NL Week 2 Strategy-April 04, 2026
In the Field
OF Jordan Lawlar was placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured right wrist. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. He was hitting .333 with 1 HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, and 1 SB in 20 PA before the injury. OF Tim Tawa and OF Jorge Barrosa are expected to fill in while he is out. Tawa offered power and speed (7 HR and 8 SB in 225 PA) last year but struggled to hit for average (.201 AVG and 28% K). Barrosa doesn’t have much major league experience, but did hit .294 with 7 HR and 10 SB in 456 PA at Triple-A last year. The most realistic scenario is that neither plays regularly, rendering both of them useless for fantasy purposes. SS Masyn Winn left Friday’s game early due to left hip soreness. He is expected to sit out Saturday and could be back in the lineup on Sunday if he feels better after a day of rest. The injury originated from overdoing it in the batting cages on Tuesday, according to Winn. C Sean Murphy (hip) caught three innings during a simulated game on Wednesday. He needs to build up to nine innings of catching and then back-to-back days of catching before being activated. Murphy is expected to start a rehab assignment soon and could return in late April or early May. This is going to end C Jonah Heim’s time with the club. C Drake Baldwin is going to continue to see regular at-bats at catcher or designated hitter when Murphy returns. Baldwin is hitting .298 with 3 HR, 9 R, 8 RBI, and 0 SB in 32 PA. OF Seiya Suzuki (knee) started his rehab assignment on Friday with Double-A Knoxville. He is expected to debut next week. Suzuki is working his way back from a strained PCL in his right knee, which occurred during the World Baseball Classic. He is coming off a huge year for the Cubs (.245 AVG with 32 HR, 75 R, 103 RBI, and 5 SB), so they are excited to get him back. There is also some hope that with better batted ball luck (.282 BABIP vs. career .320 BABIP), he can keep his power growth and hit for a more respectable average. OF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (knee) has been taking live at-bats during simulated games but hasn’t been running full speed. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo mentioned that he will continue to up the intensity of his running but that the earliest he could see him returning is late April. 1B Andrew Vaughn had successful hamate bone surgery on Monday. He is expected to be out until the middle of May, and the plan for first base while he is out is to platoon OF Jake Bauers and C Gary Sanchez. The Diamondbacks placed 1B Pavin Smith on the 10-day IL on Monday with left elbow inflammation. 1B Carlos Santana has been the Diamondbacks’ every-day first baseman to start the season, so that isn’t going to change. They are going to use the DH spot to give people off days while Smith is on the IL. The Cubs have used DH Moises Ballesteros as the DH against RHP and C Miguel Amaya against the two LHP that they have faced. Ballesteros has been up and down so far. He has shown good patience (10% BB) but has struggled to make contact (33% K). The Pirates called up top prospect SS Konnor Griffin on Friday. He promptly went 1-3 with an RBI double and a walk. This moves 2B Nick Gonzales to the bench with SS Jared Triolo moving back to his more natural position of 3B. The fantasy implications revolve around Giffin getting an entire season’s worth of at-bats at the major league level. The long-term track record of teenagers playing in the major leagues is great, but their rookie seasons leave something to be desired, given the hype. With that being said, there are very few players in the game who offer the same upside as Griffin, regardless of age. He hit .333 with 21 HR, 117 R, 94 RBI, and 65 SB across three levels of the minors. The hit tool is going to need work at the major league level, but by no means is it a deficiency. Most projection systems have him for a .250-.260 AVG with 15 HR and 25 SB. The Mets are platooning OF Carson Benge and OF Tyrone Taylor, which makes sense on the surface but hurts Benge’s fantasy value because it means fewer at-bats. He is also struggling out of the gate (.130 AVG with 31% K). OF Juan Soto left Friday’s game with calf tightness. Imagining revealed a minor calf strain, and that he is considered day-to-day; whether he hits the IL will depend on how he responds over the next couple of days. 2B Jorge Polanco suffered a setback in his recovery from left Achilles tendinitis, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. Polanco had been serving as the Mets’ DH in an effort to help with his recovery. Despite his manager saying this, he was back in the lineup on Saturday. OF Joey Wiemer is off to an extremely hot start in 2026, hitting .588 with 2 HR, 7 R, and 4 RBI in 22 PA. He is worth adding in most formats until he cools off. SS Mookie Betts (back) left Saturday’s game early and is going to have an MRI on his back. He is going to be out for the next couple of days, according to manager Dave Roberts.
