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.

• Daily SP Chart archive
• 2-Start podcast episode
• SP Rankings (updated Monday April 27th!)

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart.

The chart includes their performance for 2026, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues – essentially a shallow, medium, deep league setup – and then a note about some, most, or all depending on the day. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations for standard 5×5 roto leagues, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. I usually won’t have much to write about aces who are locked into our rotations. If you want to discuss someone further, please feel free to leave a comment. I usually do a few sweeps of the comments before game time in case there are time-sensitive questions.
Read the rest of this entry »

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.

I’ll be in the comments answering questions and discussing changes!

Focus more on tier differences than rankings differences within a given tier. Sure, the top and bottom of a tier can be discussed, but 7-10 rankings within the same tier isn’t a huge split to me and comparing them would likely come down to short-term matchups.

Changes (won’t appear on the boards below):

• Peter Lambert – HOU – Team Streamer #91 – got knocked off during an edit when I was digging in a previous version on Sheets, thinking I was only changing some of the header text. I’ve got him at the very end of the Team Streamer tier, ranking 91st. Let’s see how this trip to Baltimore goes this week but then a LAD/at CIN 2-step next week is scary for pitchers way better than Lambert so it’s far from a must-start. If we see another 8 punchies, I might mess around and run him in my Main Event but I would at least keep him even though benching a 2-step is usually grounds for roster removal (the idea being “if you’re not going to use them in a 2-step, are they really worth it?” but there are exceptions, IMO). He lines up for TEX and at MIN the following weeks after the 2-step.

Full Rankings Without Tiers

Here is today’s chat transcript:
Read the rest of this entry »

• Daily SP Chart archive
• 2-Start podcast episode
• Preseason SP Rankings (update coming Monday April 27th!)

Welcome to the Daily SP Chart.

The chart includes their performance for 2026, their opponent’s wOBA versus the pitcher’s handedness, my general start/sit recommendation for 10-team, 12-team, and 15-team (or more) leagues – essentially a shallow, medium, deep league setup – and then a note about some, most, or all depending on the day. If a pitcher only has an “x” in 15-team, it doesn’t mean there’s no potential use in 10s and 12s, but it’s a much riskier stream for those spots.

These are general recommendations for standard 5×5 roto leagues, and your league situation will carry more weight whether you are protecting ratios or chasing counting numbers. I usually won’t have much to write about aces who are locked into our rotations. If you want to discuss someone further, please feel free to leave a comment. I usually do a few sweeps of the comments before game time in case there are time-sensitive questions.
Read the rest of this entry »

Rumbling, tumbling:

Read the rest of this entry »

7:31	Jeff Zimmerman:

Read the rest of this entry »

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

In the article, I cover the players using CBS’s and Yahoo’s ADD/DROP rates. Both sites have the option for daily and weekly waiver wire adds. CBS uses a weekly change while Yahoo looks at the last 24 hours. Yahoo is a great snapshot of right now, while CBS ensures hot targets from early in the week aren’t missed. I start players being added at CBS who started the week on less than 40% of rosters.

The players are ordered for redraft leagues by my rest-of-season preference, grouped by hitters, starters, and relievers. Read the rest of this entry »

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

American League

Angels

• Vaughn Grissom (vs LHP) and Adam Frazier form a second base platoon.

• Yoán Moncada (.679 OPS) and Oswald Peraza (.889 OPS) are splitting time at third base. Read the rest of this entry »