You’ve come to the right place to find all the catchers that are fit to stream. Here’s a look at each team’s schedule and their starting and backup catcher options. Make sure to scroll to the right to see the full week’s worth of matchups.
Playing Time Changes
We have two new and notable starting catchers. Agustín Ramírez (MIA) is ridiculously hot, going 7-for-10 with one homer in three games. He supplanted Liam Hicks as the starter and has a start at DH to boot. He’s shot up to 30% ownership in just three games and has 1B eligibility on Yahoo. If you need a long-term catcher with power upside, he looks like a fantastic option.
Since his MLB debut last week, Edgar Quero (CWS) has taken the starting job away from Matt Thaiss. Quero is slashing .333/.429/.417 and is getting extra at-bats at DH and as a pinch hitter. He doesn’t have the same hype as Ramirez, but he’s available in 98% of leagues and is a solid bat in his own right.
Francisco Alvarez (NYM) is fresh off the IL, pushing Luis Torrens back into a backup role. Alvarez displayed his elite power in 2023, belting 25 homers. He failed to repeat the feat last season, hitting 11 in slightly fewer games, though his average jumped from .209 to .237. He’s 33% rostered on Yahoo and has a better track record than Ramirez or Quero.
Austin Wynns (CIN) could be ahead of Jose Trevino as the Reds’ starting catcher. Wynns drew his first back-to-back start of the year today after going 9-for-11 with two homers in two games. Tyler Stephenson should be returning from the IL next week, but Wynns is making a case to win the backup role over Trevino. The return of Stephenson makes this trio hard to speculate on, but they all have good matchups next week, so it may be worth rolling the dice on Wynns.
Best Matchups
I wrote about Ramirez above, and the Marlins have a solid schedule this week. That and Ramirez’s nuclear start make him the perfect streaming candidate. The Fish have a travel day on Thursday, so he’ll be down one potential start.
Hunter Goodman (COL): Goodman is more of a DH than a catcher and is batting fourth in the lineup. The Rockies play at Coors for the first half of the week with some okay pitching matchups. Goodman is hitting well and should have no problem keeping it rolling.
These next three have even better schedules with a full seven games each.
Dillon Dingler (DET): Dingler has been playing well with a wRC+ of 124. He faltered last week despite having good matchups, but he gets another easy slate to bounce back to his early-season form.
Pedro Pagés (STL): Since Iván Herrera is still a week away from a rehab assignment, Pagés gets to enjoy this week of the Reds at Great American Ball Park and the Mets at Busch Stadium. He’s not having the best season, but he has great matchups this week.
Kyle Higashioka (TEX): Higashioka drew his first back-to-back start this week and has been hitting well. Jonah Heim has had a tough few weeks, and the two already split starts fairly evenly. The first half of the Rangers’ schedule next week is very favorable, until Friday when they match up with a murderers’ row of Mariners. I would still go with Heim over Higashioka, but the latter is available in more leagues and has a good chance to see increased playing time.
