March 31, 2026
Houston Astros right-hander
Lance McCullers Jr. is fully healthy to begin the 2026 season and was dominant in his first start of the year in an 8-1 win over the visiting Boston Red Sox on Monday evening. McCullers allowed just one earned run on four hits while walking one and striking out nine in seven innings of work for his first victory. The 32-year-old veteran was in complete control and induced 17 swings and misses. It was the first time that McCullers went seven innings in a game since 2022. Arm injuries have derailed the former first-rounder's career in Houston in recent seasons, but he was an All-Star in 2017, and his strikeout upside and strong ground-ball rate could quickly make him attractive off the waiver wire in fantasy leagues if he keeps this up. McCullers' next scheduled outing won't be an easy one against a power A's lineup. He's currently rostered in just 10% of Yahoo leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
March 31, 2026
Atlanta Braves left-hander
Jose Suarez will get the nod to start on Tuesday against the visiting Athletics instead of veteran left-hander
Martin Perez, according to Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Suarez, 28, will be making his 2026 debut as the current fill-in for the Braves' starting rotation in place of the injured
Spencer Strider (oblique). The Venezuelan southpaw has started 62 of the 106 games he's appeared in over his seven major-league seasons. Suarez went 2-0 in 2025 with a nice 1.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, but only in 19 1/3 innings in seven outings (one start) for the Braves. In his lone start last year, Suarez looked great, giving up just two runs in seven innings while striking out nine against the Washington Nationals. Fantasy managers probably shouldn't be expecting anything that dominant, especially early in the season in what could just be a one-and-done spot start for Suarez.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Chad Bishop
March 31, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander
Michael Soroka looked really good against the Detroit Tigers on Monday night for his first win of the 2026 season, and he even recorded an immaculate inning along the way in the team's 9-6 win in the desert. Soroka threw five shutout innings, allowing four hits, walking one, and striking out 10 Tigers hitters. There's no telling what Soroka could have done had the D-backs allowed him to keep going, but with the season young, Arizona pulled the 28-year-old at 89 pitches. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues are probably going to want to see more from the Canadian hurler, especially in a hitter-friendly home environment. Soroka was an All-Star in his second year in the majors in 2019 with the Atlanta Braves, but that was his only season in six years where he has gone over the 100-inning mark. The D-backs will likely continue to handle Soroka with care, too, which will limit his fantasy ceiling.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
March 31, 2026
Seattle Mariners shortstop prospect
Colt Emerson signed a massive eight-year extension on Tuesday, but the team won't allow the new deal to rush his development. According to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, Emerson will remain in Triple-A for the time being. The Mariners will surely want Emerson and his new $95 million deal in the majors sometime this season, but for now, they will allow him to gain more development in the minors. After all, he's only 20 years old and has spent just nine games at Triple-A. We'd be surprised if he isn't called up by midseason, though, as he's 13-for-36 in Tacoma with three home runs and 11 RBI. He has shown that he can handle Triple-A pitching, and he also fared well against a higher caliber of arms in spring training, where he posted a .268/.340/.488 slash line, two home runs, eight RBI, and 111 wRC+. Emerson currently ranks as the #17 prospect to stash in RotoBaller's redraft fantasy baseball leagues for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
New York Mets closer
Devin Williams retired all three batters he faced while pitching a scoreless ninth inning and earning the save during Monday's win over the St. Louis Cardinals. This was Williams' first save of the season, and he now has two scoreless innings to his name this year. The right-hander has a firm grasp on the closer role in New York, resulting in him being projected for more than 30 saves this season. In addition to averaging more than 13.0 K/9 between 2025 and the start of 2026, Williams gains plenty of fantasy value from racking up saves. He should continue to benefit from pitching high-leverage situations in the later innings for a Mets team that will contend for a playoff spot this year. As it stands, he ranks #8 among relievers in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Milwaukee Brewers closer
Trevor Megill allowed one run, one hit, one walk, and one strikeout over one inning of work during Monday's loss against the Tampa Bay Rays. He entered a tie game in the ninth inning and was ultimately charged with the loss after Tampa Bay took the lead and held on to win. It could be a costly outcome for the veteran righty, given that there's not much separating him from
Abner Uribe in the competition for save situations. While Megill opened the season as the closer, he could be on a short leash, especially if Uribe continues to pitch well. Megill has pitched on back-to-back days, earning a save and a loss, so we expect the Brewers to use Uribe in any high-leverage situation in the later innings on Tuesday. Depending on how he pitches, he could be in the mix for save situations going forward, boosting his fantasy value and detracting from Megill's value. As it stands, Megill is the #14 reliever in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher
Kevin Kelly earned the save after facing one batter during Monday's win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Kelly entered with two outs and a one-run lead in the ninth inning. He threw just five pitches, ultimately getting
Blake Perkins to ground into a forceout to end the game. It was Kelly's first save situation of the season, and he now has 1.1 innings of scoreless work with one hit and one strikeout. The Rays don't necessarily have a dedicated closer, especially after
Griffin Jax blew a save in each of his first two outings this season, but Kelly could be in the mix to handle more save situations going forward. It's too early to pursue him in fantasy baseball leagues, but he could be a name to monitor if he starts appearing in save situations more frequently.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Kansas City Royals relief pitcher
John Schreiber earned the save while pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins on Monday. He allowed just one hit and threw 60% strikes en route to slamming the door in the Royals' divisional win. Schreiber has totaled two innings this season, allowing two hits, one run, zero walks, and one strikeout. His save on Monday was nice, but it's not expected to become a pattern. He likely only entered in a save situation because
