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Kyle Finnegan in Line for More Save Chances in Detroit?
Detroit Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan is off to an excellent start to the 2026 season, pitching to a 0.57 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 12 strikeouts across 15 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old also earned his first save of the season on Thursday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in Detroit's 5-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. Veteran Kenley Jansen has been the primary closer in Detroit for most of the year. However, Jansen has struggled of late, blowing two consecutive save chances while allowing two home runs and four earned runs. Should the Tigers look to go in a different direction, Finnegan would be a logical choice. Finnegan recorded 66 saves over two years with the Washington Nationals in 2023-2024 and has 113 career MLB saves to his name. The Tigers may simply be giving Jansen a breather before turning back to him, but Finnegan could be worth targeting on the waiver wire in deeper leagues.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Trey Gibson Set to Make MLB Debut with Orioles on Sunday
Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said that pitching prospect Trey Gibson will get the start on Sunday against the New York Yankees, per Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun. It will be the MLB debut for the 23-year-old Gibson, who is ranked as Baltimore's best pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline. Across 24 2/3 innings (six starts) with Triple-A Norfolk so far this season, Gibson is 2-2 with a 4.01 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts. His K-BB rate is an unimpressive 11.4% in a small sample this year, but he posted a stellar 23.7% K-BB rate across 120 1/3 minor league innings in 2025. With Orioles starters Trevor Rogers (illness) and Dean Kremer (quad) both currently on the 15-day injured list, Gibson should have a runway to prove himself in the majors and could be worth targeting off the waiver wire in deeper fantasy leagues.
Source: The Baltimore Sun - Jacob Calvin Meyer
Source: The Baltimore Sun - Jacob Calvin Meyer
Griffin Canning Activation Seems Imminent
San Diego Padres pitcher Griffin Canning (Achilles) is likely to be activated on Sunday to make his 2026 debut at home and against the Chicago White Sox. The 29-year-old right-hander suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in June 2025, missing the remainder of the season as a result. Before that, he had found success as part of the New York Mets' rotation, posting a 3.77 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP over 16 starts. Since the start of the 2026 season, the veteran has been working his way back and has made five rehab outings across various minor league levels. He is someone who should be rostered in the deepest leagues, with the potential for production similar to last season.
Source: Dennis Lin
Source: Dennis Lin
Cole Sands Hit the Injured List
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Cole Sands (forearm) was transferred to the 15-day Injured List on Saturday with a strained right forearm. The 28-year-old struggled in his last appearance, surrendering two earned runs on three hits in just two-thirds of an inning. Before that, he had been a reliable source of outs in the Twins' bullpen, recording one save and three holds over 11 appearances. However, with his fastball velocity down nearly two miles per hour compared to last year, it's fair to wonder if he had been dealing with this issue for some time. There is no timeline for his return, as the severity is not yet known, but he will be eligible for activation in 15 days.
Source: Aaron Gleeman
Source: Aaron Gleeman
Nathan Lukes Resumes Hitting
Nathan Lukes (hamstring) has resumed hitting in the batting cages. The 31-year-old has been in Dunedin at the Toronto Blue Jays' training complex and had a successful session in the batting cage on Friday. This is a significant step forward as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury sustained in late April. While it's encouraging progress, he still has more to complete, including defensive drills, running and sprinting, and pivoting along the basepaths. It's unclear when he will return, but his progress is an encouraging sign that he's on the right track.
Source: Arden Zwelling
Source: Arden Zwelling
Nick Lodolo on Track to Make One Last Rehab Start
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (finger) has had his rehab assignment moved from Single-A Dayton to Triple-A Louisville. He is set to make one more rehab start on Saturday, with the intention of it being his final outing before making his 2026 season debut for the Reds. After missing time due to a recurring blister, the team determined that his slider grip was causing the issue on his finger. Now that his grip has been adjusted, he feels confident about his return. He last pitched on Sunday, striking out seven batters in just under six innings of work. Barring any unforeseen setbacks in this outing, he should be ready to rejoin the Reds shortly afterward.
