With eight weeks of the 2023 MLB season in the books, less than 10 days remain in the month of May. For some fantasy leagues, only three months remain between now and the championship. That means it's time to make some tough decisions with pitchers — whether it be cutting dead weight, rolling the dice on a high-risk, high-reward two-start pitcher, or picking up an under-the-radar streamer. Our Week 9 pitching cheat sheet will help you make the difficult fantasy calls from your starting rotation to the back of your bullpen.
Our two-start pitchers list includes some hot names. The Tigers' Eduardo Rodriguez isn't just back to where he was in his 13-8 season with the Red Sox — he's better — and two juicy matchups (@ KC, vs. CHW) make him a top-five starter this week. We would also lock in his teammate Michael Lorenzen as well as the Twins' Bailey Ober, the Mets' Kodai Senga, and the Cubs' Drew Smyly. And if you need strikeouts but don't care about potential ratio issues, fire up Marlins rookie Eury Perez.
Of course, our must-roster free agents and waiver wire streamers sections will also highlight the best pickups of the week out of the starting pitchers and relievers at or below 65 percent rostered. And our prospects section and bullpen report will catch you up to speed with all the names you may or may not know but should if you're aiming to contend for a fantasy chip down the line.
Let's get right to our Week 9 pitching cheat sheet, and find ways for you to put together some big wins. Good luck and enjoy the warmer weather!
If you have specific waiver-wire questions, check out RotoBaller's industry-leading "Who To Pick Up?" tool below and compare up to four players across all positions.
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Fantasy Baseball Week 9 Cheat Sheet: Best two-start SPs
Star rating within matchups denotes confidence level. * = lowest confidence, ***** = highest confidence. Two-start pitchers not worth rostering/streaming have been excluded from this list.
| Starting Pitcher | Early-week opponent | Late-week opponent |
| Cristian Javier, Astros | @ Brewers ***** | @ Athletics ***** |
| Gerrit Cole. Yankees | vs. Orioles ***** | vs. Padres **** |
| Spencer Strider, Braves | vs. Dodgers **** | vs. Phillies **** |
| Zack Wheeler, Phillies | vs. D-backs ***** | @ Braves *** |
| Eduardo Rodriguez, Tigers | @ Royals **** | vs. White Sox *** |
| Corbin Burnes, Brewers | vs. Astros *** | vs. Giants **** |
| Dylan Cease, White Sox | @ Guardians *** | @ Tigers **** |
| Luis Castillo, Mariners | vs. Athletics *** | vs. Pirates **** |
| Yu Darvish, Padres | @ Nationals **** | @ Yankees ** |
| Jordan Montgomery, Cardinals | @ Reds **** | @ Guardians ** |
| Kodai Senga, Mets | @ Cubs *** | @ Rockies ** |
| Michael Lorenzen, Tigers | @ Royals *** | vs. White Sox ** |
| Chris Bassitt, Blue Jays | @ Rays ** | @ Twins *** |
| Bailey Ober, Twins | vs. Giants *** | vs. Blue Jays ** |
| Drew Smyly, Cubs | vs. Mets ** | vs. Reds *** |
| Dane Dunning, Rangers | @ Pirates *** | @ Orioles ** |
| Eury Perez, Marlins | @ Rockies ** | @ Angels ** |
| Charlie Morton, Braves | vs. Dodgers ** | vs. Phillies ** |
| MacKenzie Gore, Nationals | vs. Padres * | @ Royals |
| Alex Cobb, Giants | @ Twins ** | @ Brewers * |
| Jose Berrios, Blue Jays | @ Rays * | @ Twins ** |
| Taj Bradley, Rays | vs. Blue Jays * | vs. Dodgers * |
| Brady Singer, Royals | vs. Tigers * | vs. Nationals * |
| Marco Gonzalez, Mariners | vs. Athletics * | vs. Pirates * |
| Kyle Bradish, Orioles | @ Yankees * | vs. Rangers * |
Fantasy Baseball Week 9 Cheat Sheet: Must-roster pitchers
The following pitchers are available in 35-50 percent of Yahoo leagues and should be added in all formats. All rostership data is from Yahoo and based on 5x5 or 6x6 category leagues.
Jose Berrios, Blue Jays (64 percent rostered) — Berrios has been a good pitcher for a while, so he deserves a mulligan after a rough 2022 and his brutal 2023 season-opening bomb when he gave up eight runs to the Royals. Since then, the veteran has posted a 3.64 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 45:10 strikeouts-to-walk ratio through 47 innings. Over his past five starts, he has games with seven, eight, and nine strikeouts. Would we start him against the Rays at the start of the week? Probably not, unless you're facing an opponent with a really deep and/or volatile pitching staff. But we would absolutely give him a go in the 'revenge game' against his former squad, the Twins, later in the week.
