Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Michael Soroka looked really good against the Detroit Tigers on Monday night for his first win of the 2026 season, and he even recorded an immaculate inning along the way in the team's 9-6 win in the desert. Soroka threw five shutout innings, allowing four hits, walking one, and striking out 10 Tigers hitters. There's no telling what Soroka could have done had the D-backs allowed him to keep going, but with the season young, Arizona pulled the 28-year-old at 89 pitches. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues are probably going to want to see more from the Canadian hurler, especially in a hitter-friendly home environment. Soroka was an All-Star in his second year in the majors in 2019 with the Atlanta Braves, but that was his only season in six years where he has gone over the 100-inning mark. The D-backs will likely continue to handle Soroka with care, too, which will limit his fantasy ceiling.

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New York Mets closer Devin Williams retired all three batters he faced while pitching a scoreless ninth inning and earning the save during Monday's win over the St. Louis Cardinals. This was Williams' first save of the season, and he now has two scoreless innings to his name this year. The right-hander has a firm grasp on the closer role in New York, resulting in him being projected for more than 30 saves this season. In addition to averaging more than 13.0 K/9 between 2025 and the start of 2026, Williams gains plenty of fantasy value from racking up saves. He should continue to benefit from pitching high-leverage situations in the later innings for a Mets team that will contend for a playoff spot this year. As it stands, he ranks #8 among relievers in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.

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Seattle Mariners shortstop prospect Colt Emerson signed a massive eight-year extension on Tuesday, but the team won't allow the new deal to rush his development. According to Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, Emerson will remain in Triple-A for the time being. The Mariners will surely want Emerson and his new $95 million deal in the majors sometime this season, but for now, they will allow him to gain more development in the minors. After all, he's only 20 years old and has spent just nine games at Triple-A. We'd be surprised if he isn't called up by midseason, though, as he's 13-for-36 in Tacoma with three home runs and 11 RBI. He has shown that he can handle Triple-A pitching, and he also fared well against a higher caliber of arms in spring training, where he slashed with a .268/.340/.488 slash line, two home runs, eight RBI, and 111 wRC+. Emerson currently ranks as the #17 prospect to stash in RotoBaller's redraft fantasy baseball leagues for 2026.

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Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Kevin Kelly earned the save after facing one batter during Monday's win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Kelly entered with two outs and a one-run lead in the ninth inning. He threw just five pitches, ultimately getting Blake Perkins to ground into a forceout to end the game. It was Kelly's first save situation of the season, and he now has 1.1 innings of scoreless work with one hit and one strikeout. The Rays don't necessarily have a dedicated closer, especially after Griffin Jax blew a save in each of his first two outings this season, but Kelly could be in the mix to handle more save situations going forward. It's too early to pursue him in fantasy baseball leagues, but he could be a name to monitor if he starts appearing in save situations more frequently.

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Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Megill allowed one run, one hit, one walk, and one strikeout over one inning of work during Monday's loss against the Tampa Bay Rays. He entered a tie game in the ninth inning and was ultimately charged with the loss after Tampa Bay took the lead and held on to win. It could be a costly outcome for the veteran righty, given that there's not much separating him from Abner Uribe in the competition for save situations. While Megill opened the season as the closer, he could be on a short leash, especially if Uribe continues to pitch well. Megill has pitched on back-to-back days, earning a save and a loss, so we expect the Brewers to use Uribe in any high-leverage situation in the later innings on Tuesday. Depending on how he pitches, he could be in the mix for save situations going forward, boosting his fantasy value and detracting from Megill's value. As it stands, Megill is the #14 reliever in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (neck stiffness) will start Tuesday's game against the Baltimore Orioles, according to an announcement from the team. deGrom was scratched from his scheduled season debut last week due to neck stiffness, but he only missed one start and will now make his season debut on Tuesday. The veteran right-hander can be an elite pitcher when healthy, but starts have been hard to come by due to his recent injury history. He made just 22 total appearances from 2022-2024 before returning for 30 starts in a healthy 2025 campaign. Across those 30 starts (172.2 innings) last year, he posted a 3.37 xFIP with 9.64 K/9, 1.93 BB/9, and a 37.8% ground ball rate. He allowed more loud contact than usual, including a career-worst 1.36 HR/9. However, he still managed to be a highly effective starter in the Rangers' rotation and ultimately posted his highest fWAR total since 2021. As long as he can stay healthy this year, deGrom should continue to be one of the most dependable starters in baseball. He currently ranks #12 among starting pitchers in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.

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Kansas City Royals relief pitcher John Schreiber earned the save while pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins on Monday. He allowed just one hit and threw 60% strikes en route to slamming the door in the Royals' divisional win. Schreiber has totaled two innings this season, allowing two hits, one run, zero walks, and one strikeout. His save on Monday was nice, but it's not expected to become a pattern. He likely only entered in a save situation because Carlos Estevez (ankle) is injured and Lucas Erceg had pitched each of the two previous days. As long as Erceg remains effective, Schreiber won't have many more save situations in his future.

