Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale is off to a strong start in 2026 in his 16th year in the big leagues and his third in Atlanta, going 3-1 with a 3.27 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 22:6 K:BB in 22 innings pitched over his four starts. Sale bounced back nicely in his last appearance on Sunday against the Cleveland Guardians by allowing just one earned run with a walk and six strikeouts in six innings pitched. On April 6 against the Los Angeles Angels, Sale surrendered six earned runs on five hits (two homers) while walking two and striking out seven in only four innings. The 37-year-old nine-time All-Star and former American League Cy Young winner is still a strong fantasy starter, even though he's 37 years old, but durability is a major concern. Sale has made 20 starts in a season just once since 2017. He'll have a difficult upcoming matchup on Saturday against the Phillies, but Sale remains a must-start in fantasy when he's healthy.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge went 1-for-4 with his major-league-leading eighth home run of the season and a strikeout in the team's 11-4 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Thursday in the Bronx. Judge and Angels star outfielder Mike Trout put on an impressive display of back-and-forth power in the four-game series at Yankee Stadium this week. The 33-year-old three-time MVP hit a pair of home runs in Monday's victory over the Halos and then added his eighth dinger of the year in the series finale. Judge wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders at the start of the 2026 season, but he's beginning to heat up and is now hitting .236 with a .918 OPS through 19 games played. The seven-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger winner also has 14 RBI, three stolen bases, and 16 runs scored for the Yankees. Fantasy managers will be hoping that Judge can continue his elite power display going into this weekend's series against the visiting Kansas City Royals. Judge is always a must-start in fantasy leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz continued his hot start to the 2026 season by going 2-for-5 with a double, two stolen bases, an RBI, a run scored, and a strikeout in the team's 8-7 extra-inning loss at PNC Park to the Washington Nationals on Thursday. Cruz came into Thursday's game slashing .310/.380/.563 with a .943 OPS, five home runs, 16 RBI, seven stolen bases, 14 runs scored, seven walks, and 25 strikeouts in 18 games played. It's very nice to see for the Pirates and fantasy managers who have been waiting for Cruz's breakout season. He did have 20 home runs, 61 RBI, and a league-high 38 stolen bases in 135 games in 2025, but he also hit just .200 (94-for-471) with 174 strikeouts in 544 plate appearances. The 27-year-old Dominican has some of the best bat speed and exit velocities in the big leagues, so if he can cut down on the whiffs, his power/speed upside makes him extremely dynamic for fantasy baseball purposes.

Los Angeles Angels infielder Oswald Peraza was doing a little bit of everything during Thursday's game against the New York Yankees. Peraza got revenge on his former club with a two-run home run during Thursday's blowout win. He went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, a homer, three RBI, one walk, and a stolen base in the 11-4 victory. Peraza probably doesn't have an everyday role, but is taking advantage of the extra at-bats with Jorge Soler suspended right now. He's 5-for-10 with two homers, four RBI, and three walks over the last three games. Peraza could be a short-term spark plug for fantasy managers looking for help right now.