Josiah Gray, SP, Nationals (60%) — After a bit of a slow start to the season, Gray has come into form and suddenly looks like a world-beater. He has wins and quality starts in four of his past six outings, and his ERA is down to a pristine 2.73. He won't rack up more strikeouts than innings pitched in most outings — and he does sometimes allow more base-runners than WHIP-guys would prefer — but he seems well worth an add in most 10-team leagues and all 12-teamers.
Andrew Chafin, RP, Diamondbacks (59%) — Look, we keep coming back to this guy because he's a whole vibe. He looks like an extra from a Ron Burgundy biker bar scene, but man can he pitch. He has six saves and four holds on the season, and he's allowed 0 earned runs in 19 of his 22 appearances. He has racked up 26 strikeouts in 17.2 innings, so he's well worth an add in any saves and/or holds leagues. And go ahead and make him your team logo while you're at it.
Michael Wacha, SP, Padres (56%) — Wacha has strung together four consecutive quality starts and allowed one total earned run over 25 innings in May. He has also recorded double-digit strikeouts in two of his past eight outings, proving that he still has swing-and-miss stuff in his age-31 (going on 32) year. The Padres have rounded into form, and so has Wacha Flocka Flame.
Taj Bradley, SP, Rays (55%) — We still have plenty of faith in Bradley despite some early bumps in the road. The kid's 22, he has a strikeout rate north of 33 percent, and he's 3-0 with a 3.54 ERA, 0.934 WHIP, and .203 batting average against. He rarely allows hard contact and he's continually improving his pitch mix, so we're all in on the Taj-Father.
Fantasy Baseball Week 9 Cheat Sheet: Top waiver-wire pitchers & streams
The following pitchers are available in right around 50 percent of Yahoo leagues and should at least be on your streaming radar.
James Paxton, SP, Red Sox (65 percent rostered) — The Pax is back, baby! The southpaw has made two starts since coming off the IL with his strained hamstring, and he looked vintage in both outings. Across 11 total innings, the veteran has racked up 14 strikeouts with three earned runs on just nine hits and three walks. He probably won't toss too many 10 strikeout games at this stage in his career, nor should you expect the sub-3.00 ERA to sustain itself. But Paxton seems plenty worthy of a spot on a moderately deep-league roster.
Dylan Floro, RP, Marlins (39%) — I love this guy — have all season. And ever since A.J. Puk hit the IL with nerve irritation, Floro has flourished (sorry, had to). Over just the past eight days, Floro is 4-for-4 in save opportunities while registering three strikeouts and allowing just two total hits over 4.1 innings. I think he'll keep the gig even when Puk returns, or at least split closing duties.
Brady Singer, SP, Royals (41%) — We know, it's the Royals — but Singer's been humming along as of late (sorry, Dad jokes aplenty today). The veteran has two straight quality starts and should be able to log a third and fourth this week against the Tigers and Nationals. We have each of his starts this week as one-star matchups in our two-start rankings, but that's just because we can't fully trust his ability to limit hard contact and he rarely racks up strikeouts. But still, in a deep league in a year devoid of pitching depth, he's a good add this week.
Logan Allen, SP, Guardians (33%) — He still needs to work on his pitch-mix versatility and limit his baserunners, but Logan T. Allen has the goods and we're not afraid to invest in him while his WHIP's at 1.46. Hey, look at the bright side — he pitches in a great system, his ERA is just 3.05, and he has 29 Ks in 26.2 IP! Plus he has a divisional date with the White Sox on Tuesday — fire this dude up!
Louie Varland, SP, Twins (30%) — Another young stud far too unrostered, Varland has shown plenty of promise and plays for a very good squad. He has six-plus strikeouts in all but one of his five starts and he has put together two wins in a row. Grab him now before people start catching onto this guy — but maybe consider benching him against the Blue Jays.
Fantasy Baseball Week 9 Cheat Sheet: Prospects to watch
Mike Soroka, SP, Braves (19 percent rostered) and Allan Winans, SP, Braves (0%) — Soroka has looked solid at triple-A Gwinnett, maintaining a 1.32 ERA and 13/4 K/BB through 13.2 innings over three starts. Many remember Soroka went 13-4 and got named an NL All-Star in 2019, but injuries and inconsistencies have plagued the Canadian ever since. Here's hoping he's good to go the next time he gets the call. Winans might be a little further out, but he's certainly got just as much promise. The tall righty has some tremendous swing-and-miss stuff (43.8% CSW), and he rarely issues free passes. Put Soroka in your queue, and at least keep an eye on Winans.
