RADIO
Jeffrey Springs Expected to Make his Next Start
Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs (hip) was pulled after three ineffective innings in his outing on Thursday against the Kansas City Royals with what the team called right-hip soreness, but Sports Illustrated's Jason Burke reports that Springs is expected to make his next start. Manager Mark Kotsay called the move to pull Springs on Thursday precautionary. Springs was looking outstanding to begin the year, posting a 1.46 ERA through his first four starts, but he's now gone just 14 innings in his last three starts with an 8.36 ERA. The left-hander had Tommy John surgery in 2023, putting him out for most of the 2024 campaign. The 33-year-old veteran was getting his feel back in 2025, when he went 11-11 with a 4.11 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 138:54 K:BB in 171 innings pitched. Springs needed 67 pitches to get through his three innings, and even though he has a nice matchup against the struggling Phillies his next time out, he'll be a big risk coming off an injury scare. He'll need to get his strikeout rate back up and stay healthy to remain fantasy relevant in shallow mixed leagues all year.
Source: Sports Illustrated - Jason Burke
Source: Sports Illustrated - Jason Burke
Tatsuya Imai to Make Another Rehab Start Next Week
Houston Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai (arm) will make another minor-league rehab start sometime next week, manager Joe Espada told Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Imai, who is on the 15-day injured list due to right-arm fatigue after his first three starts in the big leagues, didn't look great in his first rehab start on Tuesday at Double-A Corpus Christi. The 27-year-old Japanese hurler allowed five runs on six hits while walking three and striking out two in just two innings pitched for the Hooks. He has been out since April 13, and he could need several more appearances on the farm before the Astros consider activating Imai so that he can return to Houston's starting rotation. It's an understatement to say that Imai has struggled in his first taste of the majors in the United States. There have been rumors that he has had a difficult time transitioning to life in the U.S. First and foremost, Imai must improve his control on the mound, or it's going to be a long first year with Houston. In his first three starts, Imai allowed seven earned runs while walking 11 and striking out 13 in just 8 2/3 innings pitched.
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
Source: The Athletic - Chandler Rome
Carlos Rodon Dazzles in Second Rehab Start, Return to Yankees Not Far Off
New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon (elbow) looked great in his second minor-league rehab start on Thursday with Double-A Somerset, allowing an earned run on five hits (one homer) while walking nine and striking out eight batters in 5 1/3 innings of work. He threw 51 of his 75 pitches for strikes after tossing 4 1/3 scoreless frames in his first rehab start last Friday with High-A Hudson Valley. The 33-year-old veteran will most likely make one more rehab start in the minors early next week before the Yankees reinstate him from the 15-day injured list. Rodon has yet to pitch in the big leagues in 2026 after having surgery last October to remove a bone spur from his left elbow. With Rodon on the cusp of rejoining the big-league starting rotation, fantasy managers should check to see if he's available on your league's waiver wire. He's currently rostered in 86% of Yahoo leagues. The Yankees might ease Rodon back in, but the three-time All-Star could quickly return to his solid 2025 form, in which he went 18-9 with a 3.09 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 203:73 K:BB in his 33 starts across 195 1/3 innings pitched.
Source: Milb.com
Source: Milb.com
Logan Webb Solid in Start on Thursday, but Hard Contact Continues to be a Problem
San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb (2-3) has been a bit of a letdown thus far in 2026 with a 4.30 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and only 38 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched. However, his outing on Thursday was good, as he threw seven innings, allowed one earned run, and struck out six. Additionally, he generated 13 whiffs, most of which came on his sinker, but he did generate whiffs on all five of his pitches. While Webb's control (8.1 percent walk rate) and groundball rate (59.3 percent) remain good, he is getting hit hard, as he's allowed a 49.6 percent hard hit rate and 91.2 mph average exit velocity on the season, both of which are worse than his career numbers. That being said, Webb has been a model of consistent success over the past eight seasons, so fantasy managers who invested a top pick on him shouldn't be panicking, but should perhaps temper expectations that he is going to have one of the better seasons of his career. Up next for Webb is a good matchup at home early next week against the Padres.
