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Andy's fantasy baseball cut list rankings, drop candidates for Week 8 waiver wire (2026). Is it time to drop these struggling players for better waiver wire options?
Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our updated Cut List Rankings for fantasy baseball and Week 8 of the 2026 MLB season. With another week of MLB action behind us, it's time to look to the waiver wire, which means it's time to cut some underperforming players.
This week, we saw several hitters who are widely rostered continue their early-season slump, which has put them on the "drop" radar.
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 7 of the MLB season. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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Cut List Rankings: Fantasy Baseball Players to Drop?
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 Name | Position | Team | Ros. % | Baller Move |
| 1 | Brenton Doyle | OF | COL | 35 | Drop in All Leagues |
| 2 | Dennis Santana | RP | PIT | 55 | Drop in Most Leagues (saves only) |
| 3 | Jeff Hoffman | RP | TOR | 60 | Drop in Most Leagues (saves only) |
| 4 | Spencer Jones | OF | NYY | 15 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 5 | Cam Smith | OF | HOU | 15 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 6 | Daniel Schneemann | 2B/3B/SS/OF | CLE | 15 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 7 | Christian Scott | SP | NYM | 15 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 8 | Janson Junk | SP | MIA | 10 | Drop in Most Leagues |
| 9 | Trevor Megill | RP | MIL | 65 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 10 | Noah Schultz | SP | CWS | 25 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 11 | Ryan Waldschmidt | OF | ARI | 15 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 12 | Matt Chapman | 3B | SF | 70 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 13 | Josh Jung | 3B | TEX | 50 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 14 | MacKenzie Gore | SP | TEX | 75 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 15 | Jorge Soler | OF | LAA | 35 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 16 | Jac Caglianone | 1B/OF | KC | 50 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 17 | Steven Kwan | OF | CLE | 60 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 18 | Aaron Ashby | RP | MIL | 40 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 19 | Bubba Chandler | SP | PIT | 60 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 20 | Seranthony Dominguez | RP | CWS | 55 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 21 | Carter Jensen | C | KC | 40 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 22 | Ryne Nelson | SP | ARI | 60 | Drop in Shallower Leagues |
| 23 | Jose Altuve | 2B/OF | HOU | 85 | Hold in All Leagues (IL Stash) |
| 24 | Ranger Suarez | SP | BOS | 90 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 25 | Kyle Stowers | OF | MIA | 70 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 26 | Jo Adell | OF | LAA | 80 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 27 | Vinnie Pasquantino | 1B | KC | 80 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 28 | Luke Keaschall | 2B | MIN | 75 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 29 | George Springer | OF | TOR | 80 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 30 | Emmet Sheehan | SP | LAD | 85 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 31 | Nick Lodolo | SP | CIN | 80 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 32 | Rico Garcia | RP | BAL | 40 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 33 | Brandon Marsh | OF | PHI | 40 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 34 | Eury Perez | SP | MIA | 85 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 35 | Trevor Rogers | SP | BAL | 60 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 36 | Riley O'Brien | RP | STL | 85 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 37 | Mickey Moniak | OF | COL | 75 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 38 | Jackson Merrill | OF | SD | 95 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 39 | Tyler Soderstrom | 1B/OF | ATH | 90 | Hold in All Leagues |
| 40 | Kyle Bradish | SP | BAL | 90 | Hold in All Leagues |
Fantasy Baseball Drops: Week 8 Player Outlooks
Riley O'Brien, RP, St. Louis Cardinals
Cut List Ranking No. 36
St. Louis Cardinals right-handed closer Riley O'Brien blew his fourth save of the season on Tuesday in an eventual 9-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 10 innings, allowing two runs on two hits while walking one and hitting two batters in an inning of work. The 31-year-old flamethrower could not protect a two-run lead in the ninth inning. Despite the rough appearance on Tuesday night, O'Brien is still 3-1 with a 3.13 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 25 strikeouts across 23 innings.
