The second waiver period for the 2026 Major League Pickleball (MLP) season has concluded, with several teams making roster moves by claiming players and waiving others. This waiver period allowed teams to swap out currently rostered players for UPA-signed, MLP non-rostered players in exchange for a bid amount of at least $1,000.
Before the waiver period, teams submitted bids to participate, with the selection order determined by the bid amount in descending order. Teams that made a waiver claim were required to pay the bid amount to the league for each claimed player. The waiver period saw several notable moves, including the California Black Bears acquiring Connor Mogle from the Carolina Hogs in exchange for Michael Loyd. Here are the results of the waiver period:
- Miami Pickleball Club: Claimed Rika Fujiwara and waived Ava Cavataio.
- Chicago Slice: Claimed AJ Koller and waived Tom Protzek.
- Carolina Hogs: Claimed Nicole Conard and waived Alli Phillips.
- California Black Bears: Claimed James Delgado and waived Connor Mogle, who was later acquired by the California Black Bears in a trade.
- Texas Ranchers: Claimed Marcela Hones and waived Genie Bouchard.
It's worth noting that players claimed on waivers in 2026 will not be eligible to be kept in future years. Additionally, waiver slots may only be used by the team picking in that slot and are not eligible to be traded. Any player dropped from a roster as the corresponding move for a waiver claim will be eligible for another team to pick up during that same waiver period. The next waiver period is scheduled for June 23, 2026.
Previous Waiver Period Recap
The first waiver period, which took place on May 16, 2026, saw two teams make moves. The results of that waiver period were:
- Dallas Flash: Claimed Hsiang Wen-Huang and waived Angie Walker.
- Carolina Hogs: Claimed Abbigail Hatton and waived Ava Ignatowich.
- Carolina Hogs: Claimed Connor Mogle and waived James Delgado.
The waiver periods will continue to shape the rosters of the MLP teams, and fans can expect more exciting moves in the upcoming waiver periods.
