Jacob Misiorowski, Jacob deGrom among pitchers who could face innings limits in second half

The second half is here and so is the fantasy baseball championship push. That means every decision we make from this point on will be magnified and any possible edge could prove vital to winning it all.

With that comes an unwanted and uncomfortable conversation: innings limits for starting pitchers. They rear their ugly head around this time every season and can’t be ignored.

Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Rankings: All-Star break update

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Eric Samulski ranks starting pitchers for fantasy baseball for the remainder of the 2025 season

Here are 12 Starting Pitchers who COULD be facing an innings limit this season.

Innings totals include college, minor league, NPB, major league, and postseason.

Jacob deGrom, SP TEX

1. 2025: 112 1/3 Innings Pitched

2. 2024: 21 1/3 IP

3. 2023: 30 1/3 IP

4. 2022: 83 IP

5. 2021: 95 IP

By far the most notable player on this list and shockingly the one who’s thrown the most innings so far this season, deGrom’s workload will be a huge story of the second half.

The Rangers and deGrom have each taken this comeback season moment by moment. During the offseason, deGrom outlined his goal to “make as many starts as [he] can” and he dropped the same quote to Jeff Passan during spring training.

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With that, the team hasn’t outlined any official plan to limit his innings. He opened the season at the back of their rotation, has only crossed the 100-pitch threshold once, and kept his average fastball velocity down around 97 mph which would be his lowest in a full season since way back in 2019.

That being said, he’s almost guaranteed to be shut down towards the end of the season if the Rangers fall out of contention. They’re one game under .500 and three and a half games behind the last Wild Card spot in the American League. Albeit, with most of the same core that won a World Series two years ago.

It will be a touch and go situation that we’ll have to monitor closely. The Rangers’ roster is expensive and they could shed some weight at the trade deadline. deGrom also has two years and $75 million left on his current contract before a club-option in 2028 when he will be 40 years old.

Whether they want to make another World Series run this year or next, they’ll need a healthy deGrom to do so. If they decide next year is more important than this one, deGrom will likely be shut down.

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And even if he is, getting something like 140 incredible innings will make him one of the best values of this fantasy season. It will just be a cruel piece of irony to once again not have him for the home stretch.

Jacob Misiorowski, SP MIL

1. 2025: 89 IP

2. 2024: 97 1/3 IP

3. 2023: 71 1/3 IP

4. 2022: 77 2/3 IP

A name many of us don’t want to consider here, it’s realistic to think the Brewers could limit Misiorowski’s workload at some point over the next few months.

He’s never thrown more than 100 innings in a single season during college or as a pro. If he pitches the rest of this season uninterrupted with an average of five innings per start – as he has during his first five starts and given 13 more turns in the rotation since Milwaukee has 66 games left – he’ll be up to 154 innings at all levels before the playoffs begin.

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Right now, the Brewers are only one game behind the Cubs for the division lead and both are just behind the Dodgers for the top seed in the National League. They’re probably thinking more so about winning the World Series than just making the postseason.

Which makes it more likely they taper his regular season workload back at some point. Maybe not a shutdown, but something like limiting him to 50-60 pitches rather than the 75-90 pitches he’s been making per start so far.

The Brewers are in a unique opportunity to do so and not hurt their team much either in the near-term either.

Apart from a strong five-man rotation, they have Chad Patrick and Tobias Myers in Triple-A who are capable major league pitchers. Not to mention Logan Henderson, who had a 1.71 ERA and 35.8% strikeout rate across his only four starts earlier this season, and Nestor Cortes, who’s currently on a rehab assignment.

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With security in both the standings and their pitching depth, there’s a decent chance the Brewers try to thread the needle in ensuring Misiorowski doesn’t throw too many innings in the regular season while being certain he can be part of what they hope is a deep playoff run.

Spencer Strider, SP ATL

1. 2025: 75 1/3 IP

2. 2024: 9 IP

3. 2023: 199 1/3 IP

4. 2022: 134 IP

5. 2021: 96 1/3 IP

While there’s been no public mention of an innings limit for Strider, it would be shocking if the Braves don’t curtail his workload in some way just a year after he received the internal brace procedure.

They’re out of the playoff race, rumored to be (moderate) sellers at the deadline, and Strider has not had the same life on his pitches this season. Especially his fastball, which is down nearly two full miles per hour and two full inches of induced vertical break compared to 2023.

