Week 22 in fantasy baseball centers on assessing drop candidates and cautious holds. Zack Wheeler’s blood clot and thoracic outlet surgery push redraft value toward zero, while Josh Hader’s shoulder issues threaten a late-season return. Nick Castellanos shows a revival pattern but may fall prey to roster depth in shallow leagues. Yordan Alvarez wields big upside when healthy, yet injury chatter tempers expectations. Yusei Kikuchi’s solid underlying metrics keep him viable; Mike Trout remains matchup-insensitive when healthy, though durability looms. Seth Lugo, Brandon Pfaadt, and Matt McLain offer speculative depth and streaming potential as the season winds down.

Overall, the Cut List blends patience with strategic risk. Hold relative veterans who still carry upside; drop or replace aging or injured assets in redraft formats while preserving dynasty assets with longer recovery horizons. Readers are welcome to submit players for next week’s scrutiny, keeping the focus on high-leverage priorities for Week 23 and beyond.