MLP Waiver Period #2 Preview - Collin Johns Available

The second (and final) waiver period in the Premier Level, and first (and final) waiver period in Challenger Level are upon us.

In a surprising move, the Carolina Hogs have made Collin Johns available in this Waiver Period, instead of their normal sub, Brandon French. More details below.

While Major League Pickleball (MLP) is off for two weekends in a row for the PPA Select Medical Orange County Cup, this is actually a huge weekend for MLP.

This is the last time in the 2025 MLP season that teams are going to be able to pick up waiver players. The only other time this may happen later in the year is due to injury.

For a recap of the first Waiver Period, check out our article:

Only Roscoe Bellamy was picked up in May in the first Waiver Period. Due to a lower body injury, Bellamy has yet to suit up for the SoCal Hard Eights.

I expect much more movement in the next week, compared to the first Waiver Period.

Order of operations for Premier Level Waiver Period #2

Premier Waivers #2 - Monday, June 16 - Noon ET

• Tue, June 10 - Premier teams declare 5th and 6th players by Noon ET
• Wed, June 11 - MLP to update available player pool by Noon ET
• Thu, June 12 - Submit waivers bids via Dutch Auction by Noon ET
• Fri, June 13 - MLP shares waiver selection order by Noon ET - picks cannot be traded
• Mon, June 16 - Premier Level Waivers #2, beginning at Noon ET (one round)
• Tue, June 17 - Bench player replacement requests will be granted by Noon ET

Challenger Waivers - Wednesday, June 18, - Noon ET

• Teams can make up to two (2) waiver selections; Round 1 and Round 2 selection order will stay the same.

Challenger Level Waiver Order

1. Florida Smash
2. Bay Area Breakers* 
3. California Black Bears
4. D.C. Pickleball Team
5. Nashville Chefs
6. Las Vegas Night Owls

*Bay Area gets to pick before California because they lost to California in the H2H matchup - they are tied in both points per match, and game win percentage

Teams that COULD be Looking for a Player via Waivers

Premier Level

• Brooklyn Pickleball Club - The extent of Riley Newman’s groin injury is unknown, and they may want to try to upgrade from Pat Smith (although he is listed as part of my top ten available)
• SoCal Hard Eights - With Tereschenko’s lower body injury, the Hard Eights may want to bolster their roster for their last few events with a player who is ready to go right now
• Carolina Hogs - If you have watched any of their matches, you will know the Hogs may be looking to make roster changes for energy purposes
• NY Hustlers - Helena Spiridis is in Australia and cannot return to the US right now due to visa issues. They are hoping the issue is resolved in 8-10 weeks, but that puts the Hustlers in a tough position. Do you they pick someone else up?
• Orlando Squeeze - See above about Spiridis - same goes for Tom Evans

*Of note, I have learned that MLP has made a "Restricted List" and are allowing Orlando and New York to place both Spiridis and Evans on the list. It will work very similarly to an IR slot. So they can be placed on that list, the team can then pick up an alternate sub on Tuesday, the 17th. Once Spiridis and Evans return to the US, they will be placed back on their respective rosters.

Challenger Level

This one is much easier than Premier. Everyone except Las Vegas (first place) could look to upgrade their roster. Since this is the first and only time to do so, I think a lot of Challenger Level teams will be making moves.

Who Could be Picked Up

According to my database, along with the data shared by MLP, there are a total of 72 United Pickleball Association (UPA) players who are eligible for this Waiver Period. 32 women and 40 men make up the list of players eligible for waivers.

To list out all of those players would make this the longest read ever, so I will just point out some of the top available players.

Surprising Players that are Available

When a team leaves a player they are starting available in waivers, it is probably a sign they are going to try to make a claim on someone else, while also thinking the likelihood of that person being claimed is low.

Collin Johns - Carolina Hogs

This could be a case of Carolina looking to claim someone off of waivers, but not wanting to drop Collin. Here is what I mean by this: Carolina has chosen to protect Ben Johns and Brandon French. French hasn't played a minute yet for Carolina.

There are two likely reasons why Carolina has chosen this strategy:

• They are planning on claiming a player off waivers and dropping French AND/OR
• They don't care if another team claims Collin Johns off waivers

This is a bit of a surprising move, but based on Collin's play and his effort levels during the past two MLP events that Carolina played in, not completely shocking. I don't know if a team will pick him up.

Tammy Emmrich - Carolina Hogs

Again, this could be the Hogs actually trying to claim a woman in waivers. They would claim whoever they wanted and then drop Liz Truluck, who was drafted as their sub and has only seen limited action (more below).

