April 5, 2026
Minnesota Twins outfielder
Byron Buxton (forearm) is back in Sunday's lineup against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander
Nick Martinez, according to MLB.com. Buxton will serve as the designated hitter and will bat second for the Twins. The 32-year-old oft-injured veteran was removed from Friday's game against Tampa after being hit in the forearm by a pitch, and he was held from the lineup on Saturday as a precaution. Buxton thankfully avoided any structural damage in his arm and will return to action for the series finale. He will most likely return to outfield duties early next week. Fantasy managers may want to keep Buxton on their benches on Sunday, though, given his slow start at the plate in 2026. He's hitting just .154/.207/.269 with an RBI, one walk, and nine strikeouts in a small sample size of seven games. The good news is Buxton has a good history against Martinez, as he's hit .400 against him with two home runs and three RBI in 10 career at-bats.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 5, 2026
Seattle Mariners infielder
Brendan Donovan (groin) is dealing with some soreness in his groin area and underwent imaging on Saturday, according to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. The Mariners hope to have a better idea on his situation when the medical staff examines the results of his tests. For now, he's being considered day-to-day after leaving Friday's game early against the Los Angeles Angels. The 29-year-old did not play in Saturday's game against the Angels and will most likely be held out of the series finale on Sunday, too, but this doesn't appear to be a serious injury for the Mariners' new infielder. In his first eight games with Seattle this year, Donovan has gone 10-for-27 (.370) with two home runs, two doubles, four RBI, four runs scored, a stolen base, four walks, and six strikeouts in 33 plate appearances. Donovan doesn't have a ton of power for fantasy managers, but he can be useful in points leagues as a counting-stat aggregator as an everyday player in the Mariners' strong lineup.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Seattle Times - Ryan Divish
April 5, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that shortstop
Mookie Betts's (oblique) MRI exam showed a right-oblique strain after he was pulled from Saturday's game early against the Washington Nationals, according to Jack Harris of The California Post. Roberts thinks the injury occurred on a check swing during his at-bat on Saturday. Betts will go on the 10-day injured list, and infielder
Hyeseong Kim will replace him on the active MLB roster. It's unclear when the 33-year-old former MVP will be able to return from the Dodgers, but fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be back at the end of his 10-day IL stint. Oblique injuries can be tricky to recover from and often take around a month. With Betts out, veteran
Miguel Rojas is expected to see most of the playing time at the 6, although he offers very little fantasy baseball appeal offensively. Betts has gotten off to another slow start in 2026 in his first eight games, batting .179 (5-for-28), although he does have two home runs and seven RBI in 32 plate appearances.
--Keith HernandezSource: The California Post - Jack Harris
April 5, 2026
The Chicago Cubs placed right-hander
Cade Horton (forearm) on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to April 4) with a right-forearm strain on Sunday, according to Taylor McGregor of Watch Marquee Sports. In a corresponding move, the team recalled left-hander
Riley Martin from Triple-A Iowa. Horton suffered a forearm strain in his outing on Friday against the Cleveland Guardians. It's unclear if the 24-year-old will be ready to return from the IL when he's eligible on April 19. It's a tough break for the former seventh overall pick in 2022 out of Oklahoma early on in 2026. In his two starts before his arm injury, Horton had allowed two earned runs on four hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out four in 7 1/3 innings pitched. Hopefully, he'll be back in Chicago's starting rotation before the end of April. In the meantime, either
Colin Rea or
Javier Assad will take Horton's spot in the Cubbies' rotation.
--Keith HernandezSource: Watch Marquee - Taylor McGregor
April 5, 2026
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher
Emerson Hancock was excellent once again on the mound during Friday's outing against the Los Angeles Angels. Hancock tossed six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts in his season debut. He carried over that success into Friday's outing versus the Angels. Hancock tossed 6.2 innings, allowing one run while striking out six in the loss. It has been an outstanding beginning to the season for Hancock. The right-hander is only in the rotation because
Bryce Miller (oblique) is currently on the 15-day Injured List. It's going to be difficult for the Mariners to pull Hancock out of the rotation with the way he's pitching right now. He's lined up to pitch against the Houston Astros on Friday. Hancock should be rostered in most 12-team formats ahead of that matchup.
--Andy WebbSource: Baseball Reference
April 5, 2026
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher
Edwin Uceta (shoulder) was able to throw a live batting practice session on Friday. The right-hander is currently working his way back from right shoulder soreness. He's expected to throw again on Tuesday before hopefully starting a minor league rehab assignment. Once he's healthy, Uceta could immediately slide into the closer role for the Rays.
Griffin Jax has already blown two saves and could be on a short leash if he continues to struggle. Uceta could be worth stashing for fantasy managers searching for saves. The hope is that Uceta will be able to make his season debut in late April.
--Andy WebbSource: Baseball Reference
April 5, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher
Paul Sewald notched his third save of the season versus the Atlanta Braves on Saturday. Sewald needed 21 pitches to work a scoreless ninth, which included two strikeouts. The veteran right-hander is now 3-for-3 in save situations with four scoreless innings over five total appearances. It seems likely that the D-Backs stick with Sewald as the closer going forward. The 35-year-old is an experienced option with 89 career saves and appears to be the most trustworthy option at the moment. Fantasy managers in need of saves or a reliever should consider adding Sewald.
