Wednesday's Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher Streamers: Shane Baz, Jeffrey Springs and More
Five starting pitchers in action on Wednesday who have good matchups and are widely available in fantasy leagues.
The best part about Wednesday is that by the end of it, we're more than halfway through the work week. What else is there to say? We're creeping closer to Friday. (And one day closer to death, as Mike McDaniel would say.)
Let's look at five starting pitchers in action on Wednesday who are widely available in fantasy leagues and have good matchups. Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the probable starters. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.
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Shane Baz, Tampa Bay Rays @ Los Angeles Angels
Baz made his debut back in 2021 but has only accumulated 243 2/3 innings. He underwent several surgeries, including Tommy John, in that time, missing most of 2022, all of 2023, and half of 2024. He is finally healthy this year and has thrown more big-league innings (124) than he did from 2021-24 combined. Baz is around average with walks and above average with strikeouts, but bad luck has bitten him this season. Despite his decent rates and giving up fewer than one hit per inning, Baz has a 4.79 ERA.
The Angels hit for power, ranking in the top five in home runs and just outside the top 10 in slugging percentage. They don't get a lot of guys on base, though, ranking in the bottom 10 in hits, walks, batting average, and on-base percentage, so those homers don't knock in as many runs as they could, lowering their impact a bit. Most notably for our streaming pitchers, the LA hitters have struck out more than any other team, nearly 20 Ks above the second-place Rockies.
Baz is a mid-level streamer. He has been around average overall despite the ugly ERA, and Baz's strikeout work will play well against the Angels' swing-and-miss ways.
Andrew Heaney, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. San Francisco Giants
Heaney has been good with walks his entire career and an above-average strikeout pitcher. His K rate is down significantly this season to 16.8%, the first time since 2015 that it has been below 22.9% (league average this year is around 22.5%). Heaney has also been susceptible to the long ball, giving up a homer every 5.2 innings versus his career rate of one every 5.8 innings. That difference isn't huge, but it's enough when he is walking guys at a little higher rate and not striking them out.
San Francisco is essentially out of the division race, nine back before Tuesday's results with both the Dodgers and Padres ahead of them. The Giants also sit six back in the wild card and are right at .500; things aren't looking great for a playoff run. San Fran didn't do much to add at the trade deadline, instead trading outfielder Mike Yastrzemski to the Royals. The Rafael Devers addition hasn't provided the kind of boost needed for a team that sports a bottom-10 lineup.
Heaney is a low-level streamer. The matchup is right, but Heaney is laboring this season, maybe showing the effects of recently turning 34. His drop in strikeouts severely limits his fantasy value.
Dustin May, Boston Red Sox vs. Kansas City Royals
Speaking of Kansas City, Yastrzemski was their major offensive addition at the deadline, an upgrade to the roster but not the type of guy who is going to make a huge difference. Yaz is a .238 career hitter who averages fewer than 20 home runs per year and around 25 doubles. He doesn't steal bases and is about average as a defender; he's a fine role player on a good team. The Royals are one of the least imposing offensive teams in baseball, though, one of three teams to not hit 100 home runs yet and in the bottom seven in both slugging percentage and OPS. They needed more at the deadline to truly have a chance.
May is another guy who moved at the deadline, heading across the country about as far as he possibly could have from the Dodgers to the Red Sox. He's generally around average with both walks and strikeouts, though he is a hair worse than average in both categories this season. May is a fine pitcher, settling into that huge group of average-to-below-average guys that populates our streaming list most days.
May is a low-to-mid-level streamer. The Royals don't strike out, lowering the ceiling for opposing pitchers, and May is just OK, not a guy to count on heavily.
Jose Quintana, Milwaukee Brewers @ Atlanta Braves
The Brewers are on fire. They have won 13 of 17 out of the All-Star break and sit four games above the Cubs, currently holding the best record in baseball. Even though both his walk rate and strikeout rate are on the wrong side of things, Quintana has been part of the good times, allowing fewer than one hit per inning and holding a 3.50 ERA. He has allowed seven unearned runs, which would bump that number up to around 4.20, but Quintana has still been a successful pitcher this season.
Atlanta surely can't wait for the end of the season. They were seen as a World Series contender before the season, but everything has gone wrong for the Braves, leaving them 18 games below .500 and 15 out of the wild card. Injuries have been part of the problem, as has underperformance and plain bad luck. With a good pitching staff and big talent like Ronald Acuna Jr. (currently on the IL), Matt Olson, and Austin Riley on offense, the Braves will look to make another run at the postseason in 2026.
Quintana is a low-to-mid-level streamer. He has found success, but he's another guy with a very low strikeout rate (15.9% this year) who sees his fantasy value capped by that fact.
Jeffrey Springs, Athletics @ Washington Nationals
Luis Severino, yesterday's starter for the A's, was listed here despite a rough 2025 that has seen him with some of the worst stats of his career. Washington's lack of offensive prowess was the main reason for his inclusion, and it worked out decently, as Severino threw six innings and gave up three runs with five strikeouts. The A's won 16-7.
Springs has a very good strikeout rate in his career, but most of his appearances have been out of the bullpen. Almost every pitcher strikes out fewer batters when starting, and in kind, Springs has seen that number drop to a below-average 19.5% in 2025. He is still average with walks and has allowed less than one hit per inning, and Springs has put together a good season even though half his games are played in the hitter's haven of Sacramento.
Springs is a low-to-mid-level streamer. The matchup is good but not great, and we could say the same about Springs. That makes him a worthy pitcher to consider but not a guy to expect great things from.
Wednesday's Streamer Rankings
- Shane Baz, TB
- Jeffrey Springs, ATH
- Dustin May, BOS
- Jose Quintana, MIL
- Andrew Heaney, PIT
