April 13, 2026
Across his first 53 plate appearances of 2026, Detroit Tigers catcher
Dillon Dingler is hitting .250/.353/.477 with three home runs, 11 RBI, and eight runs scored. The 27-year-old emerged as the starting catcher in Detroit with a breakout season in 2025, hitting .278 with 13 home runs across 469 plate appearances. Dingler's underlying metrics are even stronger in a small sample size this season, as he's posted a 16.7% barrel rate and 52.8% hard-hit rate. Dingler has also cut his strikeout rate from 23.5% to 18.9%. If Dingler's current batting average on balls in play of .258 regresses closer to the .345 mark he posted in 2025, he could be on the verge of emerging as a high-end starting fantasy catcher. In leagues where he's not already rostered, Dingler profiles as a priority waiver wire target for fantasy managers.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
April 13, 2026
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher
Mitch Keller is off to a strong beginning to his 2026 season, posting a 1-0 record with a 1.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts across 18 innings (three starts). The 30-year-old has yet to give up a home run this season, and opposing batters own just a 1.9% barrel rate against Keller. Keller has just one season with a strikeout rate above 21.5% since 2019, which limits his fantasy upside. He's also currently benefitting from an 88.2% strand rate, which is well above his career average of 71.2%. Still, Keller has pitched at least 175 innings in each of the last three seasons and works in one of the more pitcher-friendly parks in baseball in Pittsburgh. In leagues where he remains available, Keller could be a player for fantasy managers to target off the waiver wire while he is running hot.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
April 13, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher
Eduardo Rodriguez has fallen on hard times in recent years, posting back-to-back seasons with an ERA north of 5.00 in 2024 and 2025. However, the 33-year-old has been excellent so far in 2026. Across 18 innings (three starts), Rodriguez is 1-0 with a 0.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts. The veteran left-hander's line is made even more impressive by the competition he's shut down, as he's faced the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and New York Mets. Rodriguez has not posted a strikeout rate above 23% since 2021, so his fantasy upside remains somewhat limited. Still, Rodriguez is showing signs of bouncing back to his 2023 form, when he recorded 13 wins with a 3.30 ERA and 1.15 WHIP as a member of the Detroit Tigers. Fantasy managers in need of a capable innings-eater may want to target Rodriguez.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
April 13, 2026
Atlanta Braves infielder
Mauricio Dubon is off to a red-hot start to the 2026 season, hitting .339/.381/.542 with two home runs, 11 RBI, and 10 runs scored across his first 63 plate appearances. The 31-year-old has spent most of his career to this point in a super-utility role. However, with Braves shortstop
Ha-Seong Kim (finger) currently on the injured list, Dubon has largely seen everyday playing time so far this year. Dubon currently owns a .391 batting average on balls in play, which is significantly higher than his career mark of .286. Still, he does currently own a career-best 8.3% barrel rate and could continue to rack up counting stats in a strong Braves' lineup. Even with some regression, Dubon could be a valuable depth piece for deep-league fantasy managers to target on the waiver wire while he is getting regular playing time in Atlanta.
--Will BradySource: RotoBaller
April 13, 2026
Philadelphia Phillies third baseman
Alec Bohm has fired agent Scott Boras, per Charlotte Varnes and Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Bohm is currently embroiled in a civil court with his parents, whom Bohm alleges owe him as much as $3 million. Varnes and Gelb also report that Bohm's parents were the ones to lead him to sign with Boras. To replace Boras, Bohm has rehired his initial agent, Nick Chanock. The 29-year-old is off to a rough start in 2026, as he entered play on Monday hitting .148/.233/.222 with one home run, eight RBI, and four runs scored across 60 plate appearances. He will be a free agent at season's end, adding another mental battle to what appears to be a trying time for Bohm off the field. Fantasy managers may want to closely monitor Bohm as he attempts to work his way out of his current slump.