Source: Mike Petraglia
Source: Mike Petraglia
Daniel Palencia Expected to be Activated in a Few Days
Chicago Cubs right-handed closer Daniel Palencia (lat) is back from his minor-league rehab assignment and is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list in the next few days, according to Taylor McGregor of the Marquee Sports Network. Palencia tossed two-thirds of an inning with a strikeout in a scoreless rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Friday, and now he's ready to rejoin the Cubs' bullpen for the rest of their series at Wrigley Field this weekend versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cubs could ease the 26-year-old Venezuelan back into the closer's role, but he will eventually take over primary closing duties for the Cubs again now that he's recovered from his lat strain. Palencia had tossed five scoreless innings with a save this year before his injury, and he recorded a career-best 22 saves while striking out 61 in 52 2/3 regular-season innings in his third year in the league in 2025. He should be rostered in all fantasy baseball leagues as Chicago's primary ninth-inning arm.
Source: Marquee Sports Network - Taylor McGregor
Source: Marquee Sports Network - Taylor McGregor
Nico Hoerner Out on Saturday Due to Neck Injury
Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (neck) is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest at Wrigley Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com. Hoerner was forced from Friday's series opener against Arizona with neck tightness. Fantasy managers should consider Hoerner to be day-to-day for now and check back on Sunday to see if he's good to go for the series finale. Matt Shaw is getting the start at second base on Saturday and will hit eighth against D-backs right-hander Ryne Nelson. Hoerner, a former first-rounder in 2018 out of Stanford, has been great through the first month of the 2026 campaign, slashing .297/.374/.461 with an .835 OPS, four home runs, 26 RBI, seven stolen bases, and 17 runs scored in 32 games across 147 plate appearances as the Cubs' table-setter. It doesn't appear that his injury is serious enough to require an injured-list stint, so hopefully he'll be back in Chicago's starting nine sooner rather than later.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Trey Gibson Joining Orioles Taxi Squad
Baltimore Orioles right-handed pitching prospect Trey Gibson is joining the team's taxi squad during their series in New York this weekend against the Yankees, but it's still to be determined if he will join the active roster, sources told Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. If activated, Gibson will be making his major-league debut. Per MLB Pipeline, Gibson is the team's No. 3 overall prospect. The 23-year-old former undrafted free agent has gone 2-2 at Triple-A Norfolk this year with a 4.01 ERA and 1.62 WHIP with 25 strikeouts and 12 walks in 24 2/3 innings pitched over his six starts. Gibson could be named the Orioles' starter for Sunday's series finale in the Bronx, which would be a pretty dicey spot for fantasy managers to roll the dice on him in what would be his MLB debut. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder is a power pitcher who has been improving his walk rates in the minors. Gibson has the stuff to generate whiffs and the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter in the big leagues.
Source: The Baltimore Banner - Andy Kostka
Source: The Baltimore Banner - Andy Kostka
Jasson Dominguez Back in Yankees Lineup on Saturday
New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez (elbow) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting sixth in the lineup for Saturday's game against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Kyle Bradish, according to MLB.com. Dominguez suffered a left-elbow contusion on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers when he was hit by a pitch, which forced him to miss the series opener on Friday against Baltimore. The 23-year-old former top prospect is now back in the lineup this weekend to face Bradish, whom he has gone hitless against in three career at-bats. This will be Dominguez's fourth game in the big leagues this year after being called up from the minors earlier this week when Giancarlo Stanton (calf) went on the 10-day injured list. Dominguez should play regularly while Stanton is out between the outfield and DH. In his first three games this season with the Yanks, Dominguez has gone 1-for-9 at the plate with two strikeouts.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Daniel Palencia Goes Two-Thirds of an Inning in Rehab Outing
Chicago Cubs right-handed closer Daniel Palencia (lat) made his first minor-league rehab appearance on Friday night with Triple-A Iowa and did not allow a run in two-thirds of an inning while allowing one hit and striking out one. The hard-throwing reliever hit 102 mph on the radar gun during the outing. The Cubs were considering activating him from the 15-day injured list for the start of their three-game weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, but they instead sent him for a rehab outing. After a solid performance at Iowa, Palencia may be activated before the end of the series versus Arizona this weekend. The 26-year-old Venezuelan hurler should be immediately scooped up off the waiver wire if he's available in your league, as he will return to primary closing duties in Chicago when he's back. Before his lat injury, Palencia had tossed five scoreless innings for the Cubbies with a save and five strikeouts. He's currently rostered in 82% of Yahoo leagues.
