Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Jose Soriano breaking out, Chase Meidroth gets the call

Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season.

The premise is pretty straightforward. I’ll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I’ll list the category where I think he’ll be helpful or the quick reason he’s listed. I hope that it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs or not.

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For a player to qualify to be on this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, “These players aren’t available in my league,” and I can’t help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they’re available in many places and that can hopefully satisfy readers in all league types.

2025 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Bobby Witt Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge lead Top 300 rest of season ranks

Hunter Greene is on the rise and Rockies call-up Zac Veen enters the Top 300.

Waiver Wire Hitters

Kyren Paris – 2B, LAA: 70% rostered (39% rostered when this article was first drafted)
(SPEED UPSIDE, POTENTIAL PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY)

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Despite Paris being well over the cut-off for this article, I wanted to include him in here because he’s one of the most-added players in fantasy baseball and has been a lightning rod for discussion online; many conversations are ones I’ve been a part of. It was pointed out to me that some of my Twitter comments made it sound like I was not interested in Paris, so I want to be clear that if he’s available in your league, you should be looking to add him. What Paris has done to start this season is stupid good, and we have that detailed video online that breaks down his swing change this off-season, which I linked to last week. Paris is a former second-round pick who could absolutely be reaching a new level of success thanks to a new swing. However, I think it’s important that we also acknowledge that Paris is a career .237 minor league hitter, had a 35% strikeout rate at Triple-A last year, and currently has just a 63% contact rate with a 17% swinging strike rate. Even with the changes, Paris has the profile of a hitter who will produce power/speed numbers but likely swing and miss a lot and have a poor batting average. Think about last season when Jo Adell got off to a hot start and we assumed he had fixed his contact issues, and then he slowed considerably as the year went on. You’re going to keep Paris in your lineup as long as he’s producing, and he could produce for a long time, but he also could wind up a .230 hitter with good power/speed numbers. You’d be really happy with that considering he was a waiver wire add, but just keep expectations in check when you’re thinking about who to drop and who to trade in order to get Paris on your team.

Jacob Wilson – SS, ATH: 39% rostered
(BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, EVERYDAY ROLE)

Wilson was 14% rostered when we discussed him last week, so quite a few folks like what he’s doing in Sacramento, and it’s hard to blame them. If you like batting average and hate strikeouts and walks, then Jacob Wilson is for you. The Athletics’ rookie makes an elite amount of contact but doesn’t hit for power or draw walks or steal many bases. Wilson has never stolen more than four bases or hit more than seven home runs at any minor league level, so you need to be honest with yourself about what you’re after when you add Wilson. He will give you a strong batting average, and he has moved from the bottom third of the order up to sixth and could conceivably climb up to second or third if he keeps hitting. There’s a place for that on some fantasy rosters, but it may not be yours. A similar boring but dependable option in deeper formats if you need a guy like that in the infield is Geraldo Perdomo – SS, ARI (39% rostered). Perdomo has a bit more speed than Wilson, but a similar amount of power and won’t hit for as high of a batting average. However, Perdomo does also hit second for Arizona, so that keeps him in the thick of things and is part of the reason he has 13 RBIs already this season. It’s a pick-your-poison type of situation between these two, but they both have places on rosters.

Kyle Manzardo – 1B, CLE: 37% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY)

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I see that Manzardo has dipped below the 40% rostered cut-off, so I wanted to bring him back up again. Yes, he’s hitting just .200 on the season, but he’s hitting the ball hard, has a swinging strike rate of just 10%, and is still making 76% contact overall. The hits are going to fall, so now might be the time to get him onto your rosters. In deeper formats, you could also turn to Matt Mervis – 1B, MIA (2% rostered), who was a fantasy darling back when he was on the Cubs a couple of years ago. His minor league numbers didn’t carry over to the big leagues, but now he finds himself in an everyday role in Miami and has slugged four home runs while hitting .281 in his first 10 games. I should note that he also has a 39% strikeout rate and a 20.5% swinging strike rate, so the batting average is certainly going to come down. The power is for real though, as is the playing time.

