Tuesday offers an interesting set of games. All 15 teams will be in action for only the second time this season, and rotations are already getting mismatched. Some aces will be making their second start of the season, while plenty of other teams are trotting out their fourth or fifth starters. Much like last season, there are two sizable slates Tuesday night, with five games kicking off at 6:35 p.m. EDT and the main slate at 7:07 p.m. The focus of this article will be on the latter.
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Pitchers
The top of the pitching pool is loaded with talent, making matchups and strikeout upside the two differentiating factors. Shohei Ohtani ($9,000) threw 4.0 and 4.1 innings in his two spring training starts and draws an unimposing matchup against the Guardians. He has the highest strikeout rate among all the starters on the main slate dating back to last season. Max Fried ($8,800) has the lowest strikeout rate among the elite options, but he's very steady and will face the Mariners in pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park.
In the middle tiers, the trio of Max Scherzer ($7,800), Kodai Senga ($7,400) and Casey Mize ($7,000) are all worth considering. Mize is arguably the best based on his skills, though he draws a decent Diamondbacks' lineup in a tough place to pitch, Chase Field. Senga and Scherzer both draw favorable matchups against the Cardinals and Rockies, respectively. Both carry risk, but Scherzer arguably has the better chance to pitch deep into the game and would be my preference.
There aren't great punting options, but both Aaron Civale ($6,500) and Brandon Pfaadt ($6,800) are worth considering as salary savers. Civale had a decent 20.2 percent strikeout rate last season but draws a start at Atlanta. Pfaadt will square off against Mize, so make sure to roster only one of that duo. He has a lower strikeout rate than Civale, but a more favorable matchup.
Top Hitters
The Athletics-Atlanta matchup features a lot of good hitters and a pair of mediocre pitchers in Civale and Jose Suarez. It would be preferable for the game to be in Sacramento, but Atlanta is a fine hitter's park. This is a potential game stack, with Shea Langeliers ($5,000) getting off to a red-hot start to the new campaign. For Atlanta, Drake Baldwin ($4,100) has also swung the bat well, while Matt Olson ($4,900), Austin Riley ($4,400) and Ronald Acuna ($5,900) are also obvious options.
Value Bats
Scherzer allowed multiple home runs in six of his 17 starts in 2025, amounting to a 2.01 HR/9. The Rockies aren't typically a team to target – particularly away from Coors Field – but they have the potential to offer some value in this matchup. T.J. Rumfield ($2,600) has hit fifth in the order in all four games and has two extra-base hits in 16 plate appearances. Willi Castro ($2,800) doesn't offer the same power potential, but he has two extra-base hits and four runs scored across his 16 plate appearances and is locked into the third spot in the order.
The Angels are another team that had low expectations entering the season but have offered some solid value in their lineup. Nolan Schanuel ($3,600) and Jorge Soler ($3,000) both hit in premium spots and have delivered some results early this season. Jameson Taillon had an alarming spring training following a down 2025, so he's a pitcher to target.
Stacks to Consider
New York Mets vs. St. Louis Cardinals (Andre Pallante): Francisco Lindor ($5,200), Juan Soto ($6,300), Bo Bichette ($4,800)
The Mets are off to a good start this season, though that's come primarily thanks to their pitching staff. The lineup could take its turn carrying the team against Pallante, who relies heavily on generating weak contact to get outs. However, that also puts him in danger of allowing a lot of baserunners (1.44 WHIP in 2025), and he still allowed 1.16 HR/9 last year. That's a combination that a talented lineup can exploit, making it a good night to turn to the Mets as a primary stack.
San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres (German Marquez): Matt Chapman ($4,600), Rafael Devers ($5,600), Willy Adames ($4,400)
The Giants have had a tough start to the season offensively, but they have a chance to get on track Tuesday. Marquez had a disastrous 2025 season, allowing 1.64 HR/9 while managing only a 14.0 percent strikeout rate across 126.1 innings. A change of scenery from Colorado could help, but his road splits were just as poor as his numbers at Coors Field last season. The Giants can be used as a secondary stack, as Devers is the only pricey option on the team, even in the middle of their order.
