Welcome back to our Expected SP Schedules series!
My apologies for not having this column out last week as originally intended, but we are now back on track. Moving forward, every single Tuesday the Expected SP Schedules article will provide you with what you need to know regarding each starting pitcher’s upcoming matchups. Who has a two-start week? Who is facing a few favorable lineups in a row with the opportunity to get into a real groove? Who can we safely ignore for the foreseeable future due to an upcoming gauntlet? This column will aim to get you the answers you need for those questions, and more.
Before we get into it, remember the 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. Given that the season just got underway, most rotations are currently pretty set, though there is some shuffling that will be done over the next few weeks when several frontline starters return from injury.
And finally, we have our PLV-based offensive rankings, which incorporate our Process+ metric to project future offensive performance. These rankings, which are in alphabetical order by tier and were last updated on April 6, will continue to be updated regularly to reflect the offensive skills that teams have shown in recent action.
PLV Projections Team Offense Ranking (4/06/26 Update)
AL East
Orioles’ Expected Starters
Having used Albert Suárez in a spot start to begin the week, the Orioles have the longest list of starters you’ll find on this page. Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz, and Chris Bassitt are all healthy and locked into the rotation, with consistently favorable matchups coming up for all four over the next two weeks. That fifth rotation spot has become more of a revolving question mark, though, since Zach Eflin hit the IL. He is seeking a second opinion on his current elbow discomfort and the hope is that the Orioles will not have to transfer him from the 15-day to the 60-day IL. If the 60-day move is made, keep an eye on Cade Povich to see if he can secure that fifth spot.
Red Sox Expected Starters
The Red Sox rotation has been a bit of a mess to begin the season despite newcomers Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez being added in the off-season, and a leap into a steady middle-rotation piece being expected out of 24-year-old Connelly Early. Early looked fantastic in his first start before stumbling a bit on a cold day in Fenway in his second start, but overall he still looks like he has a well-rounded arsenal and a path to success this year. Look for him to build some momentum in two upcoming favorable matchups against the Cardinals and Twins.
Yankees’ Expected Starters
The Yankees rotation has been locked in to start the year, led by AL Cy Young contender Max Fried. Due to the number of off days that they began the season with, the Yankees had been rolling with a four-man rotation for the first two weeks of the year, but they will call up Luis Gil from the minors this week to take the fifth rotation spot. He was shaky this past weekend in his minor league start (4.2 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 4 BB, 6 K) and remains a high-risk high-reward play for fantasy lineups. The fastball is still one of the most electric in the game, but Gil’s command is still clearly an issue based on those four walks. He might be worth a flyer thanks to the fact that his first start back will take place in pitcher-friendly Tropicana Field against a tepid Rays offense, but proceed with caution.
Rays’ Expected Starters
The Rays are hoping to have Ryan Pepiot back by the end of this week, as he is now eligible to come off of the 15-day IL. Joe Boyle will likely get one last start in the rotation this week prior to that return, but only has a mediocre matchup against the Cubs. Steven Matz helped further secure his rotation spot with six strong innings in his recent start against the Twins, but should be left on the bench when he faces the Yankees this weekend. I wouldn’t drop him, though, as he gets a run of very favorable matchups on the slate after that one.
Blue Jays’ Expected Starters
After losing Cody Ponce last week, the Toronto rotation has had a slight shakeup, with the plan being to go with a four-man rotation for the time being. They also face the dreaded (and suddenly scorching hot and wide awake) Dodgers offense this week — you can’t bench your studs in Gausman and Cease, but still, it’s not ideal. The Twins series should provide some reprieve before another tough series against a very hot Brewers offense.
AL Central
White Sox Expected Starters
The White Sox recently used Grant Taylor as an opener in back-to-back games, making their rotation a bit more confusing to project. That basically negates any value that Taylor has had as a bullpen piece in leagues that count starts-per-week, as no one wants to spend one of those starts on a one-inning opener, regardless of how nasty his stuff is. The rest of this staff can mostly be ignored for now regardless of matchup, though it will be interesting to see if journeyman Anthony Kay can gain some momentum over the next two weeks against the mediocre Royals offense and the relatively weak Rays bats.
Guardians’ Expected Starters
After an early-season injury scare, Tanner Bibee remained in the Guardians’ rotation and has looked solid. Gavin Williams has looked excellent. The rest of the rotation contains mostly young arms still trying to establish consistent success in the big leagues, with the most intriguing of those probably being Parker Messick. Moved all the way up to No. 55 on the The List recently, the 25-year-old southpaw mixes in six different pitches, five of which grade out above-average on PLV. He has started the year off with a sterling 0.82 ERA and 0.91 WHIP, and will face a real test against the Atlanta offense this week. If he makes it through that start unscathed, we could be looking at a real breakout campaign.