Trevor Story – SS, BOS: 35% rostered
(SPEED UPSIDE, EVERY DAY JOB)

I’m not sure Story gets enough respect because he’s had a checkered past when it comes to injuries, and many fans just want to see Marceo Mayer in Boston. However, Story has turned himself into a really good defensive shortstop, and his speed makes a real impact in fantasy leagues. Through 16 games to start the season, Story has six steals and two home runs while playing every day at short. He may hit just .250 on the season, but he’s been hitting fifth in the Red Sox order, which gives him some real counting stat upside to go with 25+ stolen base speed.

TJ Friedl – OF, CIN: 35% rostered,
(SPEED UPSIDE, EVERY DAY JOB)

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If you wanted an outfielder who can help you in steals and runs scored, you could go after Friedl, who is leading off for Cincinnati. He’s only hitting .255 to start the season, and the Cincinnati lineup has been struggling, but Friedl has scored nine runs while hitting in front of Elly De La Cruz and Matt McLain. His sprint speed has been falling over the last few years, but he has also consistently stolen bases when he’s in the lineup, and he’ll play every day while he’s healthy. If you’re in deeper leagues, you can also gamble on somebody like Mike Yastrzemski – OF, SF (12% rostered), who is hitting .316 with two home runs, two steals, and six RBI so far this season. Little Yaz has just a 9.2% swinging strike rate, which has led to a 77% contact rate and a solid amount of barrels early in the year. He’s not going to “break out,” but the Giants are a solid lineup, and he’s led off the last two games with LaMonte Wade Jr. struggling.

Dylan Moore – 1B/2B/3B/SS/OF, SEA: 26% rostered
(SPEED UPSIDE, PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY)

Injuries to Victor Robles and Ryan Bliss have opened up the opportunity for everyday playing time for Moore, who can play second base, third base, or the outfield. I know he sat on Friday and Saturday, but we can’t really expect the Mariners to play Leo Rivas and Miles Mastrobuoni over Moore. However, we’ve also seen Dylan Moore do this before. He has great speed and plays almost every position on the diamond. However, we also know that he struggles with making consistent contact, and the cold streaks will always be there. If you wanted a safer option with not as much upside, you could go with Josh Smith – 3B/SS/OF, TEX (14% rostered), who figures to get regular starts in left field while Wyatt Langford is out with an oblique issue. Smith also started at third base when Josh Jung was out, so the Rangers have no problem just plugging and playing him basically anywhere. He’s hitting .353 with three steals to start the season, and is a great multi-position bench piece.

Trent Grisham – OF, NYY: 20% rostered
(LINEUP UPSIDE, SNEAKY PLAYING TIME)

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I think Grisham’s recent uptick in playing time is mostly due to a hot streak and injuries/sickness elsewhere on the Yankees roster, but we have to acknowledge that he started six straight games for a stretch earlier this week and is hitting .344 with three home runs on the season. He has only 36 plate appearances, but he has just a 7.6% swinging strike rate, is not chasing out of the zone, is making contact at an 80% clip, and has an average exit velocity of 92.4 mph. The Yankees love his defense in the outfield, but playing him out there means sitting one of their other outfielders or moving them to DH and sitting Ben Rice. That makes playing time hard to come by. The playing time is more secure with somebody like Sal Frelick (OF, MIL: 20% rostered), who is playing every day in Milwaukee. Frelick is a good hitter, who is hitting .321 in his 15 games, but he’s unlikely to hit more than five home runs this season. This play is essentially about batting average and speed, but if you need those two things, Frelick is a solid gamble for you.

Zac Veen – OF, COL: 20% rostered
(SPEED UPSIDE, EVERY DAY PLAYING TIME)

The Rockies called up Zac Veen last Sunday, and since then, he has gone 3-for-19 with six strikeouts and one walk in five games. Your desire to add Veen will be dependent on how much you trust spring training and prospect pedigree. Veen is a former 9th overall pick and top 100 prospect, but he has fallen off all top 100 lists the last two seasons due to some contact issues that led to mediocre minor league performance. However, he had a strong spring and hit .387/.472/.677 in eight games at Triple-A with six strikeouts and four walks, so maybe his plate discipline is improving? He’s just 23 years old, and Coors Field will help some of his batting average risk, but I maybe woulnd’t be spending triple digits here outside of deeper formats because I’m just not sure Veen will make enough contact to stick this season.

