Welcome back to 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. Readers should weigh pitchers’ next two predicted starts more heavily than the third and fourth, as those are more likely to change. The title this week is a reference to several top-end starters who are getting healthy this week, including Clayton Kershaw, Spencer Strider, and Hunter Greene.
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 our PLV-based offensive rankings, which incorporate our Process+ metric to project future offensive performance. These rankings are beginning to settle as we continue to get more data from teams’ offensive surges and slumps. The Mets and Blue Jays jumped into the top tier since the last update, with the Cubs and Tigers falling back and taking their places in the Solid column. This feels pretty appropriate, as Detroit has stayed hot, but they definitely lack the pedigree of some of those top-tier lineups (Mets included). We also saw “Rocky Road” jump back into tier #2 after falling all the way to the ranks of the Weak; as the weather warms up, it stands to reason that Coors Field will get some of its mojo back, even as the Colorado bats continue to flounder. To see the rest of the changes, feel free to check out last week’s column.
PLV Projections Team Offense Ranking (5/19 Update)
| Top | Solid | Average | Weak | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | BAL | ATH | CLE | CHW |
| @BOS | CHC | ATL | HOU | CIN |
| LAD | @CIN | BOS | MIN | COL |
| NYM | @COL | KCR | PIT | @KCR |
| NYY | DET | LAA | @SEA | MIL |
| TOR | PHI | MIA | TBR | SFG |
| SDP | STL | @STL | ||
| SEA | TEX | WSN |
AL East
Kyle Gibson was officially DFA’d by the Orioles on Sunday, opening the door for Chayce McDermott to stake a claim to the fifth spot in their rotation. McDermott raised some eyebrows by striking out five Twins in three innings in a spot start last week, but he’s not fully stretched out, and inexperience tends to be unpredictable. If he’s still starting in two weeks, that White Sox start could be intriguing.
The injury carousel continues in Boston, as Tanner Houck hits the shelf with an acute case of Suckitis (a.k.a. a right flexor pronator strain). He will not be missed in the fantasy community. Taking his place on Tuesday is Walker Buehler, back after a brief two-week IL stint that evidently did not require a rehab assignment. He joins just in time for a particularly brutal stretch of the schedule that includes the Mets, Orioles, Braves, and Yankees consecutively. Brayan Bello has the most favorable draw of this group going forward, but his command has been decidedly less than stellar of late, so you may want to look elsewhere for streaming candidates.
The Yankees opted to go with an on-roster option for their open starting spot, as Ryan Yarbrough will return to the rotation on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Max Fried continues to dazzle in pinstripes, as his highlight-worthy performance on Sunday Night Baseball was his third start in the month of May with 6+ Ks, 6+ IP, and five or fewer walks + hits. For the season, he’s now rocking a league-leading 1.29 ERA (min. 50 IP), 0.93 WHIP, and 2.71 FIP. That’s one way to fill a Gerrit Cole-shaped hole.
Rays’ Expected Starters
If someone told you in 2018 (or 2023, for that matter) that the Tampa Bay Rays would have the most stable five-man rotation of full-time starters in the AL East, would you have believed them? And yet here we are. These five have combined to start 46 of 47 games for the Rays this season, with a spot start from Joe Boyle back in April the only exception. Drew Rasmussen has been the best of the bunch, but Zack Littell has quietly been the workhorse, posting a team-leading 54.1 IP going into this week. It may not be the flashiest output, but with injuries abound in MLB, that kind of consistency is valuable.
The Blue Jays’ rotation, by contrast, continues to disappoint. They currently own the fourth-worst team ERA among starters in baseball, and the third-worst FIP, ahead of only Baltimore and Colorado. Even Kevin Gausman, who has looked like the ace of old at times this season, has had a particularly rough turn lately: in his last two starts against Seattle and Tampa Bay, Gausman let in a combined nine earned runs on 17 hits. And as you can see, it’s not about to get much easier.
AL Central
The White Sox are another team that has been surprisingly consistent this season from a rotational perspective. Davis Martin, Shane Smith, Sean Burke, and Jonathan Cannon have combined to start 35 of 48 games this season, with Bryse Wilson filling in as the primary bulk arm since Martín Pérez’s injury. Still, the upside is hard to find here from a fantasy perspective.
Ben Lively’s injury opened the door for Slade Cecconi to make his season debut on Saturday in Cincinnati, and he took advantage by striking out eight in five innings with a shining 36% CSW. He could be worth a speculative stream against Detroit next weekend if you’re desperate, but after that, it gets much worse. Gavin Williams is a more appealing option if he’s available in your leagues, since he’s currently lined up to dodge the Dodgers and the Yankees.
Ryan Weathers earned a win in his 2025 debut last week, and now he gets a chance to try and replicate his success against the Cubs at home. I wouldn’t count on it. The Angels and Padres are next up for this embattled staff, but after that, things get a bit easier: the Giants come to town, and then we get the classic “Stoppable Force vs. Movable Object” battle as Miami takes on Rockie Road. That stretch could be the light at the end of the tunnel for those who are holding on to Sandy Alcantara through it all.
Aaron Nola hit the IL with an ankle sprain, which means Taijuan Walker returns to the rotation for the time being, at least. He’s gone at least three full innings in every appearance this year (including the last two out of the bullpen), so he should be able to provide length, even if Coors Field isn’t the best place to get stretched out. Things are also lining up nicely for Jesús Luzardo, who gets a two-start week this week and is likely to avoid Atlanta as well.
NL West
