Adley Rutschman says, “See? I’m not just good in real life, but in fantasy baseball, too!”

On the Agenda: 

1. Closer Chaos
2. Quick Hits
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitchers

Closer Chaos

There is always some chaos to report! Last night’s mayhem involved Giants reliever, Ryan Walker. Walker entered the bottom of the ninth with a 2-1 lead in the first game of the doubleheader. Walker gave up a single, run-scoring triple, and the game-winning single to rookie outfielder Justin Crawford. Interim manager Don Mattingly is now 3-0 and also, this is pretty cool:

The Crawfords are the second father-son set to each have a walk-off RBI for the same manager (RBI official since 1920)

Carl & Justin Crawford for Don Mattingly
Gary & Daryle Ward for Lou Piniella

h/t @EliasSports

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) May 1, 2026

Back to this bullpen: it’s an absolute mess! Manager Tony Vitello should make lefty Erik Miller and righty Caleb Kilian the co-closers. Gregory Santos could eventually be a dark horse candidate (I can’t quit that guy).

Tigers veteran righty Kyle Finnegan earned his first save of the season in a 5-2 victory over the Braves. Kenley Jansen blew Wednesday’s save, but isn’t in danger of losing his job, though Finnegan and Will Vest will earn opportunities from time to time. Over 15 appearances (15.2 innings), Finnegan has 15 strikeouts and just one earned run allowed, but has issued 10 free passes.

Meanwhile, my boy “Perky” Jack Perkins earned his third save of the season in a 6-3 victory over the Rangers:

Quick Hits

The hits keep coming for the Mets. Oft-injured outfielder Luis Robert Jr. hits the IL with a lumbar spine disc herniation. His stay will be more than the minimum, as he will be shut down for 7-10 days and given an injection. The Mets also designated relief pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. for assignment, claimed infielders Andy Ibañez and Eric Wagaman off waivers from the Athletics and Twins, respectively. It’s not even May and their no. 3 hitter is MJ Melendez. Godspeed, Mets fans.

Paul Skenes struck out nine, but served up two longballs to JJ Wetherholt and Jordan Walker:

It was his sixth time allowing four or more earned runs in his career 62 starts. Two of those outings were against the Cardinals.

The Braves expect Sean Murphy to be activated early next week. Murphy won’t play every day, but should manage some starts behind the plate and as the DH. None of the Braves bench bats have minor-league options, so it’s likely that whoever gets called up if Michael Harris II goes on the injured list, is the player optioned.

Have a day, Kyle Schwarber!

Kyle Schwarber of the @Phillies is the first MLB player to have a day with:

5+ hits
3+ walks
2+ doubles
2+ homers
0 strikeouts

…since Lou Gehrig on August 26, 1935 (also in a doubleheader). pic.twitter.com/khD1AvHxb5

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) May 1, 2026

Various News and Notes

Brandon Woodruff was pulled after 21 pitches on Thursday after averaging 85 mph on his fastball. Woodruff claims it’s dead arm and that he didn’t feel pain. Regardless, the Brewers will skip his next start and will further assess whether an IL stint is needed. Logan Henderson (17.2 IP – 1.02 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 35.6% K, 12.3% BB) would likely get the call to make the start for Woodruff against the Cardinals in the first half of the week.

A quick check-in on pitchers on rehab assignments:

Tatsuya Imai has been out since April 13 with right arm fatigue and made his first rehab start on Tuesday. Imai allowed five runs and three walks, with just two strikeouts in two innings. He is expected to make another rehab start, which will likely occur with Triple-A Sugar Land. If Imai doesn’t require any more rehab starts beyond the next one, he should return sometime between May 11 and May 14 for the series against the Mariners.

Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole could both be back in the Yankees rotation the week of May 11. Rodón pitched 4.1 scoreless innings in his first rehab start in High-A last week. On Thursday, he dazzled in a rehab start with the Double-A squad, punching out eight batters with one run allowed on five hits in 5.1 innings.

Cole is up to three rehab starts now. He has allowed eight runs (four homers) in 14.1 innings, but has a 10:1 K:BB and only needed 60 pitches to in Wednesday’s Double-A Somerset start to nearly reach six innings (5.2). A rotation of Rodón , Cole, Max Fried, Ryan Weathers, and Cam Schlittler will be a nasty one. The Bronx Bombers would have no choice but to boot Will Warren from it.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: Joey Cantillo (LHP, CLE) at ATH

It may not seem wise to start pitchers in Sacramento, but we’re not in the dead heat of summer yet and we can make an exception for Cantillo tomorrow. The Athletics have struggled against souhthpaws and have the fourth lowest wRC+ (73) against them. Cantillo will have to be on point with his control. Nick Kurtz has been a walks machine and has a 22.7% walk rate against lefties. In the seventh inning on Thursday, Kurtz was intentionally walked and is now tied with Ted Williams for the third-most consecutive games with a walk (19).

Other Options: Christian Scott (RHP, NYM) at LAA

Watch Scott totally redeem himself after walking five of the 10 batters he faced in his 2026 debut.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Reid Detmers (LHP, LAA) vs. NYM

It’s a solid matchup for Detmers against the reeling Mets who have a .343 SLG and 78 wRC+ against left-handed pitching (bottom five). The Mets might be rolling out Wagaman, Ibañez, Austin Slater, and Tyrone Taylor on Saturday.

Other Options: Chase Dollander (RHP, Rockies) vs. ATL

The immovable object meets an unstoppable force on Saturday. It’s Dollander vs. Chris Sale and it’ll be a doozie.

Welcome back, Esteury Ruiz!

Of course, Ruiz couldn’t help himself and swiped a bag to complete the combo meal.

On the Agenda: 

1. Closer Chaos
2. Quick Hits
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitchers

Closer Chaos

It’s been an inauspicious start to Kurt Suzuki’s managerial career, mostly due to his mismanagement of the bullpen. Recently released reliever Jordan Romano has all four of the Los Angeles Angels’ saves; the most recent one was way back on April 6. Suzuki continues to deploy veteran lefty Drew Pomeranz in high-leverage opportunities, and it keeps backfiring. Here’s what happened on Wednesday:

The Angels were hoping that Kirby Yates could help the team out in late innings soon, but Yates has been getting shelled on his rehab assignment — seven hits and seven runs allowed over three innings/three appearances. Righty Chase Silseth was mentioned as a potential late-inning option, but his control has been poor (10 walks over 11 innings) and Sam Bachman has 10 walks in 15.1 innings. Fireballer righty Ryan Zeferjahn has been slowly moving up the leverage ladder and might be a waiver wire save spec before the week is over. Zeferjahn has struggled in multi-inning outings, so perhaps management gets the memo and just have him pitch one inning per appearance. Ben Joyce just began a rehab assignment and if all goes well, he could be activated in 3-4 weeks. All in all, it’s full blown chaos in Anaheim!

Texas Rangers lefty Jacob Latz is one step closer to being their full-time ninth-inning guy. He followed Nathan Eovaldi’s seven scoreless innings to fire two scoreless innings of his own (1 H, 1 K) to lock down his second save of the season.

Manager Skip Schumaker might ask righty Jakob Junis to occasionally close games out. Nevertheless, Latz has been the most dominant and reliable option in the bullpen and could run away with the job despite being a lefty. Latz has a 14:3 K:BB with just five hits and two runs allowed over 16.2 innings (13 appearances).

With Miami closer Pete Fairbanks sidelined on the injured list, Calvin Faucher was called upon to close out the Dodgers on Wednesday. Faucher was shaky, walking three batters, but escaped unscathed, earning his first save of 2026. The Marlins took 2-of-3 from the Dodgers.

Quick Hits

#OldFriend (or frenemy?) Jarred Kelenic was called up by the White Sox on Wednesday. He pinch-hit for Luisangel Acuña in the seventh, his first at-bat since April 23, 2025 with the Braves. Kelenic batted .202 with 6 HR, 18 RBI, and 7 SB in 104 PA in Triple-A.

With starting pitcher Casey Mize hitting the IL, the Tigers called up Jace Jung. Jung appeared in 21 games last season (.106/.236/.106) and owns a horrific .190/.315/.230 slash over 149 career major-league plate appearances. Jung shouldn’t be up for long.

With George Springer activated for the Jays, Eloy Jiménez was designated for assignment. Jiménez went 9-31 (.290) with 3 BB and 3 RBI in his part-time three-week stretch.

