Monday’s MLB action featured 13 games across a lengthy slate. Here are some of the biggest fantasy baseball takeaways from Monday’s action.
Why Jose Soriano Is Delivering First-Round Value in Fantasy Baseball
At some point, we’ll have to stop treating Soriano like an outlier and recognize what he’s done so far in the 2026 MLB season. Simply put, he’s been the best pitcher in the majors over the first two weeks of the regular season, and he delivered another masterful performance on Monday in a 6-2 win over the Atlanta Braves.
His run of scoreless innings ended, but he tossed eight innings of one-run ball, allowing just three hits with no walks and striking out a season-high 10. If you were lucky, or savvy, enough to draft Soriano in season-long formats, there’s no question you’re enjoying the benefits since he’s overplaying his ADP by a massive margin.
Max Scherzer Injury Adds to the Toronto Blue Jays’ Rotation Woes
The Blue Jays are having a hard time with injuries this season, and they’ve lost a pitcher midway through a start due to an injury for the second time in less than two weeks. It happened with Cody Ponce (knee) in the first week of the season, and on Monday, it was Max Scherzer who had to leave his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers after just two innings due to forearm tendinitis.
The 41-year-old is day-to-day, but it’s uncertain whether he’ll be able to make his next start. The Blue Jays are already missing Trey Yesavage (shoulder), Jose Berrios (elbow), and Shane Bieber (elbow). Right now, it seems Scherzer would be healthy enough to make his next start, which is tentatively scheduled for the weekend against the Minnesota Twins.
Seattle Mariners’ Slow Start Continues in 2026
The Mariners came just short of winning the American League in 2025 and didn’t make major changes for the 2026 season, but their start to the season has been woeful. A 2-1 loss to the Texas Rangers on Monday moved them to 4-7, good for fourth place in the AL West. The biggest issue has been their pitching, which is a complete paradox considering they play their home games at T-Mobile Park.
Logan Gilbert tossed six innings of two-run ball but still allowed six hits while striking out five. The star hurler owns a 5.40 ERA to open the season, and while Cal Raleigh finally hit a homer on Monday, that isn’t enough to overlook what’s going on in Seattle.
Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers Continue to Dominate the National League
The Milwaukee Brewers inflicted another wound in the Boston Red Sox’s misery, and an 8-6 win moved them to an 8-2 record. This is the joint-best mark in the National League alongside the Dodgers, who defeated the Blue Jays by a convincing 14-2 score in the first game between these two teams since the 2025 World Series.
Willson Contreras’ feud aside, it seems the Brewers will once again be the class of the NL Central, while the Red Sox continue to drown at the bottom of the American League standings. With Roman Anthony committing tons of mistakes on the field and the offense being nowhere close to clicking, it’s hard to see the Red Sox getting out of this situation any time soon.
Who Were the Highest-Scoring Fantasy Baseball Players on Monday?
In terms of hitters, Dalton Rushing (2 HR, 4 H, 2 RBI, 3 R) and Teoscar Hernandez (HR, 2 H, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB) not only led the Dodgers’ win over the Blue Jays, but they were also the two highest-scoring hitters on the slate. Willson Contreras (Red Sox), Ramon Urias (Cardinals), and James Wood (Nationals) also posted strong performances.
Wood, in particular, was outstanding, as he went yard, had two hits, three RBI, two runs scored, and two walks. The Cardinals just couldn’t find a way to get him out.
When it comes to pitchers, Soriano was the best pitcher by a wide margin, but there were other notable performances as well. Brandon Williamson tossed 6.2 scoreless innings for the Cincinnati Reds, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out four.
Michael Wacha had seven innings of one-run ball, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out three. Last but not least, Brandon Young had a solid showing as well, tossing five scoreless frames and allowing just two hits and two walks in the Baltimore Orioles’ 2-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.
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