Detroit Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson got off to a brutal start to the 2026 season, failing to hit a home run through his first 86 plate appearances of the year. However, the 26-year-old burst out of his early-season power outage in a big way, going deep in five consecutive games from April 22 to April 26. Across 124 plate appearances overall, Torkelson is hitting .233/.363/.437 with five home runs, 12 RBI, and 12 runs scored. While Torkelson's 27.4% strikeout rate limits his batting average upside, his 14.5% barrel rate is indicative of his significant power potential. Torkelson has also walked at a 16.1% clip so far this year, which should help keep his place in the Tigers' lineup secure. For fantasy managers searching for power off the waiver wire, Torkelson is a logical target.

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Across 11 1/3 innings so far in 2026, Houston Astros reliever Enyel De Los Santos has pitched to a 5.56 ERA and 1.50 WHIP with 10 strikeouts and three saves. With Astros closer Josh Hader (biceps) on the 60-day injured list due to a biceps injury, De Los Santos has been pressed into a more prominent role in the Houston bullpen. The 30-year-old's overall line is inflated by a couple of three-earned-run outings, but he's three-for-three on save chances this season. The Astros also lack a great alternative for De Los Santos, and Hader is not eligible to return from the IL until late May at the earliest. Currently posting just an 11.8% K-BB rate, De Los Santos is far from a prototypical closer. Still, he looks like the arm to target in Houston for fantasy managers in desperate need of saves.

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Across 13 innings so far in 2026, Chicago White Sox closer Seranthony Dominguez has pitched to a 4.15 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 16 strikeouts and seven saves. The 31-year-old is prone to the occasional blow-up outing, as he's logged three appearances this season where he's allowed at least two runs. Dominguez owns both an elevated walk rate (15.5%) and an elevated HR/9 (2.08), a dangerous combination for his ERA. Still, the veteran right-hander has struck out 27.6% of the batters he's faced so far this season and remains locked in to the ninth-inning role in the White Sox bullpen. He's also currently riding a bit of a hot streak, as he's allowed just one earned run since April 16. In any league where he may have been dropped, Dominguez should be targeted on the waiver wire.

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Across his first 144 plate appearances of 2026, Washington Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile is hitting .260/.326/.389 with three home runs, 14 RBI, 20 runs scored, and one stolen base. The 23-year-old has established himself as the everyday left fielder in Washington and regularly bats in the middle of his team's lineup, which has helped him rack up counting stats. With above-average walk and strikeout rates of 9% and 18.1%, Lile brings quality plate skills to the table that should provide him with a stable production floor. He also batted .299 in 351 plate appearances for the Nationals in 2025, so Lile could offer some batting average upside for fantasy managers. He may not stand out in any one area, but managers in need of a steady outfielder may want to consider targeting him on the waiver wire.

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Detroit Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan is off to an excellent start to the 2026 season, pitching to a 0.57 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 12 strikeouts across 15 2/3 innings. The 34-year-old also earned his first save of the season on Thursday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning in Detroit's 5-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. Veteran Kenley Jansen has been the primary closer in Detroit for most of the year. However, Jansen has struggled of late, blowing two consecutive save chances while allowing two home runs and four earned runs. Should the Tigers look to go in a different direction, Finnegan would be a logical choice. Finnegan recorded 66 saves over two years with the Washington Nationals in 2023-2024 and has 113 career MLB saves to his name. The Tigers may simply be giving Jansen a breather before turning back to him, but Finnegan could be worth targeting on the waiver wire in deeper leagues.

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Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said that pitching prospect Trey Gibson will get the start on Sunday against the New York Yankees, per Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun. It will be the MLB debut for the 23-year-old Gibson, who is ranked as Baltimore's best pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline. Across 24 2/3 innings (six starts) with Triple-A Norfolk so far this season, Gibson is 2-2 with a 4.01 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts. His K-BB rate is an unimpressive 11.4% in a small sample this year, but he posted a stellar 23.7% K-BB rate across 120 1/3 minor league innings in 2025. With Orioles starters Trevor Rogers (illness) and Dean Kremer (quad) both currently on the 15-day injured list, Gibson should have a runway to prove himself in the majors and could be worth targeting off the waiver wire in deeper fantasy leagues.

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San Diego Padres pitcher Griffin Canning (Achilles) is likely to be activated on Sunday to make his 2026 debut at home and against the Chicago White Sox. The 29-year-old right-hander suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in June 2025, missing the remainder of the season as a result. Before that, he had found success as part of the New York Mets' rotation, posting a 3.77 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP over 16 starts. Since the start of the 2026 season, the veteran has been working his way back and has made five rehab outings across various minor league levels. He is someone who should be rostered in the deepest leagues, with the potential for production similar to last season.