The Texas Rangers expect to activate Wyatt Langford on Saturday. He hit just one home run in his first 20 games before the forearm injury, with his hard-hit rate down considerably from last season (48.4% to 37.7%).

Hunter Goodman smashed two dingers in Great American Ball Park:

He went 3-4 for four runs scored and increased his batting average from .250 to .269 (a reminder of how early it still is). Goodman’s 37.3% strikeout rate remains among the highest in the majors. His strikeout rate last season was 26.3%.

Right-handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins will make his Cardinals and 2026 debut on Thursday against the Pirates. A rookie last season, Dobbins made 11 starts for the Red Sox and came over to St. Louis in the Willson Contreras deal in December. He has a 3-0 record with a 4.37 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 19.8% K, and 9.4% BB over five starts for Triple-A Memphis.

Various News and Notes

A couple of valuable closers should be back soon. Daniel Palencia of the Cubs is expected to be activated this weekend as is Phillies righty, Jhoan Duran. Palencia suffered a lat injury on his non-throwing side and Duran is recovering from a minor oblique injury. The quick turnarounds are a good reminder for us to not get carried away with the interim closer hype in fantasy free agency. Caleb Thielbar and Brad Keller were expensive acquisitions in FAAB leagues two weeks ago and we’ll soon be able to say that those dollars were officially wasted.

Injury is officially added to insult as first-round fantasy pick Garrett Crochet was placed on the injured list (retroactive to Sunday) with shoulder inflammation. Crochet says he felt fatigued in his last start and that he lost strength in his shoulder in spring training and really never got it back. Crochet is “pretty confident” he will return by the time those 15 IL days have passed. Struggling starter Brayan Bello appears to have a stay of execution with another turn in the rotation. Sonny Gray should be back next week, but with Crochet out, the Red Sox promoted 25-year-old lefty Jake Bennett. Bennett will make his major-league debut this weekend.

After getting run out of the game by the Nationals in the first inning last Tuesday (four earned runs), Braves manager Walt Weiss announced that Reynaldo López would be moved to the bullpen to work on his mechanics. On Wednesday night, López entered the contest in the eighth inning, and only needed 17 pitches to earn six outs and get credited with the win after Matt Olson’s walk-off home run.

It’s a long season and perhaps López works his way back into the rotation, but it’s also possible that he sticks in the bullpen. It would be a quite formidable one when Raisel Iglesias returns, joining López, Robert Suarez, Dylan Lee, and Didier Fuentes. Even former Rockies gas-can Tyler Kinley has pitched well (1.38 ERA, no homers allowed in 13 innings).

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: Andrew Painter (RHP, PHI) vs. SF

Only 11 games on this Transition Thursday and not many sub-50% starting pitchers on the slate. His Yahoo roster rate has dropped to 27% after two subpar starts, but both those outings were against the scorching Braves offense. Painter is in a good position for a bounce-back start on the back end of a doubleheader where the Giants may not be rolling out their optimal lineup.

Other Options: None, though if you don’t mind some potential ratio damage, Astros righty Peter Lambert should be good for six or more strikeouts.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Joey Cantillo (LHP, CLE) at ATH

It may not seem wise to start pitchers in Sacramento, but we’re not in the dead heat of summer yet and we can make an exception for Cantillo tomorrow. The Athletics have struggled against souhthpaws and have the fourth lowest wRC+ (70) against them. Cantillo will have to be on point with his control. Nick Kurtz has been a walks machine and has a 22.7% walk rate against lefties.

Other Options: Christian Scott (RHP, NYM) at LAA

That’s right. Scott totally redeems himself after walking five of the 10 batters he faced in his 2026 debut.

Hitter platoons are a necessary part of baseball and have been utilized to some effect since the 1880s. Boston Braves manager George Stallings employed a successful outfield platoon in their 1914 World Series championship season. Legendary manager Casey Stengel utilized them prominently with the Braves pre-WWII and during the Yankees dynasty from 1949-1953. The term “platoon” was first used in the 1940s. Platoon usage decreased in the 80s and 90s and has since returned to prominence this century, even more so in the last several years due to heavier reliance on data.

In fantasy baseball, we can optimize our starting lineups in daily and weekly leagues by paying close attention to hitter platoon splits and baseball managers’ tendencies. Astute fantasy managers pay attention to the upcoming week’s matchups and make sure to bench a left-handed hitter who does not start against left-handed pitchers in a weekly league where that hitter’s team is facing four or five lefties. During draft season, those managers are careful not to overload their roster with too many extreme platoon bats like Kerry Carpenter so they can maximize the number of plate appearances, and by virtue of that, fantasy stats. Since we are one month into the season, I wanted to review the relevant platoon hitters. How are they performing? Who is likely to remain in their platoon? Who is in danger of falling into one? Who is working their way out of one? Let’s dig in.

Likely to Remain on the Strong Side Platoon

Lawrence Butler was a top 200 fantasy pick. Though he reached 20 HR, 20 SB in his second season, Butler hit .234 and struggled relative to his high ADP last spring. Butler has two home runs and four stolen bases in 95 plate appearances, but has mostly struggled to produce (.186/.263.279). He was in the starting lineup for one of the A’s seven games against a LHP and has fallen to hitting eighth over the last two weeks. There will come a time this season when Butler is red-hot and possibly even leading off for a stretch, but with the emergence of Carlos Cortes (LH), Tyler Soderstrom (LH) in the outfield, and two viable short-side platoon righties (Colby Thomas and Zack Gelof), the margin for error for Butler is slim.

For most of his career, Reds centerfielder TJ Friedl has shifted back and forth from strong-side platoon (vs. RHPs only) to a full-time bat. His career wRC+ splits are close (109 vs. L, 102 vs. R), though Friedl has faced RHPs 3.5x more. Friedl is locked into a platoon with righty centerfielder Dane Myers, which is an arrangement that should continue as long as both remain healthy. Friedl may be sitting on your waiver wire, but should only be considered in deeper (15-team) formats.

Kyle Manzardo and Kerry Carpenter are the two best power hitters in this group. Manzardo played a little bit against lefties last season, batting .186 against them in 95 PAs. He had a 83 wRC+ vs. lefties and a 119 vs. righties. Manzardo is in a strict platoon with Rhys Hoskins at first base. Manzardo will heat up at some point. He has only one home run this season after hitting 27 in 2025. Carpenter is a stud against RHPs (career 138 wRC+, .262 ISO) and a dud against LHPs (69, .124). The Tigers have faced mostly righty starters this season and manager A.J. Hinch is a very platoon friendly manager. Carpenter could earn some starts against lefties this season, but will likely never be a full-time starter against them.

Owen Caissie has some pop, but he is also the easiest hitter to punch out. Don’t pay much attention to his strikeout rate against lefties in a small sample (69% in 16 PA) as much his overall strikeout rate of 43.3%. Caissie is slashing .207/.256/.354 and has not been a plus defender. It’s possible that he is danger of being demoted.

Before the season started, the managers of the Phillies and Rangers told us that Brandon Marsh and Evan Carter would see more starts against lefties. Neither deserve more as both have struggled mightily against them. Marsh has earned a few starts against lefties (6 of 12), but fewer since rookie Felix Reyes was promoted. Let’s see how interim manager Don Mattingly handles it. It will probably be more of the same, though. The Phillies are slated to face mostly RHPs over the next two weeks. We can stream him while his bat remains hot, but he’s fungible in 12-team leagues. Carter’s batting average is around the Mendoza Line and he is hitless in 20 plate appearances against southpaws.

Rookie Carson Benge hasn’t started against a lefty and it will likely remain that way in the short term. Further solidifying the case is the recent addition of right-hand-hitting outfielder Austin Slater.

In Danger of Falling into Platoons

Red-hot rookie Carter Jensen is mostly included here for a little shock-and-awe. We anticipated a platoon for him before the season and he hasn’t been great against southpaws, but he has started against the last two lefty starters as Salvador Perez has mostly been playing DH and first base. The Royals recently signed short-side platoon catcher Elias Díaz and he will earn the occasional start behind the plate.

Nolan Schanuel is actually a competent hitter against southpaws (career 98 wRC+ in 330 PAs). He’s had a rough run against them so far this season, but it’s a tiny sample. Angels manager Kurt Suzuki might want to see if Oswald Peraza is capable of playing first base. His at-bats will be curtailed as the Angels play more RHPs, but perhaps he would serve as the ideal platoon pairing with Schanuel at first base.

