It is vital to look at important storylines and aspects this week to be ahead of the curve and gain an edge on your league mates. We have 20 such storylines for you to monitor. This guide will help you navigate the waiver wire, pinpoint potential streamers and more.
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20 Fantasy Baseball Things to Watch
1. Schedule Notes
- No teams play just five games this week.
- The following teams play seven games this week:
- Chicago White Sox at KC, vs. MIA
- Kansas City Royals vs. CWS, vs BOS
- Atlanta Braves vs. CIN, at PIT
- Cincinnati Reds at ATL, at HOU
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs. NYM, vs. LAD
- Los Angeles Dodgers at MIA, at ARI
2. Zach Eflin
Zach Eflin has been out since the first week of April with a lat injury. He had his first rehab start on Sunday and pitched very well. Reports indicate he could return this week for a start in Los Angeles against the Angels. Typically, I don’t start pitchers in their first start back, but the Angels are bad enough that it might be worth making an exception for Eflin.
3. Corbin Burnes
Corbin Burnes is going to miss his next start as he is dealing with some shoulder soreness. This seems like something that might lead to a stint on the injured list (IL). A shoulder issue would explain the drop-off in his stuff this season.
4. Coby Mayo
Coby Mayo has been called up to replace Ramon Urias on the roster after Urias injured his hamstring. Mayo is a power-hitting prospect who has crushed all levels of the Minors, but has struggled in his Major League samples.
The Orioles have not shown patience for struggling prospects, so if Mayo can’t hit quickly, he will likely get sent back down once Urias or Jordan Westburg return from the IL.
5. Royce Lewis
Royce Lewis is expected to be activated from the IL this week after injuring his hamstring in spring training. Lewis has been fantastic when on the field, hitting .268/.327/.497 with 33 home runs and six stolen bases in 605 plate appearances at the Major League level.
However, Lewis has yet to record over 325 plate appearances in a season in the Majors because he struggles to stay healthy. There is no doubt he has a ton of talent, but we need to see if he can stay healthy.
6. Gunnar Hoglund
Gunnar Hoglund made his Major League debut last week and looked great, throwing six innings and only allowing one earned run on six hits and zero walks while striking out seven in the victory. Hoglund has a full arsenal with good command and control, but pitching in Sacramento is difficult and might lead to some bad outings.
Hoglund has a home matchup versus a hot Mariners team, so this will be a good test.
7. Lance McCullers Jr.
Lance McCullers made his first start in the Majors since 2022 on Sunday, throwing 3.2 scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and three walks while striking out four. MvCullers wasn’t able to go deep into the game because of his control, but the stuff was still filthy.
McCullers topped out at 93.8 miles per hour (MPH), which is a good start for someone who hadn’t thrown in a Major League game in over 900 days. We need to see if he can stay healthy and rein in his control.
8. Tony Gonsolin
Tony Gonsolin made his season debut versus the Marlins on Wednesday, allowing three runs on six hits and zero walks while striking out nine in the victory. His velocity was just 92.6, which is far removed from the 94-95 we saw earlier in his career.
Gonsolin gets another start versus the Marlins this week, but we need to see if the stuff looks better.
9. Ben Casparius
Ben Casparius has been great as a reliever, throwing 21.2 innings for the Dodgers with a 2.91 ERA and 23 strikeouts. They are now moving him into the rotation due to their lack of rotation depth, but we need to see if his stuff plays up as much as he begins to stretch out as a starter.
10. Rockies Closer Chaos
The Rockies do not win a lot of games and therefore do not get a lot of saves, but Zach Agnos has registered their last two. Agnos has thrown 7.1 scoreless innings this season. While he hasn’t struck out many batters (just one strikeout), he also hasn’t walked anyone yet.
Agnos’ swinging strike rate says he will get plenty of strikeouts. If he can continue to command and control things, this could be an intriguing breakout season for him.
11. Diamondbacks Closer Chaos
The Diamondbacks have been hit by the injury bug in the bullpen. They have lost both A.J. Puk (elbow) and Justin Martinez (shoulder) to injuries. Shelby Miller, Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson are the candidates for saves right now. We need to monitor their usage.
12-14. Streaming Options
Hunter Dobbins (SP – BOS) at KC
Hunter Dobbins has pitched well since entering the Red Sox rotation and gets a bad Royals offense in a good pitching park.
Michael Wacha (SP – KC) vs. CWS
Michael Wacha has pitched well this season and is facing a bad White Sox offense at home.
Bryce Elder (SP – ATL) at PIT
Bryce Elder has been up and down since joining the Braves’ rotation, but he has had some tough matchups against the Dodgers, the Rays and in Coors against Colorado. He has a great matchup this week in a fantastic pitching park.
15-20. Two-Start Options
Shane Smith (SP, RP – CWS) at KC, vs. MIA
Shane Smith has been great this season, throwing 32.1 innings with a 2.23 ERA and 26 strikeouts. He has two fantastic matchups here versus two offenses that have struggled this year against right-handed pitching. Smith is pretty close to a must-start in all formats.
Landen Roupp (SP, RP – SF) at CHC, at MIN
Landen Roupp has struggled this season, but he has been pretty unlucky with a low strand rate and an extremely high batting average on balls in play (BABIP) rate. His xERA is 3.33, and while the Cubs matchup is tough, the Twins have been bad offensively and might be worth the risk of the front half of the matchup.
Sean Burke (SP – CWS) at KC, vs. MIA
Sean Burke is coming off of one of his best starts of the season and has two great matchups this week. That said, there is a lot of risk here as his stuff has been mediocre, at best, and his command and control have not been much better. If you like a gamble, this is an interesting one, but one that could blow up in your face.
Lucas Giolito (SP – BOS) vs. TEX, at KC
Lucas Gioltio made his season debut after missing the first month of the season with a hamstring injury. He looked good for the most part, but struggled with command and control, which is common for pitchers in their first season back from Tommy John surgery. These are great matchups, but the command and control issues make him a bit of a risk.
Matthew Boyd (SP – CHC) vs. SF, at NYM
Matthew Boyd has been great this season, throwing 33.1 innings over six starts with a 2.70 ERA and 30 strikeouts. He has struggled with walks a bit, but has had good command and has the Cubs’ offense supporting him. I am less afraid of the Giants than I am of the Mets’ offense, but there is some risk.
Luis L. Ortiz (SP, RP – CLE) at WAS, vs. PHI
If you don’t count his first start of the season, Luis L. Ortiz has been pretty good, throwing 27.1 innings over his last five starts with a 3.29 ERA with 34 strikeouts. That said, the command and control have not been great. Ortiz faces two teams that can strike out at a high rate, which may be enticing enough to roll the dice here.
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