Saturday's Fantasy Baseball Streamers: Does Former Ace Robbie Ray Make the Cut on a Slow Day?

For the second day in a row, we have a full slate of games but a dearth of streaming pitchers available. There are a few different reasons that play into our shortage, but the biggest thing is that high-level pitchers who are owned in fantasy are matching up against the worst offenses, like Roki Sasaki against the Pirates.

There are still some players worth considering, but the options aren't as plentiful as they will be other times during the season. When we are this early in the year, you have a lot of time to use your fantasy innings and don't need to push the envelope too much when finding a streamer.

Let's look at four starting pitchers in action on Saturday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups. Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the probable pitchers. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.

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Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Atlanta Braves

Kelly has been right at average with both walks and strikeouts in his career and holds a 3.85 ERA. He is the epitome of an average pitcher by those measures. That type of player can be useful under the right circumstances, though Kelly has been a little worse than average to start 2025.

The Braves have probably played themselves off the target list after a brutal start to the season. They are just three games below .500, and Atlanta has gotten to average or close in every area. The Braves won't be listed here most days going forward, but we are light on streamers today, so this helps make up the numbers.

Kelly is a low- to mid-level streamer. This is a middling pitcher with a middling matchup, something that creates an OK fantasy environment, but you can find a better use for your innings this early in the season.

Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants vs. Texas Rangers

Ray is owned in more leagues than the other guys here, but he's still available enough to make it worth looking to see if he's a free agent. Ray has been better than average with strikeouts, but he has an obscene 16.8% walk rate, more than twice as high as league average. Ray's career rate is around 10%, still worse than average but manageable given his above-average strikeout work.

The Rangers have scored the fewest runs in the league. They do hit for some power, but Texas is otherwise in the bottom 10 in pretty much every other category outside of home runs, including batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS.

Ray is a mid-level streamer. The matchup is right, and Ray has a history of high-level pitching in his past. His walks are likely to get closer to his career rate, leaving Ray with a high ceiling but also a lower floor at times.

Jeffrey Springs, Athletics vs. Chicago White Sox

Some of Chicago's offensive rankings: 29th in runs, last in hits, bottom-five in both doubles and home runs, last in batting average, 28th in on-base percentage, last in slugging percentage, and last in OPS. What else is there? We can't find much positive to say about the White Sox (6-20 record).

Springs has walked too many guys this year, but he's also been above average with strikeouts, matching his career work. He has also given up more than a hit per inning, and with the walks mixed in, that has led to 18 runs allowed (14 earned) in 22.1 innings.

Springs is a mid- to high-level streamer. His strikeout work gives him a nice ceiling, and though his hit and walk numbers haven't been good, Springs has a better track record that points toward improvements coming.

Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins vs. Los Angeles Angels

Woods Richardson has been average or better with both walks and strikeouts in 2025. He has been hit hard, though, giving up 25 hits and 10 runs in 19 innings. He was a little better last season, so there's hope his numbers will even out a little over a longer period.

The Angels are in the bottom 10 in most offensive stats. They are tied for third in home runs, showing big-time power, but they have drawn the fewest walks and are tied for sixth in most batter strikeouts. LA is a team worth targeting, especially on a day without a lot of streaming options.

Woods Richardson is a low- to mid-level streamer. He's fine, and the matchup is OK, but the Angels have shown a little life, bringing Woods Richardson down just a bit.

Saturday's Streamer Rankings

1. Jeffrey Springs, ATH
2. Robbie Ray, SF
3. Simeon Woods Richardson, MIN
4. Merrill Kelly, ARI