Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (neck) left Friday's game early in the second inning against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field with neck tightness, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Before leaving the game, Hoerner doubled and scored a run for the Cubbies before being replaced by pinch-hitter Matt Shaw. Although the 28-year-old's injury doesn't appear to be very serious, fantasy managers will want to keep tabs on his status as the team's series continues on Saturday and Sunday. For now, we'll consider Hoerner to be day-to-day. If he's forced to miss additional time because of his neck injury, Shaw and Nicky Lopez could split time at the keystone in the Windy City. Hoerner, who is in his eighth year with the Cubs in 2026, could easily be in the midst of a breakout season this year after coming into Friday's action with a .291/.370/.449 slash line, .819 OPS, four home runs, 26 RBI, 16 runs scored, and seven stolen bases in his first 31 games. He's a must-start in traditional fantasy baseball leagues when he's in the starting lineup.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Brandon Nimmo (hamstring) is starting in right field and batting leadoff on Friday for the series opener in Detroit against the Tigers and right-hander Jack Flaherty, according to MLB.com. Nimmo is back in action after he left Wednesday's game early against the New York Yankees with right-hamstring tightness, but he's feeling better after having an additional day off for travel on Thursday. Fantasy managers will want to get the 33-year-old left-handed hitter back in their starting lineups against a right-handed pitcher. Nimmo is certainly no stranger to missing time due to injuries, so fantasy managers have to be stoked to have him back so quickly. He's off to a strong start in his first year in Texas, coming into Friday's game slashing .290/.364/.460 with an .824 OPS, four home runs, 12 RBI, 14 runs scored, and a stolen base in 124 at-bats. He's never faced Flaherty in his MLB career.

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The Boston Red Sox announced on Friday that they recalled left-handed pitching prospect Jake Bennett from Triple-A Worcester. Bennett will make his major-league debut on Friday and start against the Houston Astros. Boston needs some help in their starting rotation with both lefty Garrett Crochet (shoulder) and righty Sonny Gray (hamstring) on the injured list at the moment. Bennett, the club's No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline, gets the call to the big leagues for the first time after going 2-1 with a 0.86 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 16 strikeouts, and three walks in 21 innings across five starts for Worcester this year. The 25-year-old southpaw was a former second-round pick by the Washington Nationals in 2022 out of Oklahoma. He's mostly a fastball/changeup pitcher with excellent command, but he'll be a pretty risky fantasy streamer on Friday in his first MLB appearance against an Astros team that ranks third in baseball in OPS (.784). Bennett isn't a bad upside stash in deeper fantasy leagues, though, as he could get more starts in Boston's rotation if he fares well on Friday. He's currently rostered in 13% of Yahoo leagues.

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The San Diego Padres announced on Friday that they reinstated right-handed reliever Jeremiah Estrada (elbow) from the 15-day injured list and optioned right-hander David Morgan to Triple-A El Paso in a corresponding move. Estrada didn't look right early in the 2026 season, allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits with five walks and eight strikeouts in his first seven innings pitched, and his velocity was noticeably down as well. The Padres put him on the IL with what they called right-elbow tendinitis, and now he's been cleared to rejoin the big-league bullpen after a couple of minor-league rehab appearances. Now that he's healthy again, Estrada will return to his high-leverage, late-inning setup role in San Diego alongside right-hander Jason Adam and in front of star closer Mason Miller. In the last two seasons with the Friars, Estrada has only four saves, but he's also struck out 202 batters in 134 innings and will be valuable in holds leagues. Estrada is rostered in 11% of Yahoo leagues at the moment.

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Chicago Cubs right-handed closer Daniel Palencia (lat) will make a minor-league rehab appearance on Friday with Triple-A Iowa, manager Craig Counsell told Andy Martinez. If Palencia looks good on Friday and doesn't suffer a setback with his lat, the Cubs could activate him from the 15-day injured list for the final two games of the series in Chicago this weekend against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cubs said earlier this week that there was a chance Palencia would be reinstated from the IL on Friday. Although he might initially be eased into high-leverage situations when he returns to the Cubs' bullpen, the 26-year-old Venezuelan reliever should return to primary closing duties in Chicago sooner rather than later. Before his lat injury, Palencia threw five shutout innings with five strikeouts and one save. He broke out in 2205 with a 2.91 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, a career-high 22 saves, and a 10.4 K/9 in 52 2/3 regular-season innings. Left-hander Hoby Milner picked up the team's last save on Wednesday, but righties Ben Brown and Phil Maton could see a save chance this weekend if Palencia is not ready to return. Palencia is rostered in 82% of Yahoo leagues. If he's available in your league, now would be a good time to scoop him up.

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Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has struggled at the plate lately and is underperforming in fantasy baseball. Altuve is hitting just 3-for-28 over his last seven games with zero home runs, zero RBI, two walks, and five strikeouts. The 16.7% strikeout rate over that span suggests he's putting the ball in play at a decent clip, but the BABIP is far from ideal. His power has also been diminishing, as he has only hit one home run in the month of April. All in all, through 29 games this year, he has 110 wRC+, which is his lowest mark since the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The Astros as a whole are struggling, so Altuve isn't alone. Still, it's frustrating for fantasy managers who drafted him with the expectation that he'd perform similarly to 2025, when he launched 26 homers, or 2024, when he was an All-Star and received MVP votes. As it stands, he is still holding his ground as the #5 second baseman in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara has pitched deep into games and continues to earn wins, but the process to get there hasn't been flawless. Alcantra was hit hard for seven runs over six innings on April 12, and although he has a respectable 4.24 ERA since then, his hit, walk, and strikeout ratios are far from ideal. During that three-game span since the April 12 game, he has posted 10.59 H/9, 4.76 BB/9, and just 4.76 K/9. He's walking one batter for every strikeout, and he's averaging more than one hit per inning. Even though he's pitching relatively deeper into games, those ratios don't bode well for his fantasy value. We'd like to see him get back to his early-season form; he went 7+ innings in each of his first three starts this year, posting a 1.11 ERA, 6.66 K/9, and 1.48 BB/9 during that span. Managers will have to accept the fact that he's not a major strikeout threat, but still offers innings and a decent ability to limit runs. As it stands, Alcantara is the #48 starting pitcher in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.