Matt Wallner was told he’d have the opportunity to run away with everyday at-bats. So far this season, he can’t hit lefties or righties. Wallner is hitting a mere .172 with the fourth-highest strikeout rate (36.8%) among qualified hitters. He is hitting the pine for Tuesday’s contest and I’d be shocked if he started against the next lefty starter (Patrick Corbin on Friday). Otherwise, the Twins face all righties this week.

We don’t want to get carried away with a one-month sample of limited handedness data, but these are hitters worth highlighting. Wilyer Abreu and Daulton Varsho are both holding their own against southpaws. Even a slight slump against lefties won’t keep Blue Jays manager John Schneider from benching Varsho against them. With Alex Cora out of the picture and a new Driveline-infused coaching staff, we can’t be sure about Abreu’s prospects on that front.

Jarren Duran’s wRC+ split is wild, but not in the way you’d expect — a 101 wRC+ against lefties and 19 against righties. He’s earned four times more PAs against righties, and his .286 BA against lefties is fueled by a .353 BABIP. He will probably play every day under this new regime.

Bryson Stott also has an odd reverse split (155 wRC+ vs. L, 33 vs. R), but digging into his splits page uncovers the true story. Stott has only had 12 plate appearances against lefties because he does not start against them, hence the 3-9 (three singles) and three walks will inflate his metrics. Stott has been ice cold. Let’s see if Mattingly can wake some of these bats up.

There are so many more players to dig into. I’ll do so at a later point in the season. The samples will be bigger, but still too small to extract meaningful insights. Baseball managers all operate their lineups differently, but platoons remain a big part of their strategy. The best way to get ahead of potential shifts in platoons is to track each team’s lineup daily and watch for trends.

Every Monday, this column will break down the most popular waiver wire and free agent acquisitions of the weekend.

Fantasy baseball managers know that our game is the ultimate test of grit, grind, tenacity, and patience. Unlike fantasy football, where league titles can be won with minimal in-season activity, fantasy baseball leagues require incessant attention and activity. Particularly when it comes to free agent adds and drops. Real-life baseball managers are constantly adjusting batting orders, players are frequently optioned to and promoted from the Minor Leagues, and injuries occur almost daily. There’s no resting on our laurels. We must always stay vigilant with league news and notes and remain active on the waiver wire if we want to win our leagues.

Every week, I’ll dig into the top adds on the ever-popular Fantrax and in the NFBC Online Championship (OC), a national mid-stakes contest with 240 total leagues of 12 and a six-figure grand prize. Reviewing player adds between the two should provide us with a well-rounded perspective and barometer of the fantasy baseball marketplace.

Week 5 Overview

Ildemaro Vargas continues to tear it up, out of nowhere. He lead all hitters with 12 RBI last week with his team only playing five games, albeit two of them in Mexico City. More on him later. Nolan Arenado had an incredible week as well, going 11-18 with a homer and seven runs scored. That two-game Mexico City series did not disappoint as the Diamondbacks and Padres combined to score 29 runs.

Since returning from Paternity Leave, Michael Harris II is slashing .429/.468/.786 with 4 HR and 13 RBI in 13 games. Talk about #DadPower.

A few notable hitters who hit the skids in Week 5: Willy Adames (1-22), Dillon Dingler (1-21), Luis Robert Jr. (1-15), Austin Riley (2-26), CJ Abrams (2-22) and Kyle Schwarber (3-27). Oneil Cruz only managed three hits (3-23), but two were home runs. Over the last two weeks, Ezequiel Tovar is 5-43 (.116) with no RBI. Already one of the biggest chasers of bad pitches and arguably the worst plate discipline among MLB regulars, Tovar’s YTD walk rate (2.7%) and strikeout rate (30%) are worse than ever before. There will be better days ahead, but managers in 12- and 10-team leagues should continue finding alternatives for their rosters.

Nasim Nuñez was the only player with five stolen bases last week, and is the current Major League leader (13). Right behind him are José Ramírez, José Caballero (11) and Oneil Cruz and Jakob Marsee (10). Nuñez has the lowest ISO (.012) among 180 qualified hitters.

It was another week where two-start pitchers’ wins hovered around weekly expectations. Among 30 starting pitchers with two starts last week (let’s include Sean Burke and Chase Dollander, who entered their second appearances early in the games), only three earned wins in both — Justin Wrobleski, Landen Roupp, and Spencer Arrighetti — a rate of 9.6%. Nolan McLean led all pitchers in strikeouts (17 in 11.2 IP), Dollander was second (16 in 13) and Kyle Harrison was third. Harrison only pitched three innings on Tuesday (3 Ks) before punching out 12 Pirates in six innings on Saturday.

Louis Varland was the only reliever with three saves in Week 5. Rockies Victor Vodnik got rocked for five runs on Thursday, and secured a clean save in one of the doubleheader contests against the Mets on Sunday.

Let’s dive into the top trending acquisitions for Fantrax (waivers) and the NFBC 12-team OC (blind bid FAAB):

 Roster % is the current percentage of leagues rostering the player

+/-  is the percentage of leagues the player was added in the previous week

Ildemaro Vargas was the top addition on Fantrax. He’s been the Diamondbacks top producer, leading them in HR (six), RBI (20) and in wRC+ (203), wOBA (.473), and ISO (.354). His power metrics are all below average — 87.6 mph EV, 37% hard-hit, 7.1% barrel. That barrel rate is nearly three times his career rate, as is his seven degree launch angle. He recently earned first base eligibility, as he’s made himself comfortable there in the absence of Carlos Santana. With Geraldo Perdomo out of Sunday’s lineup, Vargas had the opportunity to lead off for the first time this season and delivered in grand style — 3-5, 3 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI. Vargas won’t finish the season as a top-three hitter in this offense, but could maintain an everyday (or almost everyday) role in this shallow lineup and deliver his best season. Though that shouldn’t be difficult considering he has never earned more than 303 plate appearances in a season.

The recent waiver pickup timing of Carlos Cortes is symbolic of the essence of fantasy baseball chaos. Cortes was a somewhat popular add before Week 4. The Athletics had seven home games, Brent Rooker was on the IL, and Cortes’ playing time was increasing, so the opportunity for production was ripe. Cortes went 3-16 with one run and one run batted in that week. Most managers dropped him before his epic Week 5 run of .542 (13-24), 4 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI. Now he’s popular again, but Rooker is back and Cortes will likely only make two starts, since the A’s are expected to face four lefty starters and Cortes doesn’t typically start against them. If you picked him up in weekly leagues, make sure you bench him for the week.

Nathan Church has been a pleasant surprise for the Cardinals. The left-handed-hitting 25-year-old rookie was an 11th-round draft pick in 2022 and produced between Double-A and Triple-A last season: .329/.386/.524, 13 HR, 16 SB in 385 PA (86 games). Church has been a mainstay against right-handed starters,, and has covered all three outfield positions, though he mainly plays left field. He stepped into the fantasy scene last week, going 8-19 with 4 HR, 7 RBI and a stolen base in six games, as the Cardinals faced all righties. He sports an 11.5% barrel rate, though his average exit velocity (86.6 mph) and hard-hit rate (38.5%) remain subpar. The Cardinals play seven this week and five of those matchups are against RHPs, though Church will be tested going up against the likes of Paul Skenes, Braxton Ashcraft, and Emmet Sheehan. His power/speed combo is intriguing for deeper leagues and he should not yet be on the radar for 12-teamers or shallower formats. Though, if matchups line up as they currently project, Church and the Cardinals should face seven RHPs the following week (Week 7, May 4 – May 10), though more tough tests are to come against studly Brewers and Padres arms.

% Lgs Added is the percentage of leagues that added the player (240 total leagues)

AWB stands for Average Winning Bid

This was a huge weekend for spending in NFBC managers, on par with last weekend when Noah Schultz and Spencer Arrighetti both earned triple-digit AWBs. The big ticket was Red Sox southpaw Payton Tolle, who dazzled in his 2026 debut, punching out 11 hitters in six innings from the Yankees on Thursday. The hulking (6’5”, 250) and famously mustachioed 23-year-old rocks a killer 97-mph four-seam fastball, and mixes in a cutter, curve and sinker, with an occasional changeup. He is locked in to face the Blue Jays in Toronto on Tuesday, and has a good opportunity to remain with the big-league club even when Sonny Gray is activated. To keep Brayan Bello (9.00 ERA, 2.27 WHIP, 13% K, 11.3% BB in 22 IP) over Tolle in the rotation would be a travesty, but could be par for the course for a front office that just fired manager Alex Cora and is feeling the heat from their fanbase.

