4 Thursday MLB Fantasy Baseball Options To Strenghten Lineups (April 30, 2026)

Thursday’s slate in fantasy baseball has plenty of action in early games. With that in mind, here are several recommendations for your fantasy lineups, regardless of whether you’re playing in season-long formats or DFS contests. Here’s a lineup to stack, a pitcher to stream and a hitter to anchor your lineup, as well as another hitter to avoid despite having a doubleheader on Thursday.

Why You Should Stack the New York Mets in Thursday’s Fantasy Baseball Slate

Any time an offense faces Miles Mikolas, it is worthy of a stack, and that applies even if we’re talking about the worst offense in the majors. The New York Mets enter Thursday’s slate ranking dead last in categories such as OPS (.630) and slugging (.340) while ranking second-worst in on-base percentage (.290) and fourth-worst in batting average (.227).

However, the Mets could take advantage of Mikolas’ struggles, as the right-hander has given up 7 long balls in 23.1 innings while sporting an 8.49 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, and 16:10 K:BB so far in 2026. Several Mets have had success against Mikolas in the past.

There’s Juan Soto, who has hit .381 with a .952 OPS and 1 HR against him in 21 at-bats. Tyrone Taylor owns a .333 average with a 1.167 OPS in 12 at-bats. Bo Bichette, who has been in a major slump so far, has hit .444 with a 1.000 OPS in 9 at-bats, and Brett Baty has an .833 OPS in 8 at-bats. There’s just too much success here to not consider the Mets as a potential stack, something that hasn’t been common at all in 2026.

Why Houston Astros’ Yordan Alvarez Is an Elite DFS and Home Run Target

Alvarez went 1-for-4 with a walk in Tuesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, extending his hitting streak to 13 games. Since Wednesday’s game was postponed due to rain, the Astros and Orioles will play a doubleheader Thursday. Alvarez should be in the lineup in both contests, which means a double chance for elite production from one of the game’s top sluggers.

During his 13-game hitting streak, Alvarez has posted 7 multi-hit performances while slashing .389/.431/.759 with a 1.190 OPS. As if the 13-game hitting streak wasn’t enough of a reason to make him a valuable fantasy alternative across all formats, Alvarez will have an excellent matchup against Chris Bassitt. He’s hitting .409 with a 1.598 OPS and 5 homers across 22 at-bats against him, so it shouldn’t be surprising if Alvarez has a strong game. He’s probably the top hitter in DFS ahead of Thursday’s slate, and he should also be a lock for home run prop bets.

Why San Francisco Giants’ Rafael Devers Is a DFS Fade on Wednesday’s Fantasy Baseball Slate

Even though Devers will be a popular target due to the fact that the San Francisco Giants will play 2 games as part of a doubleheader, it’s hard to trust Devers right now. The star first baseman has endured a rough start to the season and is hitting a measly .200 with a .527 OPS since the beginning of April.

The full-season sample doesn’t look much better, with the slugging first baseman posting a .548 OPS, .211 average, 2 homers, 4 doubles, and a worrying 36:7 K:BB in 29 games. Devers has gone yard just twice and is hitting slightly above the Mendoza Line, roughly one-sixth into the season.

Even though he has a favorable matchup against Cristopher Sanchez, against whom he’s hit .500 with a 1.250 OPS in 8 at-bats, that’s not enough to tip the scales in his favor. You should play the safe card and avoid Devers on this slate even if he’s playing in a doubleheader. The risk is too big.

Why You Should Consider Streaming Michael Soroka vs. the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday

Thursday’s slate doesn’t have a lot of attractive options if you’re looking to stream a pitcher regardless of the format of your league. However, one player you could take a look at is veteran Michael Soroka, who boasts a 2.60 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 34:7 K:BB over his first 27.2 frames.

Facing the Milwaukee Brewers in Milwaukee is not easy, but Soroka has been pitching extremely well all season long. Even though his lone road start was subpar, allowing 4 runs in 5.2 innings against the Philadelphia Phillies, that has been the lone outing in which he’s allowed more than 2 earned runs. He has also pitched at least 5 innings in every game this season, so at the very least, he should be a dependable innings-eater.