April 9, 2026
Athletics designated hitter/outfielder
Brent Rooker (side) was forced to exit his team's Thursday matchup against the New York Yankees in the first inning after pulling up gingerly during a swing. While it's not yet entirely clear what Rooker's exact injury is, he was holding his side/oblique area as he went down the stairs of the Athletics dugout. Entering play on Thursday, Rooker was hitting .150/.250/.300 with two home runs, eight RBI, four runs scored, and two stolen bases across his first 48 plate appearances of 2026. The 31-year-old has established himself as one of the better right-handed power hitters in baseball in recent years, slugging 99 home runs over the past three seasons combined. Athletics outfielder
Lawrence Butler entered the game for Rooker on Thursday, and right-handed hitting utility man
Andy Ibanez could be in line for more playing time if Rooker is sidelined for an extended stretch.
--Will BradySource: Athletics on NBC Sports California
April 9, 2026
Miami Marlins outfielder
Griffin Conine (knee) left Thursday's game early against the visiting Cincinnati Reds with left-knee discomfort, according to the Marlins' broadcast. Conine injured his left knee while attempting to make a diving catch in left field in the top of the sixth inning and got up gimpy before eventually walking off the field under his own power with a trainer. We should know more about the severity of his injury following the game. Before getting hurt, Conine was hitless in his two at-bats. He was replaced in left field by
Heriberto Hernandez. Conine came into Thursday's game hitting .300 (6-for-20) in his first 10 games in 2026 with two home runs, four RBI, six runs scored, two stolen bases, two walks, and six strikeouts. The 28-year-old has been relatively healthy in his professional career before suffering a shoulder subluxation in 2025 that required surgery. He played in just 54 games in the majors in his first two seasons with the Fish, hitting five home runs and driving in 20 in 175 plate appearances.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sports Grid - Craig Mish
April 9, 2026
Miami Marlins outfielder
Kyle Stowers (hamstring) will officially begin his minor-league rehab assignment on Friday with Triple-A Jacksonville, according to Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Stowers will then take Saturday off before returning to action with the Jumbo Shrimp on Sunday. The left-handed-hitting outfielder started the 2026 season on the 10-day injured list due to a right-hamstring strain that he suffered in spring training in March. The 28-year-old former second-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles out of Stanford in 2019 should be rostered in all fantasy leagues while he recovers from his hamstring injury. In an effort to keep Stowers healthy, the Marlins are considering using him as a first baseman, and he could see action there during his rehab assignment. Stowers was Miami's lone All-Star representative in 2025 and hit an impressive .288/.368/.544 with a .912 OPS, 25 home runs, 73 RBI, 61 runs scored, and five steals in 457 plate appearances. If Stowers can avoid further injuries, he has clear 30-homer power from the left side.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Christina De Nicola
April 9, 2026
Athletics catcher
Shea Langeliers is not in the team's starting lineup in the Bronx on Thursday against the New York Yankees, according to MLB.com.
Austin Wynns will do the catching for left-hander
Jeffrey Springs and will bat seventh against Yankees left-hander
Ryan Weathers. Langeliers has been among the hottest hitters in baseball in the first couple of weeks of the season, as he enters play on Thursday with a .289/.333/.644 slash line, .978 OPS, five home runs, eight RBI, and seven runs scored in 45 at-bats. The 28-year-old backstop is tied for the major-league lead with his five home runs. Langeliers has had at least 22 home runs in each of the last three seasons, culminating in a career-high 31 long balls in 123 games in 2025. He has elite power at the weak catching position, making him a high-end starting fantasy backstop in a hitter-friendly home environment in Sacramento. Wynns has appeared in only three games this year and is 1-for-6 at the plate.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 9, 2026
New York Yankees left-hander
Carlos Rodon (elbow) threw 40 pitches in a bullpen session on Wednesday, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. However, the next step has yet to be determined for Rodon as he completes his recovery from offseason surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw also had a recent setback with his hamstring, but it wasn't a serious injury, and it hasn't really affected his elbow rehab too much. The next step for Rodon will be to go on a minor-league rehab assignment. It's unclear how many starts the Yankees want him to make on the farm before clearing him to rejoin the big-league starting rotation, but fantasy managers probably shouldn't expect him to debut in pinstripes until sometime in May. The three-time All-Star certainly has durability concerns, but he is coming off his best year with the Yanks in 2025, when he had a 3.09 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 203:73 K:BB in 195 1/3 innings over a career-high 33 starts. Rodon should not be available on the waiver wire in any fantasy leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Daily News - Gary Phillips
April 9, 2026
New York Yankees first baseman
Ben Rice is batting fifth for the team on Thursday against the visiting Athletics and left-hander