JR Ritchie had a strong career debut last Thursday. The Braves top pitching prospect boasting a 0.99 ERA over five Triple-A starts fired seven innings against the Nationals. Ritchie struck out seven, and gave up two walks and two runs on five hits (two home runs). The next day, Atlanta manager Walt Weiss confirmed that Ritchie would remain in the majors for now. His next start is confirmed for Wednesday, at home against the Tigers. The timing of Ritchie’s promotion and impressive debut was perfect. It was one of several factors that drove his fantasy free agent market price up over the weekend. Didier Fuentes struggled in his start the day before (and was subsequently optioned to Triple-A). Reynaldo López got shelled last Monday (4 ER in 1 IP), and on Sunday, it was announced that he would move to the bullpen to work on his mechanics. So, even with Spencer Strider’s upcoming activation off the IL, there is still an open rotation spot and clear opportunity for Ritchie to gain some momentum and lock himself into the rotation. I did not acquire Ritchie in any leagues this weekend, but would call myself a founding member of his fan club. I drafted him in my first 50-round NFBC Draft Champions back in November. I also drafted him in my live Main Event in Las Vegas and stashed him on my bench for the last 5.5 weeks. Who wants to pay retail anyway?

Jack Perkins is emerging as the Athletics most reliable bullpen option. After earning a save earlier in the week, Perkins impressed on Sunday by locking down a two-inning save. Middling veteran righty Joel Kuhnel ran into some trouble in two early-week appearances (6 H, 2 ER in 1.2 IP). In Sunday’s tilt against the Rangers, Kuhnel appeared in the fourth inning for banged-up starter J.T. Ginn. RosterResource currently displays Perkins, Kuhnel and lefty Hogan Harris as a committee. Though, Perkins is best suited to handle ninth inning duties, he’s an effective multi-inning arm who manager Mark Kotsay could easily deploy in various relief scenarios, including early innings. Perkins was my most-added RP, so I am ready to be hurt again. But I will not overreact to his usage this week and intent to stand firm with Perkins on my roster. Well, barring an 8-ER implosion or IL stint, of course.

Drop of the Week

This week, it’s a four-way tie between “closers” Edwin Díaz (LAD), Jordan Romano (LAA), Clayton Beeter (WSN), and Caleb Thielbar (CHC). Each stung in its own way — Díaz due to expectations and high-draft capital and Romano because of the ratio damage. Don’t be surprised to see more carnage next weekend in what is the craziest season for closers and saves in recent memory.

Jazz, finally!

Expect Fernando Tatis Jr.’s first dinger of the season in Mexico City this weekend.

On the Agenda: 

1. Closer Chaos
2. Quick Hits
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitchers

Closer Chaos

Abner Uribe entered the bottom of the ninth in a tie game and served up the walkoff bomb to Spencer Torkelson.

Could it be Trevor Megill time in Milwaukee again, soon?

Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald entered Thursday’s tie game in the ninth and got hammered. He walked two batters and gave up a 3-run homer to Andrew Benintendi. Sewald has been lights-out in save opportunities. The lights are off when it’s not one:

Paul Sewald in tie games (3 G):
1.2 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 3 HR.

Paul Sewald in all other games (9 G):
8.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 0 HR.

— Jesse Friedman (@JesseNFriedman) April 23, 2026

White Sox closer Seranthony Domínguez stepped into the bottom of the ninth and protected their 4-1 lead with his fifth save.

Tanner Scott locked down his first save of the season in a 3-0 win over the rival Giants. Scott and fellow lefty Alex Vesia have manager Dave Roberts’ trust and will be the two relievers called upon for save chances. Vesia has yet to allow a run this season. He is an excellent relief pitcher but has running a bit hot (.111 BABIP, 100% LOB).

Quick Hits

Francisco Lindor‘s calf MRI did not supply Mets fans with the good news they were looking for. Lindor’s strain is considered worse than Juan Soto’s and it’s possible that Lindor will be out until after Memorial Day. I wonder if Juan will call and check in on Frankie from time to time.

Orioles righty Dean Kremer appeared to be on the precipice of a breakout season, rocking a 16:2 K:BB through his first two starts (11 innings). Unfortunately for those who acquired him over the weekend, Kremer was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right quadriceps strain. Lefty Brandon Young will be called up to start Friday’s contest.

The Marlins called up speedy outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who stole 67 bags in 497 plate appearances for the Athletics in 2023. Veteran short-side platoon outfielder Austin Slater was designated for assignment.

Various News and Notes

Gerrit Cole is getting closer and closer. He looked good in his rehab start, throwing 42-of-52 strikes with four punchouts and two runs allowed in 4.1 innings. Cole will continue to build up his pitch count throughout his minor league assignment, which could last another two to three weeks.

Pirates righty Bubba Chandler continues to struggle. Rangers outfielder Evan Carter had a two-run, inside-the-park home run and Corey Seager hit a three-run home run, bringing Chandler’s ERA up to 4.88.

Meanwhile, Oneil Cruz continues to prove the draft season haters (including me) wrong. Cruz hit his eighth homer of the season in the fifth off Jacob deGrom. Cruz should re-take the top spot on the FanGraphs Player Rater after Thursday’s stats are are processed overnight. Konnor Griffin’s average dipped to .182 after another 0-4 afternoon.

It’s never too late for a breakout! Jayson Werth, er, Brandon Marsh crushed two home runs on Thursday:

Marsh brought his average up to .300 and his slugging percentage to .500. Manager Rob Thomson has so far kept his promise of letting Marsh face more left-handed pitching — he’s been in the starting lineup in six of the last nine lefties the Phillies have faced. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been that effective against them: 3-17 with 7 Ks and no RBIs. Rookie Felix Reyes could eat into some of Marsh’s playing time.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: Max Scherzer vs. CLE

The Blue Jays are rare home underdogs as the Guardians come to town with a scorching Gavin Williams toeing the rubber on Sunday. We can’t confidently stream Scherzer like in years’ past, but on a slate with few sub-50% rostered options, a home tilt where the game’s projected run total is just 8.0 is certainly worth a shot.

Other Options: None, but be sure to stream hitters in the Miles Mikolas/Erick Fedde 페디 barnburner.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Kodai Senga vs. COL

It’s been a disastrous season for Senga so far (8.83 ERA), but it isn’t all on him. Senga has a 3.95 xERA, 4.04 SIERA, .413 BABIP and a 54.7% strand rate. His fastball velocity (96.3 mph) is up from last season (94.7) and he has 22 punchouts in 17.1 innings. A date with the Rockies in his home turf might be just what Senga needs.

Other Options: Walbert Urena at KC, Bryce Elder vs. PHI

Two (II) dingers for new dad, Michael Harris II

On the Agenda: 

1. Closer Chaos
2. Quick Hits
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitchers

Closer Chaos

The Giants’ ninth inning is slightly less murky now. Ryan Walker was called upon tonight to close out the game. It was his second save conversion in as many games.

With Raisel Iglesias (shoulder) on the IL, Robert Suarez assumes ninth inning duties for the Braves. Suarez locked down the save on Wednesday, his second of the season. Suarez was the Major League saves leader over the last two seasons. Iglesias’ MRI showed no structural damage. He should take his job back if he returns to full health, but there are no guarantees.

Before the week began, Joel Kuhnel had not allowed a run in six appearances and was quickly earning high leverage duties and save opportunities. He earned the save on Monday, but allowed his first earned run in a 6-4 victory over the Mariners. On Wednesday, Kuhnel entered the ninth inning in a tie game, but allowed four hits and the game-winning run. It’s quite possible that a much more talented righty in that bullpen by the name of Jack Perkins quickly earns ninth inning opportunities ahead of Kuhnel. Perkins earned his first save of the season on Tuesday. He worked as a reliever and starter last season, scoring four saves and starting four games.

Quick Hits

Guess who’s back! The Braves are expected to promote veteran righty Carlos Carrasco and employ him in long relief. Carrasco has a 1.71 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 18 strikeouts and five walks over four starts at Triple-A Gwinnett.