Tigers’ Expected Starters
The Tigers recently placed Justin Verlander on the 15-day IL with right hip inflammation, retroactive to April 1, and the hope is that he will only miss the minimum time. It’s unfortunate that the veteran right-hander will not be available for the upcoming series against the Twins, as that would have been a good time for him to establish a rhythm against a weak offense. Keider Montero will take his place for now, but is probably not worth streaming against a pesky up-and-coming Marlins offense.
Royals’ Expected Starters
The Kansas City rotation has excelled in the beginning of the season, with all five starters currently throwing the ball well enough to find themselves on The List. Michael Wacha is the likeliest candidate to drop off in the near future, but for now he is locked in and might be an option against the White Sox in his next start before a clear bench (or even drop) the week after when he faces the Yankees. Noah Cameron, on the other hand, has shaken off a bad spring and looked excellent in his first start of the year. Most notably, his PLV of 5.46 from that start currently ranks 3rd in the league, while his PLA of 1.91 ranks 5th. Despite a drop in velocity that had many concerned, Cameron has a great shape to his fastball and has the potential to be an elite-command arm.
Twins’ Expected Starters
Taj Bradley is currently the most interesting name here. Sent over from Tampa Bay in the off-season, the 25-year-old has had an inconsistent career thus far, with injuries and mixed results on the mound. He has looked excellent so far for Minnesota, though, with his four-seamer topping out at 100 mph in his last start. He currently sports a 0.87 ERA and 1.16 WHIP and will look to continue that success against a tough matchup with a good Tigers offense, albeit one that hasn’t totally found its footing yet.
AL West
Astros’ Expected Starters
Tied with the Orioles for the most number of starters you’ll find listed on this page, the Astros’ rotation is currently scrambling to cover the loss of their ace Hunter Brown to the 15-day IL. The plan appears to be to call up Spencer Arrighetti from AAA to join a six-man rotation, with Cody Bolton becoming the odd man out after a spot start this week. Lance McCullers Jr. remains an interesting option for fantasy rotations here — he has as checkered a resume as anyone in terms of staying healthy and producing consistently when out there, but there are still few arms in baseball that can spin the ball the way he does when he’s right. He’s looked great so far except for one inning at the end of his last outing when the wheels started to come off a bit, and his command still comes and goes at times. I’m anxious to see what he can do though in two very favorable upcoming matchups against the Mariners and Cardinals.
Angels’ Expected Starters
José Soriano looks to be past his shaky spring outings and has now fired off three quality starts in a row to begin the year, including a sparkling efforts against a good Atlanta offense (8 IP, 1 ER, 10 K, 3 H, 0 BB). He faces several tough tests ahead, but has been too good to ignore/bench for the foreseeable future. Grayson Rodriguez remains out and should hopefully join the rotation by the end of this month. It’s also interesting to see Reid Detmers back in the rotation after being featured strictly in long-relief last season. He seemed to have steadied himself in that role, and has so far transferred that momentum back into starting success. He also faces several tough tests ahead, though, and likely needs a few more successful results before he can really be trusted.
Athletics‘ Expected Starters
The Athletics have one of the worst upcoming schedules on here, facing both New York clubs this week before heading back home to their sandbox of a stadium. There is a strong chance that all of these arms are currently on waivers, and I personally am not rushing to add any of them.
Mariners’ Expected Starters
Seattle, on the other hand, has five starters who all belong on rosters. Emerson Hancock has been the surprise breakout candidate thus far. The 26-year-old was a first round pick in the 2020 draft (No. 6 overall) and looks to be on the verge of making good on that pedigree. With a 0.71 ERA and 0.55 WHIP through his first two starts, he has turned himself from a fantasy draft-day afterthought into a must-add.
Rangers’ Expected Starters
Jack Leiter looks to be establishing himself as a frontline fantasy starter after striking out nine in his most recent five innings of work against the Reds. He faces a brutal test up next in Dodgers Stadium, before getting a reprieve against the Athletics and Pirates. Even if he stumbles in that Dodgers test, look for him to regain his footing quickly afterwards.
NL East
Atlanta’s Expected Starters
Atlanta should have Spencer Strider entering and Martín Pérez leaving the rotation over the next week or so, with Strider’s season debut anticipated to come against Miami on April 14. The rest of the staff has been throwing the ball well to start the year, with Grant Holmes looking to put together another solid start in an upcoming favorable matchup against the Angels. Bryce Elder has also been surprisingly effective, and will look to keep that momentum going against a relatively weak Cleveland lineup in his next start.
Marlins’ Expected Starters
Sandy Alcántara looks fully back for the Miami Marlins. The 30-year-old 2022 NL Cy Young winner has been masterful to begin the year, throwing a complete-game shutout against the White Sox in his most recent outing after going seven strong in the season opener. If for any reason there is a team in your league willing to trade him for hitting (or whatever else), go get Sandy now. Some people might still be dismissing the results based on the fact they came against Colorado and the White Sox, but he still looked nothing short of dominant, regardless of the opponent. Look for him to keep it rolling against the Reds.
