What We Learned in Week 1 of Fantasy Baseball

We all know that the first week of the season can tell us a lot of lies. Small sample sizes, matchups favoring one team compared to another, and one time through a rotation doesn’t provide enough data to draw many conclusions.

However, especially in fantasy baseball, even small samples can be important indications of what to expect this season. Whether it’s save opportunities going to unexpected pitchers or players slotting into new positions, every ounce of information is key.

Usually, the first month can make or break your team. Knowing which players to drop or pick up while trying to avoid a regretful roster decision is a thin line to walk. But, waiting too long can also result in missing out on players.

Today, I am going to walk through some of my key takeaways from the first week of the 2026 MLB season and how they impact your fantasy team.

Rookie Standouts

A number of rookies tend to be skipped over each draft and become quick adds on the waiver wire. While I would caution getting too excited about each shinny new thing, a number of the rookie performances look to be more than just a flash in the pan. A few players are showing what it takes for sustained success.

Sal Stewart – 1B – Cincinnati Reds

2026 Stats: .474/.615/.947, 2 HR, 3 RBI

Stewart is showing the type of advanced approach and hit tool that made him a top prospect. He’s been patient, not chasing pitches, and waiting for a pitch he can drive. Cincinnati did not use him in a full-time role last season, but Stewart is cemented in the cleanup spot and playing everyday.

I liked Stewart as a preseason sleeper pick and what we have seen so far just makes me buy in more. We’ll see if the Reds move him around adding positional flexibility to his value, but for now it’s been first base and DH.

Eugenio Suarez saw a start at third, telling us that Stewart is further down the depth chart at the hot corner.

Chase DeLauter – OF – Cleveland Guardians

2026 Stats: .273/.304/.818, 4 HR, 5 RBI

Many people are seeing DeLauter’s unique swing for the first time and wondering how it might work at the highest level. Well, so far so good. The power production has been impressive, and I think it will not be a fluke. We saw plus power in the minors and his quick hands help him adjust even to late decisions.

If the low walk rate and high strikeout rate are scary to you, just know that has not been the case throughout his minor-league career. I’m sure they will level out. Cleveland has put him in the two hole ahead of Jose Ramirez, so he’ll see plenty of pitches to hit. Staying healthy is the major factor, too.

Kevin McGonigle – SS/3B – Detroit Tigers

2026 Stats: .364/.440/.545, 0 HR, 5 RBI

The reason I am so high on McGonigle, even as a rookie, is how advanced he is at the plate. He works at-bats like a 10-year veteran and has a great eye for the zone. Power won’t drive his value but there’s enough juice to rack up extra-base hits. He’ll also draw a number of walks.

Detroit has already split his time evenly between third and short, so if you don’t have the positional flexibility yet, you soon will. It did not take long before manager A.J. Hinch elevated him from sixth to second in the lineup, which should give him more at-bats and run-production opportunities.

Andrew Painter – SP – Philadelphia Phillies

2026 Stats: 1 GS, 5.1 IP, 1.69 ERA, 0.76 FIP, 8 K

Even an untrained eye could see that Painter’s stuff looks different.

A casual fan would know it pops in a way you don’t always see from rookies, and that showed in his first start. His breaking pitches were getting a ton of late movement, producing six whiffs on 13 swings. The Nationals loaded up with lefties and Painter didn’t have a problem.

Any time a top prospect on a team that is projected to win a lot of games pops like this, I tend to pick them up. The talent is too good and I can worry about inning limitations down the line.

Shuffling Closers and Committee Updates

Finding saves can be a struggle in today’s game. More and more teams have leaned into a committee approach, making it difficult to roster certain relief pitchers. Knowing the early seasons trends is important so you can scoop up a closer before they truly gain the title.

• The Tampa Bay Rays are not typically going to lean into one set closer, and I doubt that changes in 2026. Griffin Jax was an arm many, myself included, saw as a great pickup, but his first two outings have been atrocious. Kevin Kelly picked up the first save and could gain traction in the role.

• The White Sox might not be in position to close out many wins this season, and Seranthony Dominguez didn’t help his case by blowing his first save opportunity of the year. Jordan Hicks earned a save the following day, but I still think Grant Taylor could capture the role sooner than later.

• Detroit came into the season with three arms that have served as closers last season: Kyle Finnegan, Will Vest, and Kenley Jansen. While Jansen was seen as the favorite to claim the role, a committee approach was not out of the question. Jansen had the first two opportunities, saving one but blowing another.