It’s an exciting few days for pitchers. Twins lefty prospect Connor Prielipp made his MLB debut on Wednesday and Braves pitcher JR Ritchie makes his today. Payton Tolle (BOS) and Christian Scott (NYM) have made starts in the big leagues before, but will be promoted to make their season debuts today. On Saturday, wily veteran Zack Wheeler will make his first start for the Phillies in 2026. Wheeler has made five rehab starts since March 28, posting a 5.14 ERA, 1.20 WHIP with a 19:2 K:BB over 20 innings.

The Mets finally ended their 12-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Twins in Juan Soto’s triumphant return, but there was carnage. Francisco Lindor was removed from the contest with left calf tightness and will have an MRI today.

The Rangers placed snakebit outfielder Wyatt Langford (forearm) on the IL on Wednesday. Langford does not expect to be out longer than 10 days, but we’ve heard that before. Outfielder Alejandro Osuna was promoted.

The Diamondbacks expect to activate catcher Gabriel Moreno next week.

The Phillies placed catcher J.T. Realmuto on the IL due to back spasms. Thirty-two-year-old Garrett Stubbs was promoted and should split time behind the plate with Rafael Marchán.

Various News and Notes

José Soriano was masterful again, hurling five scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no walks allowed.

Soriano became the first pitcher since 1900 to allow one run or fewer across his first six starts of the season.

Max Fried had an incredible outing against the rival Red Sox (8 IP – 3 H – 0 ER – 2 BB – 9 K) to take his record to 3-1. It was the second time this season that he’s reached eight innings. He has thrown at least 90 pitches in every start except the season opener, 86 against the Giants.

The Giants shut the Dodgers down, winning 3-0. Neither starter allowed a run — Shohei Ohtani threw six innings and Tyler Mahle allowed just three hits in seven innings. It was a much-needed bounce back start for Mahle after allowing 8 ER in 4 IP to his former team, the Reds, last week.

Yordan Alvarez hit his league-leading 11th home run of the season.

Newcomer Peter Lambert dazzled in this contest, hurling six scoreless innings, with three hits, three walks and eight strikeouts. It was Lambert’s second start as a member of the Astros. Lambert owned a career ERA over 6.00 in four partial seasons with the Rockies before spending a season pitching in Japan last year. Lambert was a second-round draft pick of the Rockies in 2015. He’s been shoving his four-seam fastball at 95 mph, which is 2-3 ticks up from his days with the Rockies.

Streaming Pitchers (Under 50% in Yahoo)

Pitcher for Today: Brandon Sproat at DET

There are only a few options under 50% on this transition day Thursday slate. Sproat had a rough start with the Brewers, but bounced back nicely against the Blue Jays in his last start, punching out six over 6.2 innings with one run allowed. This contest has a 7-run total (mostly because of Skubal) and could turn into a pitchers’ duel.

Pitcher for Tomorrow: Kodai Senga vs. COL

It’s been a disastrous season for Senga so far (8.83 ERA), but it isn’t all on him. Senga has a 3.95 xERA, 4.04 SIERA, .413 BABIP and a 54.7% strand rate. His fastball velocity (96.3 mph) is up from last season (94.7) and he has 22 punchouts in 17.1 innings. A date with the Rockies in his home turf might be just what Senga needs.

Other Option: Walbert Urena at KC

Trades are the lifeblood of fantasy baseball home leagues. The conversations around them help keep us connected and engaged, and make our league more fun.

Striking deals isn’t always easy. There are often hurt feelings around lopsided proposals, league-mates who value players differently, and that one guy who wants to veto everything. We can improve our fantasy squads with the waiver wire, but our collective hit rates are low. Quite often, those pickups backfire — a hitter’s cold streak or a pitcher’s blowup, which inevitably leads to dropping the player. The one facet we have control of in home leagues is trading.

Managers are often emotionally tied to certain players – specifically, missed draft targets or players from their favorite baseball team. Also, we’re not all great at zooming out to a long-term view and getting stuck in the moment. Good analysis can be washed away by recency bias and small sample sizes. No one can force us to make a deal, so it’s the one element of the game we have some control over and can use proper value assessment and negotiation techniques to our advantage.

This column will recommend hitters and pitchers to try selling high or buying low, and touch on trade strategies. No two leagues or two managers are the same. You know your league-mates best: what kind of deal they’ll scoff at, which player type they’re willing to deal for or acquire, and how good their player and market-valuation skills are. I’ll dig deep and present realistic opportunities.

SIERA and K-BB% to Spot Under- and Over-Performing SPs

ERA indicators or ERA estimators or peripherals — these are interchangeable terms for a set of Sabermetric statistics that fantasy baseball managers use to help predict future performance of pitchers. These ERA indicators (xERA, FIP, xFIP, SIERA) are not interchangeable since they include different inputs and have varying purposes. FIP excludes balls hit into play. xFIP utilizes the league average HR/FB%. SIERA incorporates a pitcher’s underlying skill level into the equation and adjusts for the type of balls in play. The SI stands for “Skills Interactive”, and you can learn more about SIERA in the original article here. SIERA is far from perfect, but many studies over the last 15 years have proven it to have a slightly higher correlation to ERA than the other indicators.

Over the years, I have utilized a simple formula (ERA minus SIERA) to identify pitchers who could be deemed “lucky”, with negative regression on the horizon, and vice versa — “unlucky” with a higher likelihood of positive regression. To further qualify the luck or lack thereof, I review BABIP and LOB% (left-on-base rate, or strand rate). In the context of fantasy baseball FAAB/waiver pickups or trades, I dig into pitchers’ year-to-date starts and look at their projected upcoming starts – both from a perspective of ballpark/environment and strength of opponent. Moreover, and most importantly, I am reviewing the most important metric of all, which is K-BB% (the difference between their strikeout rate and walk rate). Proficient at punching batters out, able to locate pitches and not walk a lot of guys? You’re probably going to have above-average results.

Before our sage readers bring out their pitchforks, note that I recognize there is a lot of nuance here and not everything can be overly simplified. Of course, a high or low BABIP is impacted by team defense, or if a pitcher generates weak or hard contact. Nevertheless, I assume a pitcher with four seasons of around a league-average BABIP (.290) who has a .365 BABIP through five starts is going to regress towards his career mean. The same for a pitcher with a 100% LOB% through five starts, regressing towards the league average of 70-75%.

The perfect example for this point in the season is the pitcher who has been the very best in baseball, Los Angeles Angels righty, José Soriano.

Through five starts, Soriano has a 0.28 ERA, 3.04 SIERA, 2.82 xFIP, 21.7 K-BB%, .149 BABIP, and a 100% LOB.

In his first two full seasons as a starter (2024-2025), those rates were: 3.93 ERA, 3.97 SIERA, 3.65 xFIP, 10.6 K-BB%, .291 BABIP, and a 69% LOB.

It wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that Soriano will regress from a 0.28 ERA. In fact, it’s common sense. His BABIP and LOB will regress towards his league-average marks from 2024-2025, but likely both will still be well above league-average. We see that his 2024-2025 ERA, SIERA, and xFIP were similar (in the 3.65-4.00 range) and that his current indicators are closer to 3.00. If Soriano ends up with a 3.50 ERA this season, that means there’s some ERA damage to come (to be expected), but he will still end up being a massive provider of fantasy profit at his 250+ ADP. The question to ask ourselves in trade leagues: can we net a top-10 starting pitcher for Soriano in a “sell-high” scenario from a league-mate who only peruses box scores, doesn’t dive into advanced metrics or consider indicators?

Let’s take a look at the qualified starting pitchers with the highest (unluckiest) and lowest (luckiest) differentials between their ERA and SIERA. I use “unlucky” and “lucky” in quotations for these sorted leaderboards to simply denote these differentials noting that luck isn’t a metric.