Jorge Polanco – 2B, SEA: 19% rostered
(DEEP LEAGUE OPTION, COUNTING STATS UPSIDE)

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You never want to spin injuries into a positive, but the injury to Victor Robles may have helped Polanco. Polanco has been off to a hot start to the season, but his surgically repaired knee has been giving him some problems. With Robles not in the lineup, the Mariners are able to move Luke Raley to right field against right-handed pitchers and put Polanco in the lineup at DH, which will help him take some impact off his knees as an everyday third baseman. Polanco has gone 13-for-34 (.382) with three home runs and 12 RBI to start the season, and I wrote him up as an undervalued hitter in spring training, so I would recommend taking some shares. Jose Caballero – 2B/3B/SS, TB (8% rostered) is another multi-position option in deeper leagues after he made his first start in the outfield this week as Tampa Bay looks to get him more at-bats and cover for the injury to Josh Lowe. We know that Caballero can be a difference-maker in the stolen base category, and if he winds up playing 75% of games with 2B/3B/SS/OF eligibility, that’s pretty valuable.

Nick Kurtz – 1B, ATH: 14% rostered
(PROSPECT STASH, POWER UPSIDE)

It may be early for prospect stashes, but it depends on your league size and bench space. Kurtz was the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft and got an aggressive assignment to Triple-A after a strong spring training. Well, he’s gone 22-for-57 (.386) in his first 13 Triple-A games with seven home runs and 21 RBI. If he keeps doing this, the Athletics are going to call him up and let Tyler Soderstrom be their everyday DH. That probably means making Brent Rooker play the field, but you’re gonna have to do that if Kurtz keeps hitting like this. The A’s put Rooker in right field on Saturday when they gave Lawrence Butler a day off, so the experimenting is beginning, which means a move may be soon. Roman Anthony – OF, BOS (28% rostered) is another top prospect who may not be long for the minors. The Red Sox will need to clear up some space in the outfield for him, but he’s off to a strong start in Triple-A and should be up soon, especially if Ceddanne Rafaela continues to struggle to make good on his strong spring training. Rafaela could move into a super utility role with Jarren Duran in CF and Anthony in LF.

Nolan Schanuel – 1B, LAA: 10% rostered
(BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, EVERYDAY ROLE)

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I had Schanuel on a few teams last year. He has good speed for a first baseman and had a 91% zone contact rate, which highlights his overall batting average upside. So far in 2025, Schanuel has posted much better bat speed numbers and has hit the two hardest balls of his MLB career. Remember that he’s only 23 years old and debuted in the same season he was drafted. There is still some potential growth here, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Schanuel hit .275 with 15 home runs and 10 steals. That’s not bad for a deeper league corner infield target. You could also pivot and grab Carlos Santana – 1B, CLE (11% rostered). The batting average won’t be as high, but Santana has two home runs and a steal so far this season and is doing what he typically does: showing elite plate discipline, not swinging and missing much, and making strong contact. This feels like a batting average or power choice here.

Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B, PIT: 9% rostered
(ELITE LINEUP SPOT, FINALLY CHANGING?)

The results have not been there early for Hayes, but I wanted to point him out for two reasons. First, he’s hit third, fifth, or first mostly for Pittsburgh, which means he’s always in an elite lineup spot. The second is that he seems to be starting to do what we’ve long wanted him to do. It’s only been 60 plate appearances, but his pull rate is the highest it’s ever been, and his fly ball rate is the second-highest it’s ever been. His average exit velocity is 92.3 mph, and his launch angle is 14.5 degrees. He’s still not chasing; he’s being way more patient in the zone, but only swinging and missing at a 7.3% rate. If you ever said to yourself, “I like Hayes, but I wish he would try to pull and/or lift the ball more,” then maybe this is your time to buy in.

