Hello and welcome to the 21th installment of our weekly two-start pitcher article for the 2025 MLB season.
I’ll be here every Friday to highlight some of the best two-start pitcher options in fantasy baseball leagues for the upcoming week, as well as some streaming options to keep in mind.
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Thinking ahead with your weekly strategy can give you an advantage on the waiver wire and hopefully be a difference-maker in the standings at the end of the 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:
The Dodgers only play six games next week, so with six starters in their rotation currently that means that they’ll each pitch once and no one will line up for two starts.
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The Pirates plan to finally promote Bubba Chandler from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, though he’ll work in a bulk role out of the team’s bullpen rather than as a traditional starter. We aren’t sure yet which day he will make his Pirates’ debut, and that throws the rest of the rotation into flux. If he goes on Tuesday, he would pitch in bulk roles twice next week (@ Cardinals, @ Red Sox).
With Landen Roupp (knee) heading back to the injured list, the Giants have a need for another starter to fill their rotation once again. The expectation is that Carson Whisenhunt will step back in – and right into a two-start week against the Cubs and Orioles. Whisenhunt posted a 5.02 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and a 12/7 K/BB ratio over 14 1/3 innings in his first three starts with the Giants.
We aren’t quite sure yet how the Braves plan to incorporate the return of Chris Sale into their starting rotation. They could either go to a full six-man rotation and keep everyone else around, or they could bump an underperforming option like Bryce Elder from the mix. If they go to a six-man, Elder would line up for two starts next week (@ Marlins, @ Phillies). If they bump Elder and stick with a five-man rotation, then Hurston Waldrep would make those two starts. Regardless, we should have plenty of interest in Waldrep and none in Elder for fantasy purposes.
We are also awaiting official word on what the Orioles will do to incorporate Kyle Bradish back into their starting rotation. Brandon Young and Cade Povich have each pitched well lately, so it’s hard to see them bumping…