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.

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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.

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Cincinnati Reds right-handed closer Emilio Pagan had a rough day at the office in a non-save situation in Thursday's 6-4 win over the visiting Colorado Rockies at Great American Ballpark. Pagan was summoned in the top of the ninth inning with a four-run lead, and he proceeded to allow two earned runs on three hits without a walk or a strikeout in one inning of work. The 34-year-old veteran does have six saves already on the season, but it hasn't exactly been smooth sailing for him, and he blew his second save of 2026 on April 19 against the Minnesota Twins. Pagan now sits with a 5.40 ERA on the season, which isn't exactly pretty for the team's primary closer. He had a career-high 32 saves in his second year in Cincy in 2025, but Pagan only has one other 20-save campaign in his nine MLB seasons, and his fly-ball tendencies aren't exactly the greatest fit at his home ballpark. If Pagan's struggles continue, Tony Santillan would probably be the next man up for saves in Cincy.

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Athletics right-handed reliever Jack Perkins picked up his third save of the season in the team's 6-3 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Thursday, allowing a hit while striking out one in a scoreless inning of work at Sutter Health Park. Harris has become a reliever on the rise for fantasy managers to consider picking up in a closer-by-committee situation that also involves lefty Hogan Harris and right-hander Joel Kuhnel. Mark Leiter Jr. also picked up a save on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Perkins came into Thursday's series finale with a 2-0 record, 2.92 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings of work in just his second season in the majors. Perkins could deserve a look off the waiver wire from fantasy managers searching for saves, but he hasn't been used as a traditional closer by any means, with Perkins' first two saves of the year coming in two-inning stints. He's a multi-inning weapon for the A's and gives them options late in games. Right now, Perkins is only rostered in 7% of Yahoo leagues with his stock rising.

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Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs (hip) left his outing on Thursday against the visiting Kansas City Royals early with right-hip soreness, according to Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Springs made it through three frames in the team's eventual 6-3 victory, allowing two earned runs on five hits (one homer) while walking one and striking out four. It's unclear at this point if Springs' injury is serious enough to keep him from making his next scheduled start next week against the struggling Philadelphia Phillies. The 33-year-old veteran southpaw came into Thursday's action with a 3-2 record, 3.79 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 31:11 K:BB in 35 2/3 innings pitched over his first six starts in his second season with the A's. Springs' strikeout rate has been up slightly this year after it dipped to a career-low 19.4% in 2025, but it's still below-average, and he pitches in one of the most hitter-friendly home parks in the league in Sacramento. Fantasy managers shouldn't be compelled to hold Springs in mixed leagues if he ends up landing on the injured list with his hip injury.

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The Milwaukee Brewers are going to give right-hander Brandon Woodruff (arm) "some time off," manager Pat Murphy told Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It's unclear if Woodruff will actually land on the 15-day injured list, but he will undergo testing and imaging to figure out what is wrong with him after he couldn't top 85 mph on the radar gun in his outing on Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Woodruff said he wasn't dealing with any pain, but he only went 1 1/3 innings before the Brewers pulled him. Right now, the 33-year-old veteran appears to be dealing with a dead arm, so the Brewers will give him a little time off and make sure nothing else is wrong structurally with his right arm. It's definitely concerning that Woodruff's velocity was down so much, especially after he dealt with shoulder, lat, and ankle injuries in 2025. For now, fantasy managers will want to hold Woodruff, with hopes that he might only miss a start or two. In deeper leagues, pitching prospect Logan Henderson might be worth stashing, as he could be the favorite to take Woodruff's spot in the starting rotation for however long he is out.

