Top fantasy baseball catcher waiver pickups for Week 25

The air is starting to get a bit crisper (well, in the north at least). The real-life and fantasy trade deadlines have come and gone. September is upon us. The marathon of the 2023 MLB season has become a sprint to the finish, and right now is winning time for those of you lucky enough to still be in contention in your fantasy baseball leagues. With precious few weeks to shore up holes and make up ground in the standings, smart adds become even more important: Hit on an under-the-radar free agent, and fantasy hardware awaits; miss, and you’ll spend the winter wondering what if.

Luckily, our weekly waiver wire recommendations are here to help, with position-by-position looks are players you should consider snagging off the waiver wire. First up: catcher.

Fantasy baseball waiver wire: Week 25 catcher targets

Alejandro Kirk, C, Toronto Blue Jays

Roster percentage: 36%

Kirk has been among the most disappointing players at the position this season, drafted just outside the top 100 and likely dropped by the All-Star break. But there’s still time for him to rewrite the script: Danny Jansen’s finger fracture has opened the door for Kirk to be the no-doubt 1A for the Jays, and he’s responded by hitting a blistering .385/.469/.654 over his last nine games (six starts). Kirk’s lack of production was always confounding; his walk and K rates have remained strong, and this is the same guy who posted a .787 OPS with 14 homers last year. If it finally clicks, he could be big down the stretch, especially if you need average and counting stats.

Luis Campusano, C, San Diego Padres

Roster percentage: 0.7%

Speaking of injury-induced opportunity: Gary Sanchez is officially out for the season after fracturing his wrist, meaning Campusano will get the lion’s share of work behind the plate for the Friars over the next few weeks. The 24-year-old backstop has impressed in limited action this year with a .306/.345/.486 slash line, five homers, 18 RBI, 18 runs scored and five doubles over 119 plate appearances, and now he’ll get the chance to show that that production was for real. Plus, getting to hit behind Juan Soto, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts isn’t a bad place to be.

Gabriel Moreno, C, Arizona Diamondbacks

Roster percentage: 7.2%

I’ll admit I’m a bit biased here; Moreno — a top prospect sent to Arizona in the Daulton Varsho trade — was one of my favorite preseason sleepers, and while it didn’t quite work out earlier this year, the youngster is getting hot at the right time. Since returning from the IL on August 13, Moreno has posted a .980 OPS with four homers, raising his season-long slash line to .282/.330/.415. He’s also started the overwhelming majority of games for the D-backs behind the plate, and should continue to do so as long as he’s swinging the bat like this. If you need batting average, look no further — Moreno was regarded as an elite hit tool for catcher coming up, and he’s showing that off now.