April 3, 2026
The Boston Red Sox placed right-hander
Garrett Whitlock on paternity leave on Friday, according to Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. Whitlock will be away from the Red Sox for up to three days as he leaves for the birth of his child. The 29-year-old has become a full-time reliever again after he made 23 starts for the BoSox from 2022 to 2024. In his three relief outings so far in 2026 as a late-inning setup man for Boston, Whitlock has thrown three scoreless innings while giving up two hits, walking two, and striking out four. He is the team's primary eighth-inning setup man in front of closer
Aroldis Chapman, and he should once again be a strong source of holds in fantasy formats that count the category. Whitlock settled into a relief role nicely in 2025 and had a career-high 31.1% strikeout rate in the late innings.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Jen McCaffrey
April 3, 2026
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop prospect
Konnor Griffin is batting seventh in his major-league debut on Friday against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and right-hander
Kyle Bradish, according to MLB.com. It didn't take long for the Pirates to call up the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball after he went 7-for-16 (.438) with three doubles, an RBI, four runs scored, and three stolen bases in five games on the farm with Triple-A Indianapolis. It's not a big surprise that Griffin is up in the big leagues this early. He hit just .171 (7-for-41) in 16 Grapefruit League games during spring training, but Griffin also had four home runs, nine RBI, and a stolen base. In addition to getting the early-season call-up, the 19-year-old is expected to land a nine-year, $140 million contract extension soon. If he wasn't already, Griffin should be rostered in all fantasy leagues and could make an immediate impact across all categories. If he gets off to a quick start, don't be surprised to see the Pirates move him up in the batting order sooner than later.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 3, 2026
Cleveland Guardians rookie outfielder
Chase DeLauter (foot) is back in the lineup for Friday's game against the visiting Chicago Cubs and right-hander
Cade Horton, according to MLB.com. DeLauter is serving as the Guardians' designated hitter and will bat second in the lineup. The 24-year-old fouled a ball off his foot in Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but X-rays came back negative, and he'll serve as the DH for the team's home opener on Friday. The former 16th overall pick in 2022 out of James Madison has been a hot early-season waiver-wire pickup because of his high upside and hot start in 2026. Through his first six major-league games, DeLauter has gone 6-for-22 (.273) with four home runs, five RBI, five runs scored, one walk, and seven strikeouts. Fantasy managers who have DeLauter rostered will want to get him back into their lineups this weekend.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 3, 2026
New York Yankees outfielder/designated hitter
Giancarlo Stanton is back in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Miami Marlins and right-hander
Eury Perez, serving as the DH and hitting fifth in the batting order, per MLB.com. Stanton will be back in action for the Yanks after getting a normal day off on Wednesday. The 36-year-old veteran will be rested occasionally to keep him healthy for the long haul. So far in his first five games of the 2026 season, Stanton has looked good at the plate, going 10-for-20 with a home run, two doubles, four RBI, and two runs scored. Fantasy managers will want to get Stanton back in their lineups against Perez, whom he's gone 2-for-4 against in his career with one RBI and a 1.250 OPS.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 3, 2026
Detroit Tigers rookie infielder
Kevin McGonigle has been bumped up to leadoff for Friday's game against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander
Michael McGreevy, according to MLB.com. Infielder
Colt Keith will take a seat on the bench for this one. McGonigle, who was considered the consensus No. 2 overall prospect in baseball coming into the season, made the big-league roster out of spring training and has looked mature beyond his years in his first 22 major-league at-bats, going 8-for-22 (.364) with five RBI, four runs scored, three walks, and three strikeouts in his first six games. McGonigle will be starting at third base on Friday for the fourth time, and he's also made three starts at shortstop, so fantasy managers should be able to get dual eligibility out of him in his rookie campaign. If McGonigle continues to perform like he has in the early going, he'll be an absolute steal for fantasy managers who landed him in single-year mixed leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 3, 2026
Boston Red-Sox right-handed pitcher
