Mid-Week Cut Candidates for Fantasy Baseball - Players to Consider Dropping (Week 6)

May 6, 2026

Andy's mid-week fantasy baseball cuts, drops candidates for Week 6 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 6 of the 2026 MLB season. With another week of MLB action behind us, it's time to look to the waiver wire and improve our roster.

Through the early part of Week 6, we have seen several starting pitchers continue their slumps, which has pushed them up in our cut rankings, and several high-end hitters trending toward bench status in standard leagues.

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

Ryan Helsley, RP, Baltimore Orioles

Cut List Ranking No. 64

Baltimore Orioles closer Ryan Helsley (elbow) will be re-evaluated later this week to determine if he is ready to resume throwing, per Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun. Helsley was placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday due to elbow discomfort, but an MRI on the elbow came back clean. The 31-year-old was off to a strong start to his first season in Baltimore before getting injured, pitching to a 2.53 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 15 strikeouts and 7 saves across 10 2/3 innings.

If Helsley continues to progress without any further setbacks, he may have a chance to return from the injured list as soon as he's eligible in mid-May. In his absence, Orioles right-hander Rico Garcia looks like the favorite to see save opportunities in Baltimore.

Sonny Gray, SP, Boston Red Sox

Cut List Ranking No. 58

The Boston Red Sox's scheduled starter for Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers is still to be determined, but right-hander Sonny Gray (hamstring) is "still checking some boxes," interim manager Chad Tracy said. Gray is eligible to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. He threw a three-inning live batting practice session on Friday and came out of it feeling good, but he had another bullpen scheduled for Monday. "See how he comes out of that (bullpen) physically," Tracy said, "and then we'll make our decision on that day when it gets closer."

Rookie left-hander Jake Bennett could make another start for the BoSox on Wednesday in the series finale against the Tigers if the Red Sox want to wait a little longer to activate Gray. The 36-year-old veteran will have a rotation spot waiting for him when he's ready, though, and he can still be a useful back-end fantasy starter in the right matchups despite a less-than-stellar strikeout rate at this point in his career. Through his first five starts in 2026, Gray is 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts in 23 innings pitched. He's currently rostered in 88% of Yahoo leagues despite being on the IL.

Brandon Woodruff, SP, Milwaukee Brewers

Cut List Ranking No. 63

Milwaukee Brewers right-handed pitcher Brandon Woodruff (right shoulder inflammation) will begin his throwing program near the end of the team's current road trip, according to MLB.com's injury tracker. The Brewers are on the road in St. Louis for the next three days before returning home on Friday. Woodruff last pitched on April 30, but he exited after just 1.1 innings and was subsequently placed on the injured list. An MRI revealed shoulder inflammation but no structural damage, so it seems like his IL stint could be on the shorter side.

Milwaukee won't rush him back, but they'd certainly prefer him to rejoin the rotation as soon as he's healthy enough to do so. Through six starts this season, he owns a 3.09 xERA with 7.5 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, and 1.2 HR/9. The results have been solid, but his career-low 29.9% ground ball rate shows room for improvement. We expect to see him back on the Brewers' mound in approximately two weeks, barring a setback.

Kodai Senga, SP, New York Mets

Cut List Ranking No. 5

The New York Mets announced on Tuesday that they placed right-hander Kodai Senga (back) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 27) with lumbar-spine inflammation and recalled right-hander Christian Scott from Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move. Senga received an epidural injection and will be shut down from throwing for at least a week to 10 days. The 33-year-old veteran began to struggle in the second half of last season and was eventually sent to the minors to work on things.

The Japanese native's struggles have carried over to the early portion of 2026, and now he's injured. In his first five starts for the Mets this season, Senga has gone 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA, 1.95 WHIP, and 23:13 K:BB in 20 innings pitched. He only made it 2 2/3 frames in his last start on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can dump Senga if they haven't done so already. He's currently rostered in just 20% of Yahoo leagues, and he may not have a rotation spot waiting for him in New York when he's reinstated from the IL.

Agustin Ramirez, C, Miami Marlins

Cut List Ranking No. 45

The Miami Marlins have demoted catcher Agustin Ramirez to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to Craig Mish. Ramirez had a slow start to his first full season in the big leagues and will head to the top level of the minor leagues to work out his struggles. Over the first 31 games of the campaign, Ramirez has held a .230/.318/.345 slash line with five doubles and two home runs. He has posted a solid 22.4% K% while drawing walks at an above-average 10.4% rate. However, Ramirez has generated a weak .288 xwOBA with a low .318 xSLG.

Last summer in his debut campaign, Ramirez hit 21 home runs while swiping 16 bags over 136 MLB contests. In a corresponding move, the Marlins are promoting top catching prospect Joe Mack. Mack will likely serve as the team's No. 2 behind Liam Hicks behind the dish and is worth adding in all two-catcher formats.

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

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2026 Player Decisions. Looking to pickup someone else instead? Today's focus is on specific players like Janson Junk, Bryce Eldridge, Noah Schultz, Payton Tolle, Louis Varland, Kyle Finnegan, Jack Perkins. 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 Janson Junk, Bryce Eldridge, Noah Schultz, Payton Tolle, Louis Varland, Kyle Finnegan, Jack Perkins:

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