Who else is ready for a break? The close of the first half is rapidly approaching, and boy are my arms tired. Rosters are dwindling, ratios are inflating and league standings are galvanizing, but there’s zero rest for the weary. The upcoming All-Star break is the last natural reset point before the second half grind begins — a chance to audit the roster and fix what’s broken. There are no silver bullets or easy answers, just the same due diligence as always. Let’s close out strong with another dive into my favorite adds, top stashes and next week’s two-start pitchers.NOTE: Please prioritize positional lists over the featured player write-ups. I’m trying to avoid covering the same players more than once, and I don’t want any extra focus to be misconstrued as personal preference. Away we go!Top waiver-wire hitter optionsCatcher: Jonah Heim, ATHCatchers must truly be producing at a prolific rate if a top-5 fantasy backstop over the past 30 days (.291 BA/ 10 R/ 17 RBI/ 6 HR/ 0 SB) remains available in more than 90% of leagues. And, I’m sorry to keep repeating myself every week, but there are very valid questions surrounding the ball, and it’s paramount we’re attaching ourselves to the best hitting environments in order to capitalize. To that point, Sacramento is responsible for the league’s highest SLG, OPS and home runs hit, and it’s not close. A recent rash of injuries to the Athletics’ top half of the order opened up a ton of playing time, where Heim’s done an excellent job filling in as the regular DH when not behind the dish. That extra boost in volume gives him a weekly leg-up in the projections, and he’s a decent hitter in an optimal environment.First base: Curtis Mead, WASIt's OK to admit that filling in first base on the fly this season is presenting a massive struggle for many of us. Every time I think I finally have a lasting answer, it slips right through my fingers. Enter Curtis Mead. Washington's 25-year-old rotating corner infielder came up through the minors as a light five-category producer with a strong approach and batting average. Credit growth, maturity or the Nationals' hitting coaches for Mead's power surge, but it doesn't really matter how we got here. The point for fantasy GMs lies with a double-digit barrel rate in the top-third of the league's most prolific run-scoring offense. Since usurping Brady House for the starting 3B role on June 20, Mead's done nothing but produce with the stick (.244BA/ 22 R/ 26 RBI/ 11 HR/ 2 SB), yet nearly 80% of leagues haven't batted an eye.Second base: A.J. Ewing, NYMIf I was a little more clever, I'd have a better term for this all-too-familiar early career path of Ewing. Every one of us has seen this movie a thousand times: an uber talented prospect who earns a deserved promotion, only to struggle in his first taste of big-league pitching. There's no shame in this course. Newsflash: MLB is hard.Well, tell that to perpetually bitter fantasy managers still crying over wasted FAAB bucks. After a dismal 20-game debut (.224 BA, 33.3% K, 79 wRC+) culminated in an 0-for-12 skid to wrap up May, Ewing slipped down the Mets' order into the 8-hole. Naturally, he posted three base knocks the very next day, and the rest, as they say, was history. The Mets' rookie has sliced his strikeout rate by a third in the five weeks since, posting a solid top-25 OF ranking in that same timeframe (.312 BA/ 16 R/ 18 RBI/ 6 HR/ 5 SB). Leading off in front of on-base machine Juan Soto is never be a bad thing for counting stats.Shortstop: Blaze Alexander, BALTwice bitten, once shy (yes, you read that right). Somehow I've found myself targeting the Orioles' third base situation all season with little to show for it — why stop now? What started with a preseason sleeper column on Jordan Westburg (torn UCL, 0 games played in 2026), turned into an early waiver piece on Jeremiah Jackson (benched in late May for poor play), and now hopefully culminates with Alexander. I'm not actually too convinced this level of production sticks given the inflated .399 BABIP and 12.7% swinging-strike rate. With that, the shortstop cupboard has been stripped bare for weeks. Alexander has started 19 of the O's past 21 games, contributing a homer with a pair of steals in what's at least an above-average Baltimore lineup. Could be worse ...Third base: Kyle Karros, COLThough this weekly series will always be forward looking, and mistakes are inherently par for the course, last week's whiff on the Athletics' Max Muncy is still stuck in my craw. In my defense, he'd started nine straight as of writing, but that exact night was essentially the last we'd see from him. Ouch! And, sorry! Onward and upward!