Source: Baseball Savant
Source: Baseball Savant
Randy Arozarena Heating Up at the Plate, Showing Signs of Power and Speed
Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena is having a good stretch at the plate over the past seven days, hitting .286 with three doubles and a stolen base. On the season, he now finds himself slashing .289/.381/.439 with seven stolen bases, 11 RBI, two home runs, nine doubles, and 22 runs scored. While the homerun production isn't quite there yet, Arozarena is tied for eighth in MLB in doubles. Most importantly, we are seeing improved plate discipline from Arozarena, decreasing his strikeout rate to 21.6 percent from his career 25.7 percent rate. Arozarena has hit 20-plus home runs the last two seasons, so with improved plate discipline, historic power numbers, a strong average that is backed up under the hood (.263 xBA), and his nine doubles are all encouraging signs for him to continue his power and speed combination and be a valuable asset for fantasy managers who invested a middle-round pick on him.
Source: Baseball Savant
Source: Baseball Savant
Chase Burns on a Roll of Late With 17 Strikeouts in Last Two Starts
Cincinnati Reds right-hander Chase Burns is starting to break out in 2026 after flashing signs in 2025. So far this season, Burns is (3-1) with a 2.65 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched. His fastball velocity remains elite (98.1 mph average), and his control remains in check (8.8 percent walk rate), while he continues to miss bats and rack up the strikeouts (28.5 percent). Burns is primarily a two-pitch pitcher, throwing his four-seamer 56 percent of the time and slider 37 percent of the time, but both pitches are excellent and top-tier (.230 batting average on the four-seamer and .140 batting average on the slider). Most encouragingly, Burns has shown a lot of consistency through his six starts, having gone five innings in every outing, while allowing two earned runs or less in all but one start on April 10, where he allowed five earned runs to the Angels and was his only loss of the season. Up Next for Burns is an excellent matchup on Sunday, May 3, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he should be fired up confidently in your lineups.
Source: Baseball Savant
Source: Baseball Savant
Edward Cabrera Showing Consistency With the Cubs in 2026
Chicago Cubs right-hander Edward Cabrera has been fantastic with his new team in 2026, as he is (3-0) with a 3.06 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings pitched. While the strikeout numbers are down for him compared to his career mark (25.5 percent strikeout rate), the whiff (27.5 percent) and chase rate (35.0 percent) remain solid, so the strikeouts should follow suit. Cabrera has allowed three earned runs or fewer in every one of his outings so far (six starts) while going at least five innings in each start. His next outing is scheduled at home on May 4 against the Cincinnati Reds, where he continues to be a must-start in all formats. Fantasy managers who invested in Cabrera in the middle rounds of their draft are seeing a solid return and should feel optimistic about the remainder of the 2026 season.
Source: Baseball Savant
Source: Baseball Savant
Bo Bichette Continues to Struggle
New York Mets third baseman Bo Bichette's struggles at the plate have continued, as he is slashing .190/.280/.333 over the past seven days. On the season, his slash line is .230/.272/.317 with two home runs, 14 RBI, and 15 runs scored to go with one stolen base. Bichette is a proven player in the league, so fantasy managers should not be dropping him; however, we are now seven weeks into the season, and Bichette has yet to find his groove with the struggling Mets. Fantasy managers looking for some signs to hold onto Bichette should look at his underlying data, as he has a .290 xBA, .322 xwOBA, and .409 xSLG. All of those do indicate positive regression is on the mend, but in the meantime, he has not given fantasy managers the return they expected from a player going in the middle rounds. Up next for Bichette and the Mets is a weekend series in Anaheim to take on the Angels and a three-game set in Coors to face the Rockies, both of which should be good hitting conditions and a chance for Bichette to start to turn things around.
