{"id":632100,"date":"2026-04-27T15:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/632100\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T15:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:02:09","slug":"payton-tolle-carter-jensen-are-must-adds-and-more-fantasy-baseball-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/632100\/","title":{"rendered":"Payton Tolle, Carter Jensen are must-adds and more fantasy baseball takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"

If we could somehow combine the most endearing traits of Ned Flanders and Rod Beck into a single person and make him a 6-foot-6 left-hander, he might be something like Payton Tolle.<\/p>\n

This gentleman\u2019s vibe is as unique and glorious as his pitch mix. Off the field, Tolle is an absolute charmer<\/a>. On the field, he is a sorcerer:<\/p>\n

ELEVEN strikeouts for Payton Tolle \ud83d\ude24 pic.twitter.com\/352IyBGJXu<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Only a soulless ghoul (and\/or Yankees fan) would not enjoy the Tolle experience. He was outrageously good in his 2026 MLB debut, allowing only three hits and one run over 6.0 innings, striking out 11 batters and inducing 18 whiffs. He has a five-pitch arsenal, his fastball can touch triple-digits and he\u2019d been roasting International League hitters before his promotion.<\/p>\n

Tolle\u2019s next start should be on Tuesday against Toronto, an underachieving and injury-impaired team that ranks near the bottom of the league in scoring runs. After facing the Jays, he heads into a two-start week featuring matchups against the Tigers and Rays.<\/p>\n

Tolle should be long gone in any sort of hardcore, actively-managed league, but he remains widely available at the major platforms. Let\u2019s please address that oversight as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

Carter Jensen is cooking<\/p>\n

Jensen looked anything but overmatched last September when facing MLB pitching for the first time. He delivered nine extra-base hits over 69 plate appearances, batting an even .300 with an OPS of .941. He also punctuated his season with a shocking power display:<\/p>\n

Carter Jensen hit this baseball 482 feet \ud83d\ude33 pic.twitter.com\/CE151rFkIk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 MLB (@MLB) September 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

It may have been a small sample, but it was also a pretty awesome sample. Unsurprisingly, he vaulted up the prospect ranks entering his first full MLB season.<\/p>\n

Jensen was merely treading water in the opening weeks, but he\u2019s been feasting ever since an oversleeping incident in early April<\/a>. Dating back to April 4, he\u2019s slashed a robust .328\/.414\/.607 with five bombs. Jensen has demonstrated on-base skills at every level, his power potential is evident and both the bat speed and exit velocities<\/a> are exceptional. He\u2019s an elite pitch-framer, too, for what it\u2019s worth.<\/p>\n

Weirdly, Jensen\u2019s roster percentages across the industry have not yet caught up with his obvious rest-of-season value. You won\u2019t find him on the wire at NFBC, but he\u2019s inadequately rostered everywhere else.<\/p>\n

Kyle Harrison shamed the Bucs<\/p>\n

Harrison was traded away by the Giants last June, then traded again to the Brewers in February. He\u2019d become the pitching version of the could-be-fun-to-fix meme<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It appears, however, that Milwaukee may have actually made some progress toward fixing him. On Sunday, Harrison struck out a dozen Pirates over six scoreless innings, walking only one batter, allowing one hit and coaxing 23 whiffs. He could not have looked more casual or unbothered while dominating a major league team:<\/p>\n

Kyle Harrison\u2019s 10th, 11th and 12th Strikeouts. \ud83d\ude2e pic.twitter.com\/HSmrmc5i1q<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Harrison is still only 24 years old and he was a high-ranking prospect over multiple seasons, so a 12-K gem feels like an actionable event. He\u2019ll draw the Nationals in his next start.<\/p>\n

Jasson Dominguez is back in our fantasy lives<\/p>\n

Dominguez is reportedly being recalled by the Yankees as the presumptive replacement for the injured Giancarlo Stanton (calf). We probably don\u2019t need to remind you about Dominguez\u2019s power\/speed appeal, but please note that he\u2019s hit 16 homers and stolen 29 bags over 529 MLB plate appearances. He was predictably raking at Triple A this year, slashing .306\/.404\/.471 with three bombs and eight steals. Dominguez has his limitations, no question, but he\u2019s still only 23.<\/p>\n

Assuming he\u2019s active on Monday, he\u2019ll open the week in Texas facing a (tough) series of right-handed starters. Left-handers have tormented him at the big league level, but he\u2019s hit .269 with a .790 OPS against righties.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s least terrifying two-start streaming options<\/p>\n

As ever, there\u2019s no shame if this pitcher-streaming life isn\u2019t for you. The names are weird and loaded with risk. We do not officially recommend using more than one (OK, maybe two) of these guys in any league. It is the definition of a desperate measure. But this first guy should probably be rostered by a few more fantasy teams \u2026<\/p>\n

Jack Leiter, Texas (vs. NYY, at Det) \u2014 His ratios are messy at the moment, but that\u2019s mostly the result of a single game in which he was rocked by the Dodgers. Coulda happened to anyone. Leiter is throwing as hard as ever and he\u2019s struck out 29 batters in his 25.1 innings this season. Ideally, his schedule would be a bit friendlier, but we can\u2019t have everything.
\nConnor Prielipp, Minnesota (vs. Sea, vs. Tor) \u2014 At 25, Prielipp is a legit prospect who opened the season with 15.2 quality innings at Triple A (11 H, 4 R, 22 K). He struck out six Mets over four innings in his MLB debut last week. He\u2019s a lefty who throws 95-96 mph and relies on a vicious slider as a put-away pitch. He might be something more than a one-week add.
\nPeter Lambert, Houston (at Bal, at Bos) \u2014 Lambert opened his season with glittering ratios at Triple A (1.84 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) before earning his promotion. In his two starts for Houston, he\u2019s punched out 16 hitters over 11.0 innings while allowing four runs. His swinging-strike rate (17.7%) supports the impressive K total, too.
\nChad Patrick, Milwaukee (vs. Ari, at Was) \u2014 He was knocked around by the Tigers in his last appearance, but that\u2019s been the only bump in the road to this point. Patrick hasn\u2019t been overpowering in the early weeks (4.30 K\/9), but his stuff is largely unchanged from his breakout 2025 season when he struck out 127 batters in 119.2 frames. The upcoming matchups shouldn\u2019t scare you off.
\nYet another new closer is born<\/p>\n

Louis Varland earned three saves for the Blue Jays last week and the team has announced that Jeff Hoffman no longer owns the ninth<\/a> for Toronto. Officially, it\u2019s a closing committee with Varland as the chairperson, but he\u2019s the only guy getting saves these days. None of this is particularly surprising, as Hoffman has been routinely crushed this season \u2014 basically, when he\u2019s not striking people out or issuing walks, he\u2019s getting hit. Varland throws all of his pitches with extreme velocity (changeup included) and he\u2019s been whiffing the world so far this year (39.6 K%). He certainly has the arsenal necessary to permanently lock down the closing role for Toronto.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in closer news, the Los Angeles Angels DFA\u2019d Jordan Romano just a few weeks after millions of FAAB dollars were spent on him across countless leagues. Here\u2019s hoping those four saves were worth it. We must collectively vow to never again step into the Romano trap. Please know that if I ever mention him again, it\u2019s an attempt to sabotage another manager in one of my leagues. The recommendation is not to be taken seriously by anyone else.<\/p>\n