Fantasy Baseball Streaming Pitchers: Shane McClanahan and Top Friday Waiver Options

Baseball is a funny game. The Astros and Orioles played a doubleheader yesterday after getting rained out on Wednesday, and after Baltimore won the first game 10-3, Houston came back to take the second game 11-5. Every day is different in baseball, and as we saw yesterday, even games on the same day can have a wide variety of outcomes. That's just the way the game works.

Moving to fantasy, let's look at five starting pitchers in action on Friday who have good matchups and are widely available in fantasy leagues. Most stats are from MLB.com, as are the probable starters. The full streamer rankings are listed at the bottom.

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Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds

Keller is owned in around 40% of leagues, toward the top end of our streamer qualifications but with enough availability to make it worth checking on him. His career numbers are right at average with both walks and strikeouts, and though he was hit harder earlier in his career, Keller has done better limiting hitters the past two seasons. He is a worthy fantasy pitcher to consider here.

Cincinnati ranks in the bottom 10 or very close to it in runs, hits, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS. They are in the top 10 in walks but also rank in that lofty group in batter strikeouts, presenting a nice ceiling for opposing pitchers. The Reds have hit home runs while faltering in many other areas, making them a nice target team.

Keller is a mid-level streamer. His previous K work combined with recent success gives him a decent outlook, and the matchup is in his favor.

Shane McClanahan, Tampa Bay Rays vs. San Francisco Giants

The Giants rank in the bottom five in runs, home runs, walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. They have been better in other areas, such as hits, batting average, and strikeouts, but San Francisco doesn't scare anyone, making them a target that sets a nice floor for opposing pitchers.

McClanahan is owned in half of leagues, right at the precipice of being off the streaming list, but like Keller, there's enough availability to make it worth checking on the Tampa Bay pitcher. He missed 2024 and '25 due to Tommy John surgery and complications during recovery, but McClanahan has been good in 2026, combining for 23 innings, 16 hits, 12 runs (10 earned), and just one home run. His walk rate is too high, but McClanahan has a high-level strikeout rate to go with it.

McClanahan is a mid-level streamer. His career work is very good, and though he has been a little rough around the edges, McClanahan has still been able to find enough success to stand out as a usable fantasy player.

Walbert Urena, Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Mets

Urena made his big league debut this year, first with two relief appearances in March and then with starts the past two times through the rotation. He gets his third start here, looking for a better outing than what he has mostly seen so far. He was good back on April 19, striking out eight batters in six innings with just four hits and two runs allowed (though he still picked up the loss), but Urena has otherwise allowed 11 hits and 10 runs (with a whopping six unearned) in 5 1/3 innings with eight walks and five strikeouts.

The Mets have scored the second-fewest runs while ranking in the bottom 10 in hits, doubles, home runs, walks, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. They don't strike out a lot, but that's the only thing that New York has going for it. It's not a surprise that the Mets are an MLB-worst 10-21 through April.

Urena is a low-level streamer. While the matchup is right, Urena just hasn't been good enough in his short time, and his strikeout rate was below average in the minors, not portending good things in that area.

Noah Schultz, Chicago White Sox @ San Diego Padres

German Marquez, San Diego Padres vs. Chicago White Sox

We'll finish today with a game in which we can target both teams with streaming pitchers. The White Sox have been bad for several years; like, really, really bad. Their offense has been among the 10 worst this season, as they have hit for some power but haven't done much else well, leading to their 14-17 record (which might actually be lucky given their run differential, which is second worst in the AL).

The Padres have playoff hopes and have started off well, sitting 19-11 and just a half-game behind the Dodgers in the NL West. San Diego has been riding a better pitching performance, though (and luck), as the offense ranks in the bottom 10 in many areas. Their run differential is closer to an average record, pointing toward the Padres settling in as a wild card contender at best.

Schultz made his debut in the middle of April, totaling 15 1/3 innings with eight hits, seven runs (six earned), nine walks, and 18 strikeouts in three starts. That strikeout number is high-level and matches his work in the minors, but the walks are a little high; that's a profile that can work well as long as he keeps a little control. A former first-round pick, Schultz could be a big fantasy name in the future and is worth consideration now.

Marquez was previously a good strikeout pitcher but has been well below average in 175 innings between 2023-26, during which he also recovered from Tommy John surgery, missing most of '23 and '24. He was also hit hard during that time, and while much of it was in Colorado, Marquez has been below average in San Diego this season.

Schultz is a mid-level streamer and Marquez a low-to-mid-level streamer today. The former has the strikeout chops to earn the higher ceiling, while the latter has the better matchup that makes him worth considering. I like the idea of grabbing Schultz if you could use rotation help, but Marquez might be better left off rosters right now.

Friday's Streamer Rankings

1. Shane McClanahan, TB
2. Noah Schultz, CWS
3. Mitch Keller, PIT
4. German Marquez, SD
5. Walbert Urena, LAA