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Noah Schultz Bounces Back, Emerging as Waiver-Wire Upside Add
Chicago White Sox left-hander Noah Schultz delivered an impressive rebound outing last Sunday, allowing one run on one hit across five innings while striking out six to earn his first MLB win. The strong performance lowered his ERA to 3.86, and he now has 10 strikeouts in 9.1 innings through two starts. Schultz, a first-round pick in the 2022 draft, carries significant upside with his 6-foot-9 frame and power arsenal. He has used his five-pitch mix effectively, highlighted by a fastball that averages over 96 mph. If Noah Schultz can limit walks and sharpen his consistency, he has the talent to grow into a meaningful long-term rotation piece for Chicago.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Trey Yesavage Returning From Injured List on Tuesday
Toronto Blue Jays right-handed starting pitcher Trey Yesavage (shoulder) will make his 2026 season debut on Tuesday, when he will be activated from the 15-day injured list to face the Boston Red Sox. It was announced that the 22-year-old right-hander will also start on Tuesday, giving the Blue Jays some much-needed help in their already depleted rotation. The move will push Eric Lauer back into the bullpen, and also change when both Patrick Corbin (Sunday) and Dylan Cease (Monday) will make their next starts. The highly touted pitcher will look to build on last season's success, where he was able to throw 14.0 efficient innings in the regular season and an additional 25.2 innings in the playoffs. In total, he tossed 41.2 innings and struck out 55 batters, all while compiling a 3.46 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He should be activated and started in all fantasy leagues next week
Source: Shi Davidi
Source: Shi Davidi
Luke Weaver Seeing Fantasy Value Soar as Elite Closer Handcuff
New York Mets right-hander Luke Weaver is expected to see a significant rise in opportunities as the club searches for stability in late-game situations. Newly acquired closer Devin Williams has struggled to a 10.29 ERA, while key bullpen arm A.J. Minter is on the injured list. That opens the door for Weaver to handle more leverage work. He has been sharper lately, turning in three straight scoreless appearances after an uneven start. Acquired from the Yankees during the 2026 offseason, Weaver was not expected to compete for saves but has the experience to fill that role. He owns a 5.40 ERA in 10 games with two holds, and has emerged as a strong waiver wire handcuff target.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Sonny Gray Remains on Track to Return When First Eligible
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Sonny Gray (hamstring) remains on track to return to the team's starting rotation when he is first eligible to do so on May 6. The 36-year-old veteran has resumed playing catch before games this past week after an MRI revealed nothing other than a Grade 1 hamstring strain. He has since joined the team for their road trip and is currently with them in Baltimore. Manager Alex Cora believes that he may not need to go on a rehab assignment barring any setbacks, which includes a scheduled bullpen session this Monday in Toronto. The right-hander has started the season with a 4.30 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, and has registered two wins over his first five games started.
Source: Chris Cotillo
Source: Chris Cotillo
Carter Jensen Stays Hot, Emerging as Priority Waiver-Wire Target
Kansas City Royals catcher Carter Jensen has continued his strong production into late April, slashing .288/.361/.562 through 24 games. Jensen has been especially hot lately, posting multi-hit performances in four of his last five games while collecting nine hits during that stretch. His April average sits at .323, and he has taken a clear offensive step for a Royals lineup searching for consistent production. The 78th overall pick in the 2021 draft also posted a .941 OPS in 20 games last season, adding to the breakout case. If this surge continues, Carter Jensen should keep climbing fantasy radars as a priority waiver wire target entering May.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Kenley Jansen Blows Second Save, Cause for Concern?
