8 Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers - Otto Lopez, Jose Soriano, Julio Rodriguez, more

April 20, 2026

Kipp's fantasy baseball risers, fallers, breakouts for Week 4 of 2026. He analyzes hitters and pitchers performing well and poorly to determine future values.

Welcome, everyone, to another edition of RotoBaller’s Fantasy Baseball Risers and Fallers article series for Week 4 of the 2026 season! Today, I'll look at players like Otto Lopez, Jose Soriano, Julio Rodriguez, and more.

Keeping up with the latest hitter and pitcher trends is a key component for a successful season, and RotoBaller is here to help fantasy managers! Each week, I will select a few players who have performed well recently and a few who have not, and I will analyze their performances to determine how their future outcomes may be affected.

Following along here every week will give you an edge over your league mates and keep you up to date on who is firing on all cylinders and who is struggling to make ends meet. Every game makes an impact, and there is no time to wait for regression. Let's get into some Fantasy Risers and Fallers who may force some tough decisions.

Fantasy Baseball Hitter Risers

Otto Lopez, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins

Otto Lopez is a player I wrote about in the offseason as a guy who had breakout potential, and that is exactly what we are seeing to start the season. Thus far, he is slashing .333/.405/.515 with three HR, 10 RBI, 15 R, and five BB. Additionally, he has posted just a 17.8% K rate.

While he will not hit a ton of home runs, he does have great bat skills and should continue to get on base and produce runs at a solid clip. This has also been a much-improved Marlins' offense, currently ranking in the top half of baseball in terms of wRC+ this season.

Lopez is currently ranked as the 45th player in Yahoo! leagues after beginning the season 163rd overall. He is rostered in 80% of leagues, so he is unlikely to be available, but if he is, do not hesitate to add him, as he is eligible at both second base and shortstop.

Max Muncy, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers

Max Muncy is off to a roaring start, as he now has six home runs across his first 75 plate appearances. He currently finds himself ranked 127th overall in Yahoo! leagues and is ranked in the top 100 over the previous two weeks after starting the season outside of the top 200.

Muncy has also recorded eight walks and has his OBP sitting at .320, which is a number I would actually expect to increase, given his history. Over the previous three seasons, he has averaged nearly a .352 OBP. Muncy is also hitting in a Dodgers' lineup that currently ranks first in baseball over the previous two weeks with a 144 wRC+ mark, so the production opportunities are plentiful.

He is currently rostered in just 47% of Yahoo! leagues, so definitely go out and add him if he is available in your league.

MAX MUNCY'S THIRD HOMER OF THE GAME IS A WALK-OFF! pic.twitter.com/zw77aRAjfE

— MLB (@MLB) April 11, 2026

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Risers

Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels

Jose Soriano has started the season with major flash, as he has now struck out a whopping 39 batters across 32 2/3 innings pitched while posting just a 0.28 ERA and 0.73 WHIP. He has also racked up five wins across five starts and currently finds himself ranked as the top-ranked pitcher in Yahoo! leagues after beginning the season ranked 198.

He has been electric in the strikeout department, having struck out at least seven batters in four of his five starts. Additionally, he has racked up double-digit strikeouts in two starts. He has found a ton of success with his sinker and knuckle curve, the latter of which has generated a 50% whiff rate across 128 pitches, so no small sample size here.

He may have a rough game here or there as he has been prone to do, but the early results are very impressive, and he has a chance to continue to be one of the top pitchers in the league this season.

Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals

Michael Wacha has been a steady pitcher for years now, as he has posted a sub-4.00 ERA in each of the previous four seasons, but he has entered new territory thus far in 2026,  posting a 1.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts across 27 innings pitched through his first four starts. He has also recorded two wins over those four starts.

His most recent start came against the Yankees on April 17, and he proceeded to pitch six strong innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out six batters. Quite impressive for him against the Yankees, and those two earned runs were the most he has allowed in any start thus far.

While I would not expect him to continue to have a sub-2.00 ERA this season, he certainly has the potential to have a strong campaign, given that he pitches in the AL Central, which is not exactly known for having the most potent offenses. He is also still available in 25% of leagues, so he is certainly worth adding if available in your league.

Fantasy Baseball Hitter Fallers

Julio Rodriguez, OF, Seattle Mariners

Last week, we had Josh Naylor of the Mariners in here, and this week, it is time to shine some light on the horrid start that Rodriguez has had thus far in 2026. Overall, he is slashing just .205/.305/.277 with one HR, seven RBI, eight R, and 10 BB. Those 10 BB are currently saving him, as they at least make his OBP of .305 look respectable compared to his AVG and SLG.

Rodriguez is currently ranked 496th in Yahoo! leagues after starting the season ranked ninth overall. While he has improved slightly since the first week of the season, he is still just ranked 326th over the previous two weeks. I would not expect this trend to continue, as there is just too much talent here, but the rough start is certainly worth noting.

The Mariners will need their top players, like Rodriguez and Naylor, to get going if they want to repeat last season's success, which has yet to be replicated.

Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B, Kansas City Royals

Vinnie Pasquantino has struggled out of the gate in 2026, slashing just .165/.244/.278 with two HR, 10 RBI, six R, and eight BB. He has also posted a rough 21% K rate compared to his 15.6% rate in 2025.

Pasquantino is ranked 603rd overall in Yahoo! leagues after beginning the season ranked 63rd. Over the previous two weeks, he has been ranked just 507th overall, so there has not been much improvement yet. The track record is still pretty solid, as he has hit .260 or better with 90+ RBI in each of the previous two seasons, so improvement should be expected.

That being said, the extremely slow start cannot be denied. His OPS against right-handers is especially concerning, as it sits at just .598 thus far, after posting at least a .785 mark in each of the prior two seasons. Again, I would expect to see improvement here moving forward, but he is definitely a sore spot in lineups at the moment.

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Fallers

Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks

Zac Gallen has been on a downward trend since last season, when he posted a 4.83 ERA and just 175 strikeouts across 192 IP, and is currently sitting with a 3.51 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, and just 14 Ks through 25 2/3 IP. The strikeouts are way down, which has historically been a huge part of his game.

As it stands, Gallen is only generating a whiff rate better than 20% on just one of his five pitches, which is his slider. This has resulted in him striking out three or fewer batters in four of his five starts. He has also allowed five or more hits in four of five starts and eight or more hits in two of five starts, which has directly resulted in that elevated WHIP above.

I do not have a ton of faith that Gallen will be able to regain his prior form, and if the strikeouts are not there, he really provides minimal value in fantasy leagues. He is currently ranked as the 577th-ranked player in Yahoo! leagues, and I would not expect him to finish near his 189th-ranked preseason ranking, either.

Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants

Logan Webb was so reliable last season when he posted a 3.22 ERA and 224 strikeouts across 207 IP. This season, that has not been the case, as he currently sits with a 5.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 27 strikeouts across 30 IP. He has started five games for the Giants and has allowed three or more earned runs in four of them.

In his defense, he has faced some tough offenses against the Dodgers, Padres, and Orioles, so this could just be the case of a slow start for the veteran starter. He is currently ranked 607th overall in Yahoo! leagues after beginning the season ranked 42nd overall.

I do not expect his struggles to continue to be as pronounced as Gallen's above, and would expect to see Webb in the risers column before too long.

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