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San Francisco Giants right-handed reliever Ryan Walker blew his second save of the season and was tagged with the loss in the first game of a doubleheader on Thursday versus the Philadelphia Phillies, and he could be running out of chances going forward in save situations in the Bay Area. Walker's first blown save came on April 18 against the Washington Nationals. He secured his second and third saves of the season his next two times out, though, and he also threw a scoreless outing on April 25 against the Miami Marlins before blowing the save on Thursday. Although the 30-year-old remains the primary option for saves for the Giants, he also has two holds and isn't your traditional closer. With his latest misstep on Thursday in Philly, Walker could be losing his grip on the ninth inning, with lefty Erik Miller and righty Keaton Winn potentially entering the picture of a committee approach for San Fran. Walker allowed two earned runs on three hits while walking none and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning against the Phillies on Thursday.

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Atlanta Braves catcher Sean Murphy (hip) is likely to rejoin the big-league team in Seattle next week, manager Walt Weiss told Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Braves kick off a three-game series in Seattle against the Mariners on Monday, May 4. Murphy has yet to make his 2026 season debut with Atlanta after having surgery on his hip last September. When he's ready, the Braves will have a decision to make with three catches on the big-league roster in Murphy, Drake Baldwin, and Jonah Heim. Heim will most likely end up being the odd man out. When he's ready to return, fantasy managers should expect Murphy to see most of his playing time at designated hitter, at least initially. The 31-year-old is only rostered in 1% of Yahoo leagues, and while there are major question marks as to whether he can return to his pre-injury form, Murphy was an All-Star as recently as 2023 in his first year with the Braves. He has 82 home runs and 263 RBI over the last five seasons and should draw more attention from fantasy managers looking for more power from the catching position.

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Atlanta Braves outfielder Michael Harris II (quadriceps) is dealing with a left-quad injury and will serve as the designated hitter for most of the team's upcoming road trip if his injury doesn't get any worse, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. However, if there's no improvement, Harris could be placed on the 10-day injured list. Now we know why Harris was out of the starting lineup for Thursday's loss to the Detroit Tigers in the series finale. The Braves head to Denver this weekend for a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies before heading to Seattle to face the Mariners early next week. Hopefully, the left-handed-hitting Harris can rest up while DH'ing and stay off the IL. The 25-year-old former third-rounder in 2019 has been one of the league's hottest hitters with April coming to an end, slashing .320/.355/.540 with an .895 OPS, six home runs, 20 RBI, 11 runs scored, and two stolen bases in his first 29 games in 2026. Eli White, who got the start in center field on Thursday, will see more playing time in the outfield on the team's upcoming road trip, but he offers little upside at the plate for fantasy managers.

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New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said that infielder Jorge Polanco (wrist, Achilles) is "week-to-week" as he recovers from his injuries, according to SNY. Polanco has resumed baseball activities, but he's not exactly close to returning from the 10-day injured list. The veteran infielder landed on the IL on April 18 with a right-wrist bone bruise and left-Achilles bursitis. The 32-year-old had been playing through his Achilles issue early in the season, but the Mets chose to put him on the IL after he recently suffered a wrist injury. The fact that the Dominican switch-hitter has been injured for most of the first month of the 2026 season helps explain why he was hitting just .179/.246/.286 with a homer, two RBI, and three runs scored in 56 at-bats. It's unclear exactly when Polanco might return, but it might not be until around mid-May, at the earliest. When Polanco is back, he might be relegated to primary designated-hitter duties in New York. Mark Vientos has seen most of the playing time at first base for the Mets lately. Polanco is rostered in 30% of Yahoo leagues at the moment as a power option who should eventually add first base eligibility on top of second base and third base.

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Colorado Rockies corner infield/outfield prospect Charlie Condon, after a strong start to the year, has been mired in a funk at the plate, going 3-for-26 (.115) with just one extra-base hit (a double) over his last eight games. However, despite the recent bout of futility, the Rockies' second-ranked prospect is currently riding an 18-game on-base streak thanks to his ability to draw walks at a high rate. The former third-overall draft pick has recorded 14 walks in 22 games this season, good for a 17.1 percent BB%, and with an improved K% of 20.0 percent so far in 2026, there should be optimism that he'll be able to break out of the slump soon. For the season, the 6-foot-5 slugger is slashing .268/.410/.451 with four home runs and three steals. At some point in the coming weeks, the Rockies will likely want to give the 23-year-old a shot in the big leagues, and with power like he possesses in a home environment like he'll be in, the right-handed hitter remains one of the top power bats to stash in redraft leagues.