Jeffrey Springs, according to MLB.com. The Yankees said that Rice is going to face lefties more in 2026 after he broke out at the plate last year. The 27-year-old former 12th-rounder in 2021 out of Dartmouth College slashed .255/.337/.499 with an .836 OPS, 26 home runs, 65 RBI, and 74 runs scored in 138 games in 2025 in his first full season in the big leagues. In his first 10 games in 2026, Rice has gone 11-for-33 (.333) with three home runs, 11 RBI, and 11 runs scored. Rice currently leads the league in on-base percentage (.500), slugging (.727), and OPS (1.227) in 44 plate appearances. He hit .208 (22-for-106) with seven of his 26 home runs last year against lefties. Rice has never faced Springs in his career and should be faded in DFS against the southpaw.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 9, 2026
New York Yankees right-hander
Gerrit Cole (elbow) is scheduled to face hitters in Hudson Valley on Sunday, manager Aaron Boone told Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. Cole is going to start his minor-league rehab assignment this weekend after getting into a few spring training games last month and throwing live batting practice last Friday. The 35-year-old former Cy Young winner is recovering from Tommy John surgery that kept him out for all of last season. He threw 2 2/3 innings in Grapefruit League action and will be eased back into New York's starting rotation when he's activated from the injured list. Barring any setbacks, Cole probably won't make his 2026 season debut until mid- to late-May. Still, fantasy managers need to keep him stashed in an IL spot until then because of his ability to carry a rotation when healthy. Expectations should be tempered as he comes off TJ surgery, but Cole's upside is undeniable when he's in top form.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Daily News - Gary Phillips
April 9, 2026
Colorado Rockies right-hander
Jimmy Herget is scheduled to serve as the team's opener for Thursday's series opener at Petco Park against the division-rival San Diego Padres, according to the team. Herget is likely to only pitch an inning or two on Thursday, so he won't be a recommended fantasy streamer in any format. Right-hander
Chase Dollander figures to see the bulk of the innings in this one after Herget leaves the game. The 32-year-old Herget will hope to keep up the strong work early in the 2026 season, as he's allowed just an earned run on four hits while walking none and striking out six with a save in six innings out of the bullpen. Dollander, 24, comes into Thursday's contest with a 5.40 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with 11 punchouts and three walks in 8 1/3 frames over two relief appearances. Neither Herget nor Dollander will be popular streaming options for fantasy managers against a Padres team that is starting to swing the bats better.
--Keith HernandezSource: Rockies Club Information
April 9, 2026
The Athletics announced on Thursday that they recalled right-hander
Jack Perkins from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioned right-hander
Michael Kelly to Vegas in a corresponding move. Perkins made his big-league debut with the A's last year and had a 4.19 ERA (4.12 FIP) and 1.16 WHIP with 37 strikeouts and 18 walks in 38 2/3 innings pitched over 12 appearances (four starts). At Vegas to begin the 2026 season, Perkins has been working as more of a long reliever and has allowed four runs with nine strikeouts and seven walks in 7 2/3 frames for the Aviators. He could operate as a swingman for the A's in the first month of the season, and with the A's recently sending
Luis Morales to the minors, there's a chance Perkins will make an upcoming start for the team. But because the 26-year-old isn't really stretched out for a normal starter's workload, we wouldn't suggest streaming him anywhere if he's tabbed for a start with the A's in the near future.
--Keith HernandezSource: A's Communications
April 9, 2026
Kansas City Royals left-hander
Bailey Falter (elbow) has been battling valgus extension overload (VEO) in his left elbow and is experiencing pain when extending. However, he resumed playing catch on Monday, according to MLB.com. Falter was placed on the 15-day injured list on April 3 with left-elbow inflammation, and he's expected to return in late April. Before his injury, Falter had been working as a reliever for the Royals, taking away what little fantasy value he had left. The 28-year-old southpaw allowed five earned runs on eight hits (one homer) while walking two and striking out four in 3 1/3 relief innings over two appearances for the Royals before landing on the IL. With a career 17.8% strikeout rate, Falter has very little fantasy upside in KC, and he should be ignored as long as he remains in a relief role when he's cleared to return to the majors.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 9, 2026
Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said that outfielder
Kyle Stowers (hamstring) is close to beginning a minor-league rehab assignment, and he could be playing in games on the farm as soon as this weekend, according to Craig Mish of Sports Grid. The 28-year-old was a Gold Glove finalist in left field last year in his breakout campaign with the Fish, but McCullough also said on Wednesday that the Marlins will consider using him at first base this year, and we could see him play the position on his rehab assignment. It could be a way to keep Stowers healthy the rest of the season after he suffered a hamstring strain in spring training that caused him to open the 2026 season on the 10-day injured list.