He is still tied for third in the league with 13 saves. O'Brien has blown two saves in May but has also picked up five saves while allowing six earned runs on nine hits in 7 2/3 innings of work. He has not been perfect and has given up multiple runs in four outings this year, but overall, O'Brien has mostly been solid for the Red Birds and shouldn't be in any immediate danger of losing save opportunities in St. Louis.
Rico Garcia, RP, Baltimore Orioles
Cut List Ranking No. 32
Baltimore Orioles right-handed reliever Rico Garcia has been nearly unhittable so far this year and is an elite short-term source of saves for fantasy managers with regular closer Ryan Helsley (elbow) still on the injured list. Garcia has given up just one earned run in 19 innings pitched for the O's. Since giving up a home run on April 21 to the Kansas City Royals, Garcia has tossed seven shutout innings with no hits allowed, three walks, and nine strikeouts, and he has also won a game, picked up two saves, and recorded three holds in the process.
Overall, the 32-year-old veteran's numbers on the year look absurd -- 3-0 record, 0.47 ERA (2.58 FIP), 0.42 WHIP, 22 strikeouts, seven walks, and three saves in 19 innings pitched. Right-hander Anthony Nunez picked up a save for Baltimore on Monday, but Garcia is the clear best option in the Orioles' bullpen for save chances until Helsley returns from his elbow injury. When Helsley is back, Garcia will still be a strong option in holds leagues. Right now, he's rostered in only 36% of Yahoo leagues.
Jose Altuve, 2B/OF, Houston Astros
Cut List Ranking No. 23
The Houston Astros placed second baseman Jose Altuve (oblique) on the 10-day injured list on Monday with a left-oblique strain, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. In a corresponding move, shortstop Jeremy Pena (hamstring, neck) was reinstated from the 10-day IL. Altuve suffered a Grade 2 oblique strain while swinging on Saturday against the division-rival Texas Rangers and could miss anywhere from four to six weeks, so fantasy managers definitely shouldn't expect a quick recovery for the veteran second baseman.
Braden Shewmake made the start at the keystone for the Astros in Monday's series opener in Minnesota against the Twins, but Brice Matthews could also see more playing time at second until Altuve is fully healed. Despite a mediocre start to his 2026 season, Altuve should be held in all fantasy baseball formats. The former MVP, nine-time All-Star, and seven-time Silver Slugger winner heads to the IL with a .245/.326/.380 slash line, .706 OPS, only four home runs, 12 RBI, 27 runs scored, and a steal in his 163 at-bats.
MacKenzie Gore, SP, Texas Rangers
Cut List Ranking No. 14
Texas Rangers left-hander MacKenzie Gore (lat) left his start on Monday early against the Colorado Rockies with left-lat tightness, according to Shawn McFarland of The Dallas Morning News. Before leaving due to injury, Gore only went one inning, allowing two earned runs on three hits while walking two and striking out two at hitter-friendly Coors Field in Denver.
Until we know more about the lefty's condition, fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day. The 27-year-old former third overall pick by the San Diego Padres in 2017 has struggled so far in his first year in Texas, as he entered his start on Monday against Colorado with a 3-3 record, 4.50 ERA (3.95 FIP), and 1.25 WHIP with 53 strikeouts and 22 starts in 48 innings over his nine starts. It has especially been disappointing after he was a first-time All-Star in 2025 in his final campaign with the Washington Nationals, despite going 5-15.
He struck out a career-high 185 hitters in 159 2/3 innings across his 30 starts. Gore is rostered in 84% of Yahoo leagues and needs to be held until we know more about the severity of his injury.
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
- 6 Must-Add Waiver Wire Pickups
- Sneaky Starting Pitchers to Pick Up
- Top 25 Prospects to Stash
- Top 25 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:
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 Tanner Scott, Henry Bolte, A.J. Ewing, Louie Varland, Thomas White, Logan Henderson, Hunter Greene. 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 Tanner Scott, Henry Bolte, A.J. Ewing, Louie Varland, Thomas White, Logan Henderson, Hunter Greene:
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