On The Mound
Cade Horton (forearm) was placed on the 15-day IL. He is going to be out multiple weeks, and it could be more depending on the results of his imaging. This is tough news for the Cubs and fantasy owners who drafted Horton expecting a breakout in 2026. Chris Sale battled through illness in his most recent start (6 IP, 1 ER, 0 BB, and 3 K against the Athletics). He is not expected to miss his next start. Spencer Strider (oblique) threw a bullpen session on Friday. He is eligible to return from the 15-day IL on Monday, but the Braves will likely want him to get a rehab appearance before making his 2026 debut at the major league level. Strider showed improved shape on his pitches this spring. The concern is that his velocity has not returned and has declined each of the last four seasons. He is also coming off his second elbow surgery. Strider will have to become a more complete pitcher without the aid of his elite fastball/slider combination that led to his early dominance. Nick Lodolo (blister) left his rehab start on Thursday in the third inning after his blister reappeared. The Reds were hoping to get Lodolo back next week, but that appears unlikely now that his blister has come back. Unfortunately, with blisters, there is no timetable for a return. Jose Quintana (hamstring) was placed on the 15-day IL retroactive to Monday. This normally gives the indication that he will only need the minimum stay, but outside of NL-only leagues, Quintana should not be considered, given that he will be pitching in Colorado this year. Blake Snell (shoulder) is going to face live hitters once the Dodgers return home from their current road trip, according to manager Dave Roberts. Snell came into spring training behind due to left shoulder fatigue. It is the same injury that gave him issues last year. He is tentatively scheduled to return by the end of May. He will need to build up his pitch count and complete multiple rehab starts before returning to the Dodgers’ rotation. Quinn Priester (wrist) had a successful bullpen session on Tuesday and has been cleared to face live hitters. He is dealing with symptoms related to thoracic outlet syndrome. While it is good news, Priester missed all of spring, so he is going to need time to build up strength and stamina. He is looking at a mid-May return if he continues to progress. Merrill Kelly (back) went five scoreless innings in his rehab start on Friday for Triple-A Reno. He is likely going to be activated next week to make his season debut. Griffin Canning (Achilles) is scheduled for a rehab start on Saturday for Double-A San Antonio. He is working his way back from a torn Achilles that he suffered last June as a member of the Mets. He signed a one-year deal with the Padres this offseason. The Padres currently have German Marquez and Walker Buehler in their rotation. Both pitchers struggled mightily in 2025 (Buehler-4.93 ERA and 1.52 WHIP, Marquez-6.70 ERA and 1.71 WHIP) while Canning posted a respectable 3.77 ERA and 1.38 WHIP. Zack Wheeler (shoulder) went 3 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, and 1 K in his second rehab start for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He averaged 92.7 mph on his fastball, which is down significantly from the 96.1 mph he averaged last year before the injury. Through two starts, Tyler Mahle has a 7.00 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. However, his strikeout to walk rate (15%) points towards better results, and he isn’t going to have a .423 BABIP all year. His stuff is down, but pitching in San Francisco should help neutralize some of that. Mahle is a streamer, especially early on in the season and at home, which he is this week against the Phillies.
In The Bullpen
Jason Adam (quad) was scheduled for back-to-back rehab appearances on Friday and Saturday with Double-A San Antonio before being activated when first eligible on Monday, April 6. He will go back to the setup role in front of closer Mason Miller. The Braves’ bullpen is one to watch as Raisel Iglesias enters the year as the closer, but Robert Suarez showed better skills last year and was paid a lot of money in free agency. Iglesias picked up his first save on Friday night with Suarez getting the win. Jhoan Duran continues to be one of the better relievers in fantasy as he got a save and a win this week. The Pirates have two saves this season, and both were by guys not named Dennis Santana. Jose Urquidy picked one up early last week, and Gregory Soto got the save on Friday with Santana pitching in front of him. Manager Don Kelly said after the game that both guys are going to be used at the end of the games, which turns this into a co-closer situation. Paul Sewald picked up back-to-back saves on Monday and Tuesday before taking the loss on Friday. He’s got a 6.00 ERA, but the underlying skills look great (0.67 WHIP, 46% K and 0% BB).
