April 8, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks outfield prospect
Ryan Waldschmidt is continuing to see his value as a stash candidate increase in Week 2 of the fantasy baseball season. This week, the Diamondbacks shifted outfielder
Jordan Lawlar (wrist) to the 60-day injured list. Lawlar now joins
Pavin Smith (elbow) and
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (elbow) of Arizona outfielders on the shelf. Waldschmidt, the 31st overall pick from the 2024 MLB Draft, was in serious contention to break camp with the MLB roster but fell just short in the competition. He was instead optioned to Triple-A Reno to begin the 2026 regular season. Through his first 10 games at the level, Waldschmidt has held a .237/.396/.395 line with four doubles, one triple, no home runs, and a solid 14:10 K:BB. If Arizona continues to find inconsistent production in their injured outfield, Waldschmidt will likely earn the call to the big leagues. Given that he hit 18 home runs and stole 29 bags over 134 MiLB games last season, he is a top stash option in deeper five-outfielder leagues.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
April 8, 2026
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander
Max Scherzer (forearm) is scheduled to make his next start on Sunday in the series finale against the Minnesota Twins, according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. Scherzer has been dealing with right-forearm tendinitis and pitched through it in his most recent outing on Monday, April 6, against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he allowed two earned runs while walking one and striking out two in just two innings pitched. The Blue Jays pulled Scherzer early as a precaution, but there was never much concern that the future Hall of Famer would have to miss his next start. It's good news for Toronto's injury-ravaged starting rotation early in 2026, but it doesn't mean that fantasy managers should trust Scherzer in starting lineups on Sunday, even in a plus matchup against the Twins. Scherzer has had trouble staying healthy towards the end of his career, and he's no longer the dominant ace he once was.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sportsnet.ca - Arden Zwelling
April 8, 2026
Seattle Mariners shortstop prospect
Colt Emerson remains a high-end stash option despite suffering a minor foot injury. Earlier this week, Emerson took a foul ball off his foot (on April 4) but fortunately avoided a major injury. The top prospect underwent X-rays, all of which came back negative. He returned to game action on April 7 and quickly found his footing, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and two stolen bases. Overall, through eight games with Triple-A Tacoma this season, Emerson has held a dominant .310/.355/.483 slash line with two doubles, one home run, and two stolen bases. Last summer, Emerson spent most of his time with High-A and Double-A before earning a short six-game stint in Triple-A. Given that Emerson recently inked a massive eight-year, $95 million contract with the Mariners and was promoted to the 40-man roster, his MLB debut is quickly approaching. Due to his five-category skill set, he holds high-end stash upside in all 12-team leagues in Week 2 of the fantasy season.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
April 8, 2026
Miami Marlins left-handed pitching prospect
Robby Snelling turned in a strong bounce-back effort in his second start of the Triple-A regular season and remains a high-end stash target in all standard leagues. On April 3, Snelling was sharp against Triple-A Sugar Land, tossing four innings of three-run ball with an impressive seven punchouts. This was a nice showing compared to the three strikeouts he totaled over four innings in his season debut against Rochester. The 22-year-old fell just short of the starting rotation in spring training but remains on the verge of earning the call to Miami. Last summer, Snelling looked quite comfortable in his first taste of Triple-A, holding an elite 1.27 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and an 88:17 K:BB over 63 2/3 innings. Given that
Chris Paddack has struggled in the early going of the season, Snelling could contend for an early MLB promotion and remains a high-end prospect to stash.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
April 8, 2026
Milwaukee Brewers left-handed pitching prospect
Robert Gasser (biceps, triceps) hasn't thrown since Opening Day at Triple-A Nashville on March 27 because he's dealing with muscle soreness in his bicep/tricep, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Gasser has been building back up slowly and will throw a side session at some point this week. The good news is that the 26-year-old should be able to avoid a stint on the seven-day minor-league injured list. The team's No. 17 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, should make starts for the Brewers at some point in 2026 after looking good in seven starts at the big-league level in the last two seasons. Gasser has a 2.67 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 21 strikeouts and five walks in 33 2/3 innings pitched for the Brewers. If healthy and in Milwaukee's starting rotation, Gasser has the upside to become a high-end streaming option for fantasy managers.
