Hello and welcome to the 11th installment of our weekly two-start pitcher article for the 2026 MLB season.
I will continue to be here every Friday to highlight some of the best two-start pitcher options in fantasy baseball leagues for the upcoming week providing my insights and recommendations on which options should be started or benched.
The fantasy baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s easy to fall into bad habits and not spend as much time on teams that have struggled out of the gate, but now is not the time to panic or give up. Keep putting in the work and plugging away, striving to improve each week, and you’ll reap rewards at the end of this season.
This is a living document, so we’ll update the options below as the weekend moves along.
Before we get into it, we’ll start with a couple of notes on situations that may be unresolved or teams that may not have a two-start pitcher lined up for the upcoming week:
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As has often been the case this season, we won’t see anyone make two starts for the Dodgers next week. They have been employing a six-man rotation since Opening Day and with six games on tap, each of their hurlers will toe the slab once. If they decided to skip anyone, it may be Eric Lauer on Tuesday, which could set Shohei Ohtani up for two starts, but that seems extremely unlikely.
It’s unclear who, if anyone, will make two starts for the Marlins next week (vs. Diamondbacks, at Pirates). With Robby Snelling, Janson Junk, and Eury Perez on the injured list, they’re struggling to find healthy arms at the moment. The last time this spot in the rotation came around, John King started what wound up being a bullpen game for the Marlins. They could wind up doing the same thing on Monday. We’ll update here if anything changes before then.
The expectation for the Mets is that Kodai Senga will return to the rotation on Monday and will be lined up for two starts next week (vs. Cardinals, at Braves). After going 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA and 1.95 WHIP over 20 innings in his first five starts, I’d advise fantasy managers to take a wait-and-see approach here rather than jamming him right back into lineups for a two-start week that includes a tough road matchup against the Braves.
Going Twice…
Note: Probable pitchers as of June 5 and are subject to change.
American League
▶ Strong Plays
Gerrit Cole, Yankees, RHP (at Guardians, at Blue Jays)
Cole hasn’t shown any signs of rust after missing the entirety of the 2025 season and the first few months of 2026. Through his first three starts he has looked like the Cole of old, posting a 2.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and a 14/4 K/BB ratio across 18 innings of work. The matchups look strong on paper this week and I fully expect the 35-year-old right-hander to perform as one of the top overall options on the board this week.
Payton Tolle, Red Sox, LHP (at Rays, vs. Rangers)
Tolle has performed as one of the best pitchers in baseball through his first eight starts, posting a 2.28 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and a 51/13 K/BB ratio across 47 1/3 innings of work. He spun six innings of shutout ball against the Orioles his last time out and shows no signs of slowing down. The Rays and Rangers both struggle against southpaws, making the 23-year-old hurler an excellent option in all leagues once again this week. Start with complete confidence.
Gavin Williams, Guardians, RHP (vs. Yankees, vs. Tigers)
Williams has been exceptional for the Guardians through his first 13 starts this season, posting a 9-3 record, 3.20 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and a 94/25 K/BB ratio over 81 2/3 innings. He has been an absolute monster for fantasy purposes and the underlying numbers don’t give us any reason to believe that he’s going to slow down. Having to battle the Yankees is always tough, but a bit less so with Aaron Judge heading to the injured list. Williams should be locked into fantasy lineups each and every week regardless of matchups, you just get to sit back and enjoy the added production of a two-start week this time around.
Troy Melton, Tigers, RHP (vs. Twins, at Guardians)
Melton has been the first arm in a wave of rotation reinforcements that have been sent to save the Tigers’ crumbling season. So far, so good. Through his first three starts he holds a brilliant 1.74 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and a 9/6 K/BB ratio over 20 2/3 innings. He’s obviously not going to continue at this pace, but I expect him to be viable in mixed leagues for the remainder of the season. That makes him an excellent option this week against a pair of familiar divisional foes.
Spencer Arrighetti, Astros, RHP (at Angels, at Royals)
Even though he was knocked around a bit his last time out, Arrighetti has been exceptional for the Astros this season. He sits at 7-1 with an outstanding 1.94 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and a 46/27 K/BB ratio across 51 innings of work through his first nine starts. He now draws a pair of solid matchups on the road and should continue to deliver plenty of fantasy goodness. He’s an easy start in all leagues next week.
