play than getting the ball into the stands right now. With his speed, that isn't a bad idea, though it'd be nice to see a little more impact from Bolte's bat before long.

Jake McCarthy , Rockies (21%)

McCarthy was someone I liked quite a bit as a deep sleeper coming into the season, but the Rockies seemed to spend the first month-plus of the season trying out as many different lineup combinations as they could to see who stuck. Well, McCarthy is starting to see more opportunities lately and he's taking advantage of them, with a .271 average and three steals so far in May. You're mostly hoping for a helpful batting average and some speed from McCarthy, and with him starting to play closer to everyday, he's looking a lot more useful these days

Kevin Alcantara , Cubs (10%)

Like with his teammate, Ramirez, it's not quite clear where Alcantara is supposed to make an impact for the Cubs right now. There just isn't anywhere for him to play, so he's just a depth piece waiting for an injury to create an opportunity. But with 37 homers in 178 career Triple-A games (including 15 in 41 games this season), it's also clear that there isn't much left for him to prove down in the minors. In deeper leagues, his recent promotion and general proximity make him a viable stash, even if his likely short-term role won't produce much value.

Esmerlyn Valdez , Pirates (9%)

The Pirates are trying to win games these days (not always a given with this franchise), so they're calling on their most interesting prospects to see who can provide a spark. Valdez is a long shot to stick in the everyday lineup, but he might have the upside to force the issue if he gets hot. He did on Sunday, hitting his first career homer, and if he's going to make an impact, that's how it'll happen — Valdez is a big-time power prospect with some hit tool questions. He had 10 homers in 46 games at Triple-A and could catch fire and make an impact with his bat.

Starting Pitcher

J.T. Ginn , Athletics (55%)

I don't necessarily buy Ginn as a low-3.00s ERA pitcher, but we're going on nearly 150 innings of him putting up a 3.75 xERA dating to the start of last season, so it's probably fair to assume that's real. With about a strikeout per inning for a .500-ish team, that isn't enough to make him a must

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/week-10-fantasy-baseball-waiver-wire-jared-jones-headlines-pitcher-stash-candidates-week-10/)._