Cut Candidates - Fantasy Baseball Rankings for Players to Drop (Week 6)

May 2, 2026

Andy's cut list fantasy baseball rankings - drop candidates for Week 6 of 2026. Is it time to let go, and drop these players for better waiver wire options?

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to the weekend edition of our fantasy baseball Cut List Rankings for Week 6 of the fantasy baseball season. With another week of MLB action behind us, it's time to look to the waiver wire and improve our roster.

This week we saw several players hit the injured list, and some with longer-term injuries, including players like Ryan Pepiot, Trevor Rogers, Ryan Helsley, Brandon Woodruff and more.

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 6 of the MLB season. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Cut List Rankings for Fantasy Baseball: Week 6

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

Daniel Palencia, RP, Cubs

Cut List Ranking No. 55

Chicago Cubs right-handed closer Daniel Palencia (lat) made his first minor-league rehab appearance on Friday night with Triple-A Iowa and did not allow a run in two-thirds of an inning while allowing one hit and striking out one.

The hard-throwing reliever hit 102 mph on the radar gun during the outing. The Cubs were considering activating him from the 15-day injured list for the start of their three-game weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, but they instead sent him for a rehab outing. After a solid performance at Iowa, Palencia may be activated before the end of the series versus Arizona this weekend.

The 26-year-old Venezuelan hurler should be immediately scooped up off the waiver wire if he's available in your league, as he will return to primary closing duties in Chicago when he's back. Before his lat injury, Palencia had tossed five scoreless innings for the Cubbies with a save and five strikeouts. He's currently rostered in 82% of Yahoo leagues.

Ryan Helsley, RP, Orioles

Cut List Ranking No. 64

Baltimore Orioles right-handed closer Ryan Helsley (elbow) was placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday with right-elbow inflammation, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. Imaging on Helsley's right elbow came back clean on Friday, but it's still a concern for fantasy managers. This one is a bit of a surprise after Helsley looked fine in his last outing, when he locked down his seventh save of the year with a perfect ninth inning.

It's quite a big shakeup in fantasy baseball leagues and will give managers a chance to poach some saves off the waiver wire for at least the next couple of weeks. It's unclear how Baltimore will approach save situations going forward, but they will most likely go with a committee approach that could involve all of Andrew Kittredge, Rico Garcia, Anthony Nunez, and Yennier Cano. Kittredge has the most experience (nine-plus seasons in the big leagues), but Garcia, Nunez, and Cano have all pitched extremely well this year and deserve opportunities as well.

Garcia is probably your best bet if you're speculating, and he's currently rostered in 18% of Yahoo leagues. Helsley should be stashed in an IL spot in all leagues in what is looking like a bounce-back 2026 campaign.

Ryan Pepiot, SP, Rays

Cut List Ranking No. 1

Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot (hip) will miss the rest of the 2026 season and is scheduled to have hip surgery on May 13, according to Rays sideline reporter Ryan Bass. Pepiot's season will come to an end before it even started due to a right-hip injury.

He initially landed on the 15-day injured list before the start of the regular season with what was being called hip inflammation. Pepiot received an injection in his right hip, but it continued to feel unstable, and he'll be forced to go under the knife. It's unclear if his recovery from this injury will spill over into spring training next year or the start of the 2027 season.

Fantasy managers in single-year leagues can now safely drop Pepiot to the waiver wire. He's currently rostered in 69% of Yahoo leagues. Pepiot's season-ending injury means that swingman Nick Martinez is safe in Tampa's rotation for now.

Brandon Woodruff, SP, Brewers

Cut List Ranking No. 63

The Milwaukee Brewers placed right-hander Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list on Friday with right-shoulder inflammation and recalled right-hander Easton McGee from Triple-A Nashville in a corresponding move, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Woodruff was pulled from his outing early on Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks after recording just four outs due to reduced velocity.

The veteran right-hander said he didn't feel any pain on Thursday, and the early reports suggested that the 33-year-old could be going through a dead-arm phase. It's unclear what Woodruff's MRI exam results showed, but for now, he'll miss at least a couple of turns through the starting rotation in Milwaukee. The two-time All-Star didn't look bad before being pulled on Thursday, and he has a 3.60 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 25:7 K:BB in 30 innings over his six starts.

However, when considering Woodruff got a late start to 2025 while recovering from shoulder surgery, this news has to be pretty troubling for the Brew Crew and for fantasy managers. Logan Henderson is expected to take Woodruff's rotation spot. The right-handed pitching prospect is worth a pickup now for those looking for starting pitching help.

Sonny Gray, SP, Red Sox

Cut List Ranking No. 57

Boston Red Sox right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring) is throwing a live batting practice session at Fenway Park on Friday, which "suggests he's close to a return," according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Gray's right-hamstring strain was never considered all that serious when they put him on the 15-day injured list on April 21.

It's unclear at this time if Boston wants the veteran right-hander to go on a short minor-league rehab assignment. If Gray doesn't require one, he could come off the IL to rejoin the team's starting rotation at some point next week. The BoSox definitely could use the help in their rotation after star left-hander Garrett Crochet (shoulder) recently went on the IL.

Gray isn't flashy by any means and is up there in age (36), but the three-time All-Star can still be useful as a backend starter in fantasy and as a matchup-based streamer. In his first five starts before being sidelined, Gray had a 4.30 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 13 strikeouts, and five walks in 23 innings. His 13.1% strikeout rate is currently a career low.

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:

• Eric Cross' Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups
• Updated Waiver Wire Rankings
• FAAB Waiver Wire Bidding
• 7 Must-Add Waiver Wire Targets
• Top-5 Hitting Prospects to Stash
• Top-5 Pitching Prospects to Stash
• Waiver Wire Hitters - Category Boosters
• Top Injured Players 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? You may be interested in players like Louis Varland, Bryan Baker, Jack Perkins, Connor Prielipp, Enyel De Los Santos, Jacob Latz, Jose Fernandez, Anthony Volpe, Logan Henderson. 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 players like Louis Varland, Bryan Baker, Jack Perkins, Connor Prielipp, Enyel De Los Santos, Jacob Latz, Jose Fernandez, Anthony Volpe, Logan Henderson:

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