Well-Known Fantasy Baseball Players - Drop, Hold, or Sell Low for Week 4? (2026)

April 20, 2026

Joey discusses five well-known fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers who have not performed well heading into Week 4 of the 2026 season. Is it time to drop, sell, or hold?

Welcome, RotoBallers, to our weekly article about well-known fantasy baseball players. Should you drop, hold, or sell these well-known players in Week 4 (April 20 to April 26)?

This article will look at five players who haven't been consistent fantasy options recently. All five players listed below have been dropped in a bunch of leagues amid these struggles. One pitcher on this list was a fantasy star last year, and one batter has cooled off significantly after a strong start to the season.

So, what should fantasy managers do with these five well-known players? Let's dive in and find out!

Andrew Abbott, SP, Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott overachieved last season. His expected ERA (3.56) was 69 points higher than his actual ERA (2.87), and his strikeout rate (21.8%) and whiff rate (24%) both ranked in the bottom half of the league. However, many fantasy managers still took Abbott with a top-175 pick in most leagues this spring.

Those who took him in the later rounds are definitely regretting that selection. Abbott has a 5.84 ERA and a 13.2% strikeout rate in his five starts this season and has allowed 10 earned runs over his last 7 2/3 innings pitched. In his most recent start, the southpaw gave up four runs (three earned runs) with three walks and three strikeouts across 4 2/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.

Oswald Popraza 💥 pic.twitter.com/L6qnSC1pjW

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 12, 2026

Given how Abbott has thrown the ball this season, he is a clear drop in all 12-team leagues. His poor metrics are finally catching up to him, and there shouldn't be much confidence among fantasy managers that things will drastically change moving forward. The Reds pitcher has a .294 expected batting average against, a 24.9% chase rate, a 20.5% whiff rate, and a -3 Offspeed Run Value on Baseball Savant.

So, there's no reason to keep him on your roster anymore. He should be dropped in most standard leagues.

Verdict: Drop in 12-team leagues

Chase DeLauter, OF, Cleveland Guardians

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter got off to a fantastic start this season. He went 15-for-50 (.300 batting average) with five home runs, four doubles, and 12 RBI in his first 15 Major League games. Over the past week, though, DeLauter has really struggled at the plate. He has just one hit over his last 22 plate appearances and sat out of Sunday's game amid this slump.

This stretch for DeLauter has led many fantasy managers to drop him in some leagues. He was dropped by over 4,000 fantasy managers on Sunday and has seen his rostership drop from 84% to 78% in Yahoo! leagues in just one week. Despite his recent offensive numbers, the rookie is a hold in all formats heading into Week 4 of the fantasy baseball season.

DeLauter is going to go through his struggles in his first year in the big leagues. Every rookie does. But the Guardians outfielder has such a high fantasy ceiling that he should be held in all formats. Better days are also surely ahead for the 24-year-old, as his xwOBA (.374), expected slugging (.505), barrel rate (13.6%), squared-up rate (32.2%), and strikeout rate (13.8%) all rank in the top half of the league in the early going.

A 2-HR game for Chase DeLauter!

His first two homers in the Majors 😱 pic.twitter.com/Cgx9ETs5jL

— MLB (@MLB) March 27, 2026

Don't overreact to a small slump for DeLauter. He will eventually break out of it and return to being a solid fantasy contributor.

Verdict: Hold in all leagues

Matt McLain, 2B, Cincinnati Reds

There was a lot of hype surrounding Cincinnati Reds second baseman Matt McLain entering the season. He was fully healthy again and was the hottest hitter in the spring. McLain hit a whopping .509 with seven home runs, two doubles, and 16 RBI across 18 Spring Training games. Unfortunately, those strong spring numbers have not carried over into the regular season.

McLain is slashing .187/.337/.227 with zero home runs, three RBI, 15 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 92 plate appearances this year. He has only six hits over his last 45 at-bats and has looked lost at the plate for most of the year. His .213 expected batting average, 32% hard-hit rate, 26% launch angle sweet-spot rate, 24.1% strikeout rate, and .335 expected slugging all rank extremely poorly.

Therefore, McLain is an easy sell at this point in the season. See what you can get for him in any trade as we head into Week 4. If no one wants him in your league, then he is a clear drop in all formats. The Reds' second baseman has really struggled out of the gate, and there really is no optimism that he will eventually figure it out. It's only a matter of time until he moves down in Cincinnati's batting order.

Verdict: Sell for cheap in all leagues

Yainer Diaz, C, Houston Astros

It has been a miserable start to the season for Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz. He is batting just .190 with one home run, nine RBI, and three walks in his first 16 games. But it's not really surprising to see Diaz slow out of the gate.

The 27-year-old hit only .143 with one home run, seven RBI, and three walks after his first 17 games in 2025. Then, he started to heat up toward the end of the month. He batted .333 (24-for-72) with three home runs and 14 RBI in 18 games from April 21 to May 12 and looked like a much different hitter offensively. That makes Diaz a hold in most 12-team leagues right now. It's still too early to panic fully on the Astros catcher in all fantasy formats.

EL MATÍN!!!! #YD21 pic.twitter.com/tz35XRozuA

— Houston Astros (@astros) March 29, 2026

He has been a reliable fantasy option in each of the past two years. He batted .299 with 16 home runs and 84 RBI across 148 games in 2024 and batted .256 with 20 home runs and 70 RBI across 143 games in 2025. Be patient with Diaz as he navigates another slow start. Give it at least another two weeks before deciding to drop him. He has the potential to turn it around with a solid track record.

Verdict: Hold in 12-team leagues

Jeff Hoffman, RP, Toronto Blue Jays

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman hasn't been the most consistent closer since the start of the 2025 season. He blew seven save opportunities behind a 4.37 ERA last year and has struggled out of the gate in that closer role in 2026. Hoffman has blown three saves already this season, which included blowing back-to-back save opportunities last week.

He gave up two runs on two hits with three walks against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 14 and then allowed four runs on three hits against the Diamondbacks on Saturday. Those two relief appearances have skyrocketed Hoffman's ERA (7.71), as he has now allowed 10 runs (eight earned runs) across 9 1/3 innings pitched.

There's no doubt his recent appearances have some managers looking to drop him. However, he is still a hold in most 12+ team leagues right now. Hoffman saved 33 games for the Blue Jays last season, and there is no other pitcher that manager John Schneider wants in that closer role. He made that clear to reporters after Saturday's blown save by saying, "If there's a situation to close out a game, I'll take Jeff Hoffman."

Considering it's going to take a lot for the Blue Jays to remove Hoffman from that closer role, he should be held in most roto leagues. He is the top closer on a team that should win plenty of games and has some encouraging metrics in the early going. His expected batting average (.190), whiff rate (43.6%), and strikeout rate (41.7%) all rank in the top 15% of the league.

Verdict: Hold in most 12+ team leagues 

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