The fantasy baseball waiver wire tends to be fruitful in April, as several relievers earn ninth-inning roles, some starters unveil new arsenals, and a few hitters surge out of the gate. The most difficult part of playing the waiver wire at this time of the year is figuring out which players can be dropped.

The players listed below are currently over-rostered in Yahoo leagues, either because they were drafted too often or because something has changed since the season started. Please keep in mind that I’m not saying you must drop these players – in some formats, keeping them on the team makes sense. But my recommendation is to take a second look at the usefulness of any team member who is listed below.

Relievers

Dennis Santana, Pirates, 81%: Although widely regarded as the Pirates best reliever, Santana is being used more as a fireman than a closer, which means that he is pitching in high-leverage situations that may or may not be in the ninth inning. The right-hander can still be rostered in many leagues, but his rate needs to come down by 15-20%.

Carlos Estévez, Royals, 71%: Estévez is on the IL, has lost significant velocity and has been replaced as the team’s closer. He can be cut by any manager who can use the IL spot on a different player. I would much rather stash injured starters Merrill Kelly, Shane Bieber or Joe Musgrove, who are rostered in fewer leagues than Estévez.

Robert Suarez, Braves, 61%: Sure, Suarez earned 76 saves over 2024-25. He isn’t a closer anymore, and his team’s closer (Raisel Iglesias) is off to a solid start. Suarez is rostered in more leagues than most for a setup man, even though he is not one of the best candidates to soon move into a ninth-inning role. It makes sense to drop Suarez for a current closer, or for a setup man who is working behind a worse pitcher than Iglesias.

Griffin Jax, Rays, 41%: The Rays have used Jax in a variety of innings. Unfortunately, none of those innings have been the ninth frame. In addition to his disappointing usage, Jax hasn’t pitched well (11.25 ERA, 2.50 WHIP). From the Rays, I would sooner roster Bryan Baker. And of course, there are several more deserving options from the other 29 teams.

Starters

Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks, 81%: Gallen has made two starts, and although he has limited baserunners and scoring (3.60 ERA, 1.10 WHIP), his underlying numbers don’t look good. The right-hander has struck out just four batters across 10 innings, which is not an encouraging sign for someone who logged a 4.83 ERA and 1.26 WHIP last season. I can understand the rationale by those who grabbed Gallen in points leagues for this scoring period in which he has two starts, but he should be dropped on Sunday for someone who is showing more upside.

Jack Flaherty, Tigers, 73%: In deeper leagues, I’m keeping Flaherty due to his significant strikeout upside. But I don’t have time in shallow formats to wait around for the right-hander to harness his command. Flaherty has an unsightly 8:8 K:BB ratio and is coming off a disappointing 2025 season in which he logged a 4.64 ERA. There are plenty of exciting starters who can be added in his place.

Ryne Nelson, Diamondbacks, 62%: Nelson is a useful streamer who should be rostered in 10-15% fewer leagues. His strikeout skills are below average, he is backed by a subpar bullpen, and he has started off 2026 by issuing six walks in two starts. There are more available pitchers with greater upside, such as Andrew Painter and Parker Messick.

Hitters

Ernie Clement, Blue Jays, 62%: A fan favorite in Toronto, Clement is going to start 150 games this season. But his fantasy appeal mostly ends there, as he lacks the power or speed to make a significant impact. Clement has accumulated 21 homers and 18 steals in 296 games across the past two seasons, and he tends to be placed near the bottom of the lineup. Managers should aim for hitters with more than 10-10 upside and can circle back to players like Clement if they are in a pinch later in the season.

Brendan Donovan, Mariners, 88%: Donovan is similar to Clement. Both players will hit for average but lack the power or speed to make a significant fantasy impact. Donovan tops Clement for overall value by typically enjoying a premium lineup spot, but he is almost certain to finish the season with fewer than 20 HR+SB. Like Clement, he’s a good fallback option in a few weeks if some high-upside targets don’t pan out.

José Caballero, Yankees, 66%: Sure, Caballero can steal bases with the best of them, but he is a poor hitter who will move to a utility role when Anthony Volpe returns in early May. There is nothing wrong with streaming Caballero in categories leagues right now, but most managers should spend April looking for players with longer staying power and a more complete skill set.

Noelvi Marte, Reds, 47%: Marte may end up being one of this year’s biggest draft disappointments. Considered by many to be a breakout candidate, the 24-year-old has opened the season as a platoon player who has started just five of the Reds’ 10 games. No one belongs on mixed-league rosters when they are sitting against most righties.

Masyn Winn, Cardinals, 44%: Given the depth at the shortstop position, there is little reason for Winn to be rostered in roughly half of Yahoo leagues. The 24-year-old has limited upside, which he showed when he failed to reach double digits in homers or steals across 129 games last season. Winn is also off to a slow start this year and can sit on waivers until he heats up.

Addison Barger, Blue Jays, 35%: Barger excelled during October, which masked the fact that he hit .223 with eight homers in the second half of last season. He is off to a miserable start this season and sits on the bench when a lefty is starting. Like Winn, Barger is waiver-wire fodder until he gets his season on track.

Dylan Crews, Nationals, 38%: The Nats, who are not exactly the 1927 Yankees, sent Crews to the minors at the end of spring training. Their lack of confidence in the 24-year-old’s current profile gives fantasy managers enough reason to leave him on the waiver wire. Sure, Crews is formerly an elite prospect, but he has a lifetime .634 OPS over 116 games and is no lock to succeed when he eventually gets another chance.