Unluckiest Starting Pitchers To Date

We knew the Jesús Luzardo Experience would be the ultimate roller coaster going into the season. Luzardo is a top-10 skills arm with extreme highs and lows. This is the guy who served up 20 earned runs in back-to-back starts in the week of the 2025 Memorial Day holiday, but allowed two runs or fewer in 50% (16/32) of his starts last season. Luzardo punched out seven or more batters in 18 of those 32 starts. So far in 2026, Luzardo has an exceptional 30:5 K:BB in 22 innings, an extremely high BABIP of .417 (career: .307), a super low LOB of 41.7% (career: 70%) and a massive difference between his ERA (7.94) and SIERA/xFIP (2.45/1.93). He is the ultimate “buy-low” target, though whether we strike a deal or not is based on mindset of the league-mate who currently rosters him. Are they metrics-saavy and have good fantasy common sense? If so, you probably won’t get a surefire advantage on a deal. Would I trade Soriano for Luzardo? It’s 10x more equitable than it was on March 15, but yes, yes I would, and I’d obnoxiously ask for a throw-in player “to make the deal fair.” (winky emoji)

There is no doubting the high level of concern someone who drafted Garrett Crochet in the first or second round of their draft might have. His implosion in Minnesota (10 ER in 1.2 IP) came out of the blue. Last Sunday, he cruised through four innings against the Tigers before getting torched for four runs on two singles and two homers, in the fifth. Crochet’s BABIP is high (.368) and LOB is low (55.6%), though not at extreme Luzardo levels. His fastball velocity is slightly down from last season (0.5 mph), as is his strikeout rate (-5.4%) and his swinging-strike rate (-3%). It doesn’t look awful under the hood, but because Crochet was drafted as a top-3 pitcher and these blowups are uncharacteristic of him, the trepidation in dealing for him is high.

Digging into FanGraphs player profiles on the rest of these players elicit a common theme in addition to the large ERA-SIERA differentials: above-average BABIPs, below-average LOBs, and, for the most part, a slight velocity decrease. In the case of Mike Burrows, his SwStr% is up from last season (12% to 12.7%) and his barrel rate is greatly reduced (10.8% to 5.7%). Burrows’ next three projected starts are against the Yankees (home), Red Sox (away), and Dodgers (home), so perhaps we weather the storm and pluck him off waivers in a few weeks when his schedule improves.

Yusei Kikuchi’s four-seam fastball velocity is slightly up from last season (94.8 mph to 95.4), but it’s an offering he continues to decrease because it typically gets crushed. He’s an example of a pitcher I typically avoid drafting and want nothing to do with. Streaming Jake Irvin (career 4.99 ERA) is always a case of playing with fire. He’s another pitcher I never want anything to do with.

David Peterson and Aaron Nola are on the downswings of their careers, but both have a high chance of improving their ERAs. Everything under the hood appears similar to last season. Logan Webb, Nathan Eovaldi, and Logan Gilbert are three arms I’d explore deals on.

Luckiest Starting Pitchers To Date

Other than Soriano, the standout “lucky” pitcher worth shopping is Justin Wrobleski. The sample size is smaller than most on the list (24 IP: three starts, one 4-IP piggyback), but we can still confidently yell “negative regression” so long as our league-mates don’t hear it. Wrobleski has a 9.8% strikeout rate (9 Ks), a .205 BABIP and has yet to allow a home run. Wrobleski earns confidence points as a member of the Dodgers rotation, but will rarely earn two starts in a week because of they run a six-man, and he’s no lock to remain in it for the long-run with Blake Snell and River Ryan eventually joining it.

Seth Lugo has been masterful through five starts, but he’s the same guy he’s always been — 91-92 mph FB velo, 8-9% BB, sub-10% SwStr. The big difference this season is he has yet to allow a home run. Edward Cabrera hasn’t allowed a home run either, but there is little else in his profile to elicit confidence. Cabrera’s .286 BABIP is close to his career mark and to league-average, his strikeout rate is way down (25.8% to 18.7%), his 12.1% walk rate is closer to his career mark (11.7%) which may portend last season’s 8.3% as an outlier, and his Stuff+ ratings are down across the board. Cabrera’s next start is against the Phillies at home, this Thursday. I would not be looking to trade for E-Cab, though I would explore dealing him for a more durable pitcher with a higher health grade around his preseason ADP, like MacKenzie Gore or Robbie Ray.

Many others on this list aren’t particularly enticing from a name-brand, reputation or fantasy value perspective — Michael Wacha, Clay Holmes, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Bryce Elder fall under this category. Seeing Jack Flaherty’s 3.7 K-BB% induces agita, especially when noting the decline from 2024 (24%) and 2025 (18.9%). We can’t technically call it a decline yet since it’s only been five starts, but he’s another roller coaster guy who is tough to ride with. Last season, he served up at least four earned runs in 26% of his starts failed to reach the fifth inning in 28%. He somehow managed an 8-15 record on a playoff team that finished 12 games above .500.

There will always be outliers, but the holes poked into this process would be tiny pinholes. This process have assisted in my fantasy baseball endeavors for many years and I always strive to improve it and learn from experience and those around me. Reviewing ERA and SIERA differentials, BABIP and LOB rates relative to average, recent and future matchups, and of course strikeout-to-walk ratios are good first steps in assessing over/underperforming pitchers and their rest-of-season fantasy value.

Every Monday, this column will break down the most popular waiver wire and free agent acquisitions of the weekend.

Fantasy baseball managers know that our game is the ultimate test of grit, grind, tenacity, and patience. Unlike fantasy football, where league titles can be won with minimal in-season activity, fantasy baseball leagues require incessant attention and activity. Particularly when it comes to free agent adds and drops. Real-life baseball managers are constantly adjusting batting orders, players are frequently optioned to and promoted from the Minor Leagues, and injuries occur almost daily. There’s no resting on our laurels. We must always stay vigilant with league news and notes and remain active on the waiver wire if we want to win our leagues.

Every week, I’ll dig into the top adds on the ever-popular Fantrax and in the NFBC Online Championship (OC), a national mid-stakes contest with 240 total leagues of 12 and a six-figure grand prize. Reviewing player adds between the two should provide us with a well-rounded perspective and barometer of the fantasy baseball marketplace.

Week 4 Overview

There’s a new no. 1 hitter in 5×5 roto and it’s Yankees’ Ben Rice! Rice slashed .300/.423/.900 in 25 plate appearances last week, with 7 R, 4 HR, and 6 RBI.

Here are the top-ranked year-to-date hitters and pitchers in 12-team roto through four weeks:

José Ramírez had a massive week against the Cardinals and Orioles. He scored nine runs, hit four home runs and lead the Majors with five stolen bases.

Mike Trout and Aaron Judge led the week in power, with five dingers apiece. Hitters with four: Ramírez, Rice, Yordan Alvarez, Munetaka Murakami and Jeremiah Jackson. Murekami has gone deep in three straight games.

James Wood (hitter no. 8) batted .185 with a week-high 14 strikeouts in 27 at-bats, but hit two bombs and swiped two bags. Wood leads all hitters in strikeouts (35 in 22 games), but is only 14th in strikeout rate (32.4%) among qualified hitters. Matt Wallner (42%) and Hunter Goodman (39.8%) are the league leaders. Athletics’ Nick Kurtz was the only guy with double-digit walks last week (10). Kurtz has the highest walk rate (25.3%) among qualified hitters.

A surprising fact: Nico Hoerner is tied for the league lead in runs batted in (21) along with Yordan Alvarez and Andy Pages.

Among 35 starting pitchers who threw two starts, only three (8.5%) earned two wins: George Kirby, Gavin Williams and Michael King. Garrett Crochet allowed 15 earned runs in his two starts. Others who got crushed: Mike Burrows, Javier Assad (10 ER), Trevor Rogers, Ryne Nelson, Luis Severino (9), and Jeffrey Springs and Zack Littell (8). Jesús Luzardo and  Tyler Mahle allowed eight runs each, but in just one start each.

Mason Miller continues to dominate. He led the week with four saves (four appearances) with four strikeouts and just one hit and one walk allowed.

Let’s dive into the top trending acquisitions for Fantrax (waivers) and the NFBC 12-team OC (blind bid FAAB):

Roster % is the current percentage of leagues rostering the player; +/-  is the percentage of leagues the player was added in the previous week

Jeremiah Jackson was the most popular hitter addition in Fantrax following his breakout week: 27 PA – .346/.370/.846 – 4 R, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB. Jackson has earned 10 straight starts, taking advantage of playing time opportunities on an offense riddled with injuries (Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday, Tyler O’Neill, Adley Rutschman). A right-handed hitter, Jackson usually bats eighth or ninth against RHPs and fifth or sixth against LHPs. Jackson, who turned 26 on Opening Day, was a second-round draft pick of the Angels in 2018. The Angels traded him to the Mets for Dominic Leone at the 2023 trade deadline. Jackson signed with the Orioles as a free agent in 2025 and made his major league debut on August 1. Jackson stuck with the Orioles for the rest of the season, batting .273 with 5 HR and 21 RBI in 183 PA (48 games). He has carried over his success into his first full season. Though Jackson deserves full-time at-bats, he is likely to fall into a short-side platoon with Jackson Holliday at second base. Jackson (Jeremiah, not Holliday) can also play in the outfield, where he can step in for Colton Cowser against southpaws, to keep his bat in the lineup.

