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Fantasy baseball cut list rankings for Week 1 of 2026. Is it already time to drop these fantasy baseball players from rosters? Read about the top cut candidates.
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Cut List Rankings for fantasy baseball Week 1 of the 2026 MLB season. Even though the season is just getting started, several players have been demoted to Triple-A after spring training or have suffered severe injuries, which are expected to keep them sidelined for several months.
This week, managers saw players like Dylan Crews optioned to Triple-A, and several top prospects failed to make their teams' Opening Day rosters, including Konnor Griffin.
So, which injured or disappointing players are it time to get rid of for fantasy baseball lineups? Read about our top players to cut for Week 1 of the MLB season. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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Players To Consider Dropping For Fantasy Baseball?
The top players to consider cutting for fantasy baseball, in priority order. Players at the top of the list should be dropped first and replaced on the waiver wire:
| Rank | Player | Pos. | Ros. % | Baller Move |
| 1 | Jurickson Profar | OF | 10 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 2 | Pablo Lopez | SP | 15 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 3 | Dylan Crews | OF | 55 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 4 | Bailey Ober | SP | 15 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 5 | Sean Manaea | SP | 30 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 6 | Roki Sasaki | SP | 50 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 7 | Luis Gil | SP | 15 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 8 | Masyn Winn | SS | 50 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 9 | Luis Garcia Jr. | 2B | 65 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 10 | Kerry Carpenter | OF | 65 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 11 | Mickey Moniak | OF | 15 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 12 | Logan Henderson | SP | 25 | Drop in Shallow Leagues |
| 13 | Jordan Westburg | 3B | 40 |
Stash in 12+ Team Leagues
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| 14 | Joe Musgrove | SP | 40 |
Stash in 12+ Team Leagues
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| 15 | Grayson Rodriguez | SP | 15 |
Stash in 12+ Team Leagues
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| 16 | Shane Bieber | SP | 60 |
Stash in 12+ Team Leagues
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| 17 | Merrill Kelly | SP | 60 |
Stash in 12+ Team Leagues
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| 18 | Hunter Greene | SP | 75 |
Stash in 12+ Team Leagues
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| 19 | Quinn Priester | SP | 35 |
Stash in 12+ Team Leagues
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| 20 | Nolan Schanuel | 1B | 20 | Hold in 12+ team Leagues |
| 21 | Royce Lewis | 3B | 45 | Hold in 12+ team Leagues |
| 22 | Andrew Vaughn | 1B | 45 | Hold in 12+ team Leagues |
| 23 | Xander Bogaerts | SS | 35 | Hold in 12+ team Leagues |
| 24 | Otto Lopez | 2B | 65 | Hold in 12+ team Leagues |
| 25 | Ezequiel Tovar | SS | 75 | Hold in 12+ team Leagues |
| 26 | Christian Walker | 1B | 40 | Hold in 12+ team Leagues |
| 27 | Jackson Holliday | 2B | 60 | Stash in All Leagues |
| 28 | Konnor Griffin | SS | 75 | Stash in All Leagues |
| 29 | Spencer Strider | SP | 90 | Stash in All Leagues |
| 30 | Ryan Pepiot | SP | 90 | Stash in All Leagues |
| 31 | Kyle Stowers | OF | 95 | Stash in All Leagues |
| 32 | Chandler Simpson | OF | 70 | Hold |
| 33 | Brenton Doyle | OF | 80 | Hold |
| 34 | Isaac Paredes | 3B | 55 | Hold |
| 35 | Bryson Stott | 2B | 55 | Hold |
| 36 | Jack Flaherty | SP | 85 | Hold |
| 37 | Daulton Varsho | OF | 55 | Hold |
| 38 | Trent Grisham | OF | 50 | Hold |
| 39 | Matthew Boyd | SP | 80 | Hold |
| 40 | Griffin Jax | RP | 70 | Hold |
Read the recent news and fantasy outlooks of some of the top cut candidates:
Dylan Crews, OF - Washington Nationals (Cut List Ranking No. 3)
The Washington Nationals optioned outfielder Dylan Crews to Triple-A Rochester on Friday, per Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal. Barring an injury, it appears as though the 24-year-old former top prospect will open the 2026 season in the Minors. Crews struggled mightily across 322 plate appearances with the Nationals in 2025, slashing .208/280/.352 with 10 home runs, 27 RBI, 43 runs scored, and 17 stolen bases.
Still, his demotion comes as a surprise, as Crews is widely considered to be one of the team's building blocks for the future as they enter another rebuilding season. Zuckerman points to Crews' spring troubles as fuel for this decision. Across 34 Grapefruit League plate appearances, Crews had recorded just three hits, none of which went for extra bases.
While Crews could easily hit his way back to the big leagues with a few weeks of strong production at Triple-A, his fantasy outlook heading into 2026 has now been thrown into question.