--Keith HernandezSource: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Curt Hogg
April 8, 2026
Baltimore Orioles left-hander
Cade Povich will join the team's starting rotation for a turn and will start in the series finale on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants, according to Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. Povich pitched 5 2/3 innings of relief against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits with two strikeouts and three walks. The 25-year-old southpaw had a 5.20 ERA (4.43 FIP) in 192 innings in his first two major-league seasons over 38 appearances (36 starts) for the O's, so he has plenty still to prove at the big-league level. But he'll have a good matchup on Sunday in his first start in 2026, and Povich could be tasked with additional starts for the O's if he pitches well this weekend. Povich had a strikeout rate over 30% in the minors, but none of his pitches are particularly overpowering.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Baltimore Banner - Andy Kostka
April 8, 2026
Texas Rangers right-hander
Jacob deGrom (knee) expects to make his next start on his normal turn in the starting rotation, according to Jeff Wilson of All City DLLS. deGrom said that his right knee, which has no structural damage, feels much better on Wednesday. The Rangers pulled deGrom from his last outing early on Monday against the Seattle Mariners as a precaution due to discomfort in his right knee, but testing showed no structural damage, and he's expected to make his next scheduled start this weekend against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's great news for the Rangers and for fantasy managers, especially since the 37-year-old veteran has had a tough time staying healthy later in his career. The five-time All-Star and two-time Cy Young winner has a 3.72 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with 13 strikeouts and one walk in 9 2/3 innings in his first two starts of 2026. He's typically a must-start in fantasy lineups, but managers will want to think twice before deploying him against L.A. while coming off an injury scare.
--Keith HernandezSource: All City DLLS - Jeff Wilson
April 8, 2026
Cleveland Guardians top infield prospect
Travis Bazzana is quickly approaching his MLB debut. The former first overall pick battled injuries during the 2025 campaign but was very effective when on the field. He spent 51 games with Double-A, where he posted a .256/.364/.426 slash line with 12 doubles, five home runs, and nine stolen bases. He then moved up to Triple-A Columbus, where he continued to make steady progress, posting a .225/.420/.438 line with a .858 OPS. During this 26-game stint, the former Oregon State standout launched four home runs. He was sent back to Columbus to open the 2026 season and has held a .231/.333/.385 line with two doubles and two stolen bases over a short nine-game stint. With shortstop
Gabriel Arias (hamstring) recently shifted to the 10-day injured list, a strong stretch could push Bazzana to the majors much sooner than expected. For now, he is a top stash option for those in deeper 12+ team formats with N/A spots.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
April 8, 2026
Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter
Marcell Ozuna will start Wednesday's series finale against the San Diego Padres on the bench again, according to MLB.com. Outfielder
Ryan O'Hearn is serving as the designated hitter and will bat cleanup for the Bucs against Padres right-hander
Michael King. The 35-year-old Ozuna is really struggling at the plate in his first year in the Steel City, going 2-for-31 (.065) with four walks and eight strikeouts in eight games played. It's the third time in four games that Ozuna has started on the bench for the Pirates. Ozuna isn't striking out all that much, but he's making alarmingly weak contact so far in his 14th MLB season. It's still early, but fantasy managers might already be panicking about Ozuna in his new digs.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 8, 2026
San Francisco Giants first base prospect
Bryce Eldridge remains a high-priority hitting prospect to stash. Eldridge was in serious contention to break camp with the MLB roster but ultimately fell short in the competition for the first base/DH job. However, given that Eldridge reached the majors last season and played at a high level in the minor leagues, he should be in the mix to return to San Francisco very early in the 2026 campaign. Through his first 10 games at Triple-A this season, Eldridge has held a .250/.438/.333 line with a .771 OPS. While he has yet to go deep, he has tallied three doubles while holding a 16:9 K:BB. In 2025, Eldridge launched 25 home runs over 104 MiLB contests while posting an .843 OPS. Currently, the Giants are relying on
Casey Schmitt at first base, but he has posted a modest .739 OPS through nine games. Given Eldridge's high-power skill set, he should be viewed as a top stash candidate as he would possess nearly 20-HR as soon as he earns the call.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
April 8, 2026
The Seattle Mariners announced on Wednesday that they placed outfielder
Victor Robles (pectoral) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 7) with a right-pectoral strain and selected the contract of infielder/outfielder
Connor Joe from Triple-A Tacoma in a corresponding move. Robles apparently injured himself in the game on Monday against the Texas Rangers. The 28-year-old Dominican began the 2026 season in a reserve outfield role for the M's, playing in five games while going 3-for-13 (.231) with an RBI and a stolen base. Joe will be the Mariners' fourth outfielder for as long as Robles is sidelined with his injury. Robles, once a top prospect for the Washington Nationals, never really panned out. He had a career-high 17 home runs in his first full season in D.C. in 2019, but he hasn't come anywhere close to that kind of production since. Speed is Robles' greatest asset in deep fantasy leagues, but playing time will likely continue to be an issue.