Spencer Arrighetti, Keider Montero and Justin Wrobleski were the top additions among starting pitchers. All three are slated to earn two starts in Week 5. Arrighetti had a sparkling 2026 debut (6 IP – 1 H – 1 ER – 10 K), though it was against the Rockies, at home. Wrobleski tossed eight scoreless innings with just two hits allowed against the Mets last Monday. He locks into a two-start week within this six-man rotation because the Dodgers play seven games. Montero will receive an extended opportunity in the Tigers rotation since 43-year-old Justin Verlander’s recovery is “going a little slower” than he or the Tigers anticipated (but we anticipated it, didn’t we?).

Daniel Schneemann is the quintessential example of Fool’s Gold — a below-average hitter who had a great week and is more likely to cool off and be dropped soon. Schneemann started 5-of-6 last week at second, third and shortstop, including one start against a lefty. The Guardians are slated to face six RHPs this week. That bodes well for his playing time, though he’ll face Arrighetti on Tuesday and tough Blue Jays arms (Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease) on the weekend.

% Lgs Added is the percentage of leagues that added the player (240 total leagues); AWB stands for Average Winning Bid

The tallest player in the Majors has arrived! All hail, 6’10” Noah Schultz! The heralded southpaw pitching prospect ran into trouble in his debut on Tuesday (3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB in 4.1 IP) against the Rays on Tuesday. He followed that up with a dominant start against the Athletics in Sacramento on Sunday (5 IP – 1 H – 1 ER – 1 BB – 6 K), the lone damage on a Darell Hernaiz home run. Schultz rocks a five-pitch mix (four-seamer, sinker, sweeper, cutter, changeup). His primary fastball averages 96.4 mph. He threw it at a 31.7% rate, mostly against right-handed batters. Schultz utilized his sinker and sweeper more for the lefties. He should remain on fantasy rosters of all formats as long as he stays healthy, though more rough starts are to be expected. His schedule lines up favorably the next few weeks: home against the Nationals, at Padres, at Angels, home against the Royals.

Fellow White Sox rookie Sam Antonacci was also promoted to the big club last week. His slow start may have slightly kept his AWB below $50 — he went 2-20 with two walks, two hit by pitches, one run and one stolen base. It would likely take more than just one more week of an ice-cold bat for him to be demoted, though it’s likely that he hits the bench against left-handed starters. Antonacci stole 48 bases on 58 attempts  in the minors last season. He did not make his Triple-A debut until 2026. He should be helpful in stolen bases and batting average once he gets acclimated. He should eventually earn the leadoff gig against RHPs.

Bryce Elder carries his 0.77 ERA and 1.03 WHIP through four starts into a two-start week against the Nationals (away) and Phillies (home). Elder doesn’t have a good fantasy reputation. The proverbial other shoe could drop in any start, but things look good under the hood. His .271 BABIP nor 2.74 FIP portend great luck, his hard-hit rate is way down (from 44.5% the last two seasons to 31.7% this season) and he’s only allowed one total barrel on 91 batters faced. Another positive is his control — Elder has maintained a sub-8% walk rate since 2024, which is 42 starts. There certainly are no guarantees that he sticks with the rotation all season, especially with Spencer Strider and eventually Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie joining, but he deserves to remain in it for now. It’s fair to have concerns about him in the back of our heads, though we probably have bigger things to worry about if we have Cole Ragans and Trevor Rogers on our squads.

Saves have been a huge point of frustration in roto leagues as bullpens have been ravaged. It’s not just the typical chaos among the lower-tier guys, it’s most of the studs except Mason Miller.

The RP2 during draft season, Edwin Díaz, elicited concerns after a rough inning on April 10 against the Rangers (four hits, one walk, three earned runs), had eight days off then got cooked by the Rockies on Sunday — a walk, three hits and three runs allowed without an out. It’s interesting that Alex Vesia procured a higher AWB in NFBC OCs than Tanner Scott ($28 to $23). It feels like fantasy managers there are box score watching, making assumptions for the immediate future because Vesia earned the two most recent saves. Vesia pitched the last two days and will likely be unavailable on Monday in Coors. Whether or not Díaz goes on the IL, even if it’s just a phantom stint, expect Scott to earn the bulk of the opportunities. He’s been terrific and has significant closer experience. I’m predicting a three-save week.

The other notable relievers acquired this week were Brad Keller (PHI), Joel Kuhnel (ATH), Caleb Thielbar (CHC), Enyel De Los Santos (HOU) and Louis Varland (TOR). Phillies manager Rob Thomson wants Keller to handle the bulk of save opportunities while Jhoan Duran (oblique strain) remains on the IL. A converted reliever, Keller enjoyed his official breakout year last season (2.07 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 27.2% K, 8% BB). He has nine punchouts, three walks and four earned runs allowed in nine appearances (8.2 innings). Fireballer lefty José Alvarado may earn opportunities as well, but Keller is the primary guy. Duran will likely need more than the minimum 15 days.

Thielbar is a 39-year-old veteran lefty with five career saves since 2013 until he stepped in to close out Saturday’s contest. Thielbar followed that up with a win as the pitcher of record in the 10th inning as the Cubs swept the Mets, handing them their 11th straight loss. The Cubs will be without closer Daniel Palencia (oblique) for a few weeks, who joins fellow relievers Hunter Harvey and Phil Maton on the IL, leaving the Cubs’ bullpen thin. Righty Ben Brown is their best reliever. He has mostly managed a multi-innings bridge role, though it wouldn’t be shocking to see him earn a save chance or two this week.

De Los Santos has stepped up as the Astros’ top righty in the bullpen with Bryan Abreu struggling badly. De Los Santos could a worthwhile interim closer as the team awaits Josh Hader’s return in three-to-four weeks.

Varland was mostly acquired as Jeff Hoffman insurance and as a common sense speculation pick with how badly Hoffman has been struggling. Varland has a 16:3 K:BB in 11 innings without allowing a run. Hoffman has 20 punchouts in 9.1 innings, but has already racked up three blown saves and eight runs allowed(six in his last two appearances). Blue Jays’ John Schneider doesn’t appear to be as worried as we are. I believe Schneider will give Hoffman the next save opportunity, but if he blows it, Varland would step in.

Drop of the Week

It may not feel great to click, but it makes sense for every fantasy manager without an available IL slot to drop Nick Pivetta. Pivetta was diagnosed with a right flexor strain earlier this week and Padres manager says that his rehab and rest time would be “weeks, maybe months”. There is reason to soak up a valuable bench spot on a pitcher who may or may not return before the All-Star break.

Can’t stop this man!

On the Agenda:

1. Closer Chaos
2. Various News and Notes
3. Streaming Pitchers

Closer Chaos

Is this the worst start to the season for closers ever? The chaos continues:

• Lucas Erceg (Royals) – first blown save; ERA is up to 6.14
• Clayton Beeter (Nationals) – second blown save; got the win; Orlando Ribalta earned his first career save
• Dennis Santana (Pirates) – took the loss in the 10th
• Ryan Walker (Giants) – entered the game after the starter (7th inning); Keaton Winn pitched the 8th, Erik Miller got the save
• Seranthony Domínguez (White Sox) – blew his second save of the year and took the loss
• Trevor Megill (Brewers) – pitched a clean inning, but it was the eighth (2 Ks); Angel Zerpa notched the save; Abner Uribe was unavailable
• Jakob Junis (Rangers) – came on in the 7th and got two outs; came back in the 8th, gave up a single, a double, and IBB to load the bases; was pulled for Jacob Latz, who gave up a bases-clearing double, hanging Junis with 3 ER

Meanwhile, Mason Miller struck out the side again and his extended his scoreless streak to 30.2 innings:

Miller has 23 punchouts in 9.1 innings — a 76.7% strikeout rate.

Various News and Notes

Cleveland Guardians rookie pitcher Parker Messick took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning, serving up a single to Orioles outfielder Leody Taveras.

