Fantasy Baseball: Week 9 Waiver Wire Starting Pitchers
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The next wave of young, helpful arms (Eury Perez and Bubba Chandler) remains in the minors, but they are getting closer.
Starting Pitching
Ryan Nelson, Arizona Diamondbacks
Next week, Nelson lines up for double starts against the Pirates and Nationals at home. In his return to the starting rotation against the Dodgers, he allowed one run, four baserunners, and two strikeouts over five innings while tossing 71 pitches. Nelson has a 2.61 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts over his last 20.2 innings. His best value will come in deep formats.
Jacob Lopez, Athletics
Lopez went 19-17 in his minor league career with a 2.94 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 463 strikeouts over 364.2 innings. The Rays gave him eight games of experience in 2023 and 2024, leading to a 4.76 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 22.2 innings with 16 strikeouts. Lopez opened this season with success at AAA (2.33 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 27.0 innings).
The A’s called him up for the second time this week and moved him into their starting rotation (one run, four baserunners, and eight strikeouts over seven innings). Lopez brings a low-90 fastball while relying on a slider, cutter, and changeup. He lines up to face the Blue Jays on the road this week, followed by double starts (MIN and BAL) if the A’s keep him in the starting rotation. Only a deep flier with an eye on starting next week if Lopez pitches well this week.
Colton Gordon, Houston Astros
Houston gave Gordon two starts over the past two weeks after eight starts at AAA (2.55 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 43 strikeouts over 42.1 innings). He allowed six runs, 14 baserunners, and two home runs over 9.2 innings with 10 strikeouts. He is another soft-tosser (91.3 mph) with a slider, curveball, and changeup. Houston will give him another ride this week against Tampa Bay.
Mike Burrows, Pittsburgh Pirates
Mike Burrows is 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA, 28 strikeouts and .175 batting average against this month😮💨 pic.twitter.com/5uw67YFVbY
— Young Bucs (@YoungBucsPIT) May 20, 2025
Before this season, Burrows pitched in 70 games in the Pirates’ system, leading to a 10-14 record, 3.61 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 291 strikeouts over 259.0 innings. His fastball (94.9 mph) is up slightly this season while offering the same secondary pitches (slider, changeup, and curveball).
Burrows has a 2.40 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts over 30.0 innings at AAA in 2025 while trending higher over his last four games (two runs, 11 hits, four walks, and 28 strikeouts over 17.2 innings). He has yet to pitch over five innings in a game. In his major league debut, Burrows allowed four runs, six baserunners, two home runs, and three strikeouts over five innings.
His window to start this year will only last with success on the mound. Next week, Burrows lines up for double-starts (PIT and PHI).
Yu Darvish, San Diego Padres
After pitching four innings at AAA (two runs, three baserunners, and a home run with four strikeouts), Darvish hasn’t pitched since May 14th. He threw 51 pitches in his rehab start. San Diego should have him back in their starting rotation soon.
Kyle Harrison, San Francisco Giants
Kyle Harrison had a great night last night:
— matthew (@matthewk36711) May 10, 2025
2 innings, 3 Ks, 0 R, 7 FB whiffs.
But the underlying data are what's really special, so let's dive in.
A thread 🧵#sfgiants pic.twitter.com/RDgFtlbzZQ
The injury to Justin Verlander created a starting job for Harrison this weekend. He pitched four innings on Saturday against the Nationals while allowing two runs, five hits, and four strikeouts. Over his last two starts at AAA in late April, Harrison allowed one run and 10 baserunners over 11.0 innings with 15 strikeouts.
His fastball (94.3 mph) has been a career-best, supported by a curveball and changeup. He has a favorable start this week against Miami. Harrison only has a starting role until Verlander returns.
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