Source: Milb.com
Source: Milb.com
Henry Davis Goes Deep Twice Out of Nine-Hole for Bucs
Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis, who was hitting ninth for the team on Friday against the visiting Cincinnati Reds, finally did some damage offensively to help the Bucs beat their division rivals by a score of 9-1 at PNC Park. Davis went 2-for-3 at the dish with two home runs, three RBI, three runs scored, and a walk. Despite the big game at the plate, the 26-year-old Davis is still slashing only .176/.273/.309 with a .582 OPS, six RBI, 10 runs scored, and a stolen base in 68 at-bats so far in 2026. His two home runs were his first of the year. The two long balls were also his first extra-base hits since back on April 7. Davis has plenty to work on offensively before fantasy managers will want to consider picking him up off the waiver wire, especially since he's expected to continue sharing catching duties in Pittsburgh with Joey Bart. Davis is not rostered at all right now in Yahoo leagues.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Kazuma Okamoto has Two-Homer Game Against Twins
Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto had his first career multi-homer game on Friday night to help his team beat the hosting Minnesota Twins by a score of 7-3 at Target Field. Okamoto went 2-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, three RBI, three runs scored, and a walk to boost his season average to .228 and his OPS to .743. Both of Okamoto's home runs on the night came off of Twins right-handed starter Simeon Woods Richardson. There's been some good and bad for Okamoto through his first 31 games in the majors. He now has seven home runs, 18 RBI, and 15 runs scored, and has hit the ball in the air frequently, but he also has 38 strikeouts in 128 plate appearances, which has kept his average low through his first 31 games. When Okamoto has made contact so far in 2026, he's hitting the ball with authority.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Julio Rodriguez Clubs Two Homers in Loss to Royals
Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez was at his best on Friday night in the team's 7-6 loss to the visiting Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 at the plate out of the three-hole with two home runs, four RBI, and two strikeouts. The 25-year-old hit two two-run home runs in the contest to double his home run total on the season. J-Rod is beginning to heat up for his fantasy managers, as he now has six multi-hit performances in his last 10 games, including three of his four long balls on the season. He's now batting .262/.333/.400 with a .733 OPS, 16 RBI, 16 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 33 games played in 2026. It's nice to see Rodriguez, who has become known as a slow starter, have a game like this now that the calendar has flipped to May. His fantasy managers will be hoping the hot hitting continues to close out the series this weekend in Seattle against KC.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Is Louis Varland the Primary Closer in Toronto?
While not a save situation, the Toronto Blue Jays used right-hander Louis Varland in the ninth inning of their 7-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. With Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman recently being removed from the closer role amid persistent struggles, Varland appears to have taken over as the team's new primary option in the ninth inning. The 28-year-old has been dominant across his first 17 innings of 2026, pitching to a 0.53 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 28 strikeouts and four saves. Varland has now been used in the ninth inning in five consecutive appearances, dating back to April 21. The hard-throwing right-hander owns a ridiculous 43.1% strikeout rate on the year and is averaging 98.4 miles per hour on his fastball. Varland's excellent start to the year has come despite an inflated opponent batting average on balls in play of .406. Once that number regresses closer to his career mark of .316, Varland's numbers could look even better. In any fantasy league where he's not already rostered, Varland is a must-roster closer off the waiver wire.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
