April 14, 2026
Houston Astros left-handed closer
Josh Hader (biceps) threw live batting practice at Daikin Park on Tuesday, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Hader was sitting at 91 to 93 mph on the radar gun on Tuesday while throwing 20 pitches. He has been sidelined since early in spring training with left-biceps tendinitis, so he still has some boxes to check before he's cleared to make his 2026 season debut in Houston. The 32-year-old veteran and six-time All-Star still needs to go on a minor-league rehab assignment, but barring any setbacks once he's pitching in games, he could rejoin the big-league bullpen before the end of April. The Astros could really use Hader back at the end of games, too, as their bullpen has been scuffling without him. Hader is more risky than ever as a fantasy closer this year coming off his biceps injury -- he also had shoulder issues late last year -- and he will most likely be eased back in when he comes off the IL. He should still be stashed in all fantasy leagues, though, and he proved last year that he's still plenty dominant when he's healthy.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Brian McTaggart
April 14, 2026
The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Tuesday that they placed catcher
Gabriel Moreno (oblique) on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 11) with a strained left oblique and selected the contract of catcher
Aramis Garcia from Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move. Garcia will serve as the No. 3 backstop option in Arizona behind
James McCann and
Adrian Del Castillo with Moreno sidelined. Moreno left the team's game early last Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies with what the team was initially calling lower-back tightness. The 26-year-old will be eligible to return from the IL on April 21, but because he's dealing with an oblique injury, Moreno likely won't make it back to the big leagues until May. McCann is doing the catching for right-hander
Merrill Kelly on Tuesday and will bat seventh in the lineup. Moreno can't seem to stay healthy, playing in over 100 games just once in his first four years in the majors. In 13 games this year before going on the IL, he had gone 11-for-40 (.275) with no homers, five RBI, and six runs scored in 45 plate appearances.
--Keith HernandezSource: Arizona Diamondbacks
April 14, 2026
Kansas City Royals left-hander
Cole Ragans (thumb) has been cleared to make his next start on Tuesday against the division-rival Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park, according to MLB.com. Ragans left his previous start early against the Cleveland Guardians last week when he was hit by a comebacker on his thumb in the first inning, but thankfully, it didn't turn out to be a serious injury. The 28-year-old former first-rounder in 2016 is 0-3 with a 5.91 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, and 15:6 K:BB in 10 2/3 innings over his first three starts in 2026, and it won't get any easier in his fourth outing on Tuesday night against the Tigers. Ragans' pitch count isn't expected to be limited at all on Tuesday, but he'll certainly be riskier in fantasy baseball lineups in his first start after his thumb injury against a strong lineup. Ragans can bounce back in 2026 if he can stay healthy, as he's just one year removed from striking out 223 batters with a 3.14 ERA in 32 starts in 2024, when he was a first-time All-Star.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 14, 2026
San Francisco Giants infielder
Luis Arraez (wrist) is back at second base and is batting second for the Giants in Tuesday's contest against the Cincinnati Reds and right-hander
Brady Singer at Great American Ballpark, according to MLB.com. Arraez suffered a wrist contusion when he collided with Orioles rookie outfielder
Dylan Beavers on Saturday, which caused him to miss Sunday's series finale. After an off day on Monday, the veteran left-handed hitter is ready to return, and he'll be greeted by a familiar pitcher. The 29-year-old Venezuelan is hitting .421 with a .924 OPS and a home run in 19 career at-bats against Singer, so it's a good matchup for him to return to following a minor injury. The three-time All-Star and three-time batting champion puts bat to ball often with one of the shortest swings in the big leagues, but he lacks any kind of game-changing power or speed. In his first 15 games with the Gigantes in 2026, Arraez is hitting a cool .304 (17-for-56) with no homers, six RBI, six runs scored, and two steals in 63 plate appearances.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 14, 2026
The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres are among two of the teams eyeing free-agent right-hander
Lucas Giolito early in the 2026 season, league sources told The Athletic. The Cubs' pitching depth is already decimated by injuries, with left-hander
Matthew Boyd (biceps) on the injured list and right-hander
Cade Horton (elbow) out for the entire season. High-leverage relievers
Phil Maton (knee) and
Hunter Harvey (triceps) are also sidelined. The Padres' interest in Giolito could be complicated by the final stages of the team's ongoing sale process. However, the Padres might have more urgency to acquire a player like Giolito after right-hander
Nick Pivetta was forced to leave his last start with right-elbow stiffness. The Cubs project Giolito, 31, as more of a back-of-the-rotation starter, and it's unclear exactly when he'd be ready to pitch in a major-league game after missing all of spring training and part of April. The former first-rounder said recently that he's throwing around 75 pitches in his bullpen sessions. He went 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA over 26 starts for Boston last year and declined a $19 million mutual option after last season to become a free agent. He's been met with an extremely cold market.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Patrick Mooney, Kein Rosenthal, Dennis Lin, and Sahadev Sharma
April 14, 2026
New York Yankees second baseman
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is not in the team's starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the visiting Los Angeles Angels with left-hander
Reid Detmers on the mound, according to MLB.com. First baseman
Ben Rice will also take a seat for the second straight day against a lefty.