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Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Cole Sands (forearm) was transferred to the 15-day Injured List on Saturday with a strained right forearm. The 28-year-old struggled in his last appearance, surrendering two earned runs on three hits in just two-thirds of an inning. Before that, he had been a reliable source of outs in the Twins' bullpen, recording one save and three holds over 11 appearances. However, with his fastball velocity down nearly two miles per hour compared to last year, it's fair to wonder if he had been dealing with this issue for some time. There is no timeline for his return, as the severity is not yet known, but he will be eligible for activation in 15 days.

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Nathan Lukes (hamstring) has resumed hitting in the batting cages. The 31-year-old has been in Dunedin at the Toronto Blue Jays' training complex and had a successful session in the batting cage on Friday. This is a significant step forward as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury sustained in late April. While it's encouraging progress, he still has more to complete, including defensive drills, running and sprinting, and pivoting along the basepaths. It's unclear when he will return, but his progress is an encouraging sign that he's on the right track.

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Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Nick Lodolo (finger) has had his rehab assignment moved from Single-A Dayton to Triple-A Louisville. He is set to make one more rehab start on Saturday, with the intention of it being his final outing before making his 2026 season debut for the Reds. After missing time due to a recurring blister, the team determined that his slider grip was causing the issue on his finger. Now that his grip has been adjusted, he feels confident about his return. He last pitched on Sunday, striking out seven batters in just under six innings of work. Barring any unforeseen setbacks in this outing, he should be ready to rejoin the Reds shortly afterward.

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Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner (neck) is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's contest at Wrigley Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to MLB.com. Hoerner was forced from Friday's series opener against Arizona with neck tightness. Fantasy managers should consider Hoerner to be day-to-day for now and check back on Sunday to see if he's good to go for the series finale. Matt Shaw is getting the start at second base on Saturday and will hit eighth against D-backs right-hander Ryne Nelson. Hoerner, a former first-rounder in 2018 out of Stanford, has been great through the first month of the 2026 campaign, slashing .297/.374/.461 with an .835 OPS, four home runs, 26 RBI, seven stolen bases, and 17 runs scored in 32 games across 147 plate appearances as the Cubs' table-setter. It doesn't appear that his injury is serious enough to require an injured-list stint, so hopefully he'll be back in Chicago's starting nine sooner rather than later.

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Chicago Cubs right-handed closer Daniel Palencia (lat) is back from his minor-league rehab assignment and is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list in the next few days, according to Taylor McGregor of the Marquee Sports Network. Palencia tossed two-thirds of an inning with a strikeout in a scoreless rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Friday, and now he's ready to rejoin the Cubs' bullpen for the rest of their series at Wrigley Field this weekend versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Cubs could ease the 26-year-old Venezuelan back into the closer's role, but he will eventually take over primary closing duties for the Cubs again now that he's recovered from his lat strain. Palencia had tossed five scoreless innings with a save this year before his injury, and he recorded a career-best 22 saves while striking out 61 in 52 2/3 regular-season innings in his third year in the league in 2025. He should be rostered in all fantasy baseball leagues as Chicago's primary ninth-inning arm.

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Baltimore Orioles right-handed pitching prospect Trey Gibson is joining the team's taxi squad during their series in New York this weekend against the Yankees, but it's still to be determined if he will join the active roster, sources told Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner. If activated, Gibson will be making his major-league debut. Per MLB Pipeline, Gibson is the team's No. 3 overall prospect. The 23-year-old former undrafted free agent has gone 2-2 at Triple-A Norfolk this year with a 4.01 ERA and 1.62 WHIP with 25 strikeouts and 12 walks in 24 2/3 innings pitched over his six starts. Gibson could be named the Orioles' starter for Sunday's series finale in the Bronx, which would be a pretty dicey spot for fantasy managers to roll the dice on him in what would be his MLB debut. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder is a power pitcher who has been improving his walk rates in the minors. Gibson has the stuff to generate whiffs and the ceiling of a mid-rotation starter in the big leagues.

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New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez (elbow) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting sixth in the lineup for Saturday's game against the visiting Baltimore Orioles and right-hander Kyle Bradish, according to MLB.com. Dominguez suffered a left-elbow contusion on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers when he was hit by a pitch, which forced him to miss the series opener on Friday against Baltimore. The 23-year-old former top prospect is now back in the lineup this weekend to face Bradish, whom he has gone hitless against in three career at-bats. This will be Dominguez's fourth game in the big leagues this year after being called up from the minors earlier this week when Giancarlo Stanton (calf) went on the 10-day injured list. Dominguez should play regularly while Stanton is out between the outfield and DH. In his first three games this season with the Yanks, Dominguez has gone 1-for-9 at the plate with two strikeouts.