Detroit Tigers veteran closer Kenley Jansen blew his second save of the young season on Friday night on the road against the Cincinnati Reds, allowing two earned runs on two hits (one homer) while walking none and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning. The 38-year-old also took the loss when the Reds walked the Tigers off at Great American Ballpark. The nail in the coffin for Jansen was a walk-off homer off the bat of Nathaniel Lowe. Jansen has now blown two saves, but overall, he hasn't been terrible, allowing three earned runs on seven hits (two homers) while walking three and striking out nine in his 7 1/3 innings of work. The only times he's been scored up were in his two blown saves out of nine early-season appearances. With that said, Jansen isn't getting any younger, and the Tigers have two very capable late-inning, high-leverage arms in Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest that have both been successful in the closer's role before in their careers. Jansen might not be on the hot seat for the closer's role just yet, but any more slip-ups could make things interesting in the ninth in Motown.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Robert Suarez Stays Sharp on Friday, Emerging as Elite Short-Term Closer
Atlanta Braves right-handed reliever Robert Suarez converted his third save of the season on Friday at Truist Park in the 5-3 victory over the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies. Suarez wasn't perfect in the outing, walking one, giving up a hit, and striking a batter. The 35-year-old veteran is an elite short-term closing option for fantasy managers with right-hander Raisel Iglesias (shoulder) currently on the 15-day injured list. Since Iglesias went on the shelf, Suarez has converted back-to-back save chances for the Braves. He will be Atlanta's primary option for saves for however long Iglesias is sidelined, making him a prime waiver-wire pickup this week. In Yahoo leagues, Suarez is currently rostered in 70% of leagues. The hard-throwing Venezuelan reliever is a two-time All-Star and has plenty of experience closing out games, having recorded a whopping 76 saves with the San Diego Padres from 2024 to 2025. If you need saves and Suarez is available, he's a no-brainer pickup ASAP.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Bryce Miller Punches Out Six in Rehab Start on Friday
Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryce Miller (oblique) appears to be nearing a return to Seattle's starting rotation. The 27-year-old hurler looked good in his latest minor-league rehab start with High-A Everett on Friday night, going three shutout innings while giving up just one hit, walking one, and striking out six batters. Miller allowed just two baserunners and threw 35 of his 47 pitches for strikes in his second rehab appearance as he works his way back from an oblique injury that put him on the 15-day injured list before the start of the 2026 regular season. He still needs to build up his pitch count a bit more, but after another couple of rehab starts, he should be reinstated from the IL and rejoin the M's rotation in May. In his first rehab start with Triple-A Tacoma, Miller gave up three earned runs in 1 2/3 innings while walking one and striking out two. The former fourth-rounder in 2021 went 12-8 with a 2.94 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 171 strikeouts in 2024 in a breakout campaign before posting an ERA over 5.00 and being limited to 18 starts last year due to injuries. Miller is only rostered in 27% of Yahoo leagues, but that number should go up considerably once he's closer to making his 2026 debut.
Source: Milb.com
Source: Milb.com
Carlos Rodon Looks Good in First Rehab Start on Friday
New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon (elbow) looked strong in his first minor-league rehab start with High-A Hudson Valley on Friday, tossing 4 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, walking one, and striking out four batters. It was the first time that Rodon had pitched in a game since having surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow last October. While on the rehab trail, the 33-year-old veteran southpaw also tweaked his hamstring, but that injury is in the rearview mirror, and Rodon is nearing his 2026 season debut in the Yankees' starting rotation. He managed to throw 43 of his 65 pitches for strikes on Friday night. Rodon is expected to make two more rehab starts before being reinstated from the 15-day injured list. The three-time All-Star had his finest season in the Bronx in 2025, going 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA (3.78 FIP), 1.05 WHIP, and 203:73 K:BB in 195 1/3 innings across 33 starts. Rodon should not be floating around on the waiver wire, and if he is, grab him immediately. He's rostered in 86% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: Milb.com
Source: Milb.com
Eugenio Suarez Heading to the Injured List With Oblique Strain
Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said on Friday that third baseman Eugenio Suarez (oblique) is going on the injured list with a low-grade oblique strain, according to Charlie Goldsmith of FOX 19. Goldsmith adds that Suarez will hopefully be down for five or six days before potentially building back up. The Reds said that the 34-year-old veteran was dealing with mid-back pain when he was scratched from the lineup before Friday's game. Even though Suarez's oblique strain is classified as a low-grade injury, there's a good chance he'll miss more than the minimum 10 days on the IL. While Suarez is away, the left-handed-hitting Nathaniel Lowe will most likely see most of the playing time as the Reds' designated hitter against right-handed pitching. When healthy, Suarez is a solid source of power in his return to the Reds this year. Before his injury, he was hitting .231/.300/.363 with three home runs, 11 RBI, and 10 runs scored in 100 plate appearances across 25 games played.