Johan Oviedo (elbow) was placed on the Injured List Friday morning with a right elbow strain. The length of the IL stint is unknown at this point, as well as the corresponding move, but Oviedo struggled mightily in his first relief appearance of the year against the Houston Astros on March 30, allowing six hits, four earned runs, one walk, and a pair of home runs in three and 2/3 innings of work. It was his only appearance of the season thus far, so the Red Sox must have noticed something with how that outing went to place him on the IL four days later. It is worth noting that his velocity was down two and a half miles per hour in that first outing. Oviedo doesn't have much fantasy value at this time, as he is being deployed as a middle-inning long reliever, making him a drop in all fantasy formats.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: Chris Cotillo
April 3, 2026
Atlanta Braves first baseman
Matt Olson was tearing the cover off the ball Thursday night as the Braves dismantled the Arizona Diamondbacks 17-2. Olson was leading the charge for the Braves' offense, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, three runs, a home run, and a walk. His home run came in the first inning off Diamondbacks' starter,
Ryne Nelson. The Braves are now sitting at 5-2 on the season, and Olson is slashing an impressive .321/.367/.571 with one home run, five RBI, five runs scored, and four doubles. Olson remains one of the top options at the first baseman position, and is a must-start in all formats. Additionally, he is a model of consistency, having played in all 162 games for four straight seasons and posting over 685 plate appearances each season, which allows him to continue to rack up counting stats. The Braves finish out the weekend in Arizona, where Olson will face two right-handed pitchers and a left-hander on Sunday.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
April 3, 2026
Diamondbacks beat writer José M. Romero reported on Thursday night that X-rays were negative on Diamondbacks' young star
Jordan Lawlar (wrist), who was hit by a pitch on the wrist Thursday night. He will have an additional CT scan on Friday, but the negative results are encouraging news after he exited early in Thursday's contest. He was starting in left field in this contest and was replaced by
Tim Tawa after the injury. Before exiting, Lawlar hit his first Major League home run, which was a solo shot in the third inning off of Braves' right-hander,
Reynaldo Lopez. Lawlar is off to a good start this season, slashing .333/.400/.556 with one homerun, two RBI, three runs scored, and one stolen base. Fantasy managers will want to wait and hear the news from the CT scan on Friday, but for now, Lawlar should be considered day-to-day.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: José M. Romero
April 3, 2026
Minnesota Twins' right-handed reliever,
Cole Sands, appeared in his second game of the 2026 season on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals and allowed his first run of the season, and more concerningly from a fantasy standpoint, was deployed in a non-save situation. He was brought in to start the eighth inning with the Twins up 2-0 in that contest.
Justin Topa ended up getting the save for the Twins in the ninth, while
Taylor Rogers came in to record the last out of the eighth inning, as Sands was only able to record the first two outs of the inning after allowing two hits and the earned run on 11 pitches, nine of which were strikes. From a fantasy standpoint, this opens up the possibility that the Twins will not deploy this bullpen conventionally, where Sands will be guaranteed to pick up most, if not all, ninth-inning opportunities after recording a save in the Twins' first win in Baltimore, and they will be deployed depending on matchup and where the opponents are in their lineup, which hinders Sands' fantasy value as a true closer. Sands' fantasy managers will want to keep an eye on this situation as the season progresses.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
April 3, 2026
Minnesota Twins' right-handed pitcher
Taj Bradley has performed well through two starts this season, throwing 10 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing eight hits, one earned run, four walks, 12 strikeouts, and posting a 0.87 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Bradley has shown flashes in the pan throughout his first couple of seasons at the big league level with the Tampa Bay Rays before being dealt to Minnesota this past offseason, but has not been able to consistently string starts together throughout his four-year MLB career. So much so that it resulted in a trip to Triple-A last season with the Rays organization. Pitching for the Twins, who are currently 2-4 to start the season, likely aren't going to be serious contenders in 2026, which will likely give Bradley a longer leash to see what he can really do, considering he's 25-years young, making him worth a waiver-wire add because of his potential strikeout upside. In his first season in MLB back in 2023, Bradley posted a 28.3 percent strike rate. Bradley's next turn in the rotation is lining up to be a much tougher matchup against their other AL Central opponent, the Detroit Tigers, early next week.
