Chicago Cubs

Pedro Strop blew his first save on Sunday after allowing a game-tying home run in the top of the ninth inning. His team retook the lead in the bottom of the ninth and he was credited with the win.

Fantasy Impact: Strop gave up the home run to Jarrod Dyson of all people, and now has a 4.35 ERA in 6.2 innings this season. With Brandon Morrow suffering a setback with his elbow, Strop is likely still the closer in Chicago, but he's not a very reliable one.

David Bote went 2-for-4 with a walkoff RBI single in the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: Bote usually draws the start against lefties, and took advantage of his opportunity today. He now has an .835 OPS and .295 AVG in 50 PA this season. He doesn't play enough to have mixed league value.

Javier Baez went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI triple in the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Fantasy Impact: Baez was hitless in this series prior to today, so it was nice to see him get a pair of extra-base hits in this one. He now has a .302 AVG and .302 ISO on the year.

Tyler Chatwood pitched six scoreless innings in the Cubs' 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Sunday. He allowed two hits, two walks, and struck out three in the no decision.

Fantasy Impact: Chatwood was uncharacteristically efficient in this one, needing just 71 pitches to make it through six innings. The two walks were encouraging considering how atrocious his control was a year ago. He might stick in the rotation while Jon Lester is out, but there isn't room for him there permanently. If he makes another start it would probably come Saturday at Arizona, but Lester may be ready by then.

Kyle Schwarber went 0-for-3 in the Cubs' 6-0 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Fantasy Impact: Schwarber has really been scuffling at the plate, and is now hitting just .194 with a .161 ISO in 68 PA. Schwarber can't hit lefties and plays atrocious defense, so one has to wonder how long of a leash he has in left field. He's on the fringes of rosterability in standard mixed leagues.

Yu Darvish allowed three runs on five hits over five innings in the Cubs' 6-0 loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday. He walked three and struck out seven while falling to 1-3.

Fantasy Impact: Darvish wasn't firing away at full speed in this start like he did last time out. He averaged 93.9 MPH with his fastball and maxed out at 96 MPH. This start wasn't terrible by any means, but it's not all that good considering what the Cubs and fantasy owners expect from Darvish. Right now he's not much more than a streamer, and his next start is a tough one, facing the Dodgers at home.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon says the team is going to "slow things down" with Brandon Morrow after he felt elbow discomfort in a recent throwing session. (Source: Patrick Mooney on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Morrow had been aiming to rejoin the Cubs sometime in May but that is likely out of the picture now. He'll likely be shut down from throwing and doesn't have a timetable to return as of now. Pedro Strop has just two saves this season but is the preferred option for fantasy purposes between all Cubs relievers.

Willson Contreras went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in the Cubs' 5-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Fantasy Impact: The hot start for Contreras continued in this one, and he now has a .333 AVG and .431 ISO on the year. He is one of the top fantasy catchers and should be near the top of catcher rankings all year long.

Anthony Rizzo wen 1-for-2 with an RBI triple and two walks in the Cubs' 5-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Fantasy Impact: The triple is a rare feat for the big first baseman, who now has just 16 total for his career. He hit a flyball to left field against the shift, and the ball also took a weird hop away from left fielder David Peralta, which allowed Rizzo to reach third. He still owns just a .169 AVG, but better days should be ahead for Rizzo. His owners are best off sticking with him.

Kyle Hendricks fired seven scoreless innings and improved to 1-3 in the Cubs' 5-1 win over the Diamondbacks on Friday. He allowed three hits, two walks, and struck out 11.

Fantasy Impact: This was a surprisingly dominant start for Hendricks, who hadn't had a double digit strikeout game since 2016. He also had just 10 total strikeouts in his first three starts before this game. Don't expect this type of strikeout production from Hendricks regularly, but it was nice to see him be so dominant after getting off to a rough start. He'll take the mound next Wednesday against the Dodgers.