Cody Bellinger will also start on the bench for the Yanks.
Amed Rosario is at second base in place of Chisholm and will bat third for the Yankees against Detmers. The 30-year-old Rosario has only played in 10 games so far in 2026 as a bench option, but he's gone .308 (8-for-26) with two home runs, six RBI, and two runs scored in his 29 plate appearances. Rosario has some experience against Detmers, too, hitting .462 with a 1.115 OPS and a home run against him in 13 career at-bats. The Yankees are hoping a day off will get Chisholm right, as the 28-year-old has gone just 11-for-61 (.180) in his 16 games with no homers. Chisholm does have six stolen bases in 65 plate appearances.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 14, 2026
Washington Nationals right-hander
Miles Mikolas will work as a bulk reliever behind opener
PJ Poulin on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports.
Mitchell Parker will also be available out of the bullpen for the Nats. Mikolas could be in danger of moving to a bullpen role exclusively if he doesn't start improving soon in his first year in D.C. The 37-year-old veteran has a 12.41 ERA and 2.35 WHIP with 11 strikeouts and seven walks in 12 1/3 innings in his first three starts for Washington this year. He leads the league in earned runs allowed (17) and home runs allowed (five) as well, so nothing has been going his way early on. Mikolas has never been a high-strikeout arm, so he already doesn't have much fantasy baseball appeal. The left-handed Poulin has a league-high nine appearances (one start) so far this year, recording a 4.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with six punchouts and seven walks in nine innings pitched. Avoid him as a DFS streamer.
--Keith HernandezSource: MASN Sports - Mark Zuckerman
April 14, 2026
Atlanta Braves right-hander
Spencer Strider (oblique) will start his minor-league rehab assignment with Single-A Rome on Thursday, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Strider is scheduled to throw 45 to 50 pitches in his first rehab outing this week, and he'll be working with catcher
Sean Murphy (hip), who is also on a rehab assignment of his own as he looks to get back to the big-league club for his 2026 season debut. The 27-year-old Strider suffered an oblique strain towards the end of spring training, which forced him to the 15-day injured list to begin the regular season. He will need another rehab start in the minors beyond Thursday's outing, but if he avoids any setbacks, he could rejoin Atlanta's starting rotation before the end of April. Strider was a first-time All-Star and was fourth in the National League Cy Young voting in 2023, when he led the league with 20 wins and 281 strikeouts in 32 starts. He pitched in only two games in 2024, though, before undergoing right-elbow surgery. Last year, Strider's strikeout rate dropped significantly, and he struggled with a fall-off in velocity as well. There are plenty of concerns about his ability to ever rediscover his pre-injury form, making him a risk/reward starting pitcher stash in fantasy.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Mark Bowman
April 14, 2026
The Milwaukee Brewers announced on Tuesday that outfielder
Jackson Chourio's (hand) estimated return date has been pushed back to early May, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Curt Hogg. Chourio has yet to play in 2026 due to a fractured left hand that he suffered back in early March. The 22-year-old has been healing, but he still has yet to resume hitting, so he has plenty of boxes to check before he's activated from the 10-day injured list for his season debut. Chourio will need a likely lengthy minor-league rehab assignment as the last step before the Brewers clear him to return to the big leagues. Fantasy managers need to hang onto Chourio everywhere despite his slow recovery from a hand fracture. When he returns, the hope is that he doesn't lose any of his power from the right side of the plate. The Venezuelan outfielder is one of the top young power/speed threats in fantasy baseball after clubbing 42 home runs and stealing 43 bases in 279 games in his first two years in the big leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Curt Hogg
April 14, 2026
According to the Milwaukee Brewers, outfielder/designated hitter
Christian Yelich's (groin) initial timeline to return from his groin injury is in mid-to-late May, according to Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The 34-year-old veteran and former MVP suffered a strained left groin on Sunday and is expected to be out anywhere from four to six weeks. It's a tough break for the Brewers and fantasy managers alike early in the 2026 season. In the meantime, veteran catcher
Gary Sanchez will get more opportunities to serve as Milwaukee's primary DH going forward.
Blake Perkins is another player who could benefit from more playing time with Yelich out for an extended period of time. Yelich needs to be stashed in all fantasy formats while he recovers. The former first-rounder in 2010 is a three-time All-Star, and he was hitting .314 (16-for-51) with a homer, 10 RBI, 10 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 15 games at the time of his injury over the weekend.