Stephen Kolek, Royals, RHP (vs. Rangers, vs. Astros)
Kolek has been terrific in his six starts for the Royals this season, registering a 3.32 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and a 27/8 K/BB ratio over 38 innings while notching three victories and a shutout. The Rangers and Astros are both middle of the pack against right-handed pitching, so there’s no real reason to shy away from either of them. Continue to ride the hot hand and enjoy the added production that the two-start week provides.
▶ Decent Plays
Davis Martin, White Sox, RHP (vs. Braves, vs. Dodgers)
Martin continues to be one of the most surprising stories in the first half of the 2026 season. The 29-year-old right-hander sits at 8-2 with a brilliant 2.61 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and a 73/17 K/BB ratio over 72 1/3 innings through his first 12 starts. If he keeps this up, he’ll be going to his first All-Star Game next month. This week presents a real test for him though, having to battle two of the top offenses in all of baseball in the Braves and Dodgers. He has been so exceptional this season that you can’t sit him for a two-start week, just understand that he may get knocked around a bit more than usual in these two starts.
Trevor Rogers, Orioles, LHP (vs. Mariners, vs. Padres)
I’m having a really hard time placing this one. I was super high on Rogers heading into the 2025 season and have absorbed all of the ratio damage that he has provided in nearly all of my own leagues. I was encouraged by what we saw from him his last time out against the Red Sox though, and believe that could wind up being the turning point in his season. The Mariners and Padres rank as the two worst teams in baseball in OPS against left-handers this season, giving me even more reason to buy back in. I understand that Rogers is waiver wire fodder in most leagues by now, but for this week at least, he strikes me as a downright solid option, and one that I’d be willing to use in all formats.
Taj Bradley, Twins, RHP (at Tigers, vs. Cardinals)
Bradley’s overall line on the season looks very strong with a 3.56 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and a 70/26 K/BB ratio over 60 2/3 innings through his first 11 starts. You’d think he’d be an easy start for what looks like a strong two-step next week, right? I have concerns though. He hasn’t looked like himself the last two times out, giving up four runs in each while failing to make it out of the fifth inning both times. That could just be a blip on the radar, or could be a sign of things to come. I’d still probably roll with him in 15-teamers, but may shy away in 12’s if I had a viable alternative.
▶ At Your Own Risk
Chris Bassitt, Orioles, RHP (vs. Mariners, vs. Padres)
Bassitt hasn’t quite stabilized the back end of the Orioles’ rotation the way that they had hoped he would, posting an underwhelming 5.27 ERA and 1.63 WHIP with only 37 strikeouts over his first 56 1/3 innings of work. The matchups are a mixed bag this week, as the Mariners hit right-handed pitching very well while the Padres struggle mightily against them. In deeper leagues I can understand it as a volume play if you’re chasing wins and can handle some ratio risk. Otherwise, I’d probably stay away from this one.
Grayson Rodriguez, Angels, RHP (vs. Astros, vs. Rays)
It’s not a surprise after missing the entire 2025 campaign that we have seen an inconsistent version of Rodriguez so far in 2026. He has made four starts for the Angels – one gem against the Tigers, one middling outing against the Rangers and then absolute disasters against the Dodgers and Rockies. The upside is there for him to have success, and the strikeouts should probably be there regardless, but if you’re concerned with your ratios you may want to keep him on the sidelines until he starts to regain consistency on the mound.
Jeffrey Springs, Athletics, LHP (vs. Brewers, vs. Rockies)
While his overall numbers on the season look decent, Springs has really gone downhill after a strong start – posting a 5.96 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 45 1/3 innings over his last nine starts. That’s enough of a sample to give us a pretty good idea who he is at this point. Unsurprisingly, he has also been a bit better away from Sutter Health Park this season, and both of his starts this week will unfortunately come at home. I get that a matchup against the Rockies looks appealing, but I find it very difficult to trust Springs in West Sacramento after what we have seen from him for the past two months.