Jose Quintana will start on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers at home. This move was done to accommodate Tyler Chatwood's start on Sunday. (Source: Jesse Rogers on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Injuries did not cause this for Quintana, which is good for fantasy managers since he is sitting at a 3.43 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 12.4 K/9. The bad news for season-long leagues is that Quintana will not contribute anything further to this week's point totals, due to his start now being next week. Fantasy managers need to make adjustments in daily season-long leagues, if possible.

Ben Zobrist will not be in the starting lineup for the Cubs. He will likely be available from the bench if needed.

Fantasy Impact: Zobrist has not been diagnosed with any injuries so he should be back in the lineup as soon as Saturday. For Friday, take him out of your lineups.

Kris Bryant went 1-for-4 with a single and a run scored in the Cubs' 6-0 win over the Marlins on Wednesday.

Fantasy Impact: Bryant is off to a slow start this year, with a .219 AVG and .324 OBP through his first 74 PA. What's most concerning is his .129 ISO, because a lack of power is what killed Bryant's production in 2018. There were concerns around Bryant's injured shoulder and power upside coming into the season, and he hasn't done much to calm those fears yet.

Cole Hamels pitched seven scoreless innings in the Cubs' 6-0 win over the Marlins on Wednesday. He allowed two hits, walked none, and struck out eight while improving to 3-0.

Fantasy Impact: Hamels carved up a weak Miami lineup, but this is exactly what good pitchers should do against a team like the Marlins. Hamels seems to be enjoying his first full season as a Cub, as he has a 2.77 ERA and 3.18 FIP through 26 innings. His next start comes Tuesday against the Dodgers.

Jason Heyward went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles in the Cubs' 4-0 win over the Marlins on Tuesday.

Fantasy Impact: Heyward's hot April continues, and he now has a .362 AVG and .638 SLG on the year. Both numbers will undoubtedly drop, especially the slugging percentage, but Heyward could wind up providing more fantasy value than we initially expected this season.

Victor Caratini will undergo Surgery on Monday for a broken left hamate (wrist) bone. He injured his hand when taking a swing before hitting his second double of the night on Thursday. (Source: Jesse Rogers on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Caratini's injury will keep him sidelined for 4-6 weeks. It's likely he will have trouble finding a lot of power upon his return so he's likely a cut in most redraft leagues unless you have a lot of IL space. Caratini is 8-for-14 on the young season but hamate fractures are famous for sapping power from hitters even when they return to the field.

Lester was formally placed on the 10-day IL with a strained left hamstring. (Source: Jordan Bastian on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact: Lester was injured while running the bases in Monday's home-opening victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Manager Joe Maddon only expects the veteran lefty to miss one or two starts at most. Lester has a 2.57 ERA with 14 strikeouts through 14 innings on the season.

Daniel Descalso went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run and three runs scored in the Cubs' 13-10 loss to the Brewers on Friday.

Fantasy Impact: Descalso has been on fire to begin the season, going 8-for-16 with one walk and three strikeouts. Descalso could earn himself some additional playing time if he continues to hit, as the Cubs could easily play him at second base against right-handed pitching and move Ben Zobrist to the outfield. He posted a 111 wRC+ in 423 PA for Arizona last season, and could be valuable in NL-only leagues if the Cubs play him more often.

Mark Zagunis went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles in the Cubs' 8-0 loss to the Braves on Monday.

Fantasy Impact: Zagunis now has three hits on the year, all of which are doubles. The 26-year-old displayed an elite walk rate at the minor league level and could be an interesting player to keep an eye on in OBP formats.

Ian Happ will open the 2019 season in Triple-A Iowa. (Source: Sahadev Sharma on Twitter )

Fantasy Impact: Well this is surprising. Happ has been a semi-regular for the Cubs since debuting in 2017 but has struggled to remain consistent. He’s still just 24 years old so there’s plenty of potential left in his bat, and the Cubs likely want him to get regular playing time. He should be back in a Chicago at some point this year but he can be dropped in re-draft leagues for now.