Fantasy Baseball Week 14 Waiver Wire Adds: Alec Burleson, Cedric Mullins, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and More

Discussing the most-added fantasy baseball players in the 14th week of the fantasy baseball season.

It’s the start of the 14th week of the fantasy baseball season, which means it’s time to look at some waiver wire options.

Today’s players mentioned from the FantasySP Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups page includes five hitters and one relief pitcher. Let’s dive into things! 

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Alec Burleson Fantasy Outlook

Burleson has been trending upward over the past couple weeks. He also was part of my underappreciated fantasy outfielders story, so be sure to check that out.

In 69 total games, Burleson has a .285 average and .319 on-base percentage. He has eight doubles and 12 home runs among his 68 total knocks on the season. He’s drove in 32 runs, scored 31 times, stole five bases, walked 10 times and struck out on 36 occasions.

Over his past nine games (eight starts), Burleson has 12 total hits, including a double and three home runs. He’s also got eight RBIs, 11 runs scored, one walk and hit by pitch and five strikeouts over that span.

The primary outfielder is playing plenty and is hot at the plate, so he’s at least a good fantasy option in the short term. His season numbers also show he’s a pretty good fantasy option, so I also like him as a backup fantasy outfielder if/when he cools off at the plate.

Aroldis Chapman Fantasy Outlook

Chapman is a waiver wire possibility after regular closer David Bednar was placed on the injured list. In his last appearance, Chapman earned the save.

For the season, Chapman has an 0-3 record and 4.00 earned run average, but does have 45 strikeouts over 27 innings. He’s got two saves overall and is certainly a closing option for the Pirates until Bednar is back.

Chapman is another short-term fantasy option, but if you rostered Bednar or just need some closers, Chapman is a good fantasy option because of his high strikeout totals.

Cedric Mullins Fantasy Outlook

Mullins has endured a rough season, but has been hot at the plate recently for the Orioles.

In 70 total games, Mullins has a .208 average and .253 OBP. He’s got six doubles, three triples and seven home runs among his 46 total hits. Mullins also has 25 RBIs, 35 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 13 walks and 53 strikeouts on the season.

Mullins has a career .252 average and .316 OBP, so there’s a chance his heating up at the plate is the start of him getting closer to those career marks.

In his past 10 games (nine starts), Mullins has 14 total hits. He’s got three doubles, one triple and a home run among those knocks. Mullins has three RBIs, 10 runs scored and two walks and strikeouts over that span.

Even though Mullins’ numbers don’t match some of the ones posted by other waiver wire options for the season, I like the idea of adding Mullins because of what he’s done in the past. He was a top-150 pick in fantasy drafts this spring, and if he can recapture some of the player he’s been over his career, Mullins could be a massive add in the middle of the season. 

Heston Kjerstad Fantasy Outlook

Let’s stick with the Orioles and Kjerstad, who has been recalled from the minor leagues.

Kjerstad is the No. 21 prospect in baseball. I just wrote about him in a prospect update story, so you can check his minor league numbers out there. 

Kjerstad has not found much success at the MLB level across the past couple seasons. In 2023, Kjerstad had a .233 average and .281 OBP across 13 games and 33 plate appearances. This season in seven games and 17 plate appearances, Kjerstad has just a .143 average and .294 OBP.

That’s not a big sample size, but Kjerstad hasn’t been able to translate his minor league success to the big leagues yet. Being a top-100 prospect, you’d expect things to click at some point. Part of the issue working against Kjerstad is that Baltimore has a strong starting lineup, and even when a prospect gets called up, there’s not a lot of playing time available.

I’d expect the Orioles to give Kjerstad a good amount of playing time while he’s in the big leagues, but I’d want to see some MLB success before adding him in a standard league. Kjerstad is a waiver wire possibility in deeper leagues and dynasties, but even in those leagues, he probably isn’t a great fantasy starting option right now.

Stash him on your bench in deeper leagues and dynasties, and everyone should keep an eye on Kjerstad over the next couple weeks. If he starts heating up at the plate, then the young outfielder can be a waiver wire option in standard leagues and played in all formats.

Tyler Soderstrom Fantasy Outlook

Soderstrom is in his second MLB season and starting to figure things out at the plate.

After hitting .160 a season ago, Soderstrom is up to a .243 average this season. He’s getting on base at a .345 clip and has five doubles and six home runs among his 25 total knocks. Soderstrom also has 17 RBIs, 11 runs scored, 13 walks and 36 strikeouts for the season.

Not many of those numbers stick out a bunch, but Soderstrom does have 15 hits over his past 14 games, which equates to a .306 average. He has two doubles and five home runs among his 15 total hits in that span, along with 12 RBIs, nine runs scored, four walks and 11 strikeouts.

Another possibly nice thing with Soderstrom is that he’s played first base and catcher over the past two seasons, so he could be eligible at both spots.

He’s owned in 50% of leagues now, which means he’s probably rostered in most deeper leagues and dynasties. He’s close to a standard league option, but I’d probably need him to be eligible at catcher or first base in order to make a move in a standard league. 

The Athletics are not a good offense, which also works against Soderstrom as a fantasy option. In a pinch, you could use him in a standard league for a short time, but I’m guessing there’s better options out there. If there isn’t, a trade would be a better option than counting on Soderstrom for an extended period of time. 

Isiah Kiner-Falefa Fantasy Outlook

Kiner-Falefa has performed better than a lot of fantasy owners probably realize.

In 76 total games, he’s got a .279 average and .323 on-base percentage. Kiner-Falefa has seven doubles, six home runs and two triples among his 65 total hits. He’s also got 31 RBIs, 22 runs scored, three stolen bases, 13 walks and 34 strikeouts this season.

Kiner-Falefa has a hit in eight straight games, and 11 total knocks over that span. He’s homered twice, drove in five, scored three times and struck out five times over that span.

Kiner-Falefa should also have some fantasy position versatility, which is a bonus. He’s played second and third base, shortstop and center field this season. 

He’s owned in 27% of leagues, and at least should be owned in most deep leagues. He’s producing plenty at the plate, is versatile and can start in multiple spots and is in the lineup often. He’s at least a good backup option, and can start until he cools off at the plate a bit.

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