Tonight's slate was defined by one clear offensive engine: Jordan Walker slammed a 2-for-4 night with 3 RBIs, a steal and premium contact (100.1 mph average exit vel, 109.1 max) to keep him firmly in a middle-of-order role. On the mound Jacob deGrom gave a usable 6.0 IP outing (3 H, 1 ER, 5 K) — strong whiff and velocity but a worrying dose of loud contact underneath — while Lucas Erceg slammed the door in extras, a 1.0-IP save powered by a 96.9 mph sinker and a 57.1% CSW. Graham Ashcraft provided a clean hold but carries an availability flag that could limit his near-term use. The downside note: Jake Cronenworth went 0-for-3 with playing time trending down, and the roster otherwise features four confirmed starters (Walker, DeLauter, Cronenworth, Ozuna) with Ramos and O'Neill projected to start.
Jordan Walker gets the nod after going 2-for-4, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB, 1 K. Ranks 10th in MLB with 22 R. That was his 22nd run scored of the season. Season line now sits at 8 HR, 19 RBI, 22 R, and 5 SB. Rate stats now sit at .283 AVG, .358 OBP, .547 SLG, and .905 OPS. He cashed in one of his better run-producing spots. His hardest contact reached 109.1 mph.
Jake Cronenworth had the roughest roster line after going 0-for-3. He went hitless across 3 at-bats. The toughest spot was a lineout in the 5th. The contact quality was light at 82.4 mph average exit velocity. Playing time has been decreasing over the recent 7-day window.
6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, loss. Jacob deGrom averaged 92.6 mph (98.5 max) and generated a 25.8% CSW with a 28.9% whiff rate, but he also allowed eight hard-hit balls and three barrels, which makes the line feel fragile beneath the surface. He leaned on a 4-seam fastball (48.4% usage, 97.1 mph average) while ramping his changeup to 23.7% and cutting back the slider, a change that helped produce offspeed whiffs. Through four innings he had allowed two hits, no walks and one run, and the outing turned in the sixth when a single preceded a strikeout, forceout and groundout before he left with the bases empty. He threw 93 pitches across six innings, so normal rest is likely and he is listed as the probable starter on 2026-05-03 at Detroit. He looks startable in standard fantasy formats, though the loud contact keeps his floor lower.
official_pitching_line: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SV. Erceg leaned on his sinker, which averaged 96.9 mph and produced a 57.1% CSW in the outing. He was summoned to the bottom of the 10th with no outs and a runner on second, threw 23 pitches to five batters and closed out the game, recording a strikeout. That secured his seventh save of the season against a tough Athletics lineup. He belongs in the saves/late-inning conversation, though a heavy recent relief workload could limit his availability for the road game at Oakland on 2026-04-29.
1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1 HLD. He worked a 16-pitch, one-inning setup appearance after entering in the seventh with no outs, bases empty and the Reds leading 4-2, facing four batters and finishing the frame on a double play. Ashcraft leaned heavily on his cutter (75% usage), that pitch averaged 98.2 mph up about 1.2 mph from his last outing and generated a roughly 33% CSW while allowing just one hard-hit ball. The line has a mixed sustainability read: the walk column was clean and velocity ticked up. Fantasy verdict: he is useful in holds formats, though his recent relief workload and a bereavement-list availability flag could limit him for the teams next game on 2026-04-29 at Great American Ball Park.
Heliot Ramos 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 K doubled sharply and posted a 99.9 mph average exit velocity with a 110.6 mph max EV, one of the slates standout marks. The double came against starter Jess Luzardo; Ramos collected that extra-base hit in two plate appearances versus the lefty before seeing a lightly rostered bullpen mix. The box score matches a mixed-contact day one hard-hit ball but also a groundout and a late strikeout and his recent form remains strong (14-day OPS 1.062) even though his season K rate is 30.8%. He is projected to start in left field on the road at Citizens Bank Park on 2026-04-30 against Cristopher Snchez (L), and while he has a steady role and hot short-term numbers, the bat-speed dip and backing contact-quality temper the upside. Over his last 10 games, he is batting .333 with 3 HR, 7 RBI, and 6 R. Next up is on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies, with Cristopher Snchez lined up as the projected starter.