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Updating a previous report, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy told Brewers reporter Sophia Minnaert that right-hander Brandon Woodruff wasn't feeling any pain during his outing on Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but "nothing was coming out" in terms of his velocity, per Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "He wasn't himself. He felt like, felt kind of dead," Murphy added. Woodruff couldn't get over 85 mph while recording only four outs on Thursday before being pulled. It's obviously pretty concerning, especially for a veteran pitcher who got a late start last year after recovering from right-shoulder surgery. Woodruff also missed time late last year due to a lat injury that he was managing going into spring training. He hadn't been terrible coming into Thursday's start, posting a 3.77 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 23 strikeouts and six walks in 28 2/3 innings pitched. But Woodruff's lack of velocity should definitely concern his fantasy managers. It's unclear if the 33-year-old will be ready to make his next scheduled start. Murphy said the Brewers will be extremely cautious with Woodruff.

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San Francisco Giants first base prospect Bryce Eldridge broke out of a week-long slump in a big way over his last four games at Triple-A, going 10-for-18 (.555) with three home runs, nine RBI, and six runs scored over that span. Perhaps most impressive of all is that, after logging just three games without a strikeout over his first 22 contests, the 6-foot-7 slugger has tallied four such outings in the last five games, showcasing how locked in he has been. The Giants' top-ranked prospect is slashing .327/.426/.529 with five home runs through 27 games, and a promotion to the big leagues could come at any time now. Though swing-and-miss will likely continue to be part of his profile, especially at the major league level, along with it should come plenty of power, and the former first-round draft pick remains a top stash option in most fantasy leagues for his home run potential.

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Through the first month of the 2026 season, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker hasn't quite given his new team the production they were hoping for. Across 133 plate appearances, Tucker is hitting .241/.331/.371 with three home runs, 15 RBI, 21 runs scored, and three stolen bases. The 29-year-old has been a bit better of late, as he enters play on Thursday riding a five-game hitting streak. Still, Tucker's 21.8% strikeout rate is his worst mark since 2019. His underlying metrics don't point to an imminent power breakout either, as his 8.0% barrel rate is the lowest mark he's posted since a 72-plate appearance sample size from his rookie season in 2018. As long as Tucker stays healthy, he's a lock for everyday playing time in Los Angeles and should continue to rack up counting stats, which gives him a safe fantasy floor. However, fantasy managers hoping for Tucker to return to his 29-homer, 30-steal peak from 2023 may end up disappointed.

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Seattle Mariners infield prospect Colt Emerson (wrist) returned to the lineup at Triple-A Tacoma last week after sitting out a few games with a minor wrist injury. In the five games since his return, the Mariners' top-ranked prospect has struggled to get back into a rhythm at the plate, going 3-for-20 (.150) over that span, though two of his hits went for extra bases (one double, one home run) and he drew five walks as well (20.0 percent BB%). For the season, the former first-round draft pick is hitting just .232, but has recorded a solid .351 on-base percentage thanks to a 13.3 percent walk rate, and is slugging .427. With seven steals already through 23 games, the left-handed slugger has the look of a potential multi-category contributor for fantasy. Though he's just 20 years old, MLB's No. 7 prospect overall could be in the majors within weeks, so fantasy managers in deeper leagues should consider stashing him ahead of time.

