Lily Maxwell
Check out all of our starting pitcher rankings and other lineup selection tools here to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions. All fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.
Note: All information is accurate as of the time of publication. For updates, as well as any breaking news that might impact today’s MLB slate, be sure to check out the latest fantasy baseball buzz.
Other resources: RP depth chart | Start new league
ESPN’s 2026 Draft Guide | Betting notes for Sunday
Pitchers to stream on Sunday
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Tatsuya Imai is set to make his major league debut when the Houston Astros face the Los Angeles Angels at home. Imai spent eight years with the Saitama Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball before heading overseas. He’s 5-foot-11 and throws with an unusual low-slot delivery that generates arm-side run on his fastball and change-up, complementing the glove-side run on his slider. He benefits from a deceptive delivery and a strong repertoire.
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Shane Baz‘s debut with the Baltimore Orioles comes a couple of days after signing a five-year, $68 million contract extension. Concerns about his durability kept his rostership below 50% during draft season, but it won’t be long before enough fantasy managers add him to their rosters to push him over the streaming threshold. His Orioles debut is against the Minnesota Twins in Camden Yards. Baz is coming off a down season where he posted a 5.90 ERA at home for the Tampa Bay Rays, as opposed to a 3.86 road mark. Baz should perform much better in his home starts than he did last season in Geroge Steinbrenner Field.
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Brandon Sproat beat out Logan Henderson for the last spot in the Milwaukee Brewers rotation, made available with Quinn Priester opening the season on the IL with wrist soreness stemming from a mild case of thoracic outlet syndrome. Sproat was acquired from the Mew York Mets as part of the package for Freddy Peralta. The 25-year-old right-hander features a two-seam fastball, sweeper, changeup and curve. He’s not as dominant as teammate Jacob Misiorowski, but Sproat has the stuff to take advantage of the Chicago White Sox lineup that struck out 20 times on Opening Day.
Pitchers to avoid on Sunday
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The Texas Rangers acquired MacKenzie Gore from the Philadelphia Phillies to add some youth to their veteran pitching staff. The 27-year-old southpaw is expected to learn from veterans Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, a pair of elite starters who can help Gore improve his below-average control. However, the transformation will likely need more than spring training to manifest, and Gore’s debut comes on the road against a familiar foe, the formidable Philadelphia Phillies.
Hitters to stream on Sunday
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Look for a lot of teams to use Sunday to get their reserves some action. This is a common practice, regardless, but even more so early the season when managers want to keep their bench layers sharp after playing a lot in spring training. Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo has already been featured in this space, but he’s likely to be in the lineup with Bailey Ober on the hill for the Twins. Ober pitched through a hip injury last season, displaying a drop in velocity and declining command and control. Despite working with a hip specialist over the winter, Ober still hasn’t reverted to his old form.
