April 18, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (knee) is already in Arizona and is expected to make his 2026 season debut on Saturday against his former team, the Toronto Blue Jays, a source told Francys Romero. Gurriel made a speedy recovery after having surgery for a torn ACL in his right knee last September. It should give fantasy managers cautious optimism for Gurriel upon his return after a major injury toward the end of last season. It's great news for Arizona's lineup, as the 32-year-old veteran should be a regular in left field going forward, although the Snakes could ease Gurriel in. The return of Gurriel is bad news for
Jorge Barrosa's playing time in the desert. Gurriel was a first-time All-Star in 2023, when he hit 24 home runs and 82 RBI while slashing .261/.309/.463 with a 772 OPS in 145 games played. The Cuban outfielder is rostered in only 3% of Yahoo leagues right now, but he deserves some consideration as bench depth in deep-mixed leagues now that his return is imminent.
--Keith HernandezSource: Francys Romero
April 18, 2026
Atlanta Braves third baseman
Austin Riley could be coming out of his early-season slump at the plate after a two-homer performance in the team's 9-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday night at Citizens Bank Park. Riley went 2-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI, and three strikeouts to raise his average to .240 and his OPS to .734 in the early going in 2026. The 29-year-old right-handed slugger has now hit three home runs in the last two games. He came into Friday's game slashing .229/.316/.329 with a .645 OPS, one homer, nine RBI, 10 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 70 at-bats. The two-time All-Star could finally be starting to heat up, especially in the power department. Injuries have hurt Riley in each of the last two seasons, but before that, he had three straight 30-home run seasons, giving fantasy managers an idea of what kind of power upside he has when he's right.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 18, 2026
Houston Astros outfielder
Joey Loperfido (quadriceps) left Friday's game early against the St. Louis Cardinals at Daikin Park due to right-quad tightness, according to The Athletic's Chandler Rome. Before leaving the eventual 9-4 loss, Loperfido went 0-for-3 at the plate with one strikeout. He was replaced in left field by
Brice Matthews. For now, fantasy managers in deeper leagues will want to consider Loperfido as day-to-day while checking on his status for Game 2 of the series on Saturday. The 26-year-old former seventh-rounder in 2021 out of Duke came into Friday's game hitting .273 (15-for-55) with no home runs, six RBI, seven runs scored, and a stolen base in 19 games played and 63 plate appearances. Loperfido is currently rostered in just 2% of Yahoo leagues. If he's forced to miss time moving forward with his quad injury, Matthews would most likely be the biggest beneficiary of playing time in left field in Houston.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
April 17, 2026
Houston Astros infielder
Isaac Paredes (legs) had his legs tighten up on him on Friday night against the St. Louis Cardinals at Daikin Park, which is why he didn't hit in the eighth inning, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Paredes came on as a pinch-hitter in the eventual 9-4 loss and went 0-for-2 at the plate with a strikeout before leaving. He was replaced at the hot corner by
Shay Whitcomb. It doesn't sound like a very serious injury, but the Astros could give him a day off on Saturday in Houston for Game 2 of the series against St. Louis. The 27-year-old two-time All-Star has been seeing extra playing time at third base with shortstop
Jeremy Pena on the 10-day injured list with a right-hamstring strain. Paredes hit 20 home runs and drove in 53 runs in just 102 games last year in his first season with Houston, but so far in 2026, he's still searching for his first home run while going 11-for-53 (.208) with six RBI and six runs scored in 64 plate appearances.