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Milwaukee Brewers pitching prospect Logan Henderson continues to be one of the top pitchers to stash for fantasy baseball while being downright dominant for Triple-A Nashville to begin the year. The Brewers' sixth-ranked prospect made his longest appearance of the season in his last outing, throwing 67 pitches (46 strikes) over five innings of one-run ball while striking out nine batters. The right-hander now owns a 1.02 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 26:9 K:BB over 17 2/3 innings pitched. A 12.3 percent walk rate is a bit out of character for the former fourth-rounder after coming into the season with a 7.1 percent walk rate during his minor league career to that point, but he's still posting a strong 23.3 percent K-BB%. With Quinn Priester, who had a strong 2025 campaign, currently in the midst of a rehab assignment at Nashville, Henderson may have some competition the next time a rotation spot opens up, but he offers far more strikeout upside, and the 24-year-old is worthy of stashing in all formats. It is worth noting that Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff exited his start on Thursday in the second inning after seeing a significant dip in velocity compared to his previous starts, so the time is now to grab Henderson from the waiver wire.

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Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar has largely been a steady producer throughout his career to this point. However, the 24-year-old is off to a nightmarish start to the 2026 season, hitting .195/.235/.292 with one home run, eight RBI, nine runs scored, and two stolen bases across 119 plate appearances entering play on Thursday. Tovar's plate skills remain a major flaw, as he's walked in just 3.4% of his plate appearances while striking out at a 29.4% clip. Unlike in previous seasons, Tovar's quality of contact hasn't been enough to make up for his free-swinging approach, as he currently owns a career worst 7.7% barrel rate. Tovar's .273 batting average on balls in play is significantly below his career average of .327, so he should see some regression over a larger sample size of plate appearances. Still, fantasy managers may want to consider going in a different direction, particularly when Tovar and the Rockies are on the road and away from the hitter-friendly Coors Field.

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Detroit Tigers outfield prospect Max Clark continues to show off his offensive potential that could soon be on display in the majors. The Tigers' second-ranked prospect is riding a four-game hit streak and has now reached base via hit or walk in all but three of his 26 games for Triple-A Toledo this season. The left-handed hitter is slashing .301/.378/.437 with nearly as many walks (14) as strikeouts (16) and nine stolen bases. The former third-overall draft pick came into the season with a career 18.5 percent strikeout rate, but has cut that all the way down to 13.4 percent this season, and it is looking like there isn't much left to prove offensively in the minors. President of baseball operations Scott Harris recently stated the team isn't ready to promote him, but with Detroit's outfield options getting thin after injuries to Parker Meadows (arm) and Javier Baez (ankle), the 21-year-old's MLB debut presumably draws nearer and nearer. With the potential to be a solid five-category contributor, there aren't many better hitters in the minor leagues to stash for fantasy.

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Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Brandon Woodruff (undisclosed) exited in the second inning of his start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Woodruff's fastball velocity failed to reach 87 mph after sitting at 92.5 mph across his first five starts of the year. Woodruff faced just six batters against Arizona, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out two across 1 1/3 scoreless innings. The 33-year-old had been effective across 28 2/3 innings entering Thursday, pitching to a 3.77 ERA and 1.01 WHIP with 23 strikeouts and two wins. However, Woodruff has not reached 100 innings in a season since 2022 and missed the entire 2024 campaign due to shoulder surgery. While it's too early to speculate on an injury for Woodruff, the drastic velocity drop is obviously a major cause for concern. If Woodruff requires a trip to the injured list, Brewers right-hander Logan Henderson could get the call from Triple-A to take Woodruff's place in the Brewers rotation.

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By his own lofty standards, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got off to a little bit of a slow start to the 2026 season. However, the 25-year-old has started to heat up as April draws to a close and is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak into the Royals matchup against the Athletics on Thursday. Across 134 plate appearances for the season overall, Witt Jr. is hitting .297/.366/.441 with two home runs, 15 RBI, 10 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases. While Witt Jr.'s power stroke hasn't quite gotten going yet, his 12.2% barrel rate is right in line with his career mark of 11.9%, and his 52% hard-hit rate would be a single-season best. Witt Jr. remains an elite fantasy shortstop who should provide above-average five-category production once again in 2026.

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