Christopher Morel (oblique) is also on the IL, so Stowers could be an immediate option at first if he returns before Morel. Stowers, a first-time All-Star in 2025, hit 25 homers and drove in 73 in 117 games in Miami in 2025 and needs to be stashed in all fantasy leagues while we wait for him to make his 2026 debut.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sports Grid - Craig Mish
April 9, 2026
Detroit Tigers rookie infielder
Kevin McGonigle is not in the team's starting lineup for Thursday's game in Minnesota against the division-rival Twins, according to MLB.com. It will be the first day off of the season for McGonigle, who has looked like a seasoned veteran in his first 12 games. McGonigle is hitting .292 (14-for-48) in the early going with five doubles, a triple, seven RBI, seven runs scored, a stolen base, six walks, and seven strikeouts in 54 plate appearances.
Javier Baez will start at shortstop on Thursday and will hit seventh for the Tigers against Twins right-hander
Mick Abel. McGonigle's power might be slower to develop than the rest of his skills now that he's in the big leagues, but his hot start and regular role make him attractive in all fantasy formats in his rookie campaign. Baez has never faced Abel in his career and will make for a low-upside DFS play near the bottom of Detroit's batting order.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 9, 2026
The Toronto Blue Jays are hopeful that outfielder/third baseman
Addison Barger (ankle) will need the minimum of 10 days on the injured list after spraining his left ankle running out a ground ball in Chicago, according to MLB.com. Toronto placed Barger on the IL on Tuesday. The 26-year-old might benefit from a little time off early in the season, as he had gotten off to a very slow start at the plate before injuring his ankle. In eight games, he has just one hit (a double) in 23 plate appearances with two RBI, a run scored, three walks, and six strikeouts. Barger hit .243/.301/.454 with 21 home runs, 74 RBI, 61 runs scored, and four stolen bases in 135 regular-season games in 2025 in his first full season in the majors before becoming a postseason hero in the team's run to the World Series last fall. It's still very early in 2026, but Barger's fantasy stock is trending down after his slow start and then his ankle injury.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
April 9, 2026
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Derrick Goold believes that St. Louis Cardinals right-handed reliever
George Soriano could be considered for high-leverage work at the back of the team's bullpen going forward. Soriano set down all six batters he faced (three strikeouts) in the last two innings on Tuesday to earn his first win over the Washington Nationals in the team's extra-inning victory. The 27-year-old Dominican is in his first year with the Cardinals after posting a 5.95 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, three saves, 117 strikeouts, and 55 walks in 118 innings pitched for the Miami Marlins in his first three major-league seasons.
Riley O'Brien is locked in as St. Louis' closer, but don't be surprised if Soriano starts seeing more high-leverage setup work for the Red Birds alongside
JoJo Romero and
Ryne Stanek. Soriano has allowed two earned runs while walking three and striking out three so far in his six innings of work out of the bullpen in St. Louis. He's a name to monitor in holds leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Derrick Goold
April 9, 2026
Philadelphia Phillies infield prospect
Aidan Miller (back), who is on the seven-day injured list at Triple-A Lehigh Valley to begin the year, has started to swing a bat, but there remains no timetable for his return, per MLB.com. Miller, who is the Phillies' top prospect and No. 21 overall in baseball per MLB Pipeline, is dealing with a sore lower back. The Phillies are going to play it safe with the 21-year-old shortstop. The former 27th overall pick in 2023 hit .259/.382/.427 with an .810 OPS, 13 home runs, 41 RBI, 74 runs scored, and 52 stolen bases in 108 games played for Double-A Reading in 2025. Once Miller gets healthy, he'll have a shot to eventually replace
Alec Bohm at the hot corner in the major leagues, and he offers fantasy managers a more intriguing power/speed profile. He's a quality defensive shortstop prospect, but he's blocked at the major-league level by
Trea Turner. Miller is a must-stash in dynasty/keeper leagues in 2026 while he rehabs his back injury.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
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