Jordan Lawlar – SS, ARI: 8% rostered
(POTENTIAL CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

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We are nearing Jordan Lawlar time in Arizona. The 22-year-old has gone 16-for-56 (.286) to start the season at Triple-A with one home run and four steals, but he has also been playing second base regularly of late. That’s big news with Ketel Marte likely out until early May. The Diamondbacks look like they’re trying to see if Lawlar can fit as an everyday player for them at the keystone, and there’s a chance he could be a five-category guy when he gets the opportunity. The only caveat is that he’ll have to produce enough early on to convince Arizona to find a way to keep him up once Marte is back in the lineup.

Heston Kjerstad – OF, BAL: 6% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY)

Since Colton Cowser hit the injured list with a fractured thumb, Kjerstad has become the regular starter in left field for Baltimore. The results have not been there, and he hit just .209 in spring training, so I’m not yet convinced he’s going to take this job and run with it. However, he hits the ball hard, and the Orioles are likely going to give him enough playing time to decide if they want to keep him or trade him for pitching, so I’m willing to add him in most places just in case he starts to make more contact. Another outfielder who is struggling but will continue to get chances is Nolan Jones – OF, CLE (11% rostered). I would maybe only put Jones on your “watch list” for now, but I did feel the need to mention that, in 40 plate appearances, he has just a 9.7% swinging strike rate, has a 77% contact rate, 10.5% barrel rate, and an average exit velocity of 94 mph. It at least bares watching.

Pavin Smith – 1B/OF, ARI: 6% rostered
(COUNTING STAT UPSIDE, EVERY DAY JOB)

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It’s tough to roster players like Smith, who sit every time a left-hander is on the mound, but if you’re playing in a daily moves league or a league that lets you change hitters mid-week, you should at least put him on your radar. Smith is somebody that I’m in on after he hit .270/.348/.547 with nine home runs and a .896 OPS in 158 plate appearances in a part-time role last year. This season, he’s gone 12-for-33 (.364) with one home run and eight runs scored, while registering an average exit velocity of 94 mph. It’s early days, but he’s pulling the ball way more than average, just not lifting it as much as we’d like to see. Michael Conforto – OF, LAD (20% rostered) also fits into that boat while hitting in one of the best lineups in baseball. Yes, it’s a bummer that they don’t get at-bats every day, but remember that the overall quality of their at-bats is likely improved by not having to face lefties, so there is a trade-off there.

Hyeseong Kim – 2B/SS, LAD: 6% rostered
(POTENTIAL CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE)

While Andy Pages struggles defensively in center field, Kim has been playing center field regularly in Triple-A. He was sent there to continue to work on the new swing the Dodgers had tweaked for him, and the early results are promising. Kim has gone 17-for-58 (.293) with three homers and four steals over 13 games to start the season. He has an experienced star from his time in the KBO, and it might not be long before the Dodgers give him a chance in the big leagues.

Chase Meidroth – 2B/3B/SS, CWS: 4% rostered
(BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE, STARTING OPPORTUNITY)

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Chase Meidroth was one of the central components that came over to the White Sox in the Garrett Crochet deal. Despite the batting average not being great in spring training, he showed elite plate discipline and then went down to Triple-A and hit .267/.450/.600 with three home runs, two steals, and 11 runs scored in nine games. Now, he’s getting a shot with the White Sox and will most likely be an everyday starter now that he’s up. He’s unlikely to hit double-digit home runs, but he can steal 10 bags and hit .250-.260 while producing a solid on-base percentage. That may not have much shallow league value because of the poor lineup around him, but he’s firmly on deep league radars.

Pedro Pages – C, STL: 3% rostered
(POWER UPSIDE, STARTING JOB)

Pages is the starting catcher in St. Louis for a month with Ivan Herrera sidelines. Pages hasn’t been so bad himself, hitting 10-for-34 (.294) with a home run and seven RBI. If you’re in a two-catcher format, he makes for a solid add, as does Carlos Narvaez – C, BOS (1% rostered), who is the starting catcher in Boston now. Narvaez is more of a defensive catcher, but he has just an 11% swinging strike rate to start the season with a 12% walk rate, 78% contact rate, and 9.5% barrel rate. It’s early for most of those stats, but the point is simply that he has been average as a hitter and will play most days in Boston in the immediate future. As will Dillon Dingler – C, DET (5% rostered) in Detroit with Jake Rogers hurt. Dingler has gotten off to the best start of the group, going 12-for-31 (.387) with two home runs and eight RBI, and he was a top prospect in the Detroit system, so he’s worth a shot as well in case any of these early gains stick.

