Fantasy Baseball Week 12 Projections and Waiver Wire Hitting Options

A new week of fantasy baseball is upon us, which means it's time for the weekly waiver wire projections story.

We will identify the top-projected fantasy hitters who are available in 10 or more percent of leagues. Check back later for more traditional waiver wire articles!

Check out weekly fantasy baseball projections on FantasySP all season.

Catchers

The top-projected catcher for week 12 of the season is also a waiver wire option. St. Louis' Ivan Herrera is projected for 28 fantasy points across seven possible games this week. He's owned in 76% of leagues right now.

Herrera has a .316 average and .394 on-base percentage across 33 games and 132 plate appearances this season. He has eight doubles and six home runs among his 36 total hits, along with 28 RBIs, a stolen base, 18 runs scored, 14 walks and 25 strikeouts.

Chicago Cubs' Carson Kelly and Miami's Agustin Ramirez are both projected for 23 points this week. Kelly could play up to seven games and is owned in 52% of leagues, while Ramirez has six games scheduled and is rostered in 51% of leagues.

Kelly has appeared in 40 games and gotten 156 plate appearances this season. He sits with a .254 average and .372 OBP, along with 24 RBIs, 26 runs scored, 24 walks and 22 strikeouts. Among Kelly's 33 total hits, he has nine homers, a triple and three doubles.

Ramirez has a .245 average and .304 OBP across 39 games and 168 plate appearances in the big leagues this season. He's mashed eight home runs and 11 doubles among his 38 total hits, while also tallying 19 RBIs, a stolen base, 19 runs scored, 13 walks and 27 strikeouts.

Chicago White Sox' Kyle Teel is set for 21 points over six possible games. He's rostered in 19% of leagues after recently being called up.

Atlanta's Drake Baldwin (23% rostered) and Cincinnati's Tyler Stephenson (38%) are both projected for 20 fantasy points across six possible games.

Outfielders

Detroit's Parker Meadows is owned in 35% of leagues and he's set for 24 fantasy points over six games this week.

Meadows just got his season going, and has logged seven games and 28 plate appearances so far. He has a .217 average and .357 OBP, while also tallying no RBIs, four runs scored, two stolen bases and five walks and strikeouts. Meadows has a double and triple among his five total hits.

Minnesota's Byron Buxton (85%), Pittsburgh's Bryan Reynolds (83%) and Cincinnati's TJ Friedl (80%) all are projected for 23 fantasy points this week. Reynolds could play up to seven games, while Buxton and Friedl have six each.

Buxton has a .258 average and .319 OBP across 49 games and 213 plate appearances this season. He has six doubles, three triples and 10 home runs among his 49 total knocks, along with 38 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 37 runs scored, 17 walks and 63 strikeouts.

Reynolds has played in 63 games and logged 278 plate appearances in 2025. He's got a .235 average and .309 OBP, and has nine doubles, a triple and eight home runs among his 58 total knocks. Reynolds also has posted 36 RBIs, three stolen bases, 22 runs scored, 26 walks and 73 strikeouts.

Friedl has a .292 average and .381 OBP across 62 games and 275 plate appearances so far. He's got 11 doubles, two triples and five home runs among his 69 total hits, along with 23 RBIs, nine stolen bases, 38 runs scored, 32 walks and 43 strikeouts.

Milwaukee's Sal Frelick (49%), Atlanta's Michael Harris II (84%) and Detroit's Kerry Carpenter (79%) are projected for 22 points each across six games. 

Tampa Bay's Jake Mangum (9%) and Philadelphia's Nick Castellanos (87%) are each projected for 21 points across six games. Baltimore's Ryan O'Hearn (75%), Los Angeles Dodgers' Andy Pages (85%), Miami's Jesus Sanchez (16%) and Toronto's George Springer (77%) are all set for 20 points across six games this week.

Shortstops

St. Louis' Masyn Winn is projected for 25 points across seven games this week. He's rostered in 60% of fantasy leagues.

Winn is hitting .275 and getting on base at a .347 clip across 54 games and 226 plate appearances. He has 11 doubles and six home runs among his 55 total hits, along with having 22 RBIs, three stolen bases, 37 runs scored, 20 walks and 44 strikeouts.

Los Angeles Angels' Zach Neto (77%), Miami's Xavier Edwards (53%) and Chicago Cubs' Dansby Swanson (85%) are all set for 24 points. Swanson has seven games he could play in, while Neto and Edwards could play up to six.

