Fantasy baseball news: Expect Padres bats to stay hot and Friday’s news to knowThe Padres’ bats should remain hot next week as they play in some choice pro-offense parks. APESPN FantasyApr 17, 2026, 10:59 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 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.
April 17: Friday morning’s news to know
By Todd Zola
The Chicago Cubs are home for a weekend series against the New York Mets, which means a Friday matinee at 2:20 p.m. ET. Many of the 14 evening affairs feature weather that should suppress power, but not so for today’s tilt at Wrigley Field, which will be warm with the wind blowing out to left.
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A notable venue where temperature and wind could keep the ball in the yard is Fenway Park, where the Boston Red Sox host the Detroit Tigers. Even though the wind is forecast to blow out at Target Field when the Minnesota Twins entertain the Cincinnati Reds, the temperatures will be in the low 40s, which favors pitching. Keeping in mind that Coors Field aids run scoring more than homers, low temperatures and a breeze blowing in could actually keep homers in check, although the Colorado Rockies and visiting Los Angeles Dodgers should still be able to put runs on the board.
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The Rockies may be without Willi Castro, who missed last night’s game after being hit on the hand by a pitch on Wednesday. Edouard Julien filled in at second base but went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts. He has gone hitless in his last 13 at-bats since a 10-for-21 stretch earlier in the month.
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The Houston Astros will summon Peter Lambert from Triple-A Sugar Land to start tonight’s home matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals. After spending several seasons in the Rockies organization, he pitched for the Yakult Swallows last year in Japan. Lambert signed a minor league deal with the Astros in the offseason and has made three appearances for the Space Cowboys, posting a 1.84 ERA and an 0.99 WHIP, albeit with a modest 12 strikeouts in 14⅔ innings.
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Knuckleballer Matt Waldron will make his 2026 debut tonight when the San Diego Padres visit Anaheim for an interleague date with the Los Angeles Angels. He tossed 12 scoreless frames while on rehab with Triple-A El Paso. He usually uses his knuckleball around half of the time, mixing in a four-seamer, sinker, slider, and cutter. However, his usage of the pitch with the Chihuahuas was just 26% as he focused on his two-seam and four-seam fastball, both of which exhibited an increase in velocity.
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Be sure to check out the just in fantasy lineup advice as well as the MLB betting tips for Friday.
April 16: Thursday morning’s news to know
Tatsuya Imai is just one of an ever-growing list of Astros pitchers spending time on the 15-day IL. Joe Nicholson-Imagn ImagesBy Todd ZolaThe Pittsburgh Pirates hosting the Washington Nationals at 12:35 PM ET leads off today’s abbreviated 10-game schedule. Six more matinees follow, with three evening affairs rounding out the action.
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With Hunter Brown, Tatsuya Imai, Cristian Javier, and Cody Bolton all on the 15-day IL, the Houston Astros will send Ryan Weiss to the mound for tonight’s home tilt with the Colorado Rockies. He spent the last few seasons pitching in Korea. So far this season, Weiss has pitched in long relief, logging 62 and 64 pitches in his last two outings.
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Last night, the San Diego Padres extended their winning streak to seven with another big come-from-behind victory. However, earlier in the day, they received bad news when Nick Pivetta was diagnosed with a strained right flexor tendon, which will likely sideline him until after the All-Star break. They also revealed that Joe Musgrove has not been cleared for bullpen sessions yet and is only able to play catch. Matt Waldron is expected to be activated from the 15-day IL to join the Padres rotation sometime this weekend.
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Jorge Soler began serving his suspension yesterday after having it reduced from seven games down to four. He’ll be eligible to return on Sunday. The Los Angeles Angels will miss his power and run production. Soler is hitting only .231, but he has five homers, 18 RBI, and 13 runs through 18 games.
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The Chicago White Sox are going to borrow a page from the Tampa Bay Rays’ playbook when they get together for a matinee in the Windy City. Jordan Leasure will serve as the opener, with Anthony Kay following in bulk relief. The Rays will be forced to make several lineup decisions since they deploy multiple platoons, and they’ll face a right-hander for only about an inning before seeing a lefty.
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Staying in Chicago, Sam Antonacci made his MLB debut last night, playing second base with Chase Meidroth getting the day off. However, White Sox manager Will Venable indicated that Antonacci will get most of his playing time in left field. The 23-year-old earned his promotion with a .313/.500/.479 line for Triple-A Charlotte, stealing five bases in six attempts.
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The Baltimore Orioles called up C Sam Huff yesterday. He joins fellow backstops Samuel Basallo and Maverick Handley on the active roster. The move will allowing Basallo to serve primarily as the team’s DH. Huff got the call despite batting just .156/.250/.188 for Triple-A Norfolk.
April 14: A somewhat surprising source of saves
By Eric Karabell
Jakob Junis, 33, pitched well for the 2025 Cleveland Guardians, but doesn’t every relief pitcher thrive on that team? A longtime starter whom most fantasy managers ignored for good reason, Junis has never thrown particularly hard when compared to his peers, never piled on the strikeouts and, even last season, permitted nearly a hit per inning.
Today, he leads the Texas Rangers with three saves, one more than he accumulated during his first nine seasons combined.
This has happened because LHP Robert Garcia and RHP Chris Martin boast matching 1.83 WHIP marks. Move on from them. Junis has permitted very little. RHP Cole Winn and LHP Jacob Latz are firmly in the picture, too, and they will get holds, but Junis — I can’t believe this has really happened — might keep this role.
*For more of this week’s closer stock watch, be sure to read Karabell’s full column.