--Keith HernandezSource: Mariners PR
April 8, 2026
Tampa Bay Rays right-hander
Ryan Pepiot (hip) threw a bullpen session on March 23 and received an injection on March 25. He also threw another bullpen on Tuesday and will progress to facing hitters in live batting practice. Pepiot will likely go on a minor-league rehab assignment before coming off the 15-day injured list, per MLB.com. The Rays placed him on the IL on March 22 with right-hip inflammation. Barring a setback on his rehab assignment, Pepiot could rejoin Tampa's starting rotation before the end of April. Until the 28-year-old can return, right-hander
Joe Boyle should remain in the Rays' rotation. Pepiot should be stashed in most fantasy baseball leagues until he can make his 2026 season debut. In his second year in Tampa in 2025, he went 11-12 with a career-high 3.86 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 167:61 K:BB in 167 2/3 innings over a career-high 31 starts. He's currently rostered in 89% of Yahoo leagues despite his hip injury.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 8, 2026
St. Louis Cardinals right-hander
Hunter Dobbins (knee) allowed just an earned run on five hits while walking one and striking out seven in 5 1/3 innings pitched in a minor-league rehab start for Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday. He threw 62 of his 91 pitches for strikes. Dobbins was not ready to make his Cardinals debut to start the 2026 season while recovering from ACL surgery, but after throwing 91 pitches on Tuesday, he should be close to being activated from the 15-day injured list. So far on his rehab assignment, Dobbins has given up four runs with three walks and 10 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings pitched. When cleared, Dobbins should immediately join St. Louis' starting rotation in the big leagues. The 26-year-old isn't a dominant arm and had a modest 17.6% strikeout rate with the Red Sox in his big-league debut in 2025, which will limit his fantasy appeal to mainly deep-mixed and NL-only leagues when he joins the Red Birds.
--Keith HernandezSource: Milb.com
April 8, 2026
Boston Red Sox right-hander
Johan Oviedo (elbow) has a flexor strain in his right elbow and is being shut down for six weeks, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. For now, Oviedo will undergo surgery, but he's obviously facing an extended absence and may not be an option again for Boston's starting rotation until the second half of the season. Expect the team to shift him from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL soon. The 28-year-old Cuban hurler only made one appearance out of the bullpen for Boston this year before his injury, allowing four earned runs on six hits (two homers) while walking one and striking out three in 3 2/3 innings pitched. In addition to concerns about his control on the mound, Oviedo has also had plenty of durability questions, and his latest injury only exacerbates that. If Oviedo can avoid going under the knife in 2026, don't be surprised if he's brought back as a long reliever or swing man for the Red Sox later this season.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Jen McCaffrey
April 8, 2026
Cleveland Guardians shortstop
Gabriel Arias (hamstring) is expected to miss four to eight weeks after being diagnosed with a moderate-grade left-hamstring strain, according to Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. The Guardians placed Arias on the 10-day injured list, but he'll be out well beyond that and might not rejoin the team until around mid-May. The slick-fielding infielder injured his hamstring running out a double in Monday's loss to the Kansas City Royals.
Brayan Rocchio has shifted over to the 6 from second base, opening up playing time at the keystone in Cleveland for rookie
Juan Brito and Daniel Schneeman in a platoon. Brito had two hits in his first MLB game on Tuesday, but Schneeman is expected to see the strong side of the platoon against right-handed pitchers. Arias has hit .200 (6-for-30) with two home runs, four RBI, and two runs scored in his first 10 games of 2026. The light-hitting middle infielder only has 27 home runs in five MLB seasons, so he's not exactly a big fantasy asset.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Tim Stebbins
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