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Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Framber Valdez has offered plenty of value and production in fantasy baseball lately. Valdez experienced an outlier performance on April 8 when he allowed eight runs against the Twins, but he hasn't surrendered more than two runs in an individual start since then. In fact, over his last four games, he has a 2.31 ERA with 6.56 H/9 and 0.77 HR/9. With that being said, there are also areas for him to improve. He hasn't been as sharp in terms of strikeouts and walks. He struck out just one batter over seven innings on April 14, and he walked five batters on April 24. In that aforementioned four-game span of limited runs, he has posted 7.71 K/9 and 3.47 BB/9. As great as it's been to see him pitch deeper into games and limit runs, managers would appreciate more strikeouts to rack up additional fantasy points. He currently ranks #26 among starters in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.

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Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez has struggled at the plate lately, leading to reduced production in fantasy baseball leagues. Over his last seven games, he's hitting just 3-for-24 with three singles, four RBI, four walks, and seven strikeouts. He hasn't homered since April 15, and he has just four total homers this year. To this point in the season, he owns a modest 95 wRC+, which is the lowest mark since his rookie campaign in 2016. It's fair to be concerned about his power output, as his ISO is down to a career-low mark of .163. The 33-year-old is hanging around as the #27 outfielder in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings, so managers will hope that he can get back on track and produce a spark soon. In an attempt to give him a mental and physical reset, the Dodgers held Hernandez out of the lineup on Wednesday against the Marlins. With the off day Thursday, that gave him back-to-back days off. He should be back in the starting nine on Friday against St. Louis.

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San Francisco Giants first baseman Rafael Devers has endured major struggles at the plate so far this year. It's his first full season with the Giants, and it's fair to wonder if his issues are related to playing at Oracle Park, which is far less friendly to left-handed hitters than his previous home, Fenway Park. Learning a new position (first base) could be another reason why Devers' bat hasn't been as hot. Whatever the reason, fantasy managers are hoping he turns things around fast. Through 31 games so far, he's slashing just .207/.248/.289 with two home runs, a 5.4% walk rate, a 31.0% strikeout rate, and 48 wRC+. Obviously, all of those numbers represent career lows for the three-time All-Star and former Silver Slugger. We'd expect him to have some positive regression over a larger sample size -- enough to feel more confident putting him in your fantasy lineups -- but it's fair to question whether he'll ever return to his pre-trade form. Devers has fallen to #16 among first basemen in RotoBaller's latest redraft rankings for fantasy baseball.

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Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (forearm) felt something in his right forearm on Thursday and left an extended spring training game in Arizona early as a result, according to Jeff Wilson of All City DLLS. The Rangers are awaiting more information on Langford's injury. He could play again on Friday night in Arizona, but it's also possible that he'll have to restart his swing progression. Langford was playing in his first game action since landing on the 10-day injured list last week with a flexor strain in his right forearm. Although the Rangers think that this could end up being a minor setback, it likely means that Langford won't return to the team's lineup this Saturday as previously expected. With the 24-year-old's return to the MLB roster pushed back, Ezequiel Duran should continue to benefit from more playing time in the outfield for Texas going forward. Despite another injury and a slow start in 2026, Langford should be stashed in all fantasy leagues for his power/speed upside. He was hitting .238/.274/.363 with a homer, four RBI, three steals, and nine runs scored in just 20 games at the time of his forearm injury.

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Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson (glute) is back in the team's starting lineup for Friday's series opener at Wrigley Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks and right-hander Zac Gallen, according to MLB.com. Swanson is hitting ninth in the batting order. The 32-year-old veteran did not make the start in Wednesday's series finale against the San Diego Padres due to a left-glute cramp, but he's good to go on Friday after an off day on Thursday. Swansby does have six home runs on the year in 98 at-bats, but he's hitting just .214 (21-for-98) with 23 RBI, 23 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 30 games played. The two-time All-Star won't have much DFS appeal batting out of the nine-hole, especially against a pitcher that he hasn't had much success against in his career. In 14 career at-bats versus Gallen, Swansby is hitting .214 with a .553 OPS. Swansby has started to turn things around at the plate of late, going 7-for-20 (.350) with a homer, eight RBI, three runs, a stolen base, and three multi-hit performances in his last six games.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Friday that they reinstated catcher Gabriel Moreno (oblique) from the 10-day injured list and designated catcher Aramis Garcia for assignment in a corresponding move. Moreno is returning to the big-league club without going on a minor-league rehab assignment following a two-week stay on the IL with a left-oblique strain. Fantasy managers will want to check back later to see if Moreno is back in the starting lineup for Friday's series opener at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs and right-hander Colin Rea. Moreno, who was hitting .275 (11-for-40) with no home runs, five RBI, and six runs scored in 13 games before getting hurt, is only rostered in 10% of Yahoo leagues at the moment. He'll be Arizona's primary catcher now that he's back. Although Moreno has hit a solid .281 in his four-plus seasons in the majors, he's never had more than nine home runs or 50 RBI, and has only played over 100 games in a season once.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Cincinnati Reds' 23-year-old former second-overall pick in 2024 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.

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