--Keith HernandezSource: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Curt Hogg
April 14, 2026
Baltimore Orioles second baseman
Jackson Holliday (wrist) was recalled from his minor-league rehab assignment and has been shut down for a few days due to mild right-wrist soreness, according to Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports. This helps explain why the O's said earlier this week that they didn't expect him to return from the 10-day injured list this week to make his 2026 season debut. The 22-year-old former first overall pick originally had surgery on the same hand in mid-February after he was diagnosed with a broken hamate bone. Holliday has been slow to recover, and he was hitting just .167 with 12 strikeouts and three walks in 11 minor-league rehab games with Triple-A Norfolk before his recent setback. The good news is that Holliday's wrist injury isn't considered serious, so he could still make his season debut before the end of April. Fantasy managers need to continue stashing him in all formats.
Jeremiah Jackson has been seeing most of the playing time at the keystone in Baltimore with Holliday sidelined, and he had a career day on Monday with two home runs and five RBI.
--Keith HernandezSource: MASN Sports - Roch Kubatko
April 14, 2026
Kansas City Royals general manager and president of baseball operations JJ Piccolo said that right-handed reliever
Carlos Estevez (foot) is hoping to start a minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha in the next five days, according to Cody Tapp of 96.5 The Fan. Estevez looked pretty bad early in the 2026 season and saw his velocity drop before he was hit in the left foot by a comebacker. The 33-year-old veteran was a second-time All-Star in 2025 and had a league-high 42 saves in 66 innings pitched, but he had allowed six earned runs with two walks and no strikeouts in just one-third of an inning in his only performance for KC this year before going on the 15-day injured list. The Royals probably aren't in any rush to put Estevez back in high-leverage situations in the back of their bullpen when he's completely healthy, especially since
Lucas Erceg has gone a perfect 5-for-5 in save chances as the team's closer since Estevez went on the IL.
--Keith HernandezSource: 96.5 The Fan - Cody Tapp
April 14, 2026
Tampa Bay Rays first base prospect
Xavier Isaac belted his first home run of the 2026 campaign this past Sunday for Double-A Montgomery, and also legged out a triple in the 2-for-5 effort. The Rays' 13th-ranked prospect was just 1-for-12 (.083) heading into the contest. Just being on the baseball field at all has been an accomplishment in itself after the 6-foot-3 slugger's 2025 season was cut short in July after he required surgery to remove a brain tumor. The 22-year-old is now fully recovered, and hopefully Sunday's performance is the beginning of a hot stretch. The left-handed hitter will need to get the strikeouts under control if he's going to get to Triple-A, though, as he currently owns a 45.8 percent strikeout rate thus far (27.8 career K%). Isaac has big-time raw power that would make him an intriguing fantasy asset should he get the call to the majors, but a 2027 debut is looking more likely at this time.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
April 14, 2026
Chicago White Sox outfield prospect
Braden Montgomery belted a pair of home runs on Sunday at Double-A Birmingham, breaking a 3-for-26 (.115) slump. Chicago's top-ranked prospect hit a home run in his first game of the season, but went into a seven-game slump immediately after, and hopefully Sunday's two-home run effort is a sign he's about to break out of that funk. Despite the poor hitting results, the switch-hitter has been getting on base with a strong 18.6 percent walk rate thus far, a trait he displayed throughout 2025. The former first-round draft pick climbed from Single-A to Double-A in 2025, hitting well at each stop and producing a .270/.360/.444 slash line with 12 home runs, 14 steals, and an 11.0 percent walk rate in 121 games overall. The 22-year-old could see a late-season call-up, but before that, he'll need to keep hitting and earn a promotion to Triple-A, so, for now, he is not a stash candidate in redraft leagues.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
April 14, 2026
Athletics shortstop prospect
Leo De Vries is looking quite comfortable at Double-A Midland to start 2026, currently riding a six-game hit streak, with two three-hit performances in his last two contests. It's pushed his season-long slash line to .333/.429/.528 with two home runs, two steals, and a strong 6:8 BB:K. The switch-hitter was the headliner in the trade package that brought
Mason Miller to San Diego in 2025, and he hit markedly better once he joined the A's organization, slashing .276/.351/.538 with seven home runs in 36 games between the Athletics' High-A and Double-A affiliates. Already MLB's No. 4 overall prospect, he should be in the top two once
Konnor Griffin and
Kevin McGonigle graduate, and should see time at Triple-A in short order if he continues to hit like this. Despite being just 19 years old, the switch-hitter has a good shot to make his MLB debut this year and as one of the most talented prospects in the game with above-average hit, power, and run tools, the Dominican should also be an impactful fantasy asset that should be stashed away in redraft leagues once his debut date becomes clearer.
--Jarod RuppSource: MiLB.com
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