Wednesday brings eight MLB games on the main slate, with a buyer’s beware vibe on pitching and several high-upside stacks. Jacob Misiorowski is the closest thing to an ace but carries clear IL-recovery risk in a Cubs matchup. Hurston Waldrep has flashed a plus strikeout rate in three big-league starts, and Shohei Ohtani is creeping into fantasy-pivot discussions despite Coors Field exposure. Nick Martinez is a budget swing option with tasty K%/. K-BB in a favorable Angels matchup. On offense, Heliot Ramos is a midrange trap with big-lefty splits, while Oakland’s trio of Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, and Brent Rooker offers a cheap stack against Bailey Ober. Top stacks focus on Dodgers at Coors (Betts, Smith, Freeman) and Rays vs Schlittler (Simpson, Diaz, Caminero). Michael Harris remains a discount-correlated hitter, and a few one-offs like Austin Martin and Trevor Larnach add upside. The slate invites balanced exposure to high-floor studs and bold, contrarian stacks built around Dodgers and Rays.

Two AL basement dwellers collide in Minnesota as Oakland visits Minnesota for a midweek showdown. J.T. Ginn starts for the A’s against Bailey Ober of the Twins, with both teams more focused on saving face than contending. The game shapes as a high-scoring affair given both lineups and a shaky pitching matchup, and the betting public is leaning toward offense with a total set at 9 and the A’s favored to push across runs.

Nick Kurtz stands out as the evening’s prime fantasy target. He’s posted a .306 average with 25 homers this season and hits .350 against right-handers, a clear edge in a left-on-left/right-on-right tilt against Ober. That power profile makes Kurtz a tempting homer prop at +245 as Oakland leans into right-handed pop against a pitcher who has surrendered multiple long balls in recent starts.

Ginn (5.04 ERA) and Ober (5.25) each carry significant risk. Ober has allowed 24 homers in 20 starts, 17 since June 1, while Ginn has been notably hit-or-miss since July, with a recent rough August. Oakland’s bullpen ranks near the bottom in ERA, amplifying the downside for bettors if the game spirals. Expect a run-heavy night that could push the Over to 9 or more.

Three prime home-run props headline the Aug. 20 MLB slate: Jose Ramirez vs Brandon Pfaadt, Nick Kurtz vs Bailey Ober, and Kyle Schwarber vs Luis Castillo. Ramirez sits in a strong offensive window, carrying a .300+ clip recently and a track record of dingers against right-handers. Kurtz, thriving at .306 with 25 homers, draws a favorable right-hander in Ober who has coughed up plenty of deep balls. Schwarber, pacing the NL with 44 homers, faces Castillo but owns a solid .300 average and power against righty pitching. The bets carry varied upside with Ramirez at +425, Kurtz at +245, and Schwarber at +200, offering distinct paths to fantasy points or DFS value in a day with multiple afternoon starts.

The breakdown centers on matchups and recent form. Ramirez’s potential to exploit a right-hander with a late-season surge is tempered by the Diamondbacks’ bullpen, but his seven-day .300+ rate and 21 HR vs RHP tilt the odds. Kurtz’s breakout year, especially versus right-handers, is underscored by Ober’s homer-prone history (24 allowed in 20 starts, 17 since June 1). Schwarber’s career dominance of Castillo and his NL-leading HR pace add a high-upside element, even if Castillo has been stingy at times. Odds are dynamic, but each pick ties directly to recent production and favorable platoon angles, making them compelling targets for fantasy managers and prop bettors alike.

Final-week fantasy hoarding on the waiver wire centers on rookies and closers as MLB enters Week 21. With 45 days left in the regular season, rookie eligibility for 2026 ROY remains a live asset, spurring a trio of notable recalls and several deeper adds. Basallo, McLean and Abreu headline the top pickups, while Lopez provides a two-start streamer option and Beavers and Vodnik offer meaningful upside in deeper leagues.

Basallo anchors Baltimore’s prospect surge, offering catcher/first-base flexibility and a power-heavy profile that could carve immediate value in shallow formats. McLean’s Mets debut drew rave notes for breaking-ball command and a strong grounder-rate that could sustain multi-start value if the workload cooperates. Abreu stands as Houston’s next-in-line nearer—an attractive upside play if Hader’s health costs him time, with elite ratios and strikeout potential. Lopez’s left-handed mix has you leaning him as a pitcher only, given innings caps, while Beavers and Vodnik supply late-season upside in deeper builds: Beavers via a balanced tools profile and Vodnik via save opportunities in a volatile closer landscape.