Messick set a career high in strikeouts (eight) and boasts a 1.05 ERA and 0.78 WHIP through his first four starts.

San Francisco Giants righty Landen Roupp dominated the Reds on Thursday. He allowed just one hit and two walks over six scoreless innings. His ratios are down to a sparkling 2.38 and 0.97. Another late-round gem…at least, so far.

Braves veterans Sean Murphy and Spencer Strider both started their rehab assignments in High-A on Thursday. Strider threw 50 pitches (27 strikes) over 3.1 innings. He struck out three and allowed two walks and one hit. Most importantly, his fastball velocity sat between 95 and 97 mph, which is exactly what we want to see. Strider will continue to build up his pitch count, make another couple of starts in the Minors, and return to the Braves in early May, barring a setback.

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki mentioned Chase Silseth as a candidate for save opportunities if Jordan Romano is removed from the role. Silseth has 6:4 K:BB in 6.1 innings. Meanwhile, Kirby Yates (knee) should be starting a rehab assignment soon.

Streaming Pitchers

Pitchers for Today: Michael Soroka (RH, ARZ, 60% on Yahoo!)

Cheating on the %-rostered a bit since there aren’t many viable streaming options. The Diamondbacks will be home favorites and Soroka has pitched well so far.

Other Options: Zack Littell (RH, WSH, 7%)

Littell is a plus control and location guy, but this is more so a bet against the Giants.

Pitchers for Tomorrow: Lance McCullers Jr. (RH, HOU, 22% Y!, down 2% in the last 24 hours)

The Astros pushed their rotation back by a day and McCullers will now start against the Cardinals on Saturday. He threw a gem in his only home start (1 ER, 9 K in 7 IP), but was knocked around in his road starts.

Other Options: Cade Cavalli (RH, WSH, 10%)

Cavalli has been shaky this season (8 ER, 12 BB in 15.2 IP). We don’t have much in terms of streaming options on a slate filled with aces. Let’s pick on the Giants, the lowest-scoring team in the Majors, in hopes of a Cavalli bounce-back start.

Sorry, Julio. It’s not the second half of the season yet!

On the Agenda:

1. Closer Chaos
2. Quick Hits
3. Various News and Notes
4. Streaming Pitchers

Closer Chaos

It was a rough one. We might be here awhile.

Andrés Muñoz entered the game with a 6-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth (non-save situation) and got hammered for five earned runs on four hits and a walk. His ERA ballooned from 3.00 to 9.45 and he’s up to free passes in 6.2 innings. It was his first appearance since last Saturday. The outing won’t cost Muñoz his job, but we’re certainly all #onwatch. Matt Brash is likely next in line, should it come to that. He’s currently the only Mariners reliever who has yet to allow a run.

The Mets’ woes continue as they’ve lost eight straight and are one loss away from their longest losing streak in 22 years. Closer Devin Williams entered the game in the eighth down 3-1 and fell apart at the seams…literally. The destruction culminated in a Dalton Rushing grand slam:

FIRST CAREER GRAND SLAM FOR DALTON RUSHING 🔥

LA breaks open the scoring in the 8th inning! pic.twitter.com/6r4zqvvP2o

— ESPN (@espn) April 16, 2026

Williams won’t lose his job for this. These were his first runs allowed as a Met and Luke Weaver has been much worse (6 ER in 6.2 IP: an 8.10 ERA).

Remember when I made fun of A’s reliever Joel Kuhnel on Monday? Well, life comes at us fast and the roto gods humble us quickly. He picked up his third save of the season and looked good doing it.

Kuhnel entered the contest with two outs in the eighth after Mark Leiter Jr. served up a three-run, pinch-hit bomb to Jake Burger, got the final out and pitched a clean ninth. Lefty Hogan Harris came on in the fifth inning after starter J.T. Ginn and was credited for the win. Kuhnel looks like the guy right now.

Enyel De Los Santos has scored saves in back-to-back games and might be in the mix for more opportunities. The 30-year-old is on his eighth Major League team in eight seasons and owns a career 4.39 ERA. Bryan Abreu earned a hold in Wednesday’s game, walking one batter and punching out two. Abreu brought his ERA down to 12.79.

With Trevor Megill having the night off after a rough day on Tuesday (3 ER), Abner Uribe was called upon in the ninth to secure a 2-1 victory over the reeling Blue Jays, and he delivered. Despite manager Pat Murphy coming to Megill’s defense when Brewers fans booed him on Tuesday, Megill is officially #onwatch.

I’d like to think this is a safe space, but since there’s a comments section and some of you may have picked this guy off waivers two weeks ago, I won’t bring him up, but can tell you his name rhymes with Gordon Soprano. Let’s hope he travels with the team and doesn’t accept an offer to ride the scenic route home through the Nevada desert.

Quick Hits

Angels outfielder Jorge Soler had his suspension dropped to four games and he began serving it on Wednesday. He should be back in the starting lineup on Sunday when the Angels face Michael King and the Padres.

Players placed on the injured list on Wednesday: Jared Young (1B, NYM), Kyle Freeland (SP, COL, should help his ERA), Chris Martin (RP, TEX) and San Francisco Giants outfielder Harrison Bader, who was slashing .115/.145/.192 through 15 games. Fellow outfielder Jared Oliva also went on the IL. The Giants called up Will Brennan (a right-handed hitter who should start against LHPs only) and local fan favorite, Drew Gilbert.

Various News and Notes

A warm welcome to White Sox’ new infielder/outfielder, Sam Antonacci, who made his Major League debut on Wednesday! He batted fifth, started at second base, and singled in his first career at-bat.

You might remember the 23-year-old from the WBC as the only hitter from Team Italy you didn’t recognize, but were 100% certain was Italian. Samuel Joseph Antonacci batted .291 with 48 swipes between High-A and Double-A last season. He also has the Pope’s blessing.

The Shota Imanaga vs. Jesús Luzardo battle in the Cubs-Phillies tilt was supposed to must-watch television. Unfortunately, Phillies fans and those of us rostering Luzardo had to turn the tube off. Luzardo got bombarded for eight earned runs and 12 hits in 5.1 innings, ballooning his already-high ERA up to 7.94. Luzardo served up six earnies in his first start then bounced back in Coors for 6.2 scoreless innings and 11 strikeouts. Remember, last season, he gave up 20 runs in back-to-back starts, but allowed two runs or less in 50% (16-of-32) of his starts. This is just how he rolls…it’s a roller coaster! We can’t drop him, so we just have to keep riding.

Meanwhile, Imanaga twirled a masterful gem (6 IP – 3 H – 1 ER – 1 BB – 11 K). In his previous start, Imanaga hurled six shutout innings and punched out nine Pirates.

Just when history and trends tell us that Reds rookie Sal Stewart is due to cool off, he takes it up yet another notch! Stewart hit three-run dingers in consecutive at-bats on Wednesday — both off former Reds pitcher Tyler Mahle, who was making his first start in Cincinnati in another uniform.

The kid teammates call “Salert” leads all rookies with seven home runs.

Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole’s rehabs are going well and Cole is ready to begin a rehab assignment in the Minors.

Cole and Rodon have been eating well in during their rehab stints 👀🤌 pic.twitter.com/2FHonkvZWz

— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) April 15, 2026

No jokes to be made here since this must have been made by AI and BaseballBros definitely broke a bro code here.

Streaming Pitchers

Pitcher for Today: Steven Matz (LH, TB, 24% rostered on Yahoo!)

Matz didn’t fare well against his former team (the Cardinals) in his season opener (4 ER in 5 IP), but was sharp in the two starts that followed (11 IP – 4 H – 3 ER – 4 BB – 15 K). His Rays are road favorites and the White Sox have struggled against southpaws this season (28.7% strikeout rate, 82 wRC+).

Other Options: Landen Roupp (RH, SF, 21% Y!) — He has pitched well this season, but the Reds offense is scary, so this actually a scary recommendation.

Pitchers for Tomorrow: Lance McCullers Jr. (RH, HOU, 24% Y!) — Pitched a gem in his only home start (1 ER, 9 K in 7 IP) and he’s back home to face a Cardinals offense that can be dominated if Jordan Walker gets the day off.

Other Options: Zack Littell (RH, WSH, 7%) — He’s a plus control and location guy, but this is more so a bet against the Giants.