Fantasy baseball news: Marlins getting healthy, Braves bullpen may need restKyle Stowers made his 2026 debut on Sunday after being sidelined with a hamstring strain. AP Photo/Rebecca BlackwellESPN FantasyApr 20, 2026, 07:08 AM ETClose
Everything that happens in and around MLB has some additional context when viewed from a fantasy baseball perspective. From lineup changes to minor league call-ups to injuries and so much more, the news cycle will constantly affect player values in fantasy baseball.
Our fantasy baseball buzz file, with contributions from our ESPN fantasy writers, aims to provide fantasy managers with the intel they need as news breaks around MLB.
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April 20: Monday morning’s news to know
By Todd Zola
Remember, it’s a marathon and not a sprint. I mean literally, as it’s Marathon Day in Boston, which means the annual Patriots’ Day game gets underway at 11:10 a.m. ET when the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers play the finale of their wraparound four-game series. Nine more games comprise the evening slate.
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Not only did Kyle Stowers make his 2026 debut for the Miami Marlins yesterday, but 3B Graham Pauley also returned to the lineup after missing Saturday’s game due to his having tweaked his oblique on Friday. Pauley is the club’s best defender at the hot corner but is batting just .174/.191/.304. The Marlins have indicated that they could use Stowers at first base, which would free up Connor Norby to play third. However, one reason to do this would be to get Heriberto Hernandez’s bat back in the lineup (although his current .137/.267/.176 line is even worse than Pauley’s). The plan was for Christopher Morel to be the team’s regular first baseman, but he was scratched prior to the opener and has been on the IL ever since due to a strained left oblique. He’s set to begin a rehab assignment this week.
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Atlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias recorded last night’s save but needed 21 pitches to get the job done. He was unavailable on Saturday after waking up with a sore shoulder. While the injury isn’t serious, since his pitch count was extended yesterday, Iglesias may not be available for tonight’s road affair with the Washington Nationals. The tricky thing is that Robert Suarez threw 14 pitches in both weekend games, notching a save on Saturday. If Iglesias and Suarez are unavailable, Tyler Kinley and Aaron Bummer are the most rested setup men.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers placed 1B Freddie Freeman on the paternity list yesterday. Ryan Ward was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City and played first base. He should continue to fill in until Freeman rejoins the club, likely during the series with the San Francisco Giants that begins on Tuesday. The Dodgers wrap up their road set with the Colorado Rockies tonight.
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Daulton Varsho missed his second straight game yesterday as he’s experiencing a sore left knee. The lefty bat is listed as day-to-day, but with the Toronto Blue Jays in Anaheim to face southpaw Reid Detmers and the Los Angeles Angels, Varsho may sit out another day even if he’s better. The Angels enjoyed a lineup boost yesterday with Jorge Soler‘s return from his four-game suspension. He’s back in his usual cleanup spot, pushing Jo Adell to the six-hole and Oswald Peraza to the bench.
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Be sure to check out the newest fantasy lineup advice as well as the MLB betting tips for Monday.
April 19: Sunday morning’s news to know
By Todd Zola
Below-average temperatures are the theme of today’s 15-game slate, with runs likely at a premium in most contests, beginning with the Washington Nationals hosting the San Francisco Giants at 1:35 p.m. ET. The forecast is for cool temperatures, with the wind blowing in.
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Today’s game between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers originally scheduled for 1:35 p.m. ET has been moved to 4:35 p.m. ET. Rain is expected around Fenway Park in the morning and early afternoon. This is the third game of a four-game wraparound series, with tomorrow’s tilt being the annual Patriots’ Day game scheduled for 11:05 a.m. ET.
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The New York Mets finally placed Jorge Polanco on the 10-day IL due to a bruised right wrist. He has also been nursing Achilles bursitis, so the club decided to shut down the veteran to let him heal.
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J.T. Realmuto left Saturday night’s game in the sixth inning after worsening a back injury he initially suffered Friday night. He’s slated for further evaluation today and is questionable for tonight’s slate-ending contest when the Philadelphia Phillies host the Atlanta Braves. Before yesterday’s game, the Phillies placed closer Jhoan Duran on the 15-day IL with a strained left oblique. Brad Keller and Jose Alvarado are the top options for ninth-inning duties.
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The Braves hope that closer Raisel Iglesias will be available after he missed yesterday’s game with a sore shoulder. Iglesias revealed waking up with the issue after sleeping on his shoulder. Robert Suarez filled in and collected his first save.
April 17: Forecaster findings for Week 4
By Tristan H. Cockcroft
Fantasy baseball’s Week 4 gets off to an unusually early start, as it begins with the annual Patriots’ Day Boston Red Sox game, scheduled for an 11:10 a.m. ET first pitch. This year’s game features the finale of a four-game, weekend-wraparound series against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Fantasy managers must make sure to get their lineups set for all Red Sox and Tigers in advance, as well as to get all of their moves in for the day (or week) before that time.
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The week ends with a two-game series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres in Mexico City. The Saturday-Sunday series, with the Diamondbacks designated as the home team, will be played at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú. The venue has an elevation of 7,350 feet, more than 2,000 feet higher than Colorado’s Coors Field, making it an extremely hitter-friendly environment. In the four regular-season games played there (two apiece in 2023 and 2024), teams combined to score 63 runs on 87 hits with 22 home runs, while hitting .302/.375/.601.
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That Padres-Diamondbacks series results in the season’s first five-game weeks, as both teams are scheduled to play only five times, due to the travel involved. Nevertheless, the Padres’ schedule grades as the week’s most hitter-friendly, as the team begins the week with three games at Coors Field. You’ll want to keep all your Padres hitters active, but avoid all of their pitchers except perhaps closer Mason Miller and his absurd career 41.3% strikeout rate and 0.69 HR/9 ratio.
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Kyle Tucker, now a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, faces his 2025 team, the Chicago Cubs, for the first time this season. Tucker’s Dodgers host the Cubs for three weekend games from Friday-Sunday. The Cubs could have Matthew Boyd (biceps, 15-day IL) back in their rotation for a start during that series. The left-hander made a rehabilitation start for Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, giving him a realistic chance at a two-start week with starts on Tuesday at home against the Philadelphia Phillies and in the series finale against the Dodgers on Sunday.
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Trey Yesavage (shoulder, 15-day IL), last year’s postseason hero, appears likely to rejoin the Toronto Blue Jays for his first start of 2026 on Tuesday. Yesavage threw 4⅓ innings and 71 pitches in his most recent minor league rehab start for Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday, meaning he should be about ready to absorb a traditional 85-90 pitch workload once he’s activated.
*Be sure to take a complete look at the Forecaster charts before locking in your Week 4 lineups.
