Enyel De Los Santos Picks Up Third Save, the Clear-Cut Closer in Houston?: Houston Astros right-hander Enyel De Los Santos could be emerging as the preferred closer in Houston while left-handed reliever Josh Hader (biceps) remains on the 15-day injured list. De Los Santos picked up his third save of the 2026 season in Wednesday's 2-0 shutout win over the hosting Cleveland Guardians, allowing one hit, walking one, and striking out one in 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Right-hander Bryan Abreu failed with his season-opening chance to be the Astros' primary closer, and Bryan King has also received an opportunity, but right now, the Astros' preferred choice in the ninth inning appears to be De Los Santos. The 30-year-old has a 3.86 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with eight strikeouts and three walks in his 9 1/3 innings out of the bullpen so far this year. The back end of Houston's bullpen is pretty fluid at the moment, so although De Los Santos' fantasy value is on the rise, it may not last. He's currently rostered in only 13% of Yahoo leagues. - as of Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:54:08
Wyatt Langford Expected to Go on Injured List With Flexor Strain: Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (forearm) said he's going on the injured list with a Grade 1 flexor strain in his right forearm that he suffered on a swing during Tuesday's win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to Jeff Wilson of All City DLLS. The good news for fantasy managers, though, is that he's only expected to need 10 days to get healthy again. The Rangers will recall outfielder Alejandro Osuna to replace Langford on the big-league roster. Ezequiel Duran, who got the start in left field on Wednesday with Langford sidelined, should see most of the playing time for the Rangers in the next 10 days in left field. The 24-year-old Langford has plenty of long-term upside because of his power and speed profile, but injuries continue to get in the way for the former fourth overall pick out of Florida in 2023. Fantasy managers should not be thinking of dumping him to the waiver wire. In his first 80 at-bats in 2026, Langford has 19 hits, a homer, four RBI, nine runs scored, and three stolen bases for the Rangers. - as of Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:58:05
Wyatt Langford Sitting Out on Wednesday With Forearm Injury: Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford (forearm) is not in the team's starting lineup for Wednesday's contest against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates after being pulled from Tuesday's win early with right-forearm stiffness, according to MLB.com. Langford told reporters after Tuesday's game that he felt the tightness on a swing. He will undergo an MRI exam on Wednesday. It's bad timing for Langford, as he was the team's hottest hitter before the injury, going 7-for-14 in the three-game series against the Seattle Mariners over the weekend. In his first 80 at-bats of the 2026 season, the 24-year-old former fourth overall pick in 2023 out of the University of Florida has hit .238 (19-for-80) with a homer, three doubles, two triples, four RBI, nine runs, and three stolen bases in 20 games. Ezequiel Duran will make the start in left field and hit ninth on Wednesday against the Pirates and right-hander Braxton Ashcraft. Even if Langford requires a trip to the injured list, he should be stashed in all fantasy leagues due to his power/speed upside. - as of Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:23:05
Roman Anthony Day-to-Day With Sore Back: Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that outfielder Roman Anthony (back) is dealing with a sore back and is day-to-day, according to Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald. Anthony came down with some back tightness on Tuesday and is not in the starting nine for Wednesday's game against the division-rival New York Yankees with a left-hander on the mound. Fantasy managers will want to check back to see if Anthony is ready to return for Thursday's series finale. With Anthony out on Wednesday, Andruw Monasterio is serving as the team's designated hitter. The 21-year-old Anthony was as advertised in his major-league debut in 71 games in 2025, slashing .292/.396/.463 with an .859 OPS, eight homers, 32 RBI, 48 runs, and four steals in 303 plate appearances, but he's gone only 18-for-80 (.225) so far in 2026 with a homer and four RBI in 22 games played in his first full big-league season. It's too early to panic about Anthony, and hopefully, he can avoid a trip to the injured list. - as of Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:15:06
Nathan Church Heating Up, Worth a Waiver-Wire Pickup?: St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Nathan Church had another hit on Wednesday in the team's 4-1 loss to the hosting Miami Marlins, and he's now gone 8-for-20 with a double, home run, three RBI, four runs scored, and three steals in the last six games to boost his season average to .236 and his OPS to .659. He now has two home runs, eight RBI, nine runs scored, three stolen bases, three walks, and 15 strikeouts in 21 games played in the early going of his first full major-league season. The 25-year-old former 11th-round selection out of UC Irving in 2022 went 10-for-56 (.179) with a homer, eight RBI, and nine runs scored in just 27 games in his major-league debut with the Red Birds in 2025. Because Church has yet to face a left-handed pitcher, his fantasy value in mixed leagues is limited. However, if Church continues to hit, he could see his role increase in St. Louis' outfield. Right now in Yahoo leagues, Church is only rostered in 1% of leagues. - as of Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:08:07