Nick Allen would likely see a much bigger role on Houston's infield if Paredes goes on the IL.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
April 17, 2026
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander
Trey Yesavage (shoulder) will make another minor-league rehab start on Tuesday with Triple-A Buffalo, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The Blue Jays want Yesavage to be a bit more built up and be 100% sure that he's here to stay in the majors when he makes his 2026 season debut. The Blue Jays were handling Yesavage with kid gloves back in spring training before putting him on the 15-day injured list with a right-shoulder impingement before Opening Day. Veteran lefty Patrick Corbin has looked good so far while filling in for the team's beat-up starting rotation, which may have bought the team a bit more time before bringing Yesavage back. He's allowed eight earned runs with three walks and 14 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings pitched in his three rehab appearances, and he's on the cusp of rejoining the major-league rotation. Workload restrictions will likely be in place, but Yesavage's high-end upside as a starting pitching prospect makes him stash-worthy everywhere.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Keegan Matheson
April 17, 2026
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder
Daulton Varsho (knee) was removed from the team's game early on Friday night in Arizona against the Diamondbacks with left-knee discomfort, the team announced. Varsho struck out in his only plate appearance before being replaced in center field by
Myles Straw. The 29-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder came into Friday's game hitting .266 (17-for-64) with three home runs, seven RBI, eight runs scored, and a stolen base in 18 games played to begin the 2026 season. For now, fantasy managers should consider Varsho to be day-to-day while checking back on his status on Saturday. Most likely, he will not be available to play in the second game of the series at Chase Field against his former team, and if tests on his knee come back with discouraging news, he could land on the 10-day injured list. If Varsho is forced to miss some time with his knee injury, the light-hitting Straw would benefit the most in Toronto in center field.
--Keith HernandezSource: Toronto Blue Jays
April 17, 2026
Houston Astros starting pitcher
Spencer Arrighetti looked sharp on the mound during his season debut on Wednesday. He tossed six innings, allowing one run, while striking out 10 batters in the win over the Colorado Rockies. The right-hander did allow four walks, which is concerning, but he was excellent outside of that. Given all the injuries in Houston, Arrighetti figures to remain in the starting rotation for the time being. His next start will come against the Cleveland Guardians, so this should be a more challenging lineup. The strikeout upside is what makes Arrighetti an intriguing fantasy asset. He recorded 171 strikeouts across 145 innings during his last full big league season in 2024. The 26-year-old could be a decent option for fantasy managers needing help with pitching or strikeouts.
--Andy WebbSource: Baseball Reference
April 17, 2026
Minnesota Twins third baseman
Royce Lewis (knee) will begin a minor league rehab assignment on Saturday at Triple-A St. Paul. The Twins haven't said how long they plan to keep Lewis in the minor leagues. Lewis has been on the Injured List since last Saturday due to a sprained left knee. Barring any setbacks, Lewis should be ready to return when first eligible early next week. This season, Lewis is slashing .222/.378/.444 with two home runs and eight RBI across 12 games. The potential is there for the former-first round pick from 2017. The biggest problem has been keeping Lewis healthy and on the field. Fantasy managers should hold tight with Lewis and hope he'll get back on the field soon.
--Andy WebbSource: Betsy Helfand
April 17, 2026
Miami Marlins third baseman
Graham Pauley (oblique) was forced to make an early exit from Friday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. Pauley appeared to have tweaked his oblique while dodging a wild pitch during an at-bat in the seventh inning. He was hitless in two plate appearances before exiting the game. The Marlins will give more information on his status following Friday's contest. Often, oblique issues are something that land players on the Injured List, but we'll wait and see the severity of the injury.
Javier Sanoja is the favorite to see increased playing time at the hot corner, assuming Pauley is forced to miss time.
--Andy WebbSource: Craig Mish
April 17, 2026
Chicago White Sox starting pitcher
Noah Schultz didn't have an ideal beginning to his MLB career. The rookie southpaw allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits, while walking four batters across 4.1 innings of work. The good news is that Schultz struck out four batters and retired five of the last six batters he faced. The 22-year-old figures to get a few turns through the rotation until
Jonathan Cannon (hip) is cleared to return from the Injured List. Fantasy managers who added Schultz should hold onto him and hope for better results his next time on the bump. He's lined up to face the Athletics on Sunday, so we'll see how he does against that young stud lineup. The young southpaw has great strikeout upside, so fantasy managers should just ride the wave with Schultz.
