Fantasy Baseball: Week 8 Waiver Wire Starting Pitchers
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For fantasy teams looking to build pitching depth, the Brewers, Twins, Royals, and Guardians have starting job changes.
Starting Pitching
Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins
Matthews is set to make his major league debut on Sunday against the Brewers. Over his seven starts at AAA, he went 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts over 32.2 innings. The Twins have yet to push him past 5.1 innings. Matthews allowed two runs or fewer in all his games.
Zebby Matthews gets the call!
— RotoLegends (@RotoLegends) May 15, 2025
One of baseball’s nastiest arms — elite command, uptick in velo, and a filthy 1.93 ERA with a 28.1% K rate in Triple-A.
Showtime.pic.twitter.com/35IdTtgjle
Last year, his stats with the Twins (6.69 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts over 37.2 innings) were scarred by two disaster outings (15 runs, 20 baserunners, and five home runs over five innings with 10 strikeouts). Over 238.0 career innings in the minors, Matthews issued only 31 walks, suggesting an edge in WHIP in Minnesota.
Ryne Nelson, Arizona Diamondbacks
The Twins placed Eduardo Rodriguez on the injured list this weekend with a left shoulder injury. Nelson is the next man up after pitching in relief over his last nine appearances (4.01 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts over 24.2 innings).
His average fastball (95.4 mph) is at a career high level while relying on a slider as his second-best pitch. In his two bad showings, Nelson allowed nine runs, 12 baserunners, and five strikeouts over 2.1 innings.
Sneaky arm who will be overlooked this week in the free agent pool. His next start is on the road against the Dodgers, making him an avoid until his arm is stretched out.
Logan Henderson, Milwaukee Brewers
Henderson opened up this year with a poor showing at AAA on March 29th (five runs, six hits, one home run, three walks, and eight strikeouts over four innings). Over his subsequent six appearances, he allowed one run or fewer in each matchup, leading to a combined 32.0 innings with a 1.13 ERA, 0.750 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts while delivering six wins.
Logan Henderson, K'ing the Side in the 6th.
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 20, 2025
9Ks/6IP pic.twitter.com/ETuykhhBWN
Over his two appearances with the Brewers, Henderson allowed three runs, nine baserunners, and 16 strikeouts over 11.0 innings. He’s won his last seven starts between AAA and the majors. Milwaukee will keep him in their starting rotation, setting up potential double starts next week. Henderson should be added in all formats.
Aaron Civale, Milwaukee Brewers
After two successful rehab outings (nine shutout innings with five baserunners and five strikeouts), Civale looks poised to return to the Brewers’ starting rotation next week. He threw 60 pitches in his last outing. Civale should be a free agent in almost all 12-team leagues.
Slade Cecconi, Cleveland Guardians
Cecconi opened the season on the injured list with an oblique issue. Over his three rehab starts at AAA, he allowed seven runs over 13.0 innings with 12 hits, two walks, and 10 strikeouts. Cleveland called him up on Saturday, leading to three runs, five hits, and eight strikeouts over five innings. Cecconi has an unproven major league arm, but he did flash over 47.0 innings at AAA in 2024 (3.06 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 54 strikeouts).
Noah Cameron, Kansas City Royals
A couple of injuries to Royals’ starting pitchers led to Cameron making his first major league start on Saturday night. He allowed one run, two hits, and three strikeouts over 6.1 innings. Over the past two seasons at AAA, his left-handed arm shined over 87.0 innings (2.69 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 100 strikeouts over 87.0 innings.
Noah Cameron is making his Major League debut ... he's pitching REALLY, REALLY well through 6 innings 👀 pic.twitter.com/3olDfmAXrj
— MLB (@MLB) May 1, 2025
Cameron works off a low-90s fastball, a plus changeup, and a swing-and-miss curveball. His next start lines up on the road against the Twins. Improving arm who added more zip on his fastball this year.
Landon Knack, Los Angeles Dodgers
The Knack experience in the Dodgers’ starting rotation hasn’t worked out so far in 2025. His walks (2) and strikeouts (13) over his last two starts (9.2 innings) stood out, but he allowed five runs and 11 hits. In 2024, Knack pitched well for Los Angeles (3.65 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 69 strikeouts over 69.0 innings).
A Dodgers pitcher has upside in wins, making him a viable option in shallow leagues. He draws Arizona at home next week, with a chance at a second start in the weekend (@NYM).
Ryan Weathers, Miami Marlins
In his first start back with Miami, Weathers allowed one run, three baserunners, and five strikeouts over five innings. In the minors, he’s looked sharp over 10.2 innings (1.69 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 13 strikeouts) this year. Next week, Weathers faced the Cubs at home.
Hayden Birdsong, San Francisco Giants
The Giants will move Birdsong into their starting rotation next week, replacing Jordan Hicks. He threw 65 pitches in his last poor outing (three runs, six baserunners, and two home runs over three innings with three strikeouts), suggesting Birdsong can pitch five innings in his first start.
Despite lighting it up in the spring, Hayden Birdsong was not able to secure a spot in the rotation, and the #sfgiants have deployed him out of the bullpen. Thus far, he’s looked stellar, so let’s dive in to what he's done so far.
— matthew (@matthewk36711) April 15, 2025
A thread 🧵 pic.twitter.com/BWUPK2HeUM
His arm backed up over his last 14.1 innings (six runs, 15 hits, four home runs, seven walks, and 16 strikeouts), taking some luster off his progression. Birdsong offers an edge in strikeouts, but he must throw more strikes to succeed as a starter.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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