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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
Jacob Webb Notches Save on Friday, Emerging as Cubs' New Closer?
Chicago Cubs reliever Jacob Webb picked up his first save of the season on Friday, throwing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts in his team's 6-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Across his first 12 2/3 innings of 2026, Webb has pitched to a 4.26 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts. With Cubs right-hander Daniel Palencia (lat) currently on the 15-day injured list due to a lat strain, Chicago has been mixing and matching in the ninth inning in recent weeks. Palencia made a rehab appearance with Triple-A Iowa on Friday, so he could be nearing a return to the big leagues. Still, Webb may have some short-term fantasy value for deeper-league fantasy managers in need of saves. Palencia had just one save in five appearances before hitting the injured list, so he's not necessarily a lock to see 100% of Chicago's save opportunities once he returns.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Rico Garcia a Name to Watch for Saves in Baltimore
With Baltimore Orioles closer Ryan Helsley (elbow) on the 15-day injured list due to elbow discomfort, Orioles right-hander Rico Garcia could emerge as the team's temporary stand-in in the ninth inning. Garcia has been dominant to start 2026, pitching to a 0.66 ERA and 0.37 WHIP with 15 strikeouts and one save across 13 2/3 innings. He's struck out 32.6% of the batters he's faced and has allowed just one hit on the year. Garcia is not a lock to take over as the Baltimore closer, as he has just one career save across 74 MLB appearances. Orioles right-hander Andrew Kittredge has 21 career saves and has yet to allow an earned run since returning from a shoulder injury on April 24. Still, Garcia's elite production can't be ignored. With the Baltimore bullpen picture currently unclear, Garcia is worth targeting on the waiver wire.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Jacob Latz Earns Another Save on Friday, Emerging as Rangers' Primary Closer?
Texas Rangers left-hander Jacob Latz picked up his third save of the season on Friday, throwing a scoreless inning with a strikeout in his team's 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers. Latz started the year in the Rangers' rotation but has since been shifted to the bullpen and has now recorded saves in three consecutive appearances. Across 17 2/3 innings (14 games) overall this season, the 30-year-old has pitched to a 1.02 ERA and 0.45 WHIP with 15 strikeouts. He's lowered his walk rate to a career-best 4.8%, and opposing batters are currently hitting just .085 against him. Texas has been searching for a permanent closer option for most of the last two seasons, so Latz should have no trouble hanging on to the role if he keeps producing. Latz profiles as a priority waiver wire target across most fantasy formats.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
MRI on Ryan Helsley's Elbow Comes Back Clean, Orioles Expecting Quick Return?
An MRI on Baltimore Orioles closer Ryan Helsley's (elbow) right elbow came back clean, per Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun. Per Calvin Meyer, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said that his concern level for Helsley is "not high at all." Helsley was placed on the 15-day injured list on Friday after experiencing discomfort in his elbow, but the team reportedly expects him to be fine after taking some anti-inflammatories. Before getting injured, Helsley pitched to a 2.53 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 12 strikeouts and seven saves across 10 2/3 innings. While elbow troubles are obviously a concern for any pitcher, it appears as though Helsley may avoid an extended stay on the IL. In his absence, Orioles relievers Andrew Kittredge, Rico Garcia, and Anthony Nunez could all see opportunities to work in the ninth inning. Kittredge is the most experienced of the bunch, with 21 saves in 312 career MLB appearances.
Source: The Baltimore Sun - Jacob Calvin Meyer
Source: The Baltimore Sun - Jacob Calvin Meyer
Jhoan Duran Scheduled to Throw Bullpen Session on Saturday
Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran (oblique) is scheduled to throw a second bullpen session at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday. The 28-year-old is working his way back from an oblique strain that has kept him on the injured list since mid-April. While the Phillies are reportedly not planning to push him before he's 100% ready, Duran appears to be close to making his return. Before getting injured, the hard-throwing right-hander pitched to a 1.35 ERA and 0.75 WHIP with eight strikeouts and five saves across 6 2/3 innings. Duran has been one of the better closers in baseball in recent seasons. Once healthy, Duran should immediately re-assume the Phillies' ninth-inning role from right-hander Brad Keller.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Kyle Harrison is Excellent Streaming Option for Saturday
Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Kyle Harrison has been surprisingly stellar on the mound this season. Harrison is coming off an outstanding performance where he struck out a career-high 12 batters in his start last Sunday. He tossed six innings, allowing one hit and zero earned runs while making the Pirates hitters whiff all game long. He'll now take a 2.28 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a 30:8 K/BB ratio into his next start against the Washington Nationals on Saturday. Harrison hasn't given up more than two earned runs in any of his outings this season. The southpaw is looking like an excellent streaming option with a favorable matchup against the Nats this weekend.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
