NL Week 7 Strategy-May 3, 2026
In The Field
C Sean Murphy (hip) is expected to be activated next week for the series against the Mariners. He is likely to get most of his at-bats initially at DH while he is slowly worked in at catcher. This means that C Jonah Heim’s time with the club is likely going to come to an end soon. 2B Jorge Polanco (wrist/Achilles) has started baseball activities, but is still weeks away from returning, according to Mets president David Stearns. OF Lars Nootbaar (heel) is getting close to playing in extended spring training games. He had offseason surgery on both of his heels. Nootbaar is eligible to return from the 60-day IL on May 24. OF Luis Robert Jr. was placed on the 10-day IL on Thursday with a spine disc herniation. He got an injection on Thursday and is going to be shut down for 7-10 days. 3B Jared Triolo (knee) had been on a rehab assignment for Single-A Bradenton before moving up to Double-A Altoona. 3B Nick Gonzales has played well in his absence (.336 AVG with 0 HR, 15 R, 17 RBI, and 2 SB), so there is no guarantee that he gets his starting job back. The one thing that Triolo does have going for him is his glove. 3B Eugenio Suarez (oblique) is eligible to return from the 10-day IL on Saturday, but that appears unlikely given that he is still tender according to manager Terry Francona. This has given 1B Nathaniel Lowe more at-bats at DH, which he has taken advantage of (.288 AVG with 5 HR, 8 R, 15 RBI, and 0 SB in 66 PA). The Reds will have to think about potentially playing Suarez at third with the struggles of 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes at the plate (.119 AVG with 1 HR). SS Dansby Swanson (glute) was not in the Cubs lineup on Wednesday but returned on Friday. Swanson is hitting .219 with 6 HR, 24 R, 24 RBI, and 2 SB. He has shown good plate skills (16% BB and 23%) and hit the ball hard (12% Barrels), but has suffered from a .230 BABIP. SS Mookie Betts has resumed hitting after being shut down due to renewed soreness in his right oblique. 2B Hyseong Kim has been playing shortstop in his absence. Kim is hitting .304 with 1 HR, 7 R, 7 RBI, and 5 SB. It is likely that he shifts over to 2B when Betts does return and 2B Alex Freeland is out of at-bats. 3B Alex Bregman is dealing with a toe injury. It kept him out of the lineup on Tuesday, but he was right back in there on Wednesday. Bregman has struggled to start his Cubs career (.250 AVG with 3 HR, 11 R, 12 RBI, and 1 SB) but has been better of late (.280 AVG over the past 14 days). SS Geraldo Perdomo (ankle) missed back-to-back games last Sunday and Tuesday but has started every game since. He is hitting .236 with 1 HR, 11 R, 6 RBI, and 6 SB. He is simply not hitting the ball hard (3% Barrels and 25% Hardhit). C Liam Hicks was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with an illness but returned on Wednesday. He has been awesome to start the year (.309 AVG with 7 HR, 18 R, 29 RBI, and 1 SB). OF Christian Yelich (groin) has been hitting and running. He is still targeting a mid-May return. C Gary Sanchez had seen most of the at-bats at DH while he has been out, but in the past week, they have been using 1B Tyler Black more due to him swinging a hot bat (.389 AVG). C J.T. Realmuto (back) was able to do baseball activities this week and was activated on Saturday. Realmuto was hitting .259 with 1 HR, 5 R, 4 RBI, and 0 SB before the injury. He isn’t striking out (18% K) but also hasn’t hit the ball hard (2% Barrels). OF Jackson Chourio (hand) started his rehab assignment on Wednesday with Triple-A Nashville. He is expected to make his season debut on Monday, May 4. He is recovering from hamate bone surgery on his left hand. SS Ha-Seong Kim (finger) started his rehab assignment with Double-A Columbus this week. C Gabriel Moreno (oblique) returned to the Diamondbacks lineup on Friday, batting fourth and playing catcher. 2B Nico Hoerner left Friday’s game early due to neck tightness. He is considered day-to-day. OF Justin Crawford was scratched from the Phillies lineup on Saturday due to a migraine.