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The Seattle Mariners have signed shortstop prospect Colt Emerson to an eight-year, $50 million contract extension, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.com. The deal includes a club option for 2035, a full no-trade clause, and incentives that can increase the maximum value to more than $130 million. It's a bold move to extend a player who hasn't even reached the majors yet, but it falls in line with decisions we've seen from organizations across Major League Baseball. More and more, teams are starting to sign their prospects to extensions early in their career to buy out arbitration years. These deals benefit the player with guaranteed money for years to come, but also benefit the team by paying the player less than the maximum salary they could potentially get in arbitration. We're not surprised the Mariners wanted to lock up Emerson long-term, as he posted an impressive .285/.383/.458 slash line with 16 homers, 14 stolen bases, and 129 wRC+ in the minors last year. RotoBaller's Eric Cross recently ranked the shortstop as his #17 prospect to stash in redraft fantasy baseball leagues for 2026.

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Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jack Leiter allowed two earned runs, five hits, and one walk during Monday's 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. He also struck out eight batters and earned the win. It was an impressive season-opening outing from the young right-hander, who is looking to build off a breakout campaign in 2025, when he went 10-10 with a 3.86 ERA and 8.78 K/9 across 29 starts. Now that he has established himself as a consistent rotation piece, he should rack up innings and become an intriguing starting pitching option for fantasy baseball managers. As it stands, he ranks #62 among starters in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings. He's projected to return to the mound on Sunday, April 5, against the Cincinnati Reds. It'll be an exciting pitching matchup as Leiter toes the rubber opposite Chase Burns.

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San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Ryan Walker allowed two runs but earned the save during Monday's 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres. Walker entered with a 3-0 lead, and he allowed a walk and a two-run homer before recording the final out to secure the victory. He also struck out one batter along the way. It wasn't a very pretty outing, but he earned the save nonetheless. Each of Walker's last two appearances has come in the ninth inning, so it appears Giants manager Tony Vitello plans to use him as the club's closer for now. The two-pitch righty has struck out three batters over 2.1 innings so far this year, but he needs to cut down on walks and induce more ground balls in order to produce better results going forward. He currently ranks #19 among relievers in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings for 2026.

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Cincinnati Reds right-handed pitcher Chase Burns allowed zero runs, one hit, and three walks over five innings of work during his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. He struck out seven batters along the way and ultimately earned the win. Burns was cruising, but given that it was his first outing of the regular season, manager Terry Francona pulled him after just 78 pitches. His fastball velocity averaged out to 98.3 mph, consistent with his velocity numbers from his rookie season in 2025. The 23-year-old continues to be an impressive starting pitching option in fantasy baseball, ranking #37 among starters in RotoBaller's latest rankings. He'll return to the mound on Sunday, April 5, against the Texas Rangers.

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Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Monday, earning the save in his team's 9-6 win over the Detroit Tigers. He struck out one batter en route to securing his first save of the 2026 season. It's been a small sample size of just 1.1 innings so far this year for Sewald, but so far, he's been productive. He has retired all four batters he's faced, and he has an impressive 76.5% strike rate. That rate might not be sustainable, but still, it's encouraging to see him find the zone with such consistency. We're also intrigued that the average fastball velocity has jumped to 92.2 mph, which is his highest mark since 2023. If he can continue to earn saves, limit walks, and generally pitch effectively, he'll soar higher than his current rank as the #28 reliever in RotoBaller's latest fantasy baseball rankings.

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Texas Rangers relief pitcher Tyler Alexander recorded his second save of the season during Monday's win over the Baltimore Orioles. Alexander retired all three batters he faced in a scoreless ninth inning, including two via the strikeout. He has allowed zero earned runs over three innings of work this year with two saves, one hit, zero walks, and three strikeouts. Alexander doesn't have elite velocity -- his fastball is averaging 89.9 mph -- but he makes up for it with an impressive slider that grades out at 114 Stuff+, according to FanGraphs' models. The 31-year-old seems to have established himself as the Rangers' closer, earning save situations over other candidates like Robert Garcia and Chris Martin. If he keeps it up, he could generate some streaming appeal in fantasy baseball.

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Cincinnati Reds reliever Connor Phillips worked around two walks to earn the save while pitching a scoreless ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. With the Reds leading by two, manager Terry Francona turned to Phillips for the first save opportunity of his three-year major league career. He had some trouble with control but managed to keep Pittsburgh off the board, preserving Cincinnati's 2-0 lead. Phillips was only used in the ninth inning on Monday because closer Emilio Pagan had pitched each of the two previous days. Going forward, as long as Pagan is rested, he'll get the save situations for the Reds. As a result, managers should not rush to add Phillips in fantasy baseball leagues.