Alek Thomas – OF, ARI: 2% rostered
(FORMER TOP PROSPECT, POTENTIAL PLAYING TIME OPPORTUNITY)

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Alek Thomas was once a top prospect in the Diamondbacks organization, but he battled injuries and could never seem to transition his minor league ability into MLB success. He’s taken the starting center field job from Jake McCarthy, at least against right-handed pitching and has gone 10-for-31 (.323) with five runs and eight RBI on the season. He’s been a little more aggressive this time in the big leagues and swinging and missing more than we’ve seen from him in the past, but he also still has a 90% zone contact rate, so I’m OK with him being more aggressive if it leads to more authoritative contact. Another deep league option is Kameron Misner – OF, TB (3% rostered), who found himself with a shot at a starting job thanks to an oblique injury that could keep Josh Lowe out for multiple months. The 27-year-old Misner is off to a good start, going 8-for-22 with one home run and four RBI so far this season. He’s added 2.8 mph to his bat speed, which has added 1.7 Run Value per 100 swings, which is among the tops in baseball in the early going. Remember that Misner was a former first-round pick, who hit .248/.360/.442 with 17 home runs and 30 steals in Triple-A for the Rays last season. This could be deep league worthy while Lowe is out. His teammate Jake Mangum – OF, TB (11% rostered) is another option, especially if you’re in a deep league and looking for speed.

Jake Meyers – OF, HOU: 2% rostered
(STARTING JOB, SPEED UPSIDE)

Let’s throw another deep league option in there, but Meyers is starting every day in center field for the Astros and has gone 10-for-36 (.278) with five steals so far this season. He hits eighth in the order, so he’s unlikely to help your counting stats too much, but an outfielder who can hit .270-.280 and swipe bases in a good offense certainly has value in deeper formats. Another deeper league outfielder with a starting job is Leody Taveras – OF, TEX (3% rostered), who is hitting just .220 but has also stolen five bases so far this season. With Evan Carter in the minors and Wyatt Langford hurt, Taveras should play regularly for the foreseeable future.

Gabriel Arias – 2B/3B/SS, CLE: 2% rostered
(STARTING JOB, POWER UPSIDE)

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It might be time to start taking note of what Arias is doing. The 25-year-old won the starting second base job for the Guardians and has gone 12-for-42 (.286) with three home runs and seven RBI to start the season. Arias added 1.3 mph to his swing as well and now has an average bat speed of 75.7 mph, which is 15th-best in all of baseball, right around Elly De La Cruz, James Wood, and many other high-upside power hitters. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt talked up Arias in spring training and has used him at 2B, 3B, and SS already this season. He could be a solid bench add in deeper formats. With Masyn Winn headed to the IL, it looks like Thomas Saggese – 2B, STL (2% rostered) will be the starting shortstop in St. Louis for the immediate future. The 23-year-old has gone 8-for-17 with one home run and four RBI to start the season and hit .253/.313/.438 with 20 home runs and nine steals in 125 games at Triple-A last year, so there is some deep-league value here, especially since he will be 2B/SS eligible soon.

Adael Amador – 2B, COL: 1% rostered
(CALL UP, SPEED UPSIDE )

The Rockies are also calling up Amador, who struggled in his first taste of the big leagues last year, but he’s just 22 years old and has been showing better plate discipline this season, slashing .275/.408/.450 with two home runs, four RBI, nine runs, and three stolen bases in 49 plate appearances at Triple-A. He does have some contact issues, but there is certainly speed here, and potentially 15 home run power in Coors Field, which could make a .240 type of average palatable in fantasy leagues. The Twins are also calling up Brooks Lee – 2B/SS/3B (3% rostered) and sending Jose Miranda down to Triple-A. Lee was sidelined by a back strain late in spring training, but figured to play every day for the Twins. He didn’t have a great spring, and is not much of a power/speed threat, so I think he’s a better real-life player than fantasy player.