Source: Baseball Savant
Source: Baseball Savant
George Kirby Allows Eight Hits in No-Decision
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby didn't have his best stuff working for him during Wednesday's outing against the Minnesota Twins. Kirby allowed two earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts across 5.2 innings of work during Wednesday's no-decision. He was on the hook for the loss until the Mariners' offense came alive late in the game. The right-hander will take a 3.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 34:11 K:BB ratio into his next start against the Atlanta Braves. Kirby has allowed seven or more hits in three of his last four outings. He has been able to work around the damage and allowed two runs or less in all of those outings. Fantasy managers should keep riding with Kirby despite his lack of swing-and-miss stuff.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Tyler Glasnow Continues Stellar Beginning to the Season
Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow didn't have his best command during Wednesday's outing against the Miami Marlins. The right-hander issued a season-high six walks in what ended up being a no-decision for Glasnow. He was able to salvage his fantasy value by tying his season-high with nine strikeouts across 5.2 innings of work. It has been an overall strong start to the season for Glasnow, who holds a 2.56 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, and a 47:13 K:BB ratio across six starts. He hopes to have better command during his next outing against the Houston Astros. Despite some command issues, Glasnow remains a must-start fantasy pitcher.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Gunnar Henderson Heating Up With the Bat
Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson has been off to a slow start to the season, but appears to be coming around with the bat. The overall numbers aren't pretty with Henderson slashing .213/.287/.492 with 41 strikeouts through the first 29 games of the season. The good news is that the slugger has been turning the corner lately. Over the last week, Henderson is slashing .333/.368/.722 with two homers and three RBI. The young slugger has collected five hits over his last four games, which should give fantasy managers hope that he's starting to come around at the plate. Henderson should remain rostered and started in all fantasy formats despite a slow start.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Max Fried Looks to Keep Scoreless Streak Alive
New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried has been on another level lately. The southpaw had a rough outing against the Los Angeles Angels on April 16 and has been untouchable since then. Over his last two starts, Fried has thrown 14 straight scoreless innings with 14 strikeouts and four walks. He'll look to keep up the excellent work on the mound during Sunday's start against the Baltimore Orioles. So far this season, Fried owns a 2.09 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and a 37/12 K:BB ratio across 47.1 innings of work. Fried needs to be rostered and started in all fantasy formats.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Cade Povich Expected to Rejoin Orioles on Friday
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich is expected to be called up ahead of Friday's game against the New York Yankees. Povich is set to return to the O's roster after being sent down on April 13. He figures to fill the vacant rotation spot with Trevor Rogers (illness) getting placed on the Injured List on Wednesday. Povich could be an interesting short-term deep league option. He posted a 2.19 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, with seven strikeouts across 12.1 innings this season. He's expected to take the ball either Friday or Saturday against the Yankees. Fantasy managers in deep leagues looking for pitching help should consider adding Povich.
Source: Andy Kostka
Source: Andy Kostka
Alejandro Kirk Resumes Throwing, Still has Boxes to Check
Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk (thumb) has resumed throwing as part of his rehab at the team's player development complex in Dunedin, Fla., according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. It's Kirk's first step of many as he works his way back from thumb surgery. Kirk needed surgery to fix a left-thumb fracture in early April, and he's not expected to return to the Blue Jays' lineup until mid-to-late May. The 27-year-old Mexican backstop only played in five games before his injury, going 3-for-20 (.150) at the plate with a homer and two RBI. Tyler Heineman has worked as the team's primary catcher since Kirk's injury, with Brandon Valenzeula backing him up. It's a situation to ignore in fantasy leagues. Kirk, though, remains stashed in 29% of Yahoo leagues after he hit .282/.348/.421 with a .769 OPS, a career-high 15 home runs, and 76 RBI in 130 regular-season games last year. The 27-year-old has middling power but can provide decent run production and a respectable average to fantasy managers in two-catcher leagues because of his high contact rate.
Source: Sportsnet.ca - Arden Zwelling
Source: Sportsnet.ca - Arden Zwelling
Gus Varland Earns Another Save in Washington, Seeing Fantasy Value Rise
Washington Nationals right-handed reliever Gus Varland is seeing his fantasy baseball value rise after earning his third save of the year in the team's 5-4 win over the division-rival New York Mets at Citi Field on Thursday. Varland entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning and ended up tossing 1 1/3 scoreless innings with one hit allowed and one strikeout. The 29-year-old had a nice bounce-back outing after he blew his second save of the year on April 25 against the Chicago White Sox. The next save went to right-hander Paxton Schultz on Sunday. The Nationals are in a closer-by-committee situation right now with Clayton Beeter (forearm) currently on the 15-day injured list. Varland appears to be the best short-term option for saves in D.C. right now, and he has a 2.84 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, three saves, and a 14:3 K:BB in his 12 2/3 frames. He's rostered in only 6% of Yahoo leagues, and he's really only an option in deeper leagues for a short-term boost in save chances.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
