I was pretty pleased with last week’s streamers, aside from Merrill Kelly. If we’re being honest, Kelly might just be washed at this point. That’s an inevitable path every pitcher takes, and it’s a sad reality for professional athletes. Knowing when that will happen is always tricky for us, but it’s also one of the most impactful variables for fantasy sports. It’s funny how often many of those guys are on the waiver wires, which makes them fascinating options as streamers. We only have one hitter in that situation for this article, so let’s get started by looking at those young pitching streamers.
Favorable Team Matchups
7 Games
Boston Red Sox (at COL, vs. NYY)
Detroit Tigers (vs. NYY, vs. HOU)
New York Yankees (at DET, at BOS)
Philadelphia Phillies (at WAS, at NYM)
St. Louis Cardinals (vs. ARI, vs. MIA)
Tampa Bay Rays (vs. KC, vs. ARI)
Toronto Blue Jays (vs. HOU, vs. TEX)
6 Games
Baltimore Orioles (at LAA, vs. WAS)
Colorado Rockies (vs. BOS, at MIN)
Los Angeles Angels (vs. BAL, vs. ATH)
Minnesota Twins (vs. LAD, vs. COL)
Pitching Streamers
JR Ritchie, ATL (at SD, at SF)
Ritchie was re-inserted into the rotation after the Spencer Strider injury, and it’s about time this youngster gets a legitimate chance to start. He filled in for five scoreless innings in the game in which Strider got injured and had a 3.32 ERA through his first four starts. His two most recent starts haven’t lived up to par, but we’re talking about a guy who had a 2.85 ERA and 1.06 WHIP throughout his minor league career. That sort of stuff makes him one of the sexiest streamers this week because he couldn’t have two better venues. San Fran and San Diego are two of the most pitcher-friendly parks in baseball, with both offenses ranked near the bottom of every offensive statistic. We’ll talk about the Giants later, but the Padres rank last in runs scored, OPS and wOBA.
Streamonator Valuation: $-24.0
Anthony Kay, CWS (vs. CLE, vs. KC)
Kay has really struggled over his last three starts, but it’s easy to understand why. He faced the Yankees, Dodgers and Phillies in those outings, but that’s not what he has this week. Kay has two projected starts against two of the worst offenses in baseball. Cleveland is struggling mightily without Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez, while Kansas City ranks 22nd in wOBA and 24th in runs scored. That’s a soft landing spot for one of our streamers, especially since Kay was rolling before that nightmarish schedule hit him in the face. This lefty allowed two runs or fewer in 10 of his previous 12 starts, posting a 1.95 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across his prior six starts. Two of those were against KC, with Kay allowing two runs across 11.2 innings.
Streamonator Valuation: $0.8
Gage Jump, ATH (at SF)
Jump has been a regular as one of our streamers over the last few weeks, and it’s a wonder why he’s not rostered in every league at this point. It’s probably because he has to pitch in Sacramento, but this southpaw looks immune to that hitter’s haven. Jump has allowed four total runs over his last four starts while generating a 1.42 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in that span. Two of those were at home, while the other two were against the Cubs and Astros. That shows how special this southpaw has been, and we love the road matchup with the Giants. Not only does San Fran possess one of the most spacious ballparks, but they also rank 21st in runs scored and 22nd in wOBA.
Streamonator Valuation: $4.4
Taj Bradley, MIN (vs. COL)
Bradley has had a bounce-back season in Minnesota, but it feels like nobody cares. This righty allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his first nine starts while posting a 2.77 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 rate in that span. That sort of stretch is why he was a coveted prospect with the Rays in the past, and he has one of the best possible matchups here.
Bradley gets a home matchup against Colorado, with the Rockies ranked 23rd in wOBA and 25th in K rate. They’ve also traditionally been one of the worst road offenses over the last decade, and we can’t overlook the fact that Bradley has a 2.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 10.0 K/9 rate at home this year. He faced them in a home start last year and allowed just five baserunners across six two-run innings while striking out seven batters.
Streamonator Valuation: $52.9
Jack Leiter, TEX (at MIA)
Man, Leiter has been terrible recently, but I believe in this kid. The stuff is simply too good for Leiter to be this poor. His main issue is command, but when that comes, Leiter will be a problem in the future. We say that because he was touted as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball as the top pick in the 2021 MLB Draft. He’s gotten crushed over his last three starts, but Leiter had a 3.60 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 10.5 K/9 rate across his previous six starts.
That sort of run had me thinking we were finally seeing the breakout, but who knows? A road matchup with Miami might be a good chance to get him back on track because that’s one of the best pitchers’ parks, while the Marlins rank 28th in xwOBA. A pitcher due for some positive regression (4.21 xFIP) and an offense due for some negative regression is the perfect recipe for one of our streamers!
Streamonator Valuation: $-4.0
Hitting Streamers
Paul Goldschmidt, NYY (at DET, at BOS)
We mentioned washed-up veterans earlier in the article, but Goldy has risen from the dead! He was undrafted in nearly every league after a nightmarish 2024-25 season, but he’s recaptured something this year. Goldschmidt has a .368 OBP and .928 OPS so far this season. He’s been even better recently, registering a .354 AVG and .979 OPS across his last 19 outings. The best part about this is the schedule, though, because the Yankees are projected to face five lefties this week. Goldy has a .487 OBP and 1.214 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season. It’s no scary pitching staffs either, with Goldschmidt projected to play seven games as well.
Willi Castro, COL (vs. BOS, at MIN)
As a Rockies fan, I knew there would be a point this season where Castro would be one of our streamers. He’s showcased a sexy fantasy profile in the past, and a hot stretch in Coors Field was inevitable. Having games in Vegas helped as well, with Castro compiling a .338 AVG, .442 OBP and .980 OPS across his last 17 outings. That’s actually forced him to the leadoff spot at times over the last week, which is really enticing since he had 33 steals just three years ago. This is the type of player who can finish with 15 homers and 15 steals, while scoring a ton of runs at the top of this Coors Field lineup. These matchups aren’t too shabby either, with Minnesota ranked 23rd in wOBA and the Boston series at Coors Field.
SAGNOF (Saves/Steals Ain’t Got No Face)
Steals Specialists
Blake Dunn (CIN)
Dunn has actually hit leadoff numerous times over the last two weeks and has four steals over his last eight outings.
Samad Taylor (SD)
This San Diego lineup has been struggling, but Taylor has been a pleasant surprise. He hit second a few days ago and has four steals over his last eight games while hitting .355 in that span.
Saves Specialists
Yoendrys Gomez (MIN)
It was unclear who the Twinkies closer was all season, but Gomez looks like the guy. He had saves in back-to-back days and now has a 1.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 rate since April 22.
Jacob Webb (CHC)
With Daniel Palencia landing on the IL, Webb looks like the fill-in closer. He’s been the setup man and picked up the Cubs’ most recent save since that injury. Webb also has a 1.80 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 12.2 K/9 rate since April 6.
Feel free to comment here or reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel if you have any questions! Also, feel free to check out my Waiver Wire article from yesterday!
