Full disclosure here folks, I am not a big fan of the pitchers that are available on waivers as streaming options for next week. I felt much better about the matchups the past couple weeks, but this doesn’t shape up to be a great batch of streaming options. But I refuse to mail it in, so here are some guys to look at for next week!

 

10-Team Leagues

Steven Wright (BOS) - Wright gets just one start next Friday night, but it’s against the Mariners whom he faces on Saturday night. The difficulty with Wright is that he’s a knuckleballer and it’s unlikely that even he knows where the pitch will end up. And that’s the best job in America right there. A professional sports organization is willing to let him throw a baseball with no spin and it’s unclear where the pitch goes. Wright can laugh all the way to the bank while his catcher is probably having an aneurysm behind home plate. For what it’s worth he’s been fooling hitters since moving into the Boston rotation. In 13.2 innings of work across his two starts he hasn’t allowed a run to score and he’s given up just six hits. Yes he’s allowed six walks, but lets chalk that up to the unpredictability of the knuckleball that he throws almost 90% of the time. If he shuts down the M’s tonight expect his ownership to rise a bit so he may be unavailable to grab next week.

Aarón Sánchez (TOR) – Let the record show that I am not a big Aarón Sánchez fan. However, I’m an objective individual and he’s performed very well so far in June. In three starts (18.1 innings of work) he has accumulated 20 strikeouts to nine walks, and six earned runs. He has a 2.95 ERA and a 3.09 FIP so his ERA has some justification. He’s generating a decent 10.8% swinging strike rate and he’s coming off a pretty good start against the Nationals offense. I may not be an Aarón Sánchez guy, but I’m a big “strike while the iron is hot” guy. Sanchez will get another tough test next week on the road against the Angels. It’s not ideal, but he’s averaging more than a strikeout per inning and you can’t complain when you’re getting that kind of production from a streamer.

Tyler Skaggs (LAA) – Keep your fingers crossed that Skaggs is available in your shallow league because he very well may not be. So far in 20 innings of work in June for Skaggs he has 22 strikeouts in 20 innings of work with just five walks and one earned run. He also hasn’t allowed a home run this month. His ownership is fairly high (64% on Yahoo! at the time of this writing), and he gets just one matchup next week at home against Toronto. But obviously if he’s there you roll him out. Over his last four starts he’s generating a 12.7% swinging strike rate so he’s definitely in play next week.

Michael Fulmer (DET) – Fulmer’s not a big strikeout wizard, but he’s done well enough in June so far that he deserves some acknowledgement. Over his last three starts (20 innings of work) he’s only collected 14 strikeouts, but he’s allowed just four walks. Additionally he’s pitched at least six innings in each start and only allowed five hits in each of those outings. He’s allowing a .246 BABIP over that span which is really good, but he could regress due to that statistic coming in fairly low. Let’s be honest he’s not Max Scherzer . But he does face the Reds in Great American Ballpark and Cincinnati has been pretty sub-par at home this year. They’re slashing just .237/.327/.376 in their own ballpark. Fulmer’s not the sexiest option next week, but he’s got some teeth.

 

12-Team Leagues

Mike Soroka (ATL) – Soroka looked awesome in his first start since coming off the DL. In 6.1 innings he allowed just one walk and one hit and that was it. He also recorded four strikeouts, which isn’t great, but it was a good sign seeing him last into the seventh inning. Sure it came against the Mets who are dealing with a ton of injuries, but Soroka clearly is not. He’ll face the Jays just North of the border next Wednesday and while Toronto isn’t necessarily a pushover and are capable of giving opposing pitchers fits, I’d still be willing to utilize Soroka in this matchup.

Carlos Rodon (CHW) – Hey now remember this guy? Well he’s finally healthy (for now) and hasn’t been too dreadful through two starts. He hasn’t lasted more than five innings in either trip to the hill so far in 2018, but he’s been serviceable. The White Sox want to ease him back onto the bunny slopes, folks. He’s not ready for a double-black diamond. In ten innings of work he’s given up three home runs and struck out 11 batters. It hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, but he holds a 3.60 ERA despite the dongs he’s given up. He gets the Tribe next week in Cleveland. It’s not the best matchup but the streaming options are few and far between. His fastball hasn’t been elite. It’s been right around 93-94mph but what is nice to see is that he’s getting good velocity separation with his changeup, which is about ten miles per hour slower than his fastball. Rodon’s still just 25 years old and could still develop into the Ace the White Sox were hoping for when they drafted him.

Domingo Germán (NYY) – German’s low ownership might make him available in deeper leagues, but I’m expecting the ownership to spike a little bit because he gets two starts next week. The first comes at home against Seattle and the second is a road start against Tampa Bay. German’s ERA sucks at 5.23, but he’s got a 4.27 FIP and a 3.68 xFIP. The walks (3.54 BB/9) and home runs (1.91 HR/9 over his last 33 innings) aren’t exactly a raging endorsement for this guy. However, he boasts a 10.38 K/9 as a starter and it does appear he’s in line for some positive regression. Not to mention, the Yankees still have a very good lineup to provide run support. I think he’s in play for both starts, even against Seattle.

 

Deeper League Options

Frankie Montás (OAK) – If he’s available in your deeper league you should nab this guy. He gets to face the Padres in San Diego next week. The Padres aren’t terrible at home, but they still don’t boast an offense that makes opposing pitchers nervous. Montas got rocked in his last start against Houston. But Houston has that kind of offense and I won’t really hold it against the guy. He still has a really good 95mph fastball and a decent slider. Despite the high heat he doesn’t have a ton of strikeout upside. He’s only struck out 15 batters in 27 innings, and he’s inducing a laughable 6.5% swinging strike rate. Alas, the matchup is pretty good and I expect him to bounce back in this matchup. Not to mention he gets to pitch in a National League ballpark so he won’t have to face a designated hitter.

Dylan Covey (CHW) – There’s no point in beating around the bush with Covey so here it is. He’s a two-start pitcher next week and both matchups suck. Since May 23rd he is 3-0 in five starts (29.1 innings) with 30 strikeouts, eight walks, and he hasn’t given up a home run. He has a 1.53 ERA over that span and in 11.1 innings against the Indians he’s allowed just four earned runs. That’s good, not great. The reason I mention the Tribe is because one of his two starts next week comes against Cleveland. His second matchup is against the Athletics who are one of the better offenses in baseball especially with Khris Davis heating up to the tune of seven home runs so far in June. It’s likely that Covey gets lit up in one of these outings, but he’s been a solid enough pitcher for three-and-a-half weeks to warrant consideration for next week.

Tyler Mahle (CIN) – Eventually going back to the well with Tyler Mahle is going to come back to haunt me, but I do like the matchup against the Tigers next week especially with Miguel Cabrera out of the lineup for the rest of the year. Mahle won’t ever dazzle on the mound and rack up the strikeouts, but in deeper leagues he’s served as an okay streaming option. So far in three starts this month he is 2-0 with a 1.10 ERA and he hasn’t given up a home run. Again the strikeouts won’t be as abundant with this guy, but the matchup next week is still decent and he could help get you a win and you can swiftly drop him afterward.