--Will BradySource: The Athletic - Charlotte Varnes, Matt Gelb
April 13, 2026
The New York Mets recalled veteran outfielder
Tommy Pham from Single-A St. Lucie on Monday, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. The move comes with the Mets searching for some offense during their five-game losing streak. In a corresponding move, infielder
Ronny Mauricio was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Pham will receive a $2.25 million base salary for reaching the majors. In 12 games for St. Lucie, Pham went 2-for-12 at the plate. He'll now provide the Mets with outfield depth in addition to rookie
Carson Benge,
Brett Baty,
Jared Young,
Tyrone Taylor, and
Luis Robert Jr. With the Mets missing All-Star outfielder
Juan Soto, they have a season-wide .658 OPS. The 38-year-old Pham is in his 13th year in the big leagues, so he certainly has experience, but he'll continue to have minimal fantasy appeal as a part-time corner outfielder, potentially in the short-term. In 120 games with the Pirates in 2025, Pham had a .245/.330/.370 slash line with a .700 OPS, 10 home runs, 52 RBI, 44 runs scored, and five steals in 449 plate appearances.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Will Sammon
April 13, 2026
The Baltimore Orioles announced on Monday that they placed first baseman
Ryan Mountcastle (foot) on the 60-day injured list with a left-foot fracture. In a corresponding move, the team selected the contract of infielder/outfielder
Weston Wilson from Triple-A Norfolk. Mountcastle fractured the fourth metacarpal in his left foot in Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants, and he now cannot return to the big leagues until late June. Fantasy managers shouldn't be surprised if we don't see Mountcastle again in Baltimore until the second half of the season in mid-July. The 29-year-old isn't a must-hold in mixed leagues at this point. He was slated to see more playing time going forward with catcher
Adley Rutschman (ankle) on the 10-day injured list, but now Mountcastle is out for an extended period of time. The former first-rounder in 2015 played in just 89 games last year due to injury, and he won't be guaranteed regular playing time later this year once he does return. Mountcastle had gone 4-for-14 at the plate (.286) with no homers or RBI in his first eight games in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Baltimore Orioles
April 13, 2026
Athletics outfielder
Brent Rooker (oblique) is not doing baseball activities at this time, and there's still no timetable for his return, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. The A's placed Rooker on the 10-day injured list on Friday with a right-oblique strain that he suffered in Thursday's win over the New York Yankees. The 31-year-old almost certainly won't be ready to come back when he's eligible to be activated from the IL on April 20, since he hasn't even resumed baseball activities. Oblique injuries can take a month-plus to recover from, especially in the case of a violent swinger like Rooker.
Carlos Cortes is receiving another start as the team's designated hitter in Monday's game at home against the division-rival Texas Rangers and right-hander
Nathan Eovaldi. Rooker was hitting just .146 (6-for-41) at the time of his injury late last week, but he also had a couple of home runs and eight RBI, and the former first-rounder has had 30-plus homers in each of the last three seasons. Fantasy managers should not be cutting him.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Martin Gallegos
April 13, 2026
Cleveland Guardians outfielder
Angel Martinez got off to a miserable start at the plate, going 3-for-21 (.143) over his first nine games, however, he shook off the rust and went a sizzling 10-for-17 (.588) over the next four contests, with two doubles, a home run, six RBI, four runs scored, and three stolen bases. The Dominican hit 11 home runs for the Guardians in 2025, so there is a little pop in his bat, and an 88.3 percent contact rate is easily the best of his career so far since debuting in 2024. The switch-hitter has done nearly all of his damage from the left side of the plate, with a 234 wRC+ there compared to an 18 wRC+ from the right side, so make sure to check the handedness of the pitcher if considering for DFS. The 24-year-old could be a speculative waiver add in deeper leagues in hopes he'll continue the hot hitting, and there's pretty much nowhere to go but up from the right side of the plate. The youngster is available in over 70 percent of Yahoo! leagues and is eligible at both 2B and OF.
--Jarod RuppSource: ESPN
April 13, 2026
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder
Daulton Varsho has begun to pick it up at the plate, collecting at least one hit in eight of the last 10 games he's started, and is currently riding a four-game hit streak during which time he's belted four extra-base hits, including two doubles and two home runs. The recent hot stretch has raised the left-handed hitter's season-long slash line to .250/.328/.442 with a .340 wOBA and 119 wRC+. The 29-year-old's low 12.1 percent strikeout rate is by far the best of his career, and an above-average 10.3 percent walk rate that is the best since his rookie season of 2020 shows a maturing approach. The 5-foot-8 slugger's .295 xBA even suggests he's been hitting better than what the results show. He's still available in over 60 percent of leagues for managers hoping he can go on a run similar to last season, when almost 60 percent of his hits went for extra bases.
