Waiver Wire Gold: Caglianone, Baez & 7 More Must-Grab Fantasy Studs

It's that time of year, folks. The rookie-eligibility cutoff has passed, which means the wire is absolutely stacked with difference-makers. Forget your boring old targets — this week's crop is filthy. From a dude batting .407 in August to a rookie who just made baseball history, here are the nine pickups you need to make, ranked in order of preference.

Jac Caglianone, OF/1B, Royals (60.9% rostered)

How is a guy batting .407 in August still sitting there? Caglianone is a Statcast monster — 93rd percentile or better in barrel rate, hard-hit rate, and average exit velocity. He's slugging .522 with 12 homers in 57 home games, and the Royals have 22 remaining home contests, second-most in MLB. This guy should be 90%+ rostered, easy.

Joshua Baez, OF, Cardinals (43.4% rostered)

Stop what you're doing and add this kid. Baez became the first player ever to hit home runs in his first three major-league at-bats on Saturday. Yeah, he went 0-for-5 with three Ks on Sunday, but let's not overreact. He's got 37 homers between Triple-A and the bigs, tying for the pro baseball lead. Oh, and he stole 21 bags in 24 tries this year. Power and speed are a lethal combo in fantasy.

Zac Veen, OF, Rockies (7.7% rostered)

Veen is finally getting the call he deserved months ago. He's got a .327/.402/.635 line with 24 homers and 18 steals at Triple-A, and he's already homered in two of his first games since being recalled — including one in a pitcher's park. But here's the kicker: the Rockies play 22 more games at Coors Field, including three straight weeks of pure Coors. If you want a streaming cheat code, this is it.

Zack Gelof, 2B/3B/OF, Athletics (25.7% rostered)

Gelof is more than just a Sutter Health Park merchant, but hey, when the park factor helps, you take it. He's hitting .311 with 11 homers in 43 home games, and he bats near the top of the order for the A's. With elite chase-rate numbers and multi-position eligibility, he's a legit points-league steal.

Kodai Senga, SP/RP, Mets (7.3% rostered)

The Mets traded away their entire bullpen and then lost Devin Williams to injury, so they turned to Senga to close. He's become a fantasy god overnight — 3-for-3 in saves, five scoreless appearances, and a 36.8% strikeout rate. This is what we call a league-winner if you need saves.

Jacob Webb, RP, Cubs (12.1% rostered)

Webb is riding a 21-scoreless-appearance streak and has converted four of the Cubs' last five saves. Yes, Daniel Palencia is coming back, but Webb is pitching like the ninth inning is his birthright. If you need saves, grab him now and apologize later.

Tyler Mahle, SP, Braves (10.7% rostered)

I know, I know — Mahle has burned us all before. But since being traded to Atlanta, he's looked like a completely different pitcher. His whiff rate on three pitches is above 30%, he's relying on his four-seamer and splitter, and he's throwing harder than he has in four years. This isn't your old Mahle. Trust it.

Kade Anderson, SP, Mariners (7.8% rostered)

Yeah, he's in Double-A. But the Mariners are reportedly planning to promote him straight into the rotation. Anderson has a 1.06 ERA, a 0.64 WHIP, and a 40.5% K rate in 18 starts. He's a top-10 overall prospect. If you're in a deep league, you need to stash him now and laugh later.

Abimelec Ortiz, 1B/OF, Nationals (6.1% rostered)

Ortiz got called up to be the strong-side platoon and No. 2 hitter for Washington, and he's gone full breakout mode: .289/.308/.684 with five homers in 13 games. His Statcast rates are 85th percentile or better in exit velo, barrel, and hard-hit. The guy is swinging a hammer, and he's here to stay.

There's your nine. Go make your claims and win your league.