--Andy WebbSource: Baseball Reference
April 5, 2026
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher
Zack Wheeler (shoulder) is slated to make two more minor-league rehab starts, according to Phillies manager Rob Thompson. The plan is for Wheeler to start on Wednesday with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and make another start after that. The veteran right-hander is currently working his way back from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. He was hit around for five runs during his second rehab start on Friday. The overall results don't matter as much as Wheeler building up his stamina. Barring any setbacks, Wheeler should be able to rejoin the Phillies rotation in late April. Fantasy managers better make sure to stash Wheeler on their IL if he's available in your league.
--Andy WebbSource: Matt Gelb
April 5, 2026
Miami Marlins outfielder
Owen Caissie is off to a hot start to begin his Marlins career. The 23-year-old was traded to Miami this offseason in a deal that sent
Edward Cabrera to the Chicago Cubs. Through eight games with his new team, Caissie is slashing .320/.357/.640 with two home runs and nine RBI. That includes a walk-off home run in his third game with the team. The future is bright for the former second-round pick, and he's expected to see regular playing time in Miami. He's quickly becoming a hot pickup in fantasy leagues given his red-hot start to the season. He should cool down at some point, but Caissie is worth rostering in most 12-team formats right now.
--Andy WebbSource: Baseball Reference
April 4, 2026
Kansas City Royals reliever
Lucas Erceg has converted both save opportunities while posting a 1.13 WHIP and one strikeout across 2 2/3 scoreless innings in 2026. The Royals placed closer
Carlos Estevez (foot) on the 15-day injured list with a foot contusion. Estevez had velocity concerns heading into the year and was lit up for six earned runs in only one appearance this season. With Estevez on the injured list, Erceg has locked down Kansas City's closer role and becomes a must-add off the waiver wire for fantasy managers searching for saves. The 30-year-old was terrific last season, owning a 2.64 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 48:18 K :BB with two saves and 23 holds over 61 1/3 innings for the Royals last season. Erceg is rostered in 51% of Yahoo Fantasy leagues and is currently third on RotoBaller's Week 2 waiver wire rankings.
--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
April 4, 2026
Seattle Mariners top shortstop prospect
Colt Emerson (foot) exited Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader at Triple-A Tacoma after fouling a ball off his right foot. He stayed in the game initially, but was replaced in the next half inning. Emerson will go under further evaluation to determine the extent of the injury and is considered day-to-day for now. The 20-year-old signed an eight-year, $95 million extension with the Mariners on Tuesday and is expected to be promoted to the big leagues soon. However, if he misses any significant time, the injury could delay his call-up to the show. Despite Emerson signing a long-term extension,
J.P. Crawford will remain Seattle's starting shortstop for the time being. Fantasy managers should continue to stash Emerson due to his high upside and above-average power.
--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: Daniel Kramer of MLB.com
April 4, 2026
Milwaukee Brewers outfielder
Sal Frelick (side) exited Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Kansas City Royals with left side tightness. He went 1-for-2 with a strikeout before exiting the fourth inning. The 25-year-old went 2-for-5 with a walk, a strikeout, and a run in both games of Saturday's doubleheader. He is considered day-to-day for now and will undergo further testing to determine the severity of his injury. Frelick is off to a slow start, slashing just .192/.344/.346 with a home run and two RBI across eight games.
Brandon Lockridge replaced Frelick on Saturday and would see an increase in playing time with Frelick sidelined. Lockridge is a speculative add in deep leagues after hitting .400 (6-for-15) with a double over five games in 2026.
--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
April 4, 2026
Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop
Mookie Betts (back) will undergo an MRI on his back on Saturday and is considered day-to-day for now. Betts exited Saturday's game early against the Washington Nationals in the first inning with lower back pain and will undergo further evaluation to determine the severity of the injury. The 33-year-old walked and scored a run before leaving Saturday's contest. "Betts felt his back tighten up while running the bases in the first inning," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. Roberts described Betts' injury as "more moderate than serious," but does not expect Betts to play the next couple of days. He is off to somewhat of a slow start this season, slashing .179/.281/.429 with two home runs, seven RBI, and seven runs over eight games.
Miguel Rojas should see an increase in at-bats with Betts out and is worth using as a streamer in deep leagues for fantasy managers searching for an injury replacement.
--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: Katie Woo of The Athletic
April 4, 2026
New York Mets outfielder
Juan Soto (groin) had an MRI on Saturday, which revealed a minor groin strain. Soto is considered day-to-day, and no decision has been made yet on whether he will be placed on the injured list. "We're going to see how I wake up the next couple of days and take it from there," said Soto. The 27-year-old exited Friday's game against the San Francisco Giants early in the first inning with calf tightness. He was off to a hot start this season, slashing .355/.412/.516 with a home run, five RBI, and three runs over eight games. According to Mets manager
Carlos Mendoza, Soto will be further evaluated on Tuesday when the Mets return to Citi Field; an IL decision is still on the table.
Tyrone Taylor,
Carson Benge, and
Brett Baty should see an uptick in at-bats with Soto sidelined.
--Brad Camara - RotoBallerSource: Mike Puma of the New York Post
April 4, 2026
New York Yankees starting pitcher
Luis Gil is set to make his season debut on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Gil will get the ball for the first time this season on April 10. He opened the season in the minors to get his arm stretched out. The 27-year-old has great strikeout potential, but continues to struggle with his command. The 27-year-old has enough upside to warrant streaming in deeper mixed leagues, but he's not a must-have player right now. Fantasy managers in need of pitching help might want to consider stashing him.
--Andy WebbSource: Bryan Hoch
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