--Andy WebbSource: Baseball Reference
April 17, 2026
Kansas City Royals catcher
Carter Jensen has been picking it up with the bat recently, and fantasy managers are beginning to notice. Jensen had a recent stretch of play where he hit over .300 with three home runs and five RBI in a six-game span. The power numbers have taken a dip since then, but Jensen is still worth looking at for fantasy managers in need of a catcher. The 22-year-old is slashing .222/.259/.463 with four homers, 10 RBI in 18 games this season. He has been filling in as the designated hitter whenever he's not behind the plate. It's never an easy task finding a viable hitter at the catcher position, but Jensen appears to have good upside.
--Andy WebbSource: Baseball Reference
April 17, 2026
Los Angeles Angels outfielder
Jorge Soler is off to a strong start to the season in the power department. Through 18 games, Soler is slashing .231/.342/.508 with five home runs and a league-leading 18 RBI. The All-Star slugger is currently serving a four-game suspension, but will be back in the mix soon. With that being said, now might be the best time to grab Soler before he returns to the field and continues tearing the cover off the ball. The veteran slugger isn't going to hit for average, and he's going to strike out a ton. The 34-year-old has crushed over 200 career homers and is looking like a sneaky add for fantasy managers seeking power right now.
--Andy WebbSource: Baseball Reference
April 17, 2026
Tampa Bay Rays right-handed reliever
Edwin Uceta (shoulder) is having more shoulder issues, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. "He's sore in the back of his shoulder," manager Kevin Cash said. As a result, Uceta will be shut down for at least a few days and will head back to Tampa to visit with a doctor. The news comes after his rough outing at Triple-A Durham during his minor-league rehab assignment on Thursday, when he allowed two earned runs on five hits allowed in 1 1/3 innings pitched. The 28-year-old Dominican was getting close to making his 2026 season debut, but that will be pushed back a bit now.
Griffin Jax got the first opportunity to lock down save duties for the Rays to begin the year with Uceta on the 15-day injured list, but he quickly failed and was replaced with
Bryan Baker, who has two saves this week and four total on the year. Uceta is still worth stashing in fantasy baseball leagues as the favorite for saves in Tampa when he's fully healthy.
--Keith HernandezSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
April 17, 2026
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that right-hander
Kutter Crawford (wrist, forearm) is still sore and will probably have more tests done, according to Chris Henrique of the Boston Sports Journal. Crawford was pulled from his minor-league rehab assignment on Wednesday with a sore wrist/forearm. It's obviously not good news for the starting pitcher, especially after he missed all of last year after having right-wrist surgery. The 30-year-old former 16th-round pick out of Florida Gulf Coast University in 2017 lost a league-high 16 games in his last season with the BoSox in 2024, also posting a 4.36 ERA (4.65 FIP) and 1.12 WHIP with 175 strikeouts and 51 walks in 183 2/3 innings over his 33 starts. Crawford also led the league in home runs allowed (34). Even if Crawford manages to avoid another surgery, his return doesn't look to be close at all. You can continue to ignore him in mixed fantasy leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: Boston Sports Journal - Chris Henrique
April 17, 2026
San Diego Padres catcher
Freddy Fermin (head) is out once again for Friday's series opener in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels, according to MLB.com.
Luis Campusano will catch for right-hander
Matt Waldron, who is making his 2026 season debut, and hit ninth for the Friars against Angels right-hander
Jose Soriano. Fermin was removed from Wednesday's win over the Seattle Mariners with a head injury after he was hit by a foul tip in his catcher's mask. This will be his second straight missed game, although Fermin is believed to have cleared the league's concussion protocol since he was active off the bench on Thursday in the series finale against the M's. Fantasy managers will want to check back on Saturday to see if Fermin is back in action. Campusano is hitting .310 (9-for-29) with a homer, six RBI, and five runs scored so far this year, but his lineup placement makes him a poor DFS option. He's faced Soriano twice in his career and has one hit with a 1.000 OPS.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
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