Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Options on Opening Day: Aroldis Chapman, Jung Hoo Lee, Jack Leiter, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Max Scherzer and More

Yesterday, we looked at some of the top fantasy baseball waiver wire options from the FantasySP list.

We're going to do the same thing on the first day of the regular season (for most teams), but discuss players who weren't in yesterday's article.

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Hitters

San Francisco's Jung Hoo Lee, Cincinnati's Christian Encarnacion-Strand, St. Louis' Ivan Herrera and Alec Burleson and Minnesota's Byron Buxton are all on the 25-player list.

Lee is expected to hit in the heart of the Giants' lineup, which is a great place for a fantasy hitter. I thought he was a bit underrated coming into the season, and should be able to put up pretty big numbers if he can get through a full season. 

Lee is a better deep-league option to start the season, but he could become a standard league asset in a hurry, so keep a close eye on him.

Encarnacion-Strand is expected to hit near the bottom of the Reds' lineup. If he's playing everyday, which is also projected on FanGraphs, he should be a pretty solid deep-league option.

I'd wait to see some regular season fantasy success before entertaining the thought of adding him in standard leagues though.

Herrera is expected to be the Cardinals' primary catcher in 2025 - Pedro Pages is also a young catcher in the mix for playing time.

Right now, Herrera is just a deep-league option. If he's hitting well, he should start most days, and that could get him into some standard leagues. Herrera would really have to erupt to be a must-own standard league player.

Burleson is projected to be in a platoon - he's expected to be the designated hitter most days. If that comes true, his current own percentage of 76% is probably too high.

Burleson might play enough to roster in some standard leagues, but unless he can replicate his 2024 season, he's going to struggle to match the fantasy value of most standard leaguers.

Buxton is likely going to hit in the heart of the Twins' lineup. He's usually a pretty good fantasy asset, but health has held him back throughout his career.

At that start of the season, Buxton is a better deep-league option. He'll get some standard league run if he's hitting somewhat well and active. You might as well utilize him while you can, but he's definitely not a must-add player (otherwise he'd already be rostered in more leagues).

Pitchers

Athletics' Luis Severino, Boston's Aroldis Chapman, Texas' Jack Leiter and Nathan Eovaldi, Toronto's Max Scherzer, Kansas City's Kris Bubic, Washington's Kyle Finnegan, Arizona's A.J. Puk, Houston's Ronel Blanco, Cincinnati's Tony Santillan, Los Angeles Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw and Chicago White Sox' Sean Burke are on the waiver list and are players we didn't discuss yesterday.

Severino is starting the Athletics' first game, so him being added is for streaming purposes. His matchup against the Mariners is a favorable one, and a strong start could lead to him being added in even more leagues going forward.

Chapman has won the closer role in Boston, so I'm surprised the strikeout-heavy reliever isn't owned in even more leagues already. He might not get every save opportunity, but his strikeout upside already makes him a good fantasy asset, so I'd be willing to give Chapman a roster spot in any fantasy league setup.

Leiter won a spot on the Rangers' roster to open the season, and is expected to start the team's second game. He struggled in his first 35 2/3 MLB innings in 2024, but as a former top-end draft pick, fantasy owners are willing to give him another chance.

I'd definitely add Leiter in deeper leagues, and think about stashing Leiter in standard leagues. If he excels in his first start, you could utilize him in his next outing, and if he struggles, you can drop him with little consequence. 

Eovaldi is Texas' starter for game one. I like the idea of adding Eovaldi in standard leagues, and think he's more of a keeper than a streaming option anyways. He's not a super flashy fantasy asset, but he's a pretty consistent one.

Scherzer is healthy and likely going to start the Blue Jays' third game of the season. His big name is boosting his fantasy own percentage, but he's more trustworthy than a lot of other waiver options. I'm more than fine taking a gamble on him in standard leagues.

Bubic is in the Royals' rotation to kick off the season. He pitched in relief last season, so expectations need to be tempered in the early going. Bubic is a deep-league pickup option, but with good regular season fantasy success, could become a standard league threat too.

Finnegan is back as the Nats' closer, even though it took a bit longer than needed to get him re-signed. He was a pretty good fantasy asset in 2024, and while some regression could come in 2025, I think he's in store for another good fantasy year. He's overlooked and undervalued for the time being, and I really can't wrap my head around why - add him before it's too late.

Puk is likely to split the closer role in Arizona with Justin Martinez. That makes Puk a better deep-league option to start the season, but he's worth watching in case he becomes the go-to closer every time. You can check out the closer reports for all teams here (American League and National League).

Blanco is back in the Astros' rotation to start the 2025 season. He's coming off a pretty solid 2024 showing and is a touch underrated right now. Blanco is a good streaming option to kick off the season, and could become a keeper again if he pitches like he did a year ago.

Santillan is in the mix for saves in Cincinnati while Alexis Diaz is on the 15-day injured list. Because there's no clear closer right now, Santillan is just a deep-league option - and once Diaz returns, his fantasy value should fizzle up.

Kershaw is on the 60-day injured list, so it's going to be a while before we see him on the mound. In leagues where IR spots are available, stashing Kershaw isn't the worst idea.

He's still a good fantasy asset when he's on the hill, and will be rosterable in all leagues when he's activated again. We'll keep tabs on his recovery and let you know when he's expected to return, so you can add him and beat your leaguemates to him.

Burke is the White Sox' starter on Thursday. It's rare to see any White Sox on the waiver list, but the matchup against the Angels is actually great for Burke.

I still think he should only be deployed as a streamer in deep leagues, as there's enough talent in the Angels' lineup to do some damage. Plus, Chicago is simply not good, so Burke is not going to be given too much run support.