Neto has a .267 average and .303 OBP over 46 games and 198 plate appearances so far. He's got 25 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 35 runs scored, eight walks and 57 strikeouts. Neto has posted 50 total hits, with 11 doubles, a triple and 10 home runs among those knocks.

Edwards is up to a .284 average and .353 OBP across 49 games and 220 plate appearances this season. He has six doubles and a triple (no homers) among his 55 total knocks, and he also has 14 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, 23 runs scored, 21 walks and 35 strikeouts.

Swanson sits with a .241 average and .293 OBP across 65 games and 274 plate appearances. He has 34 RBIs, seven stolen bases, 38 runs scored, 20 walks and 74 strikeouts to his name as well.

New York Mets' Ronny Mauricio (21%) is projected for 23 fantasy points across six possible games. 

Chicago White Sox' Chase Meidroth (41%), Pittsburgh's Isiah Kiner-Falefa (19%) and San Francisco's Willy Adames (73%) are projected for 21 points this week. Meidroth and Adames could play up to six games, while Kiner-Falefa has seven games scheduled.

San Diego's Xander Bogaerts (81%) is projected for 20 points across six games. 

Second Basemen

Detroit's Gleyber Torres is owned in 88% of leagues and is projected for 24 points across six games this week.

Torres has a .269 average and .381 OBP over 54 games and 231 plate appearances in 2025. He has nine doubles and five home runs among his 52 total hits, along with 30 RBIs, four stolen bases, 30 runs scored, 33 walks and 29 strikeouts.

Washington's Luis Garcia" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#player-pop-up" href="/mlb_player_news/Luis_Garcia/">Luis Garcia Jr. (69%) and Miami's Otto Lopez (9%) are each projected for 21 points across six games.

Garcia has a .259 average and .300 OBP this season. He's played in 56 games and gotten 220 plate appearances, and he has 52 total hits so far. Garcia has 14 doubles and five homers among his hits, along with 27 RBIs, seven stolen bases, 28 runs scored, 12 walks and 28 strikeouts.

Lopez has played in 48 games and gotten 193 plate appearances so far this season. He has a .229 average and .301 OBP, along with 23 RBIs, seven stolen bases, 22 runs scored, 17 walks and 26 strikeouts. Lopez has seven doubles and five home runs among his 40 total knocks.

Tampa Bay's Brandon Lowe (77%), LA Dodgers' Hyeseong Kim (27%) and New York Mets' Jeff McNeil (8%) are projected for 20 points across six games each.

First Basemen

St. Louis' Alec Burleson is owned in just 30% of leagues, but is projected for 23 points over seven games this week.

Burleson has a .296 average and .341 OBP across 54 games and 182 plate appearances this season. He's got seven doubles and five homers among his 50 total hits, along with 20 RBIs, three stolen bases, 17 runs scored, 12 walks and 26 strikeouts.

Kansas City's Vinnie Pasquantino (87%), Tampa Bay's Yandy Diaz (75%) and Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch (67%) are all set for 22 points. Busch has seven games he could play in, while Pasquantino and Diaz have six each.

Pittsburgh's Spencer Horwitz (6%), Cleveland's Carlos Santana (33%), LA Angels' Nolan Schanuel (19%) and San Francisco's Wilmer Flores (58%) are all projected for 21 fantasy points this week. Only Horwitz could play seven games among that group.

Tampa Bay's Jonathan Aranda (70%), Milwaukee's Rhys Hoskins (47%) and Cincinnati's Christian Encarnacion-Strand (29%) and Spencer Steer (40%) are all set for 20 points this week. Hoskins is the only one in that bunch with seven games on tap.

Third Basemen 

St. Louis' Nolan Arenado is down to 84% rostered. He's set for 24 points across seven games.

Arenado has played in 60 games and gotten 252 plate appearances this season. He has 10 doubles, a triple and seven homers among his 54 total knocks, along with 32 RBIs, a stolen base, 28 runs scored, 20 walks and 29 strikeouts.

Milwaukee's Caleb Durbin is projected for 22 points over seven contests. He's owned in just 7% of leagues.

Durbin has a .215 average and .303 OBP over 45 games and 167 plate appearances in 2025. He has two homers and 10 doubles among his 31 total hits, along with 22 RBIs, five stolen bases, 14 runs scored, nine walks and 12 strikeouts.

Chicago Cubs' Matt Shaw (66%) is set for 21 points across seven games. Philadelphia's Alec Bohm (82%) is projected for 20 points over six possible games.