Mets’ Expected Starters
Nolan McLean displayed some pretty ridiculous stuff in his last outing against the Giants, taking a perfect game into the sixth inning before giving up two walks and a hit in that inning and being pulled at 5.1 IP. His command should continue to improve over time — this was still only his tenth overall big league start, after all — but the underlying stuff is clearly there. And it’s filthy. He faces a relatively weak Diamondbacks offense this week before the toughest test of them all in Dodgers Stadium.
Phillies’ Expected Starters
Andrew Painter looked fantastic in his first start of the year before stumbling quite a bit against the Giants (4 IP, 4 ER, 1 K, 9 H, 1 BB). He should still have more than one chance to keep his spot in the rotation once Zack Wheeler returns from the IL, as Taijuan Walker remains the most sensible option to remove to make room. Painter has been talked about for a few years now so it is sometimes hard to remember he is still only 22-years-old. Growing pains are to be expected, and he should be given the room to grow over the veteran Walker. Regardless, keep an eye on that Diamondbacks start to see how Painter bounces back from his first rough outing of the year.
Nationals’ Expected Starters
Cade Cavalli will look to build off his last strong outing against the Phillies (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 K, 5 H, 2 BB) with a favorable matchup against the Cardinals. The rest of the rotation here has been too inconsistent in the past to be worth taking a flyer on.
NL Central
Cubs’ Expected Starters
Edward Cabrera had some of his old command issues rear their ugly head in his last start but mostly came away unscathed (5.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 K, 1 H, 5 BB). Look for him to regain that command in a decent matchup against the Pirates this weekend. Javier Assad is a new addition here as Matthew Boyd was just put on the 15-day IL earlier this week by the club. Also dealing with an injury to Cade Horton, this rotation has gotten a bit thin in a hurry, and will have to rely on Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga and aforementioned Cabrera to go deep into games in the upcoming weeks.
Reds’ Expected Starters
The Reds’ rotation still awaits the return of Nick Lodolo, who was originally expected back this week but had a setback with his recurring blister issue in his latest rehab start. In the meantime, Rhett Lowder has performed like someone who deserves a permanent rotation spot, regardless of when Lodolo returns. Though he doesn’t have the eye-popping easy velocity of his fellow former first-round picks Chase Burns, Lowder’s 92 mph sinkers are located consistently well, as is the rest of his arsenal. Look for him to build some serious momentum in the next few weeks with a trio of solid matchups.
Brewers’ Expected Starters
Milwaukee is currently tied for the best record in baseball at 8-2, and while their offense is rolling, their pitching has been holding up their end of the bargain as well. Brandon Sproat is the odd-man out in that regard, though, and is still looking to harness what is on paper a very promising arsenal. He has added velocity to his sinker, now throwing it 97-98 mph, mixing in solid cutters and a devastating sweeper whose usage he will hopefully start to increase (currently 14%). I personally haven’t dropped him yet just due to his potential over the other names left on the wire, but there is admittedly still quite a bit of work for him to do before he translates those weapons into real results. A good start against Washington is a must before tough tests against Toronto and Detroit.
Pirates’ Expected Starters
Braxton Ashcraft has two decent matchups against the Cubs and Nationals coming up, although Wrigley Field is a bigger question mark than most places depending on how the wind is blowing that day. Regardless, Ashcraft has looked good to start the season and is worth a start in both cases. His early-season PLV numbers don’t jump off the chart, but his success this far is hard to ignore (2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP).
Cardinals’ Expected Starters
The Cardinals’ entire rotation is currently matchup-dependent streamer candidates, with this week offering several middle-of-the-road sets of matchups against the Nationals and Red Sox.
NL West
Diamondbacks’ Expected Starters
Eduardo Rodriguez continues to surprise and has thrown two scoreless outings to start the year. It’s still hard to fully buy-in given his inconsistent resume, so keep an eye on that start in Citi Field this week to see how he performs there first. His early-season PLV and PLA numbers are encouraging, though — 5.21 (ranked 23rd) and 2.21 (15th), respectively.
Rockies’ Expected Starters
As is typically the case with Rockies’ pitching, this staff can safely be ignored for fantasy purposes for the time being, regardless of the matchups.
Dodgers’ Expected Starters
Emmet Sheehan has had a relatively rough start to the season after excelling across 73.1 IP to the tune of a 2.82 ERA last year. Look for him to bounce back against a middle-of-the-pack Texas offense this week in an important start for him to begin to regain some form and confidence.
Padres’ Expected Starters
Randy Vásquez has emerged as the most interesting arm of this group, with a 0.75 ERA and 1.00 WHIP through his first two outings. He gets the Rockies’ weak offense twice over the next few weeks, including one fantastic matchup this week at home. Make sure he is in your lineup for that one.
Giants’ Expected Starters
The San Francisco staff has produced mixed results to start the year, with Tyler Mahle and Landen Roupp each looking solid one outing before seriously faltering in the next. Mahle faces another tough text this week against the Phillies, while Roupp has a slightly more favorable one against an Orioles offense that has yet to get going. He is worth a stream in that start, but then the schedule gets pretty brutal for him after that.