Chase DeLauter 1-for-4, 1 K singled in the first but finished the night with generally modest contact. His tracked bat speed jumped to an average of 74.8 mph with a top swing of 83.0 mph, a 5.2-mph increase from last season and one of the stronger marks on the slate. He has now hit safely in four straight games and is on an eight-game on-base streak, yet his two-week production has cooled and recent plate-appearance volume is trending down despite starting six of the last seven. That mixed profile means he looks more like a bench-for-now roster play than a lineup lock the last two weeks have been softer than the surface role suggests. He opened against Nick Martinez, the opposing right-hander. Next up is at home against the Tampa Bay Rays, with Drew Rasmussen lined up as the projected starter.
Marcell Ozuna 0-for-1, 1 K entered as a ninth-inning pinch hitter after not starting, and according to the Pirates that non-start was a health-related lineup absence. He did not put a ball in play, but his tracked average bat speed was 74.7 mph (top swing 74.7 mph), up 2.6 mph from his prior-season baseline. The on-field signal is mixed: recent production has cooled (14-day OPS 0.622, 21-day OPS 0.587) while short-term strikeouts have climbed (14-day K rate 32.0%; season K rate 27.5%). Louis Cardinals at PNC Park and is projected to face right-hander Andre Pallante. That combination improving bat speed but slipping playing time and rising Ks leaves his fantasy value uneven until plate appearances stabilize. Louis Cardinals, with Andre Pallante lined up as the projected starter.
Tyler O'Neill 0-for-1, 1 K struck out in a late, close pinch-hit in the eighth inning against lefty Bennett Sousa and remained in the game at right field. Tracked bat speed averaged 71.4 mph with a top swing of 72.4 mph, up 1.7 mph from his prior-season average. Results are mixed: a 55.6% K rate over the last 14 days versus a 25.6% season rate, even as his playing time has been increasing and the team shows rightyplatoon usage. Fantasy verdict: looks like a hold, but one that needs close monitoring the production also showed up in meaningful game spots, but the role still has platoon risk. He is in the projected lineup. Next up is at home against the Houston Astros, with Peter Lambert lined up as the projected starter.
Bryan Woo is lined up to face the Royals on Friday May 1st.
Connelly Early is lined up to face the Astros on Saturday May 2nd.
Jordan Westburg and the Baltimore Orioles had the day off on 2026-04-28. Westburg remains on the 60-day injured list, an availability designation that has been in place since March 22. He has not logged any recent plate appearances, so there is no new game performance to evaluate. Roster-market interest is modest he is rostered in roughly 34% of leagues and sits more in a watch-list/streamer-pool tier. Per the Baltimore Sun, Orioles manager Elias included Westburg in recent injury updates, so his return timetable and activation status remain the primary fantasy drivers.
Michael King is lined up to face the White Sox on Saturday May 2nd.
Paul Skenes is lined up to face the Cardinals on Thursday April 30th.
official_pitching_line: Did not play on 2026-04-28. Stanek has three relief appearances in the past seven days and logged 64 pitches with two days since his last outing, so a quick bullpen turn remains plausible.
Shota Imanaga is lined up to face the Diamondbacks on Saturday May 2nd.
Sean Murphy and the Gwinnett Stripers had the day off on 2026-04-28. Murphy remains on the 10-day injured list, per SportsDataIO player details, so his immediate availability is limited. Local coverage has tracked his rehab work with Gwinnett SportsTalk ATL and the Gwinnett Daily Post noted a homer in an early rehab outing but there were no official plate appearances to report on Wednesday.