Mid-Week Cut Candidates for Fantasy Baseball - Players to Consider Dropping (Week 5)

April 29, 2026

Andy's mid-week fantasy baseball cuts, drops candidates for Week 5 of 2026. Is it time to let go already, and drop these player for a better waiver wire option?

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to the mid-week edition of our Cut List Rankings for fantasy baseball and Week 5 of the 2026 MLB season. This week, we saw two top 100 prospects earn the call, such as Travis Bazzana and Elmer Rodriguez, which means we may have to open a spot in our rosters to pick them up.

In Week 5, we have seen slumping hitters like Matt McLain, Luis Robert Jr., and Yainer Diaz continue their slow starts, which have put them firmly on the cut list.

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 5 of the MLB season. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Cut List Rankings for Fantasy Baseball: Week 5

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:

Fantasy Baseball Player Outlooks

Jeff Hoffman, RP, Toronto Blue Jays

Cut List Ranking No. 49

Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman is out as the team's closer, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The Blue Jays will go with a closer-by-committee approach for now while Hoffman works on things in lower-leverage spots. This announcement shouldn't come as a big surprise after manager John Schneider refused to commit to using Hoffman earlier this week, the next time a save situation arose.

He was unavailable on Wednesday in the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels due to a heavy recent workload, and for now, he'll be demoted from the closer's role in Toronto. The 33-year-old has continued to struggle after famously blowing Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hoffman was an All-Star with the Phillies in 2024 and had a career-high 33 saves in 2025 in his first year with Toronto, but that also came with a bloated 4.37 ERA in 68 innings pitched.

He has allowed 11 earned runs (nine earned) while walking six and striking out 24 in 10 2/3 innings in his 12 outings in 2026. Hoffman has been bitten by some bad luck, but it doesn't change the fact that he's been demoted. Louis Varland figures to get the next shot to close out games for the Jays, and he's currently rostered in 32% of Yahoo leagues.

Jordan Romano, RP, Los Angeles Angels

Cut List Ranking No. 3

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Jordan Romano has been designated for assignment by the organization on Sunday. The right-hander has been functioning as the closer for the Halos this season. He converted four saves across five scoreless innings of work to begin the season. After that, things got rough for Romano, who has allowed nine earned runs over his past five appearances.

The Angels have decided to boot him off the roster after he allowed four earned runs on Saturday. The Angels will likely go with a committee approach in the bullpen until someone steps up and runs away with the role. Sam Bachman and Drew Pomeranz are names to watch as closer options.

Pete Fairbanks, RP, Miami Marlins

Cut List Ranking No. 112

Miami Marlins right-handed closer Pete Fairbanks (thumb) was pulled from his outing on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers with an "unusual sensation" in his right thumb, manager Clayton McCullough told Fish on First. The Marlins will evaluate Fairbanks further on Tuesday. "Just a lot of diminished sensation," Fairbanks said. "Felt like any movement of the wrist would exacerbate just loss of sensation in the index finger."

The 32-year-old veteran entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead and looking for his sixth save of the season, but he ended up being saddled with his second loss after allowing three earned runs on one hit and three walks in just one-third of an inning. Fairbanks threw only nine of his 23 pitches for strikes. A nerve-related issue first surfaced with Fairbanks in April of 2024, which caused him to go on the injured list.

Fantasy managers might want to brace for another trip to the IL for Fairbanks. If Fairbanks misses time, the Marlins could go to a closer-by-committee like they did last year. Tyler Phillips, Anthony Bender, Andrew Nardi, and Calvin Faucher would all be options for saves in Miami if they go with a committee approach.

Jhoan Duran, RP, Philadelphia Phillies

Cut List Ranking No. 93

According to Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, the team hopes closer Jhoan Duran (oblique) will be ready in a "couple of days." When meeting with the press earlier on Tuesday, Dombrowski noted that the team remains very hopeful that their closer will be ready to return in the near future, potentially before the end of the week. Duran hit the 15-day injured list on April 16 with an oblique injury, but appears to have avoided a serious injury.

Given this recent update, it appears Duran may not have to wait much longer to return to MLB action. Before suffering the injury, Duran was enjoying a solid start to the 2026 campaign, tallying five saves with a 1.35 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. In the meantime, fantasy managers should expect Brad Keller to see most of the save opportunities.

Mick Abel, SP, Minnesota Twins

Cut List Ranking No. 88

Minnesota Twins right-hander Mick Abel (elbow) has started playing catch, and "all signs have been encouraging," manager Derek Shelton told Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. Abel is unlikely to be ready to come off the 15-day injured list when he's first eligible, but the Twins still think his injury is "relatively minor." Fantasy managers probably won't have Abel back from the IL when he's eligible to be reinstated this Saturday, but it might not be that long of a wait after that.

He initially went on the IL with right-elbow inflammation, which has allowed left-handed rookie Connor Prielipp to get his first couple of starts in the big leagues for the Twins. The 24-year-old former 15th overall pick in 2020 by the Philadelphia Phillies is still rostered in 20% of Yahoo leagues despite his elbow injury. Abel allowed nine earned runs on 22 hits while walking 10 and striking out 23 in 20 1/3 innings over his first four appearances (three starts) in 2026 for the Twins. Abel should absolutely have a starting rotation spot waiting for him in Minnesota when he returns from the IL.

Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Articles

Looking to add a player off the waiver wire? After diving into the cut list rankings, read about some waiver wire pickups to consider instead:

• Updated Waiver Wire Rankings
• Sneaky Starting Pitchers to Pick Up
• Top 25 Injured Players to Stash
• Top 25 Prospects to Stash

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:

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2026 Player Decisions. Looking to pickup someone else instead? Today's focus is on specific players like Louis Varland, Brad Keller, Bryan Baker, Mickey Moniak, Josh Jung, Carter Jensen, Chase Dollander. 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 Louis Varland, Brad Keller, Bryan Baker, Mickey Moniak, Josh Jung, Carter Jensen, Chase Dollander:

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