April 7 Fantasy Baseball Drop Candidates: Spencer Arrighetti, Jordan Romano, Rhys Hoskins and More

After looking at the top fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups and weekly projections and streaming options, it's time to check out the most-dropped fantasy baseball players.

The drops are taken from the waiver wire trends most dropped tab, which can be found on any fantasy baseball page here at FantasySP. I'll skip over some players I covered in a drop story last week.

Explore the best in-season tool to manage lineup/start decisions including waiver pickups, projections, trade suggestions, trade value charts, rest of season rankings, power rankings, and tons more with Fantasy Assistant. Use our fantasy baseball trade analyzer and trade value charts to break down trade scenarios and weekly projections to find the best fantasy options.

AJ Smith-Shawver Fantasy Outlook

Atlanta's Smith-Shawver was dropped in 7.3% of fantasy leagues, bringing his overall mark down to 29%.

He's started two games so far this season, and has an 0-2 record so far. Smith-Shawver has allowed five runs on 12 hits and six walks, but has 10 strikeouts over 8 2/3 innings.

He allowed two runs on six hits and three walks over four innings against the Padres before allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks over four frames against the Marlins. San Diego is a tougher matchup, but he should have been better in his start against Miami.

Smith-Shawver still has deep-league fantasy appeal to me, but I also understand why his own percentage is dropping. He'll need to turn in better results to see him start seeing that own percentage rise. 

Smith-Shawver likely will make his next start against Tampa Bay, which should be another favorable matchup. He'll be a low-level streaming option in that one, but a good outing could maybe get his season going in a positive direction, so keep a close eye on his results in that one.

Cam Smith Fantasy Outlook

Smith is rostered in 39% of leagues after a 5.8% drop.

He made the Astros' opening day roster, but has struggled in his first six games and 21 plate appearances. Smith has two singles and two walks, along with no RBIs and extra-base hits. He has scored once and struck out nine times.

Highly-regarded prospects don't always excel right away in the big leagues, and you shouldn't be ready to bail on Smith. That's more so for deeper leagues and dynasty/keeper leagues though - I'd want no part of him right now in a standard league.

In deep fantasy leagues, I like the idea of stashing him on my bench. If he struggles another week or so, then I'd be more willing to drop him in redraft formats. Smith should not be dropped in keeper/dynasty leagues.

Jordan Romano Fantasy Outlook

Romano is down 5.4% today, bringing his total to 58%.

He came into the season as the likely closer in Philly, but has struggled in the early going. Romano has allowed seven runs on six hits and four walks over four innings. He's struck out six and saved one game.

A maybe even bigger issue is that he's only pitched in the ninth inning in two of his five appearances. Jose Alvarado leads the team with two saves, and he also has a win across his five appearances.

Alvarado looks like the top closer for Philly at this time, and that makes Romano droppable in standard leagues. He likely wasn't picked in most redraft standard leagues, so dropping him shouldn't hurt you much.

I still like the idea of holding Romano a bit longer in deeper setups, but if the early season trends keep up, he'll be droppable in all redraft formats. He's a player to keep tabs on in case he locks things in eventually though.

Spencer Arrighetti Fantasy Outlook

Arrighetti is down 4.1% and is owned in 69% of leagues now. 

He's made two starts for Houston, and is 1-1 in those contests. Arrighetti has allowed six runs on four hits and five walks over 9 2/3 innings, while also striking out eight.

He faced the Mets and Twins in his two outings. Arrighetti was great against New York, allowing a run on a hit and two walks over six frames, but was tagged for five runs on three hits and three walks over just 3 2/3 innings against Minnesota.

These two outings probably mean Arrighetti should only be permanently rostered in deeper leagues, at least for the time being. He can be a streaming option in standard leagues, but it might be difficult to predict when to use him or avoid him.

We'll keep an eye on him as the season moves along, so keep checking back with us at FantasySP.

Rhys Hoskins Fantasy Outlook

Hoskins was dropped in 3.5% of leagues, bringing his total mark down to 39%.

He was great during spring training, but has just three singles across his first 28 plate appearances and eight games during the regular season. Hoskins has two RBIs, six walks and strikeouts and no runs scored.

That's simply not enough fantasy production to roster him in many fantasy leagues. He'll have better showings throughout the season, and will probably have hot streaks that get him into standard league streaming territory.

For now though, he's nowhere near standard leagues, and probably shouldn't be rostered in every deeper league. Keep him on your watch list, but for now, you should try to avoid playing Hoskins.

Ronel Blanco Fantasy Outlook

I'm sorry Houston fans, but we have another Astro here in Blanco. He's down 3.1% and sits at 80% overall.

Across his two starts, Blanco has covered just 6 2/3 innings. He's allowed seven runs on eight hits and six walks, while punching out nine.

I was high on Blanco coming into the season, and thought he was overlooked after his good season in 2024. He's struggled mightily in starts against the Giants and Twins so far, not going more than five innings in either outing.

Another favorable outing against the Angels is next likely, so I'd probably give him one more chance before dropping him in standard leagues. I'm fine dropping him in some standard leagues, especially if you got off to a bad start this fantasy season.

Blanco shouldn't be dropped in deeper leagues, and I wouldn't look to trade him, as his value is low. He'd be a buy-low trade target, and you want to avoid making those deals if you can.

Lane Thomas Fantasy Outlook

Thomas is down 3% today, bringing his new overall own percentage to 54%.

In seven games and 31 plate appearances so far, Thomas has a double among his five hits. He also has two RBIs, a stolen base and walk, no runs scored and seven strikeouts.

Those aren't good fantasy results, but he's certainly capable of producing better in the future. I was high on Thomas coming into the season, but he hasn't lived up to my expectations so far.

He can be dropped in standard leagues, and you should probably bench him in all other formats for the time being. Thomas should heat up a bit here soon, so keep tabs on him, but his time as a standard league fantasy asset might already be over.

Other Droppable Players

Pittsburgh's David Bednar is down 3.8% today, bringing his overall mark to 40%. It shouldn't even be that high with Bednar in Triple-A after a terrible start to the season.

Atlanta's Reynaldo Lopez is owned in 60% of leagues after a 3.3% dropoff. He's now on the 60-day injured list, so he can be dropped in standard redraft leagues where an IR spot isn't available. Lopez could be dropped in a good amount of deeper leagues too.

Cleveland's Gavin Williams is rostered in 63% of leagues after a 3.1% drop. Texas' Kumar Rocker was dropped in 3.1% of leagues as well, bringing his new overall mark to 49%.

New York Yankees' Marcus Stroman is down 2.7%, while Colorado's Michael Toglia was dropped in 2.6% of leagues. Stroman is rostered in 11% of leagues, while Toglia is down to 47%.

Slaten is rostered in 17% of leagues after a 2.6% drop. Los Angeles Angels' Ben Joyce is down 2.5% and sitting at 36% overall.