Or, this could be Carolina being ok with another team claiming Tammy on waivers. I guess we will find out on Monday. Tammy has played in all of the Hogs matches in 2025, so having two started available is a weird tactic.

Judit Castillo - SoCal Hard Eights

This one also feels like the Hard Eights are going to claim another available player. I would guess they are going to go after someone and then drop Irina Tereschenko (who I mentioned above has a lower body injury).

I don't think anyone steals Judit, but crazier things have happened. She is a very good defensive player and a good addition if a lower level team is looking to add Dreambreaker help.

Roscoe Bellamy - SoCal Hard Eights

Again, all three of these "surprise" players available, really feels like the team is hoping to claim another player off waivers and drop one of the protected players.

Bellamy was just claimed by SoCal in the first waiver period, so this one is a little confusing for me. The other thing that is a little confusing here is that a team can only make one waiver claim. I would think SoCal goes after a third woman, but who knows.

My Top 12 Available Women (in no particular order)

• Judit Castillo - SoCal Hard Eights - 5.571 DUPR - Castillo has played in every match for SoCal. She recently fully signed with the UPA and will be playing MLP and PPA. She is very good at singles and is extremely athletic. Her best attribute in doubles is her defense. The Hard Eights are taking a risk by allowing her to be picked up.

• Helena Jansen - Texas Ranchers - 5.233 DUPR - Jansen won a triple crown in the PPA Challenger Series in the Columbia, South Carolina event in late March. She filled in for the Ranchers in MLP Daytona for two matches, winning three out of the four games she played in.

• Felicity Di Laura - St. Louis Shock - 5.272 DUPR - The former All-American tennis player from Texas Tech lives in Austin and is training full-time pickleball. In singles, she has beat Alix Truong, and taken a game off Lea Jansen. In doubles, Di Laura also took a game off Jansen and Kovalova, with Danna Funaro, earlier in the year. A lot of pundits are high on her potential, and a team could definitely take a shot on her for the upside.

• Cailyn Campbell - Free Agent - 5.421 DUPR - The 15-year-old is the younger sister of Cason Campbell and just signed with the UPA on Tuesday. She signed just in time to be able to participate in the second Waiver Period. She brings a ton of raw power and athleticism and is training pickleball full-time. Her doubles game is definitely coming along, and she is very good at singles. I could easily see the Florida Smash picking her up in Challenger Level waivers (Cason is also on the Smash).

• Christa Gecheva - New Jersey 5s - 5.613 DUPR - Gecheva is a seasoned pro and can fill in at any time. She proved that this past weekend in MLP Daytona, filling in for an ill Meghan Dizon admirably, in a nail-biting loss to the Utah Black Diamonds. Gecheva is a steady right sider that can bring some power.

• Liz Truluck - Carolina Hogs - 5.548 DUPR - Truluck is a top 20 singles player on the PPA Tour, filled in as a sub for the Hogs in three matches, and has experience playing MLP Australia. The former Davidson tennis player has been playing pro pickleball for well over a year and a half, and is good on the left in women’s and good on the right in mixed.

• Pierina Imparato - Chicago Slice - 5.547 DUPR - Imparato filled in for Callie Smith this past weekend for two matches, and did well, winning three of her four games. The Venezualen also filled in last year as an on-site alternate in the playoffs for the Texas Ranchers in a Dreambreaker. She has been playing on the PPA Tour for well over a year and a half.

• Hannah Blatt - Brooklyn Pickleball Team - 5.290 DUPR - The former Canadian and D1 squash player has been playing pro pickleball full-time for over a year now. She brings a ton of consistency, good defense, and moderate power. Brooklyn hasn’t needed to call upon her this year, so Blatt has never seen MLP action before.

• Rachel Rettger - Atlanta Bouncers - 5.359 DUPR - Rettger filled in for an ill Victoria DiMuzio in MLP Phoenix for three matches. Rettger has been playing for over two years as a pro, and can help bring some experience to a team. She brings a ton of positive energy and is a very steady right sider. 

• Mehvish Safdar - Utah Black Diamonds - 5.361 DUPR - Safdar is one of the few players to come from collegiate pickleball, where she was a DUPR All-American. Although she was drafted as a starter, Safdar has not seen the courts yet in MLP. Instead, the Black Diamonds have been starting Genie Erokhina. Could another team see something in Safdar that the Diamonds don’t?

• Luana Stanciu - Free Agent - 4.815 DUPR - The Romanian recently signed with the UPA and is very new to pickleball. She played D1 tennis at both the University of Louisiana at Monroe and the University of South Dakota. She lives and trains in the Austin area, so if any GMs have film on her and like what they see, they may take a flier.