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Houston Astros veteran second baseman Jose Altuve can still hit. The 35-year-old nine-time All-Star, former MVP, and three-time batting champion had a big night as the team's leadoff hitter in the 8-1 win over the Boston Red Sox, going 4-for-4 at the plate with two home runs, four runs scored, and a walk to boost his early-season batting average to .412 and his OPS to 1.389. Both of Altuve's home runs in the first game of the series at Daikin Park came off right-hander Johan Oviedo. It was Altuve's 15th career multi-homer game. Father Time remains undefeated, and Altuve is no spring chicken anymore, but Monday night's performance is a reminder that he still has plenty of fantasy value as a starting second baseman in mixed fantasy leagues. If Altuve can remain healthy, we wouldn't rule out his chances of posting another 20-20 season in his 17th year in the big leagues.

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Chicago White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas took care of business on Monday to help the team beat the Miami Marlins 9-4 in the opening game of a series at LoanDepot Park, going 2-for-4 with a grand slam, two runs scored, and a career-high six RBI. Vargas was playing first base in this one while batting out of the leadoff spot. His grand slam came in the fourth inning off right-hander Chris Paddack. The home run was his first of 2026, and his six RBI were also his first runs batted in of the season. In his first full season with the White Sox in 2025, Vargas hit .234/.316/.401 with a .717 OPS, 16 home runs, 60 RBI, 80 runs scored, and six stolen bases in 569 plate appearances over 138 games played. In deep-mixed leagues as corner-infield depth, Vargas is a fine power bat as an everyday player who has eligibility at both first and third base for the Pale Hose. Vargas' six-RBI game will surely draw attention to him in deeper leagues where he's available.

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Houston Astros manager Joe Espada thinks right-handed reliever Bryan Abreu's dip in velocity in Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Angels was due to issues with his mechanics and not any physical injury, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Abreu's fastball averaged 93.2 mph in his outing on Sunday after averaging 97.3 mph a season ago. With his velocity being down early on, Abreu has struggled as the team's de facto closer with Josh Hader (biceps) on the injured list. He's allowed four earned runs on a home run while walking four and striking out three in 1 1/3 innings. Espada said on Monday that Abreu is "doing well." On Saturday, Abreu averaged 95.9 mph on his 12 fastballs but walked two batters and gave up a three-run homer to Nolan Schanuel. Abreu, who had a 2.28 ERA and led all relievers with 105 strikeouts in 70 outings, is capable of turning things around and needs to be rostered for saves as Houston's primary closer while Hader is sidelined.

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New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (shoulder) has been hitting off the Trajekt pitching machine and will advance to live batting practice soon, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. The Yankees put Volpe on the 10-day injured list to begin the 2026 campaign after he had surgery to fix the labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder last October. He has been brought along slowly, but he could be cleared to start a minor-league rehab assignment in the second week of April. The most likely scenario is that Volpe will be ready to make his 2026 season debut at some point in early May, barring a setback. The former first-rounder in 2019 hit just .212 (114-for-539) and managed to hit 19 home runs and steal 18 bases in 153 regular-season games despite dealing with a labrum tear for the majority of the season. Until he's ready to return, the speedy Jose Caballero will be the Yankees' primary shortstop. Volpe is rostered in just 7% of Yahoo leagues right now.

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New York Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) is scheduled to throw one "up" of live batting practice in a couple of days, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Cole continues to trudge along in his recovery from Tommy John surgery that he had in March of last year. Ultimately, the Yankees are hoping that he can return to the team's starting rotation by late May or early June. Cole threw 2 2/3 innings during spring training before the team placed him on the 15-day injured list for the start of the regular season. The former American League Cy Young winner deserves to be stashed in all fantasy baseball leagues, but you'll need to be patient. Because of Cole's long layoff, workload restrictions are expected to be in place to help ease him back in. The former first overall pick in 2011 out of UCLA is a six-time All-Star, but he has only made 17 starts for the Yankees since the start of the 2024 season.

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New York Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon (elbow) threw 50 pitches in a live batting practice session on Sunday, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Rodon was forced to start the 2026 season on the 15-day injured list after having surgery in the offseason to remove a bone spur from his left elbow. However, he's already throwing off a mound against hitters, which means he might not be far off from a minor-league rehab assignment. If Rodon doesn't encounter any setbacks as he continues to ramp up, he could make his season debut for the Yankees in April. The three-time All-Star really struggled in his first year in the Bronx in 2023, but he's been much better the last two years, going 34-18 with a 3.50 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 398 strikeouts, and 130 walks in 370 1/3 innings over 65 starts in pinstripes. Rodon absolutely should be rostered in all fantasy leagues while he recovers, given his high-end upside for one of the best teams in baseball.

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