RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Hello and welcome to the 20th 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.
With each passing week, I’m getting more emotional thinking about the fact that there may not be a full season in 2026 due to the uncertainty surrounding the labor dispute between Major League Baseball and the Player’s Association. I’m really trying to take time to appreciate each day that we have baseball and the joy that it’s able to bring me.
I’m also basking in the joy that if the season ended today, the Tigers would be in a playoff spot, having rallied from 16 games under .500 to pull back to within a game of the breakeven mark and within 2.5 games of the White Sox in the Central division. It’s an important weekend for my Motor City Kitties.
As fantasy managers have turned their full attention to football, there are opportunities to creep up in the standings where others aren’t giving their teams the full attention that they still deserve. 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. With teams still trying to get their rotations lined up for the second half, there’s more uncertainty than usual for a Friday afternoon:
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We know that Shane Baz is going to make two starts for the Orioles next week, but we don’t know which other hurler is going to get that assignment yet (vs. Yankees, vs. Rays). The expectation is that it’ll be Cade Povich , though that has yet to be confirmed. If he does, it’s a tough draw having to take on the Rays and Yankees, though he’s still probably a better option than some of the strikeout-only plays at the bottom of the list. I’ll update here if we gain any additional clarity throughout the weekend.
Luis Castillo will make two starts for the White Sox next week, but it’s unclear who else is going to after Davis Martin landed on the injured list on Friday with a blister issue. It’s possible that Erick Fedde is the next man up once again after losing his spot in the rotation following Castillo’s arrival from the Mariners. If so, he’ll go twice (at Cubs, vs. Mets) and could make for a decent gamble as a deep league streaming option.
The Dodgers continue to roll with a full six-man rotation, making it so none of their starters will pitch twice in a six-game week. If anything were to change, or if anyone were to be skipped for any reason, that would set up Blake Snell to have a two-start week (at Rockies, vs. Pirates).
Like the Dodgers, the Brewers are also utilizing a six-man rotation at the moment, and wish six games on tap for next week that means no one will get the added benefits of pitching twice. Kyle Harrison goes on Monday and would fall into two starts (vs. Mariners, vs. Braves) if anyone ( Robert Gasser maybe?) were to be skipped this time through.
Someone is going to make two starts for the Nationals next week (at Rangers, at Marlins), but as of now we aren’t sure who that will be. There have been some rumblings that Zak Kent could get the call to do so, but even if so he doesn’t make for a particularly intriguing streaming option. We’ll update here if anything changes throughout the weekend.
Going Twice…
Note: Probable pitchers as of August 14 and are subject to change.
American League
▶ Strong Plays
Drew Rasmussen , Rays, RHP (vs. Blue Jays, at Orioles)
I don’t know what it’s going to take for Rasmussen to get the respect that he deserves and to be routinely considered among the top starting pitchers in all of baseball. He has been absolutely elite again this season, posting a 12-5 record, 2.78 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and a 133/23 K/BB ratio over 129 1/3 innings. Simply incredible. Now he’ll battle a pair of divisional foes that he should have no issues handling yet again. He may be the top overall play on the board this week and one that should be started in every single league without hesitation.
Bryce Miller , Mariners, RHP (at Brewers, vs. Cubs)
Miller has been terrific through his first 15 appearances on the season, registering a 3.39 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and an 84/16 K/BB ratio over 85 innings of work. As long as he’s healthy enough to take the mound, he should be started in all leagues each and every week. The matchups are tough this week, but that shouldn’t be enough to dissuade us from deploying him in our lineups, it just means that the ratio risk is higher than we’d normally expect. When Miller is on though, he can dominate any lineup.
Foster Griffin , Guardians, LHP (vs. Giants, at Rockies)
Foster Griffin has been one of baseball’s breakout stars during the 2026 season, going 13-4 with a 3.25 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and a 125/33 K/BB ratio over 138 1/3 innings. He has been an absolute gold mine for fantasy managers who scooped him up early in the season. He has struggled through his first two starts with the Guardians, but his overall track record is strong enough that we’re going to continue trusting him, especially with a home tilt against the Giants to open the week. Having to pitch at Coors Field over the weekend is never ideal, but once again Griffin gets the benefit of the doubt. He should be started in all leagues.
Ranger Suarez , Red Sox, ...
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