• The Royals saw Carlos Estevez‘s velocity down five ticks in his blown save and immediately transferred him to the IL. Lucas Erceg is the favorite to step in, but John Schreiber did get a save after Erceg was unavailable due to pitching in back to back games.

• I would not think that the Rangers would keep this trend going, but it is worth noting that Tyler Alexander logged two saves this week. One came after a blown save by Chris Martin, and the next came in a game where Garcia and Martin were unavailable.

• The Cincinnati Reds paid Emilio Pagán significant money to be their closer again in 2026. Terry Francona will likely have a long leash, but he did go with Connor Phillips to close out a game when Pagan was unavailable. Pagan has looked rough early, so keep an eye out on this situation.

• St. Louis has shown that JoJo Romero is still the setup man and leaned on veteran Ryne Stanek for the first two save situation — one converted and one blown. They pivoted to Riley O’Brien, who earned his first save and could quickly become the preferred option.
  

Batting Order and Positional Notes

Early-season trends with where players are playing can help you scoop a player up before they gain positional flexibility, therefore giving them more value. Tracking which players are seeing times at different positions will give you an early advantage.

We also know how important the batting order is. Hitting higher in the order leads to more at-bats per game and more opportunities to produce runs. Platoons might take away time or push a player lower in the order, so knowing this information helps set your daily lineup.

• Colson Montgomery has split time between third and short with Luisangel Acuna filling in at short when he is not in center. Montgomery has moved to fourth in the lineup — a third straight lefty for the White Sox — which could impact late-game situations when a lefty reliever comes in.

• Kerry Carpenter has recently lost the leadoff spot to Colt Keith, who is off to a great start. Keith has played first and third while swinging a confident bat to start. Both were used in the leadoff last season, but Carpenter’s slow start and Keith’s improvements make this change one that could stick.

• Matt Wallner has not been used in a platoon role, now making three consecutive starts against lefties. Trevor Larnach and Austin Martin have platooned in left. If Wallner can prove to hit lefties, his value increases significantly. The power is real, but playing time has held him back in years prior.

• Jonathan Aranda has avoided being used as a platoon bat to start the season and has now moved to the two hole. Similar to Wallner, Aranda has posted great numbers but in a platoon role. If the everyday trend continues, he’s one to watch.

• Drake Baldwin has cemented himself as the Braves’ No. 2 hitter after mostly slotting between the four and six spot last season. The move allows Baldwin to hit behind Ronal Acuna Jr., giving him great run production opportunities.

• Brett Baty has started a game in right field and could add outfield eligibility before too long. There’s not a ton of room in the Mets’ lineup, but Baty could carve out a useful enough role to be roster worthy, especially if Vientos continues to fall out of favor.

• The Padres have used Jake Cronenworth in the leadoff spot at times but have moved Tatis back and forth between the two hole and leadoff. Xander Bogaerts is also getting starts in the two hole, especially against lefties.

• Luis Arraez has been moved out of the leadoff spot in favor of Willy Adames. Arraez has been dropped to third and then fourth in the lineup while playing second every day. While Arraez will gain second base eligibility, if he’s not leading off then his fantasy value drops significantly.

Injury Report

Nobody wants to start their season off by filling their IL slots, but it’s impossible to go an entire season without injuries. You can also gain an advantage by finding injured players nearing a return that you can stash on your IL or bench before others realize they are due to return.

• The Blue Jays’ new starter, Cody Ponce, suffered a significant knee injury that will keep him out indefinitely.

• Cleveland’s Chase DeLauter fouled a ball off his foot and had to leave the game on Tuesday night. X-Rays were negative and it looks like he’ll be okay to return to the lineup.

• Baltimore is sending starter Zach Eflin to the IL with elbow discomfort in his throwing arm.

• Andrew Vaughn had hamate surgery and will start a rehab assignment soon with hopes of being back in mid-May.

• Tyler Freeman was activated off IL and starting for the Rockies.

Rehab Assignments Started: Jackson Holliday, George Valera, Hunter Gaddis, J.P. Crawford, Seiya Suzuki, Nick Lodolo, Zack Wheeler, Orion Kerkering, Merrill Kelly, Zac Veen, Gavin Lux

All stats were taken prior to play on April 2.