Waiver Wire Pitchers

Jose Soriano – SP, LAA (42% rostered)
I wrote about Jose Soriano as one of my favorite late-round starting pitcher targets for draft season. The key for him was going to be getting ahead with his sinker to give him the opportunity to go to the curve, slider, and splitter for swinging strikes. So far, so good. The overall profile can be wonky at times with Soriano, but he has three legit swinging strike offerings, so I love the foundation we can build off of here.

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Max Meyer – SP, MIA (35% rostered)
I wrote about Max Meyer as one of my undrafted starting pitchers I think have the upside to finish inside the top-25, so you can read that article to see a more detailed breakdown of why I liked him coming into the season. Obviously, what we’ve seen so far in the first few weeks doesn’t change anything for me.

Jordan Hicks – SP, SF: 35% rostered
Yes, I know Jordan Hicks had a rought start against the Yankees, and I know his sinker velocity was down to 96 mph. However, it was a cold and rainy night in New York, and essentially all of the damage against Hicks happened in the fifth inning. I’m still willing to add him and at least keep him on the bench against the Phillies to see if the velocity comes back under normal weather conditions.

Blake Treinen – RP, LAD (34% rostered)
I know people always love to chase the trendy closer when it comes to waiver wire Sunday, but sometimes I’d rather take a really good reliever in a save share. No, Treinen is not “the closer” in Los Angeles; however, he has two saves already this season and is going to get some save opportunities while pitching high-leverage innings. On days when he doesn’t get saves, he’s likely going to give you solid ratios and some strikeouts. I’d take that over a closer who may be a grenade. Jason Adam – RP, SD (35% rostered) is in the same boat. We know Adam is a good reliever. He’s going to help your ratios and steal a few wins, and when the Padres finally trade Robert Suarez, who has been on the trade block all off-season, I think it’ll be Adam that takes over and starts to get saves. You can add him now and not have to spend big money.

David Peterson – SP, NYM (34% rostered)
Peterson is yet another intriguing starter who showed some interesting tweaks in his season debut, with more movement on his changeup and a nice backfoot slider to right-handed hitters. I wrote about why Peterson is one of my favorite late-round starting pitchers to draft, so I’d encourage you to read that if you want a detailed discussion of why I like the left-hander. He lines up to start against the Cardinals this week, and I’m OK with that start.

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Matthew Boyd – SP, CHC: 28% rostered
I wrote up Matthew Boyd in this week’s Starting Pitcher News article. In that article, I discussed Boyd’s arm angle change and how it has impacted the movement on his pitches, particularly his changeup. I’m not sure it makes Boyd a locked-in every week type of starter, but Boyd has solid velocity on his fastball and is throwing from a more comfortable arm slot, so I’m happy to take gambles in deeper leagues.

Emilio Pagan – RP, CIN: 24% rostered
Pagan appears to be the favorite for saves in Cincinnati right now, and his velocity is up, but we’ve kind of seen this from him in the past. We know Pagan can go through hot stretches, but he can also give up lots of hard contact and home runs. That makes me a little nervous. Especially since Alexis Diaz is back to pitching, and pitching well, at Triple-A. Dennis Santana – RP, PIT (19% rostered) is another short-term “closer.” With David Bednar in Triple-A and Colin Holderman struggling, Santana has the closer’s role right now, but I think Bednar will be back up in a few weeks to take that job back, so I’m not making big bids here. In fact, Bednar has thrown three scoreless innings at Triple-A with five strikeouts and no walks, so I’m not sure what value the Pirates are getting out of him pitching there.

Zebby Matthews – SP, MIN: 19% rostered
Matthews was one of my favorite late-round picks early in spring training, and he has been cruising in Triple-A, We thought Matthews would get a chance when Pablo Lopez went down, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Still, Matthews, allegedly, has a chance to be a part of a six-man rotation, and I truly believe he can be a difference-maker on fantasy rosters. Even if Festa takes the spot right now, Chris Paddack continues to struggle, and we should see Zebby up in Minnesota before long. In fact, it could be on Monday against the Mets.

