Rogers has become must start

Week 4 brings another packed schedule with every team lined up to play six or seven games. Among the two-start pitchers are some of the best aces in fantasy baseball. Let’s highlight five pitchers who are scheduled to take the mound twice and discuss what their matchups could mean for their production.

Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox: at MIN, vs. DET

After striking out 255 batters last season, Crochet has posted at least seven strikeouts in each of his three starts this year. In two of them, he also logged at least six innings. He had one bad outing in which he allowed five runs (four) earned against the Astros, but he is well on his way to being one of the best starters in fantasy again.

Crochet could rack up a lot of strikeouts in Week 4. The Tigers struck out the fifth-most times in baseball last year, while the Twins struck out the 13th-most times. This season, they are both inside the top eight in strikeouts. Crochet has the potential to emerge from the week with two dominant stat lines.

Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles: vs. ARI, at CLE

Rogers only made 18 starts last year, but he took his game to another level. He finished with a 1.81 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. While that kind of ERA isn’t sustainable over a 30-start season, he did have a 3.40 xERA and a 3.64 xFIP. A key to his success was only giving up 0.5 HR/9. In his first three starts this season, he has a 1.05 WHIP and has given up four runs across 15 innings. He has yet to give up a home run.

Rogers has worked his way into the category of pitcher that you don’t sit, regardless of his matchups. That’s especially true when he has a two-start week. The Diamondbacks and Guardians are both inside the bottom-half of baseball in OPS, so they could be facing uphill battles against Rogers. The only downside with Rogers is that he doesn’t miss a ton of bats, but his career 23.3% strikeout rate isn’t exactly a hinderance for fantasy managers, either.

Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals: at DET, at NYY

Ragans was forced out of his last start in the first inning after he was hit in the left thumb by a comebacker. The injury was only deemed to be a contusion, putting him in like to fill his normal turn in the rotation. It hasn’t been a great beginning of the season, considering that he has allowed eight runs (seven earned) and three home runs over 10 2/3 innings. Another big issue has been his 1.69 WHIP.

A start against the Tigers is nothing to be concerned about, but facing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium is worrisome. They had a .780 OPS at home last season and have brought back mostly the same lineup. If anything, they could be even better versus lefties having Amed Rosario on their roster for a full season. It’s not a crazy idea to consider benching Ragans in shallow leagues, but he’s still probably worth starting in 12-team and deeper leagues.

Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays: at CWS, at PIT

McClanahan was on a path to being one of the better pitchers in baseball before injuries derailed his career. Prior to this season, he hadn’t pitched in the majors since 2023. With that in mind, the Rays are likely going to be cautious with him. In his first start against the Brewers, he threw 79 pitches over 4 2/3 innings. In his second outing, he logged 69 pitches over four innings versus the Cubs. While he had nine total strikeouts, they came with seven walks and five runs allowed (four earned).

McClanahan will likely remain on somewhat of a pitch limit for Week 4. Still, he could be worth starting in most fantasy leagues with his first outing coming against the White Sox. As they continue with their rebuild, they have struck out the fourth-most times in baseball. The Pirates have improved their lineup, but not enough to make them a scary opponent. Some of their better hitters are left-handed, which won’t help their cause against the southpaw McClanahan. Lefties have a .282 wOBA against him for his career.

MacKenzie Gore, Texas Rangers: at ATH, at SEA

Gore has a ton of talent, but his 9.6% walk rate has contributed to his career 1.39 WHIP. Now a member of the Rangers, he has a 0.86 WHIP over three starts, walking just five batters across 16 1/3 innings. He also has a 39.7% strikeout rate. While that’s not sustainable for the long haul, he is coming off a 2025 campaign with the Nationals in which he had a career high 27.2% strikeout rate.

These two matchups are favorable for Gore to continue to rack up strikeouts. The Mariners have struck out the third-most times in baseball. The Athletics have struck out the fifth-most times. This is nothing new for either team, considering the Mariners were sixth and the Athletics were 10th in strikeouts last year. Deploy Gore with confidence.

Mike Barner has been covering fantasy sports since 2007. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, SportsLine and RotoWire. Mike was also a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.