Carlos Estevez (ankle) is injured and
Lucas Erceg had pitched each of the two previous days. As long as Erceg remains effective, Schreiber won't have many more save situations in his future.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Texas Rangers starting pitcher
Jacob deGrom (neck stiffness) will start Tuesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, according to an announcement from the team. deGrom was scratched from his scheduled season debut last week due to neck stiffness, but he only missed one start and will now make his season debut on Tuesday. The veteran right-hander can be an elite pitcher when healthy, but starts have been hard to come by due to his recent injury history. He made just 22 total appearances from 2022-2024 before returning for 30 starts in a healthy 2025 campaign. Across those 30 starts (172.2 innings) last year, he posted a 3.37 xFIP with 9.64 K/9, 1.93 BB/9, and a 37.8% ground ball rate. He allowed more loud contact than usual, including a career-worst 1.36 HR/9. However, he still managed to be a highly effective starter in the Rangers' rotation and ultimately posted his highest fWAR total since 2021. As long as he can stay healthy this year, deGrom should continue to be one of the most dependable starters in baseball. He currently ranks #12 among starting pitchers in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: Texas Rangers PR
March 31, 2026
The Seattle Mariners have signed shortstop prospect
Colt Emerson to an eight-year, $50 million contract extension, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.com. The deal includes a club option for 2035, a full no-trade clause, and incentives that can increase the maximum value to more than $130 million. It's a bold move to extend a player who hasn't even reached the majors yet, but it falls in line with decisions we've seen from organizations across Major League Baseball. More and more, teams are starting to sign their prospects to extensions early in their career to buy out arbitration years. These deals benefit the player with guaranteed money for years to come, but also benefit the team by paying the player less than the maximum salary they could potentially get in arbitration. We're not surprised the Mariners wanted to lock up Emerson long-term, as he posted an impressive .285/.383/.458 slash line with 16 homers, 14 stolen bases, and 129 wRC+ in the minors last year. RotoBaller's Eric Cross recently ranked the shortstop as his #17 prospect to stash in redraft fantasy baseball leagues for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: Robert Murray
March 31, 2026
Texas Rangers starting pitcher
Jack Leiter allowed two earned runs, five hits, and one walk during Monday's 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. He also struck out eight batters and earned the win. It was an impressive season-opening outing from the young right-hander, who is looking to build off a breakout campaign in 2025, when he went 10-10 with a 3.86 ERA and 8.78 K/9 across 29 starts. Now that he has established himself as a consistent rotation piece, he should rack up innings and become an intriguing starting pitching option for fantasy baseball managers. As it stands, he ranks #62 among starters in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings. He's projected to return to the mound on Sunday, April 5, against the Cincinnati Reds. It'll be an exciting pitching matchup as Leiter toes the rubber opposite
Chase Burns.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Cincinnati Reds right-handed pitcher
Chase Burns allowed zero runs, one hit, and three walks over five innings of work during his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. He struck out seven batters along the way and ultimately earned the win. Burns was cruising, but given that it was his first outing of the regular season, manager Terry Francona pulled him after just 78 pitches. His fastball velocity averaged out to 98.3 mph, consistent with his velocity numbers from his rookie season in 2025. The 23-year-old continues to be an impressive starting pitching option in fantasy baseball, ranking #37 among starters in RotoBaller's latest rankings. He'll return to the mound on Sunday, April 5, against the Texas Rangers.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher
Ryan Walker allowed two runs but earned the save during Monday's 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres. Walker entered with a 3-0 lead, and he allowed a walk and a two-run homer before recording the final out to secure the victory. He also struck out one batter along the way. It wasn't a very pretty outing, but he earned the save nonetheless. Each of Walker's last two appearances has come in the ninth inning, so it appears Giants manager Tony Vitello plans to use him as the club's closer for now. The two-pitch righty has struck out three batters over 2.1 innings so far this year, but he needs to cut down on walks and induce more ground balls in order to produce better results going forward. He currently ranks #19 among relievers in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks closer
Paul Sewald pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Monday, earning the save in his team's 9-6 win over the Detroit Tigers. He struck out one batter en route to securing his first save of the 2026 season. It's been a small sample size of just 1.1 innings so far this year for Sewald, but so far, he's been productive. He has retired all four batters he's faced, and he has an impressive 76.5% strike rate. That rate might not be sustainable, but still, it's encouraging to see him find the zone with such consistency. We're also intrigued that the average fastball velocity has jumped to 92.2 mph, which is his highest mark since 2023. If he can continue to earn saves, limit walks, and generally pitch effectively, he'll soar higher than his current rank as the #28 reliever in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
March 31, 2026
Cincinnati Reds reliever
Connor Phillips worked around two walks to earn the save while pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. With the Reds leading by two, manager Terry Francona turned to Phillips for the first save opportunity of his three-year major league career. He had some trouble with control but managed to keep Pittsburgh off the board, preserving Cincinnati's 2-0 lead. Phillips was only used in the ninth inning on Monday because closer
Emilio Pagan had pitched each of the two previous days. Going forward, as long as Pagan is rested, he'll get the save situations for the Reds. As a result, managers should not rush to add Phillips in fantasy baseball leagues.
--Andersen PickardSource: RotoBaller
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