Anthony Volpe 10-14 Days Away From Season Debut With Yanks: New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Foul Territory on Wednesday that shortstop Anthony Volpe (shoulder) has had "zero issues" with his surgically-repaired left (non-throwing) shoulder over the last couple of months. "Realistically, he's still 10 days [or] two weeks away, I would think," Boone said. Volpe played most of last year with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, but he still managed to hit 19 home runs, drive in 72 runs, and steal 18 bases in 153 regular-season games. He has gone 6-for-15 with a home run and two stolen bases in his five minor-league rehab games with Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Volpe is getting very close to making his 2026 season debut, but the Yankees aren't going to rush him back, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to be back until the calendar flips to May. The 24-year-old is only rostered in 8% of Yahoo leagues right now, but that number should increase in the coming weeks as he nears reinstatement from the 10-day IL. Volpe should take over starting duties at the 6 in the Bronx from Jose Caballeros when he's ready. - as of Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:52:17
Josh Naylor an Early-Season Disappointment, is There Hope for a Turnaround?: After an atrocious start to the season, Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor appears to be coming around. The left-handed hitter went 6-for-59 (.102) over the season's first 15 games without a single extra-base hit, however, over the last eight games, he is 9-for-29 (.310) with four extra-base hits (two doubles, two home runs). In all, he's produced a .170/.253/.261 slash line with a .237 wOBA and 51 wRC+, not even close to his career line of .269/.329/.447 with a .332 wOBA and 115 wRC+ that he came into the season with. The good news is that he is still striking out at a better-than-average rate (16.2 percent), making more contact (80.6 percent) than he did last year, and both his xBA (.229) and xwOBA (.291) are much higher than his actual stats. Given his recent turnaround, he appears headed in the right direction, and the stats point to brighter days ahead. - as of Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:40:30
Blue Jays Considering Demoting Jeff Hoffman in the Bullpen?: Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman will not be available for Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Angels after pitching three times in four days, but manager John Schneider said the team will "use the off day to talk about (role) with him," according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. "We'll re-evaluate everything, talk with him, and see how he's doing. He's going through it, obviously, a little bit." Hoffman was credited with his first hold of the year in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Angels, but he was pulled from the game after just one-third of an inning, having allowed an earned run on two hits, two hit-by-pitches, and a strikeout. Louis Varland came on to replace him and closed the door by inducing a double-play groundout. Fantasy managers scrounging for saves in the early going in 2026 should look to pick Varland up off the waiver wire immediately. Hoffman has strikeout upside -- he's fanned 24 in just 10 2/3 innings, but he's also allowed 11 runs (nine earned) while walking six and blowing three saves already. He's a very volatile option for saves in fantasy who might be on the verge of a bullpen demotion. - as of Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:38:01
Victor Vodnik a Name to Consider for Saves: Colorado Rockies closer Victor Vodnik has been solid so far this season and is a name to consider when searching the waiver wire for saves. The right-hander blew his first save opportunity of the season back on March 29, but made seven straight scoreless appearances after that, during which time he tallied three saves. His last outing did not go so well, allowing two earned runs on three hits, a walk, and a wild pitch, but thankfully, it was a non-save situation, and his job appears to be secure. With the Rockies showing some fight lately, including taking two of four from the mighty Dodgers, they certainly appear to be capable of winning more games than they did a season ago (.375 winning percentage compared to .265), which should mean more save chances for their closer. The 26-year-old is the owner of a 3.60 ERA, and while a WHIP of 1.80 and K-BB% of 2.1 percent are not fantasy-friendly, he does not appear to have competition for the role at the moment, and the 6-foot hurler can be found in over 90 percent of Yahoo! leagues. - as of Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:27:06
Phillies Place J.T. Realmuto on Injured List With Back Injury: The Philadelphia Phillies placed catcher J.T. Realmuto (back) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with a lower-back injury, league sources told Matt Gelb of The Athletic. Realmuto had missed two games before returning on Tuesday. In a corresponding move, the Phils are calling up Garett Stubbs from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and he will split time behind the plate with Rafael Marchan. Despite dealing with back and foot injuries in the first couple of weeks of the 2026 season, Realmuto managed to hit .259/.344/.352 with a home run, four RBI, and five runs scored in his first 54 at-bats. It's more bad news for the Phillies, though, who have lost seven straight games to dig themselves a sizeable hole early on. It's only the third time in Realmuto's eight years with the Phillies that he has landed on the IL. Marchan has started the year 2-for-31 at the plate with a homer and seven strikeouts, while Stubbs hit .289/.413/.632 in 46 plate appearances at Triple-A before his call-up. Fantasy managers should be looking to avoid the catching situation in Philly with Realmuto sidelined.UPDATE: Realmuto was officially put on the IL with back spasms. - as of Wed, 22 Apr 2026 15:22:05