• Zoey Weil - Free Agent - 5.745 DUPR - Remember the whole Ben and Collin Johns debacle in MLP Columbus? Well, many forget that Kaitlyn Christian was injured, and Liz Truluck had a previous scheduling issue. Who stepped in to play with Tammy Emmrich for most of the event? Zoey Weil - the on-site alternate. Weil displayed a ton of power and very good energy for a team that was thrown together. The former D1 tennis player could bring some firepower to a team looking to add some offense.

My Top 12 Available Men (in no particular order)

• Collin Johns - Carolina Hogs - 6.449 DUPR - Johns is still an elite right side guy, a below average mixed player, and a solid #2 Dreambreaker player. It will be interesting to see if anyone claims him.

• Roscoe Bellamy - SoCal Hard Eights - 6.105 DUPR - Bellamy filled in for CJ Klinger on the Sliders during MLP Columbus. Since then, he was claimed on waivers by SoCal, but hasn't played at all due to a foot injury. If a team is looking to upgrade their right side player, Bellamy may be a good fit.

• AJ Koller - Free Agent - 6.407 DUPR - Koller has been an on-site alternate at both MLP Orlando and MLP Daytona Beach. The veteran played three matches in Orlando for the LA Mad Drops in place of an injured Hunter Johnson. In Daytona Beach, he played five matches for an injured/ill/out Zane Ford. Koller is super versatile, and can play both sides well. 

• Grayson Goldin - Free Agent - 5.949 DUPR - Goldin is the most recent UPA signee on the men’s side. While he is a top singles player, his doubles game is coming along and he just needs the high level reps. The former USF Bull is super athletic and brings a fire and energy to the court. He seems like he will be a very good team player for whoever picks him up.

• Rafa Hewett - Texas Ranchers - 6.395 DUPR - Hewett played for the Las Vegas Night Owls before being traded to the Black Bears in 2024. They kept him for the 2025 season, but recently traded him for Michael Loyd. The veteran lefty brings a ton of energy and mayhem. If someone is in need of a lefty with energy, Hewett is at the top of the list.

• Wyatt Stone - Free Agent - 6.157 DUPR - Stone was drafted as a sub for the Dallas Flash, but was later dropped for Ivan Jakovljevic. He is an Austin based player who has been playing pickleball for a long time, despite only being 20 years old. He is more of a right side guy, but could really fill in anywhere.

• Martin Emmrich - Free Agent - 6.376 DUPR - Emmrich played for the Brooklyn Aces (Now D.C. Pickleball team), Bay Area Breakers, and Chicago Slice, all in 2024. He somehow was not picked up this year in the draft, but played for Carolina in MLP Columbus, when Ben and Collin Johns withdrew from the event. Emmrich is a really good mover, especially at the age of 40 and brings a calming, veteran presence to a team.

• Pat Smith - Brooklyn Pickleball Team - 6.329 DUPR - Smith is a veteran, and has played for many MLP teams. The 41-year-old had to fill in for an injured Riley Newman (groin) for one match in MLP Phoenix, helping Brooklyn beat the Phoenix Flames 4-0. If Newman is out for any significant amount of time, they will rely heavily on Smith. They are hoping no one claims him on waivers.

• Spencer Smith - Free Agent - 6.225 DUPR - The Utah veteran had to fill in as an on-site alternate for Quang Duong in MLP Phoenix, during Duong’s four match suspension. Smith went 2-6 and did a fine job helping the Mad Drops earn eight points in the four matches he played.

• Erik Lange - St. Louis Shock - 6.628 DUPR - Lange has served as the player coach for the Shock thus far in the 2025 season. Last year he played for the SoCal Hard Eights in Challenger, and nearly won the championship with them. Lange is a veteran, who plays a super steady right side in men’s.

• Brandon French - SoCal Hard Eights - 6.135 DUPR - French played for the California Black Bears in Challenger Level. He has one of the most unique grips in pickleball and is very deceptive. While he isn’t a great mover, he is a very steady player who hasn’t seen any MLP time in 2025 and Carolina hasn’t traveled him to any of the stops either. French could get picked up by a Challenger Level team (through a Premier waiver and trade, or just a straight trade).

• Stephen Madonia - New York Hustlers - 5.800 DUPR - Madonia is the sub for New York and just played all weekend in Daytona Beach for an injured Donald Young. While his results weren't spectacular, he does play on one of the lower level Premier teams. He showed that he could hang, with a win over Zane Navratil and Will Howells in men's.

Stay tuned to The Dink Newsletter for all the breaking information, and to stay up-to-date on all things pickleball.