--Jarod RuppSource: ESPN
April 13, 2026
Arizona Diamondbacks infield prospect
Jose Fernandez broke onto the MLB scene on March 31, belting a pair of home runs and collecting four RBI in his major league debut. Fantasy managers who claimed him on waivers were disappointed with the subsequent 1-for-12 (.083) stretch over the next five games, but the Venezuelan appears to be getting comfortable at the plate again as of late. The D-backs' 27th-ranked prospect is now riding a five-game hit streak, during which time he's tallied three multi-hit efforts and gone 8-for-20 (.400). The 6-foot-3 slugger has a .333/.333/.528 slash line with two home runs, seven RBI, seven runs scored, and one stolen base with a .382 wOBA and 141 wRC+ through 11 games so far. Keep in mind that the 22-year-old played one game at Triple-A before getting the call to the majors, so there could be some growing pains, perhaps being foreshadowed by his 9:0 K:BB, but he's holding his own right now, and so long as he continues to hit in the middle of the order, the right-handed hitter is worthy of consideration on fantasy rosters. The youngster is widely available and is eligible at both 1B and SS in Yahoo! leagues, adding to his appeal.
--Jarod RuppSource: ESPN
April 13, 2026
Los Angeles Angels outfielder/designated hitter
Jorge Soler recently went on a stretch where he blasted a home run in three consecutive games, which was also part of a longer six-game hit streak, putting himself back on the fantasy radar. A couple of games in which he's gone 0-for-7 since then have surely left a sour taste in the mouths of fantasy managers who snapped him up off the waiver wire, but this is what you can expect from a player who owns a career barrel rate of 13.1 percent with only a 70.7 percent contact rate. Looking at career rates, though, the right-handed slugger is typically a slow starter, so perhaps now is the time to exercise patience, as the former All-Star holds a career slash line of .228/.312/.421 and wRC+ of 98 in the first half compared to .265/.360/.532 and 137 wRC+ in the second half. For now, interested managers can scoop the 34-year-old up in over 60 percent of Yahoo! leagues; just know that the potential power production could come at the expense of batting average, at least in the near term until he gets rolling.
--Jarod RuppSource: ESPN
April 13, 2026
Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said on Sunday that catcher
Adley Rutschman (ankle) got encouraging results from his MRI exam and could have a short stay on the 10-day injured list, per MLB.com's Jake Rill. Rutschman landed on the 10-day injured list last Thursday with left-ankle inflammation, but the good news is he has avoided any structural damage and could be back from the IL when he's eligible to be reinstated on April 21. It's especially good news after it was revealed that first baseman/designated hitter
Ryan Mountcastle suffered a fractured foot on Saturday. Until the 28-year-old switch-hitting Rutschman can return,
Samuel Basallo will serve as the O's starting catcher, with
Maverick Handley backing him up behind the plate. Although Rutschman has yet to homer, he was looking good at the plate before his ankle injury, going 10-for-34 (.294) with three RBI and three runs scored in his first 10 games. Rutschman is a solid bounce-back candidate in 2026 if he can stay healthy going forward after an injury-plagued 2025 campaign.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Jake Rill
April 13, 2026
Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said on Sunday that corner infielder
Ryan Mountcastle (foot) suffered a broken fourth metatarsal on his left foot on Saturday and will be forced to miss some time, according to Jake Rill of MLB.com. Expect the Orioles to place Mountcastle on the 10-day injured list early this week. The 29-year-old former first-rounder was set to see an increase in playing time in Baltimore with catcher/first baseman
Adley Rutschman (ankle) also landing on the IL recently, so it's extremely bad timing for Mountcastle. He had played in only eight games for the O's in the early going in 2026, batting .286 (4-for-14) with an RBI and a double. Young outfielder
Dylan Beavers could be the biggest beneficiary of playing time between the outfield and designated hitter with both Rutschman and Mountcastle out for the foreseeable future.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Jake Rill
April 13, 2026
Minnesota Twins first baseman/designated hitter
Josh Bell has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy in the early going of 2026. The veteran is slashing .275/.397/.529 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and 14 runs scored, good for a .410 wOBA and 165 wRC+. The 6-foot-3 slugger is typically good for around 20 home runs per season, belting 22 in 2025, but is on pace for over 100 RBI and 100 runs scored, totals he hasn't come close to since his 2019 campaign with the Pirates. His strikeout rate is higher than we've ever seen it (27.0 percent), but he's also posting a career-high walk rate thus far (15.9 percent). There may be some regression, but as long as he's hitting in the middle of the Twins lineup, there should be plenty of opportunities to keep stacking the RBIs and scoring runs. The 33-year-old is available in over 60 percent of leagues, but that number should probably be higher. Also, for DFS players, the switch-hitter has produced a .470 wOBA and 207 wRC+ as a left-handed hitter compared to a .343 wOBA and 135 wRC+ from the right side, so make sure to fire him up against right-handed pitchers.
--Jarod RuppSource: ESPN
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