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USATSI

Attrition is the name of the game at starting pitcher, and it's all about just trying to find a way to survive. Already this season, we've lost Gerritt Cole for the season and we saw spring injuries to George Kirby, Shane McClanahan, Grayson Rodriguez, Brayan Bello, Yu Darvish, and Sean Manaea thin the ranks at the position. And that's not an exhaustive list of the pitcher injuries we're dealing with, as we also have names like Spencer Strider, Shane Bieber, Kyle Bradish, Joe Musgrove, Braxton Garrett, Eury Perez, and others working their way back from injuries (a few of whom won't even pitch this season). 

And it's not getting any easier since the season started, with Reynaldo Lopez, Max Scherzer, Jack Leiter, and Blake Snell (among, obviously, others) added to the IL in less than two weeks since Opening Day. And that list got longer Tuesday, with Spencer Arrighetti suffering a fractured thumb when he was hit by a line drive while playing catch in the outfield during batting practice. 

No, really, that's what happened. As if pitchers aren't at enough risk just from pitching. Now that's bad luck.

So, you're probably looking for some help at pitcher, I'm guessing. Before we get to everything you need to know from Monday's action around MLB, here are a handful of pitchers rostered in 60% or fewer of CBS Fantasy leagues who could help you overcome whichever injuries have befallen your pitching staff, predictable or otherwise. 

  • Chase Dollander, Rockies (43%) – The Rockies threw Dollander right into the fire with his first start at Coors Field, and he mostly held his own. That bodes well for the top prospect's chances of being really useful for Fantasy moving forward, at least when they aren't at Coors. It may not work, but I think he's simply the most talented widely available pitcher, and I'll bet on that this early. 
  • Max Meyer, Marlins (58%) – Meyer went into the lab this offseason and emerged throwing more than one mph harder, with better shape on his fastball, plus an expanded arsenal that has helped his signature slider play up even more. The problem is, he's on one of the worst teams in the league, so he'll get little help from the defense, offense, or bullpen around him. That limits his upside in H2H points especially, where win potential matters so much. 
  • Jordan Hicks, Giants (60%) – With his fastball velocity back up closer to where it was when he was a reliever, Hicks suddenly looks a lot more interesting. He's going to generate a bunch of weak contact with that 98-mph sinker, so the question now is whether he'll be able to reintegrate the splitter into his arsenal after that was such a key pitch for him last season. If he does, we're talking about real upside here. 
  • Matthew Boyd, Cubs (47%) – The biggest problem for Boyd is the schedule, as he's currently in line to face the Padres and Dodgers in his next two starts. That makes it tough to trust him, but the truth is, the pickings are awfully slim for pitchers rostered under 60%. Before you add Boyd, just make sure names like Eduardo Rodriguez (62%), Reese Olson (69%), and Jeffrey Springs (75%) aren't rostered first. 
  • Hayden Wesneski, Astros (43%) – This would've been the week to add Wesneski, since he's on a two-start week. But if you're in a H2H points league, he's still worth a look thanks to his RP eligibility. I don't think Wesneski is likely to be much more than an average pitcher, but an average pitcher with RP eligibility can have a lot of value in a points league if they're starting every five days, so go check if he's out there in that format. He flashed a new curveball in this one that generated a couple of whiffs and some weak contact, so maybe there's a path to some upside there. 

Here's what else you need to know about from Monday's action, beginning with a few other waiver-wire targets to consider: 

Tuesday's top waiver-wire targets

Here's who else we're looking to add coming out of Monday's action: 

Casey Mize, SP, Tigers (74%) – I'm not quite ready to say Mize is a must-roster Fantasy player or anything close to it. His breaking ball command remains iffy at best, and I'm not sure he has a reliable putaway pitch besides his splitter. But he came within an out of registering a quality start in his first outing and then limited the Yankees to just one run in six innings in his second, with just the one run allowed in his first two starts combined. Six walks in 11.2 innings isn't ideal, and his strikeout and swinging strike rates are still more "good" than "elite" in the early going. So, keep expectations in check, while still viewing him as a viable add to any Fantasy rotation, and you won't be disappointed. 

Ben Rice, 1B, Yankees (64%) – I think we're approaching the point where the Yankees owe it to themselves to give Rice a chance against more lefties. He's already forced his way to the top of the lineup against righties, and after tripling and walking twice Monday he's up to a .333/.471/.704 line for the season with as many walks as strikeouts (seven). Until they let him play every day, Rice's ceiling is capped, but I really do believe he's a plus hitter already, who mostly struggled last season due to bad luck. He's hitting the ball harder this season without sacrificing contact and could be a must-start Fantasy option if he shows he can hold his own against lefties. 

Tommy Kahnle, RP, Tigers (21%) – We came into the season without any real clue who the Tigers would turn to as their closer, but I think it's probably Kahnle, even though he has just one save so far. That obviously isn't many, but the only other one the Tigers have recorded went to multi-inning reliever Brant Hurter, so I'll take his work with a four-run lead Monday as a sign that he would have gotten the save if the opportunity had been there. Kahnler is nobody's idea of a typical closer, what with his near-90% changeup usage so far this season, but he also hasn't had an ERA north of 3.00 since 2019, so who cares what it looks like when he's this effective? If you're speculating on saves, he's one of the more obvious options who isn't widely rostered (yet). 

Justin Wrobleski, SP, Dodgers (4%) – It's probably just going to be for one start, but Wrobleski is a name to know for deeper leagues. He struggled in eight appearances in the majors last season, but his 3.76 ERA in the minors last season hints at some upside – at least when taken in conjunction with his excellent supporting cast in LA. There's an opportunity here with Blake Snell on the IL, so if you've got a roster spot to play with in a deeper league, Wrobleski could be worth a look.