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With that, his strikeout rate has fallen sharply and he’s been hit much harder than any other time in his major league career.

When looking at his career innings by season, that 199 1/3 IP from 2023 sticks out like a sore thumb. He’s always been undersized and pitches with a high-intensity delivery. That was also his second major arm surgery after undergoing Tommy John in college.

Maybe this new, less effective version of Strider can pitch more innings year over year. Either way, it’s safe to assume he’ll be shut down at some point in September this season once he gets around 120 innings or so.

Eury Pérez, SP MIA

1. 2025: 56 2/3 IP

2. 2024: 0 IP

3. 2023: 128 IP

4. 2022: 77 IP

5. 2021: 78 IP

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Pérez has finally turned the corner in his recovery from Tommy John surgery.

In his first four starts after returning, he had a 6.19 ERA, walked nearly as many batters as he struck out, and never completed five innings. In his last three starts, he’s struck out 21 batters with just one walk and one earned run over 18 innings. He’s back.

The Marlins will have little to play for though and will be careful with their still 22-year-old phenom pitcher. Yet, starting his rehab in May and being activated in June could allow him to pitch for the rest of the season uninterrupted and still not clear the 128 inning mark he reached in 2023.

They have 67 games left, which is about 13 more revolutions around their rotation. That means Pérez could stay on track and throw about 75 more innings from this point on.

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If the Marlins are comfortable with that number, he’ll keep going. If they’d prefer him to stay closer to 100 innings, then we could see some abbreviated starts or a shutdown at some point in September.

Kodai Senga, SP NYM

1. 2025: 77 2/3 IP

2. 2024: 10 1/3 IP

3. 2023: 166 1/3 IP

4. 2022: 144 IP

Last season was a disaster for Senga health wise. He strained his shoulder capsule right at the beginning of spring training and then seriously strained his calf during the sixth inning of his triumphant return.

He made it back for the playoffs in an abbreviated role and had some good and bad moments during the Mets’ NLCS run.

Then heading into this season, he ramped up slowly but was good to go heading into the season. He was cruising along as his usual effective self before a hamstring strain in June knocked him out for nearly a month.

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Ironically, that month-long layoff may have saved Senga and the Mets from any type of workload limitations for the rest of the season.

They’re likely going to move back to a six-man rotation at some point in the second half, as they’ve done in the past to acquiesce Senga and take some of the load off the rest of their rotation too.

Shane Baz, SP TBR

1. 2025: 110 IP

2. 2024: 118 2/3 IP

3. 2023: 0 IP

4. 2022: 50 IP

5. 2021: 92 IP

It’s ironic that effectiveness more so than health has limited Baz’s fantasy value this season. Regardless, he’s likely to be limited down the stretch, even given the Rays’ playoff aspirations.

Baz is nearly three years removed from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in September 2022, but has only pitched one full season since. When he returned last season, his average fastball velocity sat a full tick lower than it had either when he was a rookie or so far this season.

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For most of last year, it felt like he was fighting against his body and struggling to get loose. That has not been the case this season as his velocity and stuff look mostly similar to how it did pre-surgery, it’s just the command that can elude him.

Working up near 120 innings that first year back gave him a nice foundation though and he may not even be shut down. Instead, he could wind up doing something like what teammate Drew Rasmussen has done over the last month: stay on schedule in two or three inning increments with Joe Boyle or someone else following him to give bulk innings game by game.

Kris Bubic, SP KCR

1. 2025: 108 2/3 IP

2. 2024: 70 2/3 IP

3. 2023: 16 IP

4. 2022: 142 2/3 IP

5. 2021: 130 IP

Bubic has been one of the true heroes of this fantasy baseball season. He returned from Tommy John surgery last year, showed better stuff in a relief role, then carried those gains with him to the rotation this season, and just made his first All-Star team after an excellent half.

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He’s currently the 23rd ranked pitcher on FanGraphs player rater and anyone who scooped him off the waiver wire early in the season or spent a late round draft pick on him has to be thrilled.

Yet, the Royals keep falling further and further out of contention, now four-and-a-half from the last Wild Card spot in the AL with four teams between it and them.

They don’t have to shut Bubic down, especially since he’s had multiple seasons where he’s had relatively large workloads before he had surgery.