Eduardo Rodriguez – SP, ARI: 19% rostered
Rodriguez is an interesting name right now because a 4.86 ERA and 1.20 WHIP through three starts is not great. However, he also has 20 strikeouts to just six walks and is getting more chases out of the zone than he has in a few years. His velocity is up from last year, and a lot of his early stats are similar to the pitcher he was in 2023, when he posted a 4.26 SIERA, 15.3% K-BB%, and 1.15 WHIP. That version of him would be solid in 15-team leagues, and he gets the Marlins this week, so he’s worth the gamble there.

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Tommy Kahnle – RP, DET: 17% rostered
Early in spring training, I had Kahnle pegged as the potential closer in Detroit, but then Beau Brieske was re-signed, and it seemed like A.J. Hinch would give him the first crack at the game. He did, and it didn’t go so well. Kahnle is a bit of a “one-trick pony” with his changeup, but I think he’s a bit safer than Santana. That’s also why I want to take stabs on Porter Hodge – RP, CHC (17% rostered). Ryan Pressly doesn’t look great, and the Cubs aren’t going to move on from him quickly because of what it took to get him to Chicago, but I think stashing Hodge makes some sense since he’s allowed just two runs while striking out nine in seven innings.

Easton Lucas – SP, TOR: 15% rostered
What do we make of Lucas? He’s looked good through two starts, but he’s a lefty who throws 92 mph and only has a rotation spot because Max Scherzer is hurt. Still, Lucas has good vertical movement on the fastball and keeps it upstairs while also featuring a change, sweeper, and slider. I guess this can work, and he has a two-start week, but one of those is against the Braves, and that worries me. David Festa – SP, MIN (7% rostered) also got the call to take Pablo Lopez’s spot in the rotation and looked solid, throwing 4.2 innings and not allowing an earned run while striking out four and walking one. However, he was pulled after 64 pitches, and I have the feeling Minnesota is going to keep limiting him like that because they did it last year too.

Tyler Mahle – SP, TEX: 13% rostered
Look, I don’t know what to make of Mahle right now. His four-seamer was down to 90.4 mph in his last start yet still got seven whiffs. How? I dunno. Maybe it was the weather, but Mahle has tons of injury concerns in the past, and seeing the velocity drop like that is a bit concerning to me. I might rather gamble on somebody like Shane Smith – SP, CWS (4% rostered), who is not in a great situation but might be pretty good. His fastball and changeup are legit and a solid foundation for success. His curve and slider are not as exciting. I wonder if he carved up Cleveland because they have so many lefties, and he could let that changeup eat. I’m not going overboard here, but it’s worth a gamble.

Brayan Bello – SP, BOS: 11% rostered
Last week, I mentioned Bello if you need an IL stash, and now we have a bit more information on his timeline. Bello is scheduled to one final rehab start this week and then will be activated before the week of the 21st. Same with Lucas Giolito – SP, BOS (21% rostered). That means that there should be a mid-week announcement that BOTH Bello and Giolito will be activated off the IL, which could drive up their FAAB price next Sunday. If you have the space and want to get ahead of it, now is the time.

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Luis L. Ortiz – SP, CLE: 5% rostered
Ortiz jumped back on the radar after a strong performance against the Royals, striking out 10 and walking two while allowing one run on two hits in 5.2 innings against the Royals. This comes after a quality start against the Angels, and I think we’re just seeing Ortiz continue to adjust to some pitch mix changes that the Guardians are having him undertake. I spoke with Guardians’ pitching coach Carl Willis at spring training about how they might adjust Ortiz’s approach, and Ortiz was a late-round target of mine in part due to those changes. I think we’re starting to see him settle in a bit, and I love picking up shares of him before this start against the Pirates.

Bobby Miller – SP, LAD: 2% rostered
It also appears that Bobby Miller is getting another chance to start in Los Angeles and will draw a home start against the Rockies. The 26-year-old has allowed three runs on six hits in 12 Triple-A innings while striking out 11 and walking 11. The command is certainly still not there, so it’s hard to get overly excited, but he’s at least a name to keep an eye on.

STREAMING STARTER PITCHERS

(ranked in loose order)