Expected SP Schedules Week 3-4: Jays Flying High

I am excited to kick off this season’s edition of our Expected SP Schedules series!

Throughout the season, the Expected SP Schedules article will provide insight regarding each starting pitcher’s upcoming matchups. Who has a two-start week? Who is facing a favorable lineup? Who is struggling but might be due for a turnaround? Among other content at Pitcher List, this article is meant to help guide fantasy baseball managers through the handling of their rotations.

Rotations are still solidifying this early on due to injuries and poor performance. Some teams are using the off days early in the season to deploy a four-man rotation temporarily, while others (the Cardinals, maybe the Dodgers) are using six starters to provide some extra rest for their other arms. Readers should weigh pitchers’ next two predicted starts more heavily than the third and fourth, as those are more likely to change.

Remember the handy glossary for this article:

• (OFF) means the team has an off-day before they play that team.
• (DH) indicates a doubleheader that day.
• ??? represents an unclear rotational spot, and the notes will explain the options.

And finally, let’s look at Nick’s offensive rankings:

 

 

• An IL stint for Zach Eflin, the O’s only reliable starter thus far, has complicated the rotation picture. Baltimore has yet to call up or name a 5th starter and doesn’t need one until April 19. I anticipate it will be right-hander Brandon Young making his MLB debut. Young, who ranks just outside the top 100 on most prospect lists, is worth a flier if not owned in AL-only or deeper dynasty leagues, assuming he gets the call.

• Boston’s rotation is set to change in the coming weeks, as both Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito threw about 65 pitches in AAA rehab starts last week. I would expect at least one more rehab start this week from both, though that might change with Richard Fitts being placed on the IL on Sunday due to a pectoral strain. Cooper Criswell could be recalled for a spot start to buy Bello and Giolito a little more time. Sean Newcomb is likely to be replaced by those two guys. Owners of Red Sox pitchers should be excited about these soft upcoming matchups.

• Clarke Schmidt will return from the IL to a two-start week, likely taking the place of Carlos Carrasco. Schmidt’s return is much needed for the Yankees, whose rotation has been one of the worst in the league so far.

Rays’ Expected Starters

• These upcoming matchups are brutal for Rays starters! The rotation has been pushed back by a day after Joe Boyle was called up for a spot start against Atlanta this past Sunday. Boyle made a case to stick in the rotation after his excellent performance. Ryan Pepiot and Shane Baz (started yesterday against the Yankees, not pictured) will have challenging home two-steps this week.

• Easton Lucas has been fantastic since taking over the fifth spot in the rotation from Max Scherzer. We will really get to see what Lucas is made of with this home two-start week against Atlanta (not pictured) and Seattle. Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman also spun gems last week in Fenway Park, combining for 1 ER over 13.2 IP.

• This is a busy stretch for the White Sox, who get just one off day between now and May 12. They will hope their starters can work deep into games as a result, but it’s hard to have confidence in anyone besides Martin Pérez doing so. Shane Smith has been solid so far, and it will be interesting to see how he fares in Fenway Park.

• Cleveland will also be busy, with 22 games scheduled in the next 23 days, starting today. Tanner Bibee (4.40 ERA, 1.40 WHIP) has had two rough starts and is in desperate need of a bounce-back outing, but things aren’t going to get any easier for him these next couple of weeks.

• This is a fun week for the Tigers staff, as both Jack Flaherty and Tarik Skubal will get two starts. A 10-game homestand starting on Thursday for Detroit is also ideal, though Reese Olson will face two challenging offenses next week in his two-step.

• Aside from this current series against the Yankees, these upcoming matchups for Royals’ starters are about as good as it gets. Assuming this schedule holds, Cole Ragans gets the best opponents of the bunch.

• David Festa was the immediate replacement for Pablo López and threw 4.2 scoreless IP on Friday. Zebby Matthews, who has been excellent in AAA to start the season, might get the call soon, but he hasn’t yet. I imagine that the Twins will give Chris Paddack (9.49 ERA) every chance to succeed before taking him out of the rotation.

• The rookie Ryan Gusto appears to be the replacement for the injured Spencer Arrighetti, at least in the short term. He saw mixed results in his first start of the season, allowing 3 ER over 4 IP with 6 Ks.

• José Soriano (20 IP, 2.70 ERA) has continued to build on a strong 2024 campaign (113 IP, 3.42 ERA) and looks poised to continue eating up innings. Given the struggles of Yusei Kikuchi so far (18 IP, 5.00 ERA), Soriano may soon be considered the Angels’ ace if he isn’t already. Assuming he looks alright against the Rangers, he should be rostered in all formats for a two-step next week against Pittsburgh and Minnesota.