The Royals had a similar situation with Cole Ragans last season and he went on as their ace right through their ALDS exit. Now, he’s out with a shoulder injury.

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Just keep Bubic’s name in mind this September when some pitchers are ending their seasons early..

Grant Holmes, SP ATL

1. 2025: 105 IP

2. 2024: 109 1/3 IP

3. 2023: 61 IP

4. 2022: 40 2/3 IP

Holmes has been a steadying force in what’s otherwise been a disastrous season for the Braves. They’re a long way from playoff contention and are reportedly going to be sellers at the deadline, which is honestly hard to conceive.

Working up near 110 innings last season makes him a toss-up to be shut down, especially since the Braves are a team known for pushing players’ workloads more than most others.

Clay Holmes, SP NYM

1. 2025: 103 1/3 IP

2. 2024: 75 IP

3. 2023: 63 IP

4. 2022: 69 2/3 IP

5. 2021: 72 IP

Holmes has been great in his first year going from the bullpen back to the rotation. His 3.31 ERA and 103 1/3 innings have been vital for a Mets’ team whose rotation has been in constant flux due to injuries. So far, the experiment has been a resounding success.

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The Mets have begun to limit his workload recently though. After completing six innings in eight of nine starts through parts of April, May, and June, Holmes hasn’t gone that deep into a game since June 7th. He also hasn’t thrown more than 90 pitches in three consecutive starts.

Manager Carlos Mendoza has hinted at the fact that Holmes’ could be limited to around 90 pitches per start lately, and that would make sense given the huge jump in innings he’s on pace for.

Being limited to around five innings will limit Holmes’ fantasy for the rest of the season, but not kill it by any means.

Landen Roupp, SP SFG

1. 2025: 96 1/3 IP

2. 2024: 76 2/3 IP

3. 2023: 31 IP

4. 2022: 107 1/3 IP

5. 2021: 8 IP

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An unheralded success story of the season, Roupp sneakily has a 3.27 ERA while holding a spot towards the back of the Giants’ rotation despite some not-so-great underlying stats that hint at the potential for regression.

He’s also on his way to throwing the most innings he’s ever thrown as a pro. His previous high came in 2022 between Low-A, High-A, and Double-AA and since then he’s missed time with back and elbow injuries.

Still, the only way it seems like Roupp will be shut down is if either the Giants fall out of playoff contention – they’re currently just half a game out of the NL Wild Card race – or go out and trade for a starting pitcher at the deadline.

They could limit Roupp’s innings with a combination of Joey Lucchesi and Tristan Beck going back to being swing-men or by calling up prospect Carson Whisenhunt, but I don’t see them going down that road if they think it will hurt their chances to win games.

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Drew Rasmussen, SP TBR

1. 2025: 91 1/3 IP

2. 2024: 36 IP

3. 2023: 44 2/3 IP

4. 2022: 147 2/3 IP

5. 2021: 89 1/3 IP

Rasmussen is the first player on this list who’s already had their workload scaled back.

He’d sat somewhere between 70 and 90 pitches per start all season, peaking at 92 pitches on June 19th. Since then, he’s been scaled back to 62, 54, 32, and 53 pitches in each of his last four starts respectively.

More recently, Kevin Cash told reporters that Rasmussen would be back to his five-inning workload coming out of the All-Star break. After three arm surgeries, it’s hard to be sure whether or not that will stick.

Either way, it’s hard to see Rasmussen throwing more than 75 or so pitches in any start for the rest of the season which only gives him true value in deeper leagues. Keep an eye on any news coming from the Rays though because this situation feels fluid.

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Sandy Alcantara, SP MIA

1. 2025: 91 IP

2. 2024: 0 IP

3. 2023: 188 2/3 IP

4. 2022: 228 2/3 IP

5. 2021: 205 2/3 IP

We were collectively thrilled during spring training when Marlins’ manager Clayton McCullough announced Alcantara wouldn’t be on an innings limit. That seemed to be the only thing that could stop him from being an effective pitcher.

That was incredibly wrong with Sandy’s 7.22 ERA being the worst by far of any pitcher that’s thrown at least 80 innings this season.

If he’s not traded – which would be a surprise given how awful he’s been – the Marlins could shut him down at practically any moment. It’s difficult to see how he’s a viable option either way at any point this season anyway.