Jurickson Profar, OF - Atlanta Braves (Cut List Ranking No. 1)
Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar will miss the entire 2026 season after his appeal of a positive performance-enhancing drug test was resolved, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Profar will serve a 162-game suspension for testing positive a second time and will be ineligible to play in the postseason if the Braves qualify.
Atlanta gave the 33-year-old veteran a three-year, $42 million contract in January of 2025 after his career year in 2024 with the San Diego Padres, when he slashed .280/.380/.459 with an .839 OPS, 24 home runs, 85 RBI, 94 runs scored, and 10 steals in 158 regular-season games. He was suspended for 80 games last year and finished with a .245 average, 14 homers, 49 RBI, 56 runs, and nine steals in 80 games played.
With Profar now out for the entire 2026 season, the Braves figure to open the year with a platoon in left field between Mike Yastrzemski and Eli White.
Logan Henderson, SP - Milwaukee Brewers (Cut List Ranking No. 12)
Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Logan Henderson was optioned to Triple-A Nashville on Thursday, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Henderson made his major-league debut with the Brew Crew last year and looked great, allowing only five earned runs on 17 hits (three homers) while walking eight and striking out 33 in 25 1/3 innings over his five starts.
It's a disappointment that he won't be in the team's Opening Day starting rotation after allowing an earned run on two hits with no walks and one strikeout in four Cactus League innings this spring. The good news for fantasy managers who decide to stash Henderson in deep-mixed and NL-only leagues is that he'll probably be one of the first to be called up from the minors if a big-league starting-rotation spot is needed.
Henderson has a history with elbow issues, but when healthy, he makes for a deep-league sleeper who has a nasty changeup.
Konnor Griffin, SS - Pittsburgh Pirates (Cut List Ranking No. 25)
It was announced on Saturday that Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin would not be on the team's Opening Day roster, and on Sunday, Milb Central reports that Griffin will start the year at Triple-A Indianapolis. It was looking like the 19-year-old phenom might become the first teenager to start on Opening Day since Ken Griffey Jr. did it back in 1989. He hit just .171 (7-for-41) in 16 Grapefruit League games, but Griffin also had four home runs, nine RBI, a stolen base, five runs scored, and a .749 OPS this spring.
The former ninth overall pick in 2024 impressed his teammates with his physicality and his maturity in spring training. In three minor-league levels in 2025, Griffin excelled with a .333/.415/.527 slash line, .941 OPS, 21 home runs, 94 RBI, 117 runs scored, and 65 stolen bases in 122 games played. Griffin can do it all on the diamond and should be up in Pittsburgh for his major-league debut sooner than later in 2026.
Even though he'll start in the minors, fantasy managers should be stashing the potential once-in-a-generation talent.
Grayson Rodriguez, SP - Los Angeles Angels (Cut List Ranking No. 15)
Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez (arm) is going to open the season on the 15-day Injured List. Rodriguez is reportedly dealing with general soreness that will keep him sidelined to start the year. He's basically dealing with dead arm that will hopefully only keep him sidelined for the minimum of 15 days.
Jack Kochanowicz and Ryan Johnson have been named the final two starters with Rodriguez out. Rodriguez hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2024, with him missing all of last season due to elbow issues. When healthy, Rodriguez has posted good numbers, but the arm issues make him difficult to trust as a long-term fantasy option. He is worth stashing in all 12+ team leagues ahead of Opening Day.
Waiver Wire Articles
After diving into the cut list rankings, read about some waiver wire pickups to consider instead:
- Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Rankings
- Hitter Streamers and Waiver Wire Pickups
- Starting Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups
- Nick Mariano's Hitter Waiver Wire Pickups
- Nick Mariano's Pitcher Waiver Wire Pickups
- Eric Cross' Waiver Wire Pickups
Each week, our MLB team puts out a complete array of fantasy baseball waiver wire articles to compliment our slick Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool. Bookmark it!
In addition, be on the lookout for our other waiver wire articles all season long. We will be releasing weekly waiver wire articles for each position, FAAB bidding recommendations, streamers, and more throughout the week.
Who Should I Pickup Fantasy Baseball Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire instead? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
2026 Player Decisions. Looking to pickup someone else instead? Today's focus is on specific players like Kodai Senga, Connelly Early, Sal Stewart, Cam Smith, Jordan Romano, Wilyer Abreu, Heliot Ramos, Chase DeLauter, Carson Benge, and Caleb Durbin. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four MLB players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy baseball rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see MLB player tiles with stats, projections, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy baseball waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for players like Kodai Senga, Connelly Early, Sal Stewart, Cam Smith, Jordan Romano, Wilyer Abreu, Heliot Ramos, Chase DeLauter, Carson Benge, and Caleb Durbin:
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