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Chicago Cubs right-handed closer Daniel Palencia (lat) made his first minor-league rehab appearance on Friday night with Triple-A Iowa and did not allow a run in two-thirds of an inning while allowing one hit and striking out one. The hard-throwing reliever hit 102 mph on the radar gun during the outing. The Cubs were considering activating him from the 15-day injured list for the start of their three-game weekend series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, but they instead sent him for a rehab outing. After a solid performance at Iowa, Palencia may be activated before the end of the series versus Arizona this weekend. The 26-year-old Venezuelan hurler should be immediately scooped up off the waiver wire if he's available in your league, as he will return to primary closing duties in Chicago when he's back. Before his lat injury, Palencia had tossed five scoreless innings for the Cubbies with a save and five strikeouts. He's currently rostered in 82% of Yahoo leagues.

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Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto had his first career multi-homer game on Friday night to help his team beat the hosting Minnesota Twins by a score of 7-3 at Target Field. Okamoto went 2-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, three RBI, three runs scored, and a walk to boost his season average to .228 and his OPS to .743. Both of Okamoto's home runs on the night came off of Twins right-handed starter Simeon Woods Richardson. There's been some good and bad for Okamoto through his first 31 games in the majors. He now has seven home runs, 18 RBI, and 15 runs scored, and has hit the ball in the air frequently, but he also has 38 strikeouts in 128 plate appearances, which has kept his average low through his first 31 games. When Okamoto has made contact so far in 2026, he's hitting the ball with authority.

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Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Henry Davis, who was hitting ninth for the team on Friday against the visiting Cincinnati Reds, finally did some damage offensively to help the Bucs beat their division rivals by a score of 9-1 at PNC Park. Davis went 2-for-3 at the dish with two home runs, three RBI, three runs scored, and a walk. Despite the big game at the plate, the 26-year-old Davis is still slashing only .176/.273/.309 with a .582 OPS, six RBI, 10 runs scored, and a stolen base in 68 at-bats so far in 2026. His two home runs were his first of the year. The two long balls were also his first extra-base hits since back on April 7. Davis has plenty to work on offensively before fantasy managers will want to consider picking him up off the waiver wire, especially since he's expected to continue sharing catching duties in Pittsburgh with Joey Bart. Davis is not rostered at all right now in Yahoo leagues.

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Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez was at his best on Friday night in the team's 7-6 loss to the visiting Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 at the plate out of the three-hole with two home runs, four RBI, and two strikeouts. The 25-year-old hit two two-run home runs in the contest to double his home run total on the season. J-Rod is beginning to heat up for his fantasy managers, as he now has six multi-hit performances in his last 10 games, including three of his four long balls on the season. He's now batting .262/.333/.400 with a .733 OPS, 16 RBI, 16 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 33 games played in 2026. It's nice to see Rodriguez, who has become known as a slow starter, have a game like this now that the calendar has flipped to May. His fantasy managers will be hoping the hot hitting continues to close out the series this weekend in Seattle against KC.

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While not a save situation, the Toronto Blue Jays used right-hander Louis Varland in the ninth inning of their 7-3 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night. With Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman recently being removed from the closer role amid persistent struggles, Varland appears to have taken over as the team's new primary option in the ninth inning. The 28-year-old has been dominant across his first 17 innings of 2026, pitching to a 0.53 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 28 strikeouts and four saves. Varland has now been used in the ninth inning in five consecutive appearances, dating back to April 21. The hard-throwing right-hander owns a ridiculous 43.1% strikeout rate on the year and is averaging 98.4 miles per hour on his fastball. Varland's excellent start to the year has come despite an inflated opponent batting average on balls in play of .406. Once that number regresses closer to his career mark of .316, Varland's numbers could look even better. In any fantasy league where he's not already rostered, Varland is a must-roster closer off the waiver wire.

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With Baltimore Orioles closer Ryan Helsley (elbow) on the 15-day injured list due to elbow discomfort, Orioles right-hander Rico Garcia could emerge as the team's temporary stand-in in the ninth inning. Garcia has been dominant to start 2026, pitching to a 0.66 ERA and 0.37 WHIP with 15 strikeouts and one save across 13 2/3 innings. He's struck out 32.6% of the batters he's faced and has allowed just one hit on the year. Garcia is not a lock to take over as the Baltimore closer, as he has just one career save across 74 MLB appearances. Orioles right-hander Andrew Kittredge has 21 career saves and has yet to allow an earned run since returning from a shoulder injury on April 24. Still, Garcia's elite production can't be ignored. With the Baltimore bullpen picture currently unclear, Garcia is worth targeting on the waiver wire.

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