• J.T. Ginn, who had some spurts of usefulness in the majors last year (34 IP, 4.24 ERA), has replaced Joey Estes in the rotation. Jeffrey Springs appears to have the best upcoming matchups of the group, with 3 of his next 4 starts coming against the White Sox or Marlins.

• Seattle still hasn’t found a suitable fifth starter to fill in for George Kirby, but with their relatively light upcoming schedule, they will only need one three times between now and May 13. As a result, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them start a long reliever (such as Casey Lawrence) and treat it as a bullpen game. Emerson Hancock could also be recalled at some point.

• This is another rotation in flux. Jack Leiter should be returning soon from a blister issue, perhaps as early as this week, but it’s unclear what will happen when he does. The two most likely outcomes are Kumar Rocker getting optioned to manage his innings or Patrick Corbin getting released/designated for assignment.

• Atlanta’s rotation is going to get a real shot in the arm this week with the return of Spencer Strider, who has looked excellent in his rehab starts. AJ Smith-Shawver was just optioned, meaning that Bryce Elder should stick in the rotation for the time being.

• Valente Bellozo was optioned to make room for Edward Cabrera in Miami’s rotation. There are a lot of tough matchups coming up for this unit, starting with two starts against top-tier offenses this week for Max Meyer.

• The Mets only have one day off between now and May 8, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a spot starter inserted at some point to give their guys some extra rest. Tylor Megill and Clay Holmes will get two starts this week.

• Taijuan Walker and Jesús Luzardo get two pretty easy home starts this week, but Walker will soon be replaced in the rotation by a rehabbing Ranger Suárez. I would expect him to return to the rotation next week.

• Brad Lord appears to be the replacement for the injured Michael Soroka. He isn’t fully stretched out yet, but he did throw 129.2 IP in 25 starts last year in AAA. The Nats have a lot of tough matchups coming up, and I would probably steer clear of all of these arms aside from MacKenzie Gore and maybe Mitchell Parker against Pittsburgh.

• Colin Rea is expected to replace Justin Steele in the rotation and will get some tough matchups. After facing the Dodgers this past Sunday, he will then get the Diamondbacks and Phillies if he stays in the rotation. The Cubs may skip his turn once or twice, as they have a lot of off days in their upcoming schedule.

• While Reds pitchers will always have their challenges in Great American Ball Park, these upcoming matchups are pretty soft, aside from a road series against the Orioles. Nick Martinez looks to have the best matchups of the group, and Andrew Abbott is back in the rotation. Also, shoutout to Hunter Greene, who is looking like a bona fide Cy Young candidate.

• The Brewers have somehow managed to stay afloat despite a litany of injuries to their pitching staff. Fortunately, reinforcements are on the way, with both Brandon Woodruff and Tobias Myers making rehab starts in AAA. Both should be back around the end of April or the beginning of May, giving the rest of these arms a chance to prove they can stick in the rotation.

• Paul Skenes gets two fun starts this week, with home games against Washington and Cleveland. There is a possibility that Thomas Harrington could be inserted for a spot start this weekend, which would push everyone back a day.

• St. Louis has inserted Steven Matz back into the rotation, making it a 6-man for the time being. Sonny Gray will still get two starts this week because the Cardinals have a full week of seven games.

• Merrill Kelly (7.20 ERA) will look to bounce back this week with two road starts. Things will get pretty tough for all Arizona starters in the second half of this chart as they take a tour of the NL East.

• Not too much to see here. Kyle Freeland lining up for four straight home starts is tough to see, although the opponents aren’t too bad. Tread lightly.

• The Dodgers have a lot of road games and off days coming up. Nevertheless, it seems likely that they will give Bobby Miller a spot start in this Rockies series, which would push everyone back a day. Given all the built-in off days coming up and Miller’s struggles as of late, it seems unlikely that he will stick in the rotation. Landon Knack has taken Blake Snell’s spot.

• Randy Vásquez has the easiest upcoming matchups, but he probably isn’t worth rostering except in NL-only leagues despite his 1.72 ERA so far. Vásquez has actually walked more batters than he has struck out. Dylan Cease (7.98 ERA) will hope to bounce back with two starts this week.

• The Giants have a busy schedule coming up, with only one day off in this time period. Landen Roupp and Justin Verlander line up for two starts this week.