National League
▶ Strong Plays
Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies, LHP (at Blue Jays, at Brewers)
Sanchez did something unusual his last time out against the Padres, giving up a run in the seventh inning. That was the first time he had been scored upon in 50 2/3 innings – the longest streak in baseball by a left-hander since 1920. He holds a remarkable 1.46 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 103/17 K/BB ratio over 86 1/3 innings on the season and is showing no signs of slowing down. He’s an automatic start every week regardless, so enjoy the added production from two starts from the star southpaw this week.
Paul Skenes, Pirates, RHP (vs. Dodgers, vs. Marlins)
It’s rare that in a two-start week Skenes doesn’t rate out as the top overall play on the board, but he’s still checks in as a very strong option despite the matchup against the Dodgers to kick things off on Tuesday. The 24-year-old righty sits at 6-5 on the season with a 3.09 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 81 strikeouts across 70 innings of work. There are obviously no actionable items here though as Skenes should be locked into 100 percent of lineups every week throughout the season.
Kyle Harrison, Brewers, LHP (at Athletics, vs. Phillies)
Harrison had been lined up for a strong two-start week last week, but the Brewers opted to give Coleman Crow a start in the middle of the week to give the rest of their rotation an extra day of rest, pushing Harrison’s double back until next week. He’s still one of the top options on the board. The 24-year-old southpaw has been amazing for the Brewers this season, posting a 7-1 record, 1.57 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and a 73/16 K/BB ratio over 57 1/3 innings. He should be an automatic weekly start in all fantasy leagues until further notice.
▶ Decent Plays
Grant Holmes, Braves, RHP (at White Sox, at Mets)
While we have seen some inconsistency from Holmes this season, the results overall have been pretty positive, compiling a 3.86 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and a 57/27 K/BB ratio over 63 innings through his first 12 starts. While the Mets have been better of late, they still rate as the worst team in the league against right-handed pitching this season, which makes for a juicy matchup to finish the week. The White Sox have been middle of the pack, which is no reason to be scared away. Pitching for the Braves, he’s a threat to win every time he takes the mound. I’d be starting Holmes with confidence in all league sizes this week.
Andrew Abbott, Reds, LHP (at Padres, vs. Diamondbacks)
Taking a glance at Abbott’s season-long numbers would leave most fantasy managers to ignore him completely, but he has actually pitched well since his brutal start to the 2026 campaign. Over his last seven starts Abbott is 4-1 with a tidy 2.25 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and a 28/18 K/BB ratio over 40 innings in his last seven starts. The matchups are a bit of a wash this week, as the Padres really struggle against southpaws while the Diamondbacks are one of the best teams in baseball against them. Given how good he has been for the past two months basically, I’d be very comfortable rolling him out for this two-start week in both 15 and 12-team formats.
Colin Rea, Cubs, RHP (at Rockies, at Giants)
The 35-year-old right-hander hasn’t been quite as dependable as we have seen from him in years past so far in 2026, posting an uninspiring 4.59 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 52/22 K/BB ratio over 64 2/3 innings through his first 13 appearances (10 starts). Now he needs to travel to Coors Field to take on the Rockies before finishing the week with a strong matchup against the Giants in San Francisco. He also enters the week in good form, having allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his last three starts. If I was looking to make up ground in wins and strikeouts in deeper leagues, I could see giving Rea a shot.
▶ At Your Own Risk
Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks, RHP (at Marlins, at Reds)
You’d like to think that you’d be able to trust Gallen for a two-start week that includes a matchup against the Marlins, but the 2026 version of the right-hander has been anything but trustworthy. He sports a miserable 5.32 ERA and 1.52 WHIP with just 43 strikeouts across his 64 1/3 innings of work through 13 starts. He also enters the start in poor form, having allowed five runs in each of his last two starts. You could roll the dice and hope that things start to turn around for it, but the ratio risk is very real here.
Tomoyuki Sugano, Rockies, RHP (vs. Cubs, at Athletics)
Never Rockies. It’s that simple. Especially when it includes a start at home and a start at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. Sugano has pitched decently this season, but he isn’t likely to win many games and he doesn’t record strikeouts anyways. There’s just no reason to do this to yourself.