Players to add this week:
SP Randy Vasquez (SDP)- Randy Vasquez displayed improved velocity this spring (95.6 mph), which he has generally held so far (95 mph). This is up from the 93.4 mph he averaged on his fastball in 2025. He has also missed more bats through two starts (24% K), which is an encouraging sign. He has a 0.75 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through 12 IP. He also gets an awesome matchup against the Rockies at home this week.
1B Ryan O’Hearn (PIT)-Ryan O’Hearn is swinging the bat well early in 2026, hitting .381 with 2 HR, 4 R, and 7 RBI in 27 PA. This is exactly why the Pirates decided to sign O’Hearn, given how bad their offense was last season. He has shown a strong plate approach (19% BB and 15% K), which is helping him get on base consistently. O’Hearn is going to play more than originally thought. He has started against two of the three LHP that the Pirates have seen. It is going to lower his production because he is much better against RHP, but it is going to get him more PA. His value goes up the deeper the league.
OF Joey Wiemer (WSH)-Joey Wiemer is off to an extremely hot start in 2026, hitting .588 with 2 HR, 7 R, and 4 RBI in 22 PA. The most encouraging sign is the improved approach (23% BB and 18% K), which is a big step forward from last season. He continues to hit the ball hard (15% Barrels) while also putting more balls in play. Wiemer is a high-upside add right now, and if the plate discipline gains stick, he could carve out a larger role.
SS Konnor Griffin (PIT)- The long-term track record of teenagers playing in the major leagues is great, but their rookie seasons have left something to be desired, given the hype. With that being said, there are very few players in the game who offer the same upside as Griffen, regardless of age. He hit .333 with 21 HR, 117 R, 94 RBI, and 65 SB across three levels of the minors. The hit tool is going to need work at the major league level, but by no means is it a deficiency. Most projection systems have him for a .250-.260 AVG with 15 HR and 25 SB. There is not going to be an add that has more upside than Griffin the rest of the way.
RP Gregory Soto (PIT)-Gregory Soto got the save on Friday with Dennis Santana pitching in front of him. Manager Don Kelly said after the game that both guys are going to be used at the end of the games, which turns this into a co-closer situation. Soto has a 1.69 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 52% K, and 10% BB. It is a small sample (5.1 IP), but his 76% first pitch strike would be a career-high.
SP Tyler Mahle (SFG)- Through two starts, Tyler Mahle has a 7.00 ERA and 1.78 WHIP. However, his strikeout to walk rate (15%) points towards better results, and he isn’t going to have a .423 BABIP all year. His stuff is down, but pitching in San Francisco should help neutralize some of that. Mahle is a streamer, especially early on in the season and at home, which he is this week against the Phillies.
C Liam Hicks (MIA)- Liam Hicks has gotten off to a strong start in 2026, hitting .368 with 3 HR, 6 R, and 12 RBI in 23 PA. He has shown improved contact and impact (16% Barrels and 47% HardHit), which is driving the early power surge. Hicks is also putting the ball in the air more (47% FB), which supports the power output. He is a strong add at catcher while he is getting consistent playing time.
1B TJ Rumfield (COL)- TJ Rumfield has started off strong in 2026, hitting .375 with 1 HR, 3 R, and 3 RBI in 27 PA. He has shown a decent approach (11% BB and 26% K) while making enough contact to keep the average up. Rumfield hit .285 with 16 HR, 85 R, 87 RBI, and 5 SB in 587 PA at Triple-A last year. He also showed good plate skills (12% BB and 18% K) over that same time period. The biggest boost to his value is going to be his home park, as playing in Coors Field will help his overall production. Rumfield is a viable short-term add while he is getting regular at-bats.
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