Welcome to the sixth edition of the 2026 two-start pitcher rankings!
Each week, I’ll break down all the projected two-start starters into four tiers: Set and Forget, Most Likely Start, Questionable, and Avoid. Set-and-Forget starters are simply that; get them in your lineup and shift your focus to other positions. The Most Likely tier includes players with a mix of skill and matchups that make them almost certainly two-start plays, but not without some elevated risk compared to the top tier. Questionable starters are those best suited for daily lineup leagues, where you can bench them against the tougher of their two opponents; they’re more situation-dependent in weekly leagues. Finally, the Avoid tier includes the pitchers who should remain on your bench or the wire.
I will also be highlighting one Two-Start Streamer of the Week. The criteria for a streamer will be a rostered rate under 50% in Yahoo & ESPN leagues. The streamer of the week for this upcoming week is Jameson Taillon, and he will have (STOW) next to his name.
As a friendly reminder, the projected starters are just that, projections, and are subject to change
This week’s Set-and-Forget tier features three no doubt aces — Tarik Skubal, Cristopher Sánchez, Jacob deGrom — as well as some exciting arms. Cam Schlittler has lived up to the hype this season and has bullied opposing hitters with his 3 fastballs. Gavin Williams has found success even when he’s struggled with throwing strikes, and José Soriano has been the steal of the season so far. Jesús Luzardo has been hurt by poor luck this season, but the stuff’s been good, and he has two favorable matchups.
- Luis Severino faces two strong lineups in the Phillies and Orioles this week, but he faces them outside of his home ballpark. Severino has neutral splits, and while both his K% and BB% are up this year, he’s had success limiting walks in his last two outings (3 BBs over 13.2 IP).
- Edward Cabrera changed his approach against the Padres, reducing his fastball usage and relying primarily on his secondary stuff (changeup, curveball, and Slider). This change led to 20 whiffs, and now he has favorable matchups against the Reds in Wrigley and the Rangers in Arlington.
- Jameson Taillon (STOW), like his teammate, has two favorable matchups. His four primary pitches all have a PLV above 5, and his high iVB fastball is a weapon at the top of the zone.
- Tanner Bibee has the lowest zone% of his career, which has led to the worst K% and BB% of his career. Last start, he struggled heavily with his four-seamer and cutter (which make up 55% of his usage); however, I’m not ready to give up on him, and the upside is 7+ strikeouts.
- Michael Wacha’s last start was in Sacramento, so I’m not going to hold it against him too heavily. He’s still a solid pitcher, and his best pitch, his changeup, will help him navigate the tough Tigers’ dangerous lefties.
- Sandy Alcantara limited the Dodgers to two runs despite allowing 9 baserunners (7 hits, 2 walks). His changeup and sinker had more drop and should help him against the Orioles and Nationals.
- Taj Bradley just threw 114 pitches in his last start, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see his velocity and pitch dip a little in his first start against the Nationals. Bradley has had better success against lefties this season (21.1 K-BB%), which will help him limit the damage against James Wood, José Ramírez, and co.
- Bubba Chandler is still in this tier, but he’s running out of time. The upside is still distracting me from the struggles he’s had with his command because he could easily strike out 9 hitters over 6 shutout innings.
- Logan Gilbert has pitched below his standards this season, but his track record has earned him the benefit of the doubt. His .343 wOBA is notably higher than his .300 xwOBA, indicating he’s been hurt from some poor luck, and he has an exceptionable 5% BB% and doesn’t allow free passes.
- Nick Martinez blanked the Guardians over 7 innings, but only struck out 4 while allowing 4 base runners. His pitch count was an efficient 78 pitches over 7 innings. His ceiling is limited by the lack of strikeouts, but he’s been effective this season.
- Drew Rasmussen has a phenomenal 0.85 WHIP and 22.1% K-BB%. However, the Rays are protecting him, and he’s only thrown 90+ pitches twice this season. 6 innings is the most you can really hope for from him, but those will most likely be quality innings.
- Cade Cavalli has an elite curveball that’s helped him handle lefties, but he still has some struggles with righties. He faces the Twins and Marlins this week and is coming off two strong starts, including one against the Braves.
- Eduardo Rodriguez against the Mets could be worth it if you need innings at the end of the week. I’d recommend looking for better options in weekly leagues.
- JR Ritchie against the Mariners in Seattle is playable. He’ll need to limit walks and continue avoiding leaving pitches over the heart of the plate since he doesn’t have the stuff to get away with mistake pitches. Something to monitor is that his velocity dropped to the low 90s later in the game.
- Shane Baz against the Yankees is a pass, but he’s an option against the A’s in Camden.
- Payton Tolle might get replaced in the rotation by Jake Bennett (more on this when we get to Brayan Bello), which is why he’s in this tier. I’m starting him against the Tigers, and if the Red Sox keep him in the rotation, I’m keeping him in my lineup against the Rays.
- Tomoyuki Sugano has found success with the Rockies, mixing 6 pitches to keep hitters off balance. He won’t rack up the strikeouts, but he’s proving he can be an effective pitcher.
- Davis Martin just struck out 7 against the Angels over 5.2 innings in his last start. If he replicates that success, he could be worth streaming against the Mariners over the weekend as well.
- Noah Cameron’s BB and K rates have remained consistent from his rookie year, but his WHIP and ERA are notably higher. It gets more concerning when considering that his xwOBA of .419 is notably higher than his .369 wOBA. Part of this has been due to his groundball rate dropping 10% and his line drive/fly ball rate increasing.
- Janson Junk navigated the Dodgers’ lineup, allowing 3 hits and 1 walk (with 4 strikeouts) over 6 innings. Junk managed this on just 76 pitches after throwing 56 pitches in his last start. The lack of whiff on his secondaries and now concern about how many pitches he’ll throw in a start scares me, especially against the Phillies’ offense.
- Brandon Sproat is similar to Baz in that he should be avoided when he faces the Yankees. He struggled with his location against Righties in his last start, but could be worth a start against the Cardinals.
- Elmer Rodríguez might only be making one start this week as Carlos Rodón gets closer to returning to the rotation. Rodriguez is still getting his feet wet at the MLB level and struggled with command and didn’t induce groundballs at a rate we’d expect from his sinker-heavy approach.
- Tyler Mahle got pushed to two starts this week after a rainout. He struggled against the Phillies, and the upside is limited, but he can also go deep into games if his splitter is working.
- Kyle Leahy is part of a 6-man rotation currently. While he struck out 7 over 5.1 innings in his last start (without walking anyone), he only generated 9 whiffs, and this appears more like an anomaly rather than an expectation. He also allowed 9 hits over those 5.1 innings, which is concerning as well.
Brayan Bello is the most interesting starter in this group because he should be the one to lose their spot in the Red Sox rotation, not Peyton Tolle. He’s struggled with allowing HRs and has the worst BB%, K%, and xwOBA of his career. Andrew Abbott, I still can’t trust right now, and David Peterson isn’t worth rostering. The pair of Padres starters includes the knuckleballer Matt Waldron and Walker Buehler, whose best days are behind him. Chris Bassitt is showing his age as well, and there are better options to stream.