On The Mound
Brandon Woodruff (arm) was pulled from his most recent start after just 1.1 IP. He was averaging 85 mph on his fastball, which is down significantly from his season average (92 mph). He chalked it up to dead arm because he did not experience any pain, so the Brewers were going to give him some time off before his next start. The Brewers changed their mind on Friday and placed him on the 15-day IL. This situation is worth monitoring given his recent injury history. Jared Jones went 3 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, and 5 K in his first rehab start against Single-A Bradenton. The really intriguing part of his start was hitting 101.1 mph on the radar gun. There were reports of him hitting strong velocities in bullpens, but it was good to see it in an actual game. The Pirates’ rotation has been a strong suit in the early going, but Carmen Mlodzinski has struggled with lefties and turning the lineup over more than once, so the easy move would be to move him back to the bullpen. Spencer Strider is going to make his season debut on Sunday against the Rockies in Coors Field. It isn’t the best setup for his return, but it will be good to see him on a major league mound. In his last rehab start, he was able to complete 5 IP with 82 pitches. He touched 96.9 mph while averaging 95.2 mph, which is in line with what he did last year but is still not back to his dominant form. The good news is that he has increased the vertical break on his fastball, and it is closer to 2024 than 2025. Griffin Canning (Achilles) is scheduled to make one more rehab start for Triple-A El Paso before being activated. He threw 68 pitches in his last start, so the goal is to get him over 75-80 pitches. Zac Gallen (shoulder) was cleared for mound work and threw a bullpen on Wednesday. He started on Friday (3.2 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 3 BB, and 3 K). Gallen has continued his struggles from last year (4.45 ERA and 1.52 WHIP), but his underlying metrics are scary (14% K and 4.71 SIERA). Justin Steele (elbow) had a setback in his recovery and is not expected to return until after the All-Star break. A definitive timeline isn’t going to be available until he starts a throwing program. Quinn Priester (wrist) went 2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, and 1 K in his rehab start on Friday night. He has had trouble with command in all three of his rehab starts, so it is likely that he continues to work in the minors until he figures it out. Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) has not started a throwing program. This is part of his recovery from surgery in February. Manager Walt Weiss told the media on Tuesday that Schwellenbach will not pitch until after the All-Star break at the earliest. The Braves are currently in a position where they can play it safe with a promising young right-hander. It is important to keep in mind that he missed the final three months of last season with a fracture in his pitching elbow before having surgery this spring. Hurston Waldrep (elbow) is scheduled for a bullpen in a week, and his current timeline is a June return. Kodai Senga (back) was placed on the 15-day IL on Tuesday with lumbar spine inflammation. He has struggled mightily this season (9.00 ERA, 1.95 WHIP, 24% K, and 13% BB). He’s going to be shut down for 7-10 days, and the expectation is that the Mets are going to try to get him back to form in the minors before bringing him back. This has opened up a spot for Christian Scott, who pitched well in his latest outing (5 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, and 8 K). Hunter Greene (elbow) has progressed in his throwing program to 110 ft. and is three weeks away from bullpen work. He had surgery in mid-March to remove bone chips. Nick Lodolo (finger) is scheduled for 75-80 pitches for Triple-A Louisville on Saturday. He could be activated next week if everything checks out well after this start. Jacob Misiorowski left Friday’s start with a right hamstring cramp. He is scheduled to make his next start, and this was a precautionary thing, but keep an eye out as we get into next week.