Gavin Williams, SP, Guardians (9 percent rostered) — The top Guardians prospect has looked superb for triple-A Columbus through five starts, allowing just six earned runs and striking out 36 batters in 25.2 innings. With Cleveland struggling to keep its rotation fully healthy this year, don't expect Williams to stay with the Clippers for too long.
Fantasy Baseball Week 9 Cheat Sheet: Closer rankings, bullpen report
| Team | Optimal closer to own | CP Grade | Top set-up man | Looming/IL/Deep Stash |
| Cleveland Guardians | Emmanuel Clase | A | James Karinchak | Trevor Stephan |
| Houston Astros | Ryan Pressly | A | Rafael Montero | Hector Neris |
| Milwaukee Brewers | Devin Williams | A | Matt Bush | Pete Strzelecki |
| San Diego Padres | Josh Hader | A | Luis Garcia | Robert Suarez |
| Baltimore Orioles | Felix Bautista | A | Cionel Perez | Mychal Givens |
| Boston Red Sox | Kenley Jansen | A- | John Schreiber | Ryan Brasier |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Ryan Helsley | A- | Giovanny Gallegos | Zack Thompson |
| Cincinnati Reds | Alexis Diaz | B+ | Ian Gibaut | Derek Law |
| New York Mets | David Robertson | B+ | Adam Ottavino | Brooks Raley |
| San Francisco Giants | Camilo Doval | B+ | Taylor Rogers | Tyler Rogers |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | David Bednar | B+ | Colin Holderman | Duane Underwood Jr. |
| New York Yankees | Wandy Peralta | B+ | Clay Holmes | Michael King |
| Minnesota Twins | Jhoan Duran | B+ | Jorge Lopez | Griffin Jax |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Jordan Romano | B | Erik Swanson | Yimi Garcia |
| Miami Marlins | Dylan Floro | B | Tanner Scott | A.J. Puk |
| Atlanta Braves | Raisel Iglesias | B- | A. J. Minter | Collin McHugh |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Pete Fairbanks | B- | Jason Adam | Colin Poche |
| Los Angeles Angels | Carlos Estevez | B- | Jose Quijada | Jimmy Herget |
| Detroit Tigers | Alex Lange | B- | Jose Cisnero | Jason Foley |
| Colorado Rockies | Daniel Bard | C+ | Pierce Johnson | Dinelson Lamet |
| Chicago White Sox | Reynaldo Lopez | C+ | Aaron Bummer | Liam Hendriks |
| Washington Nationals | Kyle Finnegan | C+ | Hunter Harvey | Carl Edwards Jr. |
| Texas Rangers | Jose Leclerc | C | Jonathan Hernandez | Will Smith |
| Kansas City Royals | Scott Barlow | C- | Aroldis Chapman | Dylan Coleman |
| Seattle Mariners | Paul Sewald | C- | Matt Brash | Andres Munoz |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | Evan Phillips | C- | Brusdal Graterol | Daniel Hudson |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Jose Alvarado | C- | Craig Kimbrel | Seranthony Dominguez |
| Arizona Diamondbacks | Andrew Chafin | C- | Scott McGough | Mark Melancon |
| Oakland A's | Jeurys Familia | D+ | Zach Jackson | Dany Jimenez |
| Chicago Cubs | Michael Fulmer | D | Brad Boxberger | Adbert Alzolay |
Just when we thought the Cardinals' Ryan Helsley has looked great again, he stumbles for the Cardinals and gives way to Giovany Gallegos again. We'll keep Helsley near the top for now because of his electric four-seamer, but the leash can't be long given all of St. Louis's bullpen issues this year. Baltimore's Felix Bautista remains in elite territory despite some recent dustups, as well — that whole back-end of the bullpen has been fantastic on the year, and Bautista's confidence seems unwavering. Kenley Jansen was flirting with a solid 'A' grade right around when he notched his 400th career save, but the Sox closer has looked awful in his two appearances since then. Wandy Peralta is still the Yankees reliever to own in saves leagues — he's the man. Speaking of New York, the Mets' David Robertson has been flirting with 'A-' territory — he's super dependable. Not so dependable as of late: the Blue Jays' Jordan Romano, the Braves' Raisel Iglesias, and even the Guardians' Emmanuel Clase! Clase gets the most opportunities, though, and he's developed such a strong reputation that we won't demote him to 'A-' or 'B+' range anytime soon — but he did lose the '+' next to his 'A.'