--Nicho RoesslerSource: RotoBaller
April 3, 2026
Chicago White Sox left-handed pitching prospect
Noah Schultz has looked sharp to begin the campaign at Triple-A and could contend for his MLB debut much sooner than expected this season. The southpaw has appeared in two Triple-A games (one start) and logged nine innings while allowing just one run. He has walked only two hitters and racked up 10 punchouts. This is an excellent sign for his development as the budding ace struggled in his first taste of Triple-A in 2025, logging a hefty 9.37 ERA with a 1.96 WHIP over a short 16 1/3-inning stint. He spent most of the 2025 season with Double-A Birmingham, where he held a 3.34 ERA with a modest 1.59 WHIP over 56 2/3 innings. If Schultz can continue to improve his command and enjoy steady production, he should debut in the coming months.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
April 3, 2026
Milwaukee Brewers infield prospect
Jett Williams fell just short of making the Opening Day roster out of camp, but should be in the mix to earn the call to Milwaukee in the near future. Williams was the centerpiece of one of the prominent trades this offseason that sent
Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets. Williams was competing alongside
Joey Ortiz,
Luis Rengifo, and
David Hamilton for a role at either the hot corner or shortstop on the MLB roster, but was unable to find a role. Williams enjoyed a hot start with Triple-A Nashville, tallying at least one hit in each of his first three games, but he has gone hitless over his last two. Last summer, he looked quite comfortable at Double-A, posting a .281/.390/.477 line with a .867 OPS, before posting a low .718 OPS at Triple-A Syracuse. Given that Ortiz held a low .230 AVG over 149 games last season and Hamilton has opened the campaign going 2-for-12, Williams should make his MLB debut sooner, rather than later.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
April 3, 2026
St. Louis Cardinals outfield prospect
Joshua Baez was in the mix to break camp with the MLB roster but ultimately fell short in the competition. He was instead optioned to Triple-A Memphis to begin the 2026 regular season. Over his first five games at the top level of the minor leagues, the former 54th overall selection has gone 6-for-22 with two doubles and a stolen base. Last summer, Baez held his own over 117 games shared between High-A and Double-A. During this combined stretch, the No. 87-ranked prospect in the sport (per MLB.com), held a strong .287/.384/.500 line with 20 home runs and an impressive 54 stolen bases. Currently, St. Louis is relying on
Nathan Church and
Jordan Walker in their corner outfield spots while
Lars Nootbaar (heel) remains on the 60-day IL. If either struggles for a longer period, Baez will likely get the call. He is worth stashing in deeper five-outfielder leagues given his high-end five-category skill set.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
April 3, 2026
Chicago White Sox left-handed pitching prospect
Hagen Smith has looked sharp to begin the season at Triple-A and is quickly approaching his MLB debut. The White Sox opted to send their former fifth overall pick from the 2024 MLB Draft to Triple-A Charlotte to open the 2026 regular season. Over his first two outings (logging three innings in both), Smith has allowed just three runs (only two earned) while striking out nine with just one walk. His command was a blemish on his production last season as he allowed a hefty 56 free passes over a 75 2/3-inning stint with Double-A Birmingham. However, during this stint, Smith flashed his elite strikeout upside, totaling 108. If the young southpaw can continue to lower his walk rate, he should claim a spot in the rotation over
Erick Fedde or
Davis Martin in the near future.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
April 3, 2026
San Francisco Giants first base prospect
Bryce Eldridge continues to make a strong case to return to the major leagues in the near future. After a modest showing in spring training where the former 16th overall pick posted a low .225 AVG, the Giants opted to send him to Triple-A Sacramento to further his development. However, over his first five contests, Eldridge has posted a strong .278/.500/.333 line with a double and a 6:5 K:BB. The young slugger made his MLB debut in the second half of the 2025 campaign but held a low .107 AVG with a .476 OPS over a brief 10-game stint. Additionally, Eldridge carries high-end stash value as the Giants have not had consistent production at first base, especially when
Rafael Devers serves as the DH. Currently,
Casey Schmitt has taken on first base duties and has gone hitless in four of his seven starts. Given his high-end raw power and clear path to playing time, Eldridge carries high-end stash priority in all leagues ahead of Week 2.
--Andy SmithSource: MiLB.com
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