In The Bullpen
Daniel Palencia (lat) made a rehab appearance on Friday and hit 102 mph with his fastball. He is expected to be activated soon. Jhoan Duran (oblique) threw a bullpen on Thursday. It was the first time he had thrown since being placed on the IL. He was slated to throw another on Saturday. Edwin Diaz (elbow) had loose bodies removed from his elbow on April 22. He believes that he will come back strong in the second half of the season. Raisel Iglesias (shoulder) is expected to be activated next Tuesday when first eligible to come off the 15-day IL. Iglesias pitched well before going on the IL (0.00 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 35% K, and 3% BB), so he should get the closer’s job back, but Robert Suarez has been waiting in the wings (0.71 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 27% K, and 4% BB). Pete Fairbanks was placed on the 15-day IL on Tuesday with nerve irritation in his throwing arm. He dealt with something similar in 2024 and was out for three weeks. Tyler Phillips and Calvin Faucher got saves in his absence. Phillips has a 1.47 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 24% K, and 15% BB. The walks are scary, but Faucher has had multiple opportunities to be the Marlins’ closer and has never been able to hold onto it. His walk rate is worse than Phillips (23% BB). The Cubs got two saves this week, and neither was by Ben Brown. Jacob Webb and Hoby Milner got the saves.
Players to add this week:
SP Kyle Harrison (MIL)- Kyle Harrison has been excellent to start 2026, posting a 2.28 ERA and 1.06 WHIP across 23.2 IP. He has taken a step forward in the strikeout department (31% K) while maintaining a manageable 8% walk rate, leading to a strong 23% K-BB%. Harrison is also generating plenty of whiffs (14% SwStr) to support the strikeout jump. His 3.08 SIERA suggests the performance is mostly backed by his skills. He has been able to consistently locate his fastball at the top of the zone, which has been a game-changer for him. Harrison looks like a clear breakout arm and should be rostered in all formats.
3B Nick Gonzales (PIT)-Nick Gonzales has played well, with 3B Jared Triolo on the IL. He is hitting .336 with 15 R and 17 RBI in 123 PA. He is making good contact (18% K), but offers very little power (1% Barrels). The .418 BABIP is extremely high and will regress significantly, so this is more of a short-term play.
SP Cade Cavalli (WSH)- Cade Cavalli has had a mixed start to 2026, posting a 3.82 ERA and 1.66 WHIP across 30.2 IP. He has shown solid strikeout ability (27% K), but the 10% walk rate and elevated .419 BABIP have led to too many baserunners. His 3.71 SIERA suggests he has pitched better than the surface stats indicate. If the BABIP normalizes, Cavalli could see improved ratios moving forward. He is an upside arm worth holding or adding in deeper formats.
RP Tyler Phillips (MIA)- Marlins closer Pete Fairbanks was placed on the 15-day IL this week. Tyler Phillips and Calvin Faucher picked up saves. Phillips has a 1.47 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 24% K, and 15% BB. The walks are scary, but Faucher has had multiple opportunities to be the Marlins’ closer and has never been able to hold onto it.
1B Nathaniel Lowe (CIN)- Nathaniel Lowe is off to a strong start in 2026, hitting .288 with 5 HR, 8 R, and 15 RBI in 66 PA. He continues to show a solid approach (11% BB and 16% K) with strong quality of contact (13% Barrels and 51% HardHit). The .286 BABIP suggests he could actually see some improvement in batting average moving forward. Lowe is a solid add for power and run production.
OF Jung Hoo Lee (SFG)-Jung Hoo Lee is off to a steady start, hitting .298 with 2 HR, 14 R, and 11 RBI in 125 PA. He continues to show strong contact skills (13.6% K) but limited power (3% Barrels). His .330 BABIP is in line with expectations. Lee is a useful addition for batting average and runs with more speed to come, hopefully.
OF Heliot Ramos (SFG)-Heliot Ramos is off to a solid start, hitting .272 with 3 HR, 12 R, 15 RBI, and 0 SB in 122 PA. The power is supported by strong contact quality (16% Barrels and 55% HardHit), but the 31% strikeout rate is a concern. He is also running a .378 BABIP, which is likely to regress. Ramos is a worthwhile add for power, but comes with some batting average risk. He is more of a .250-.260 hitter than the .272 he has shown so far.
Registered members can click on the following link to see the complete weekly report: