Fantasy baseball lineup advice for Saturday: Dustin May in spot to rebound

ESPN FantasyJun 26, 2026, 02:07 PM ET
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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 | 2026 Rankings
ESPN's 2026 Player Rater | Betting notes for Saturday

STARTING PITCHERS FOR SATURDAY

Pitchers are ranked in order of their Forecaster/Daily Notes projected fantasy points (FPTS), using ESPN's standard scoring system (2 points per win, minus-2 per loss, 3 per inning, 1 per K, minus-1 apiece per hit or walk allowed, minus-2 per earned run allowed).

T: The pitcher's handedness. OPP: Opposing team. RST%: The pitcher's roster percentage in ESPN leagues. W%: The individual starting pitcher's win probability using ESPN projections. IP: Projected innings pitched. H+BB: Projected hits plus walks allowed. ER: Projected earned runs allowed. K: Projected strikeouts.

If a team is planning on using an "opener" to start their game, but will rely on a "bulk pitcher" to follow him on the mound after 1-2 innings, the bulk pitcher is listed and indicated with an asterisk.

FPTS	Pitcher	T	Opp	Rst%	W%	IP	H+BB	ER	K
16.5	Yoshinobu Yamamoto	R	@SD	99.8%	62%	6.5	7.0	1.9	7.0
14.9	Drew Rasmussen	R	ARI	91.5%	49%	6.3	6.7	1.9	6.1
14.8	Logan Gilbert	R	@CLE	98.0%	51%	6.2	6.9	2.4	7.4
14.7	Dylan Cease	R	TEX	98.9%	53%	6.3	7.5	2.4	7.4
14.1	Foster Griffin	L	@BAL	61.0%	46%	6.5	7.1	2.6	6.5
13.1	Chase Burns	R	@PIT	97.3%	41%	6.3	7.6	2.7	6.9
12.0	Michael Wacha	R	@CWS	56.8%	50%	6.8	8.5	3.0	5.8
12.0	Logan Webb	R	ATL	95.4%	39%	6.3	7.8	2.5	5.7
10.0	Alan Rangel	R	@NYM	0.3%	24%	4.8	5.5	1.8	4.6
10.5	Framber Valdez	L	HOU	78.5%	40%	5.9	7.6	2.7	5.4
9.7	Brandon Young	R	WSH	15.3%	33%	6.0	7.5	2.8	4.8
11.4	Dustin May	R	MIA	31.5%	40%	6.3	8.0	2.7	5.8
9.5	Christian Scott	R	PHI	5.2%	22%	4.9	5.9	2.0	4.9
9.3	Jack Perkins	R	@LAA	1.7%	30%	5.3	6.9	2.5	5.4
9.2	Davis Martin	R	KC	86.0%	27%	5.5	7.1	2.5	5.0
8.2	David Peterson	L	@MIL	3.1%	23%	4.9	6.6	2.3	4.9
9.1	Reid Detmers	L	ATH	60.6%	29%	5.3	7.0	2.8	5.8
9.0	Ryan Gusto	R	@STL	0.2%	28%	5.2	6.5	2.2	4.3
8.6	Jose Cabrera	R	@TB	0.3%	22%	5.3	6.6	2.3	4.3
8.4	Gerrit Cole	R	@BOS	88.5%	28%	5.5	7.2	3.1	5.5
8.3	Bryce Elder	R	@SF	63.8%	32%	5.7	7.8	2.8	4.6
7.7	Kumar Rocker	R	@TOR	3.1%	13%	4.8	5.9	2.1	4.1
8.9	Kyle Harrison	L	CHC	84.6%	33%	5.3	7.0	2.7	5.4
6.9	Slade Cecconi	R	SEA	5.2%	19%	5.0	6.8	2.7	4.5
6.6	Randy Vasquez	R	LAD	21.9%	15%	5.1	7.1	2.5	3.8
7.0	Jake Bennett	L	NYY	1.5%	21%	4.7	6.3	2.6	4.4
6.4	Michael Lorenzen	R	@MIN	0.8%	30%	5.3	7.8	3.3	4.8
7.5	Jared Jones	R	CIN	11.5%	20%	4.6	6.0	2.3	4.5
5.9	Michael Paredes	R	COL	0.2%	14%	4.2	5.7	2.3	3.6
5.5	Cristian Javier	R	@DET	0.9%	8%	3.9	5.5	2.0	3.5

Pitchers to stream on Saturday

Heading into his last game, Dustin May was on a roll, posting a 1.30 ERA and 0.58 WHIP over his four previous efforts, with 33 punchouts in 27 2/3 innings. However, his inconsistency showed next time out when he surrendered six earned runs on eight hits, including a pair of long balls to the Kansas City Royals. The right-hander is in a great spot to rebound when the St. Louis Cardinals host the Miami Marlins at pitcher-friendly Busch Stadium. The visitors are no longer a pushover, but they're league-average versus righties.
Alan Rangel has excelled in two bulk relief appearances, fanning nine with no walks over a combined eight innings. He is slated to serve as a traditional starter on Saturday, though the Philadelphia Phillies may opt to use an opener, depending on their bullpen usage heading into their game with the New York Mets. Either way, Rangel is in play, as he'll face a lineup with the second-lowest wOBA versus right-handers.
Brandon Young's string of five straight quality starts was snapped in his last outing by the Los Angeles Dodgers, though the Baltimore Orioles limited the defending World Series champion to just one run over five frames to pick up a win. Young will try to start another streak when he takes the hill in Camden Yards against the Washington Nationals. Despite leading the league in runs per game, the Nationals are vulnerable to right-handed pitching on the road.
Jack Perkins has yet to pitch into the sixth inning since being converted to a starting pitcher, but his 27.5% strikeout rate helps make up for volume. His strikeout potential will come in handy when the Athletics visit the Los Angeles Angels. Perkins will face a lineup with the highest strikeout rate in the league versus right-handers.

Pitchers to avoid on Saturday

After getting a lift from Lady Luck for a couple of months, Bryce Elder is in a rut with 14 earned runs and 22 hits allowed over his last 10 frames, evening out his early good fortune. Elder's low 19.8% strikeout rate leaves him susceptible to more struggles. The Atlanta Braves are in Oracle Park for a matchup with the San Francisco Giants. Elder enjoys a park upgrade, and the Giants offense is only league average, but they rarely strike out. Especially in closely contested head-to-head matchups, it's best to avoid Elder and his lack of strikeout upside.

Hitters to stream on Saturday

Cristian Javier is set to come off the 60-day IL and take the hill in Comerica Park for the Houston Astros. He has been out for around 10 weeks with a Grade 2 shoulder strain. He made four rehab starts, logging 75 pitches in his final outing, but he wasn't sharp, allowing three walks and two hit batsmen over 4 2/3 innings. Javier should extend to 80-85 pitches before passing the baton to a suspect, but improving, bullpen. The Detroit Tigers should be able to take advantage, with Kerry Carpenter, Colt Keith and Spencer Torkelson the primary beneficiaries.