Source: FOX 19 - Charlie Goldsmith
Source: FOX 19 - Charlie Goldsmith
Roman Anthony Still Out With Back Injury on Saturday
Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (back) will miss a fourth straight game on Saturday on the road in Baltimore against the division-rival Orioles, according to MLB.com. Jarren Duran is in left field again and will hit sixth against Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers. Anthony felt upper-back tightness after a swing in Tuesday's game against the New York Yankees and hasn't played since. The Red Sox were optimistic that Anthony would return for the series opener at Camden Yards on Friday, but they have decided to give him a couple more days off. The injury wasn't considered serious initially, but if the young left-handed-hitting outfielder misses the entire series in Baltimore, Boston might consider placing him on the injured list. With Duran sidelined this week, Andruw Monasterio has seen additional starts as the team's designated hitter. One of the top prospects in all of baseball before making his MLB debut last year, Anthony is off to a slow start in 2026, hitting .225 (18-for-80) with a homer, four RBI, 11 runs, and two stolen bases in his first 22 games played. Check back on Sunday to see if Anthony is ready to return to the field.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Rays Turn to Bryan Baker to Close Friday's Game, Emerging as Must-Roster Pitcher
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Bryan Baker pitched a scoreless ninth inning en route to earning the save during Friday's win over the Minnesota Twins. Trevor Martin had allowed a home run, single, and double to open the ninth, creating a situation where the tying run was on deck for the Twins. That's why they turned to Baker, and he effectively slammed the door by getting three straight outs without allowing a run to score. This isn't exactly uncharted territory for the veteran righty, who is now up to five saves across seven situations in 2026. In fact, each of his last seven outings has been a save opportunity. He currently owns an impressive 2.43 xERA with 9.64 K/9, 2.89 BB/9, and a 48% ground ball rate across 9.1 innings of work. He has also gotten his fastball up to a career-high average velocity of 97 mph. All signs point to Baker being the Rays' go-to closer moving forward. As a result, he's an intriguing fantasy baseball waiver wire target, given his potential to accrue saves.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Lucas Erceg Bounces Back, Earns Sixth Save on Friday
Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Lucas Erceg worked around a walk to deliver a scoreless ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. He finished with one walk, zero hits, zero runs, and two strikeouts over one inning, and he earned the save after preserving the Royals' three-run lead. It was a much-needed bounce-back game from Erceg, who had allowed four runs and five walks over his previous 2.2 innings of work. The 30-year-old is now up to six saves this season after taking over the primary closer role from Carlos Estevez (ankle). Walks have been an issue for the righty (6.97 BB/9), but his ground ball rate is up to 64.7%, and he still hasn't allowed a home run. As it stands, Erceg ranks as the #32 reliever in RotoBaller expert Nick Mariano's latest rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings. He's an intriguing waiver wire target, given that he doesn't face much competition for saves at the moment.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Corbin Martin Earns Save for Cubs, the New Temporary Closer?
Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Corbin Martin has emerged as a potential temporary closer solution for the organization. Martin faced the minimum three batters while preserving a two-run lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth inning on Friday. He struck out one batter over a perfect inning of work, earning his first save of the season. Moving forward, we could expect to see Martin get more high-leverage situations, including save opportunities. Primary closer Daniel Palencia (lat) is on the IL, so Chicago has adopted a closer-by-committee approach. Martin seems to be trending up more than other Cubs closer candidates, such as Ben Brown, Riley Martin, and Jacob Webb. The team is riding a 10-game winning streak, so there should be more save opportunities coming for Martin in the near future. He has waiver wire appeal as a short-term closer option in fantasy baseball.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Tanner Scott Takes Loss on Friday, in Danger of Losing Primary Ninth-Inning Job?
Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott allowed two runs over two-thirds of an inning of work during Friday's game against the Chicago Cubs. He entered in the ninth inning with the score tied at four apiece, and Chicago wasted no time doing damage. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the inning with a single, and Dansby Swanson slugged a two-run homer two pitches later. Scott settled in to get two outs, but by the time he exited, the Cubs led 6-4. That score held for the rest of the game, and he was charged with his first loss of the season. Scott is walking batters at a career-low rate of 0.79 BB/9, but he also has a career-low strikeout rate of 7.15 K/9. This suggests that he's pitching to more contact, which falls in line with his concerning 1.59 HR/9 rate. It's been a lot of loud contact, too, as his ground ball rate has fallen to a career-low 32.3% mark. With Edwin Diaz (elbow) on the IL and Scott struggling, manager Dave Roberts could start turning to someone else in the ninth inning. Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia are early candidates to take ninth-inning work from Scott.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
