In most instances, hitter pickups can give us a boost, but shouldn’t completely derail our lineups in weekly or daily formats. That’s different than streaming a pitcher, who destroys the ratios, which can become an uphill climb. It looks like we were a week late on Jeremiah Jackson, as he cooled off (0 HR, 1 SB, .217 BA). Thankfully, Jackson currently has consistent playing time. Meanwhile, we hit on Mickey Moniak (3 HR, .435 BA in 23 PA).
We’ll examine the notable schedule notes, including the teams with seven games. Then we’ll discuss some shallow- and medium-sized leagues, plus deep-league waiver wire hitters to consider.
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Among the teams with the better pitching staffs based on the adjusted score, the Rays, Astros, Tigers and Reds saw a significant decline in their K-BB%. The Rays and Astros might be the most surprising, though struggles and injuries have impacted their rotations. Besides Drew Rasmussen, Steven Matz and Nick Martinez have been the Rays’ best starting pitchers from a skills standpoint. Meanwhile, the Tigers’ starting rotation has been fairly strong, with Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and Keider Montero boasting a 17% K-BB% or higher. That said, Framber Valdez and Jack Flaherty have shown better skills in the past, which could bolster their rotation if and when they heat up.
Here’s a look at the teams with the best starting pitching so far in 2026.
Detroit faces the Braves for three and the Rangers for three in Week 6. Braves and Rangers hitters could heat up in Week 6, assuming we might not believe in Montero, Flaherty and Valdez. We have more confidence in the Cleveland and San Francisco hitters facing the Rays for three games each. The Guardians project to face Matz, Martinez and Rasmussen with Shane McClanahan, Jesse Scholtens and Matz in the latter half of the week.
Here’s a look at the teams with the worst starting pitching so far this season.
Somehow, the Nationals, White Sox, Cardinals and Athletics pitchers became worse. All those teams have a single-digit K-BB% in 2026. That aligns with the Nationals, White Sox, Cardinals and Athletics pitchers having poor expected ERA metrics, such as SIERA and xERA. The Mets face the Nationals and Angels, both of which have two of the worst pitching staffs. However, José Soriano and Reid Detmers have been revelations for the Angels in 2026. It still looks like friendly matchups for the Mets’ hitters in Week 6.
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Most of the Dodgers’ hitters have been stable regarding lineup spots. However, they project to face the Marlins (3) and Cardinals (3), two of the worst pitching staffs in 2026. Like Dodgers’ hitters, the Brewers have juicy matchups in Week 6, including three against the Diamondbacks and three at the Nationals. Milwaukee projects to face Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodríguez and Mike Soroka in the first half, then Jake Irvin, Foster Griffin and Zack Littell.
Seven-Game Slates in Week 6
With only three teams playing seven games in Week 6 and zero teams playing five, most will play six.
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Twins (3 vs. SEA, 4 vs. TOR)
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It’s likely a tough early slate against Logan Gilbert and George Kirby for the Twins. It’s a mixed bag later in the week with Dylan Cease, Patrick Corbin, Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage, who expects to return this week. Could be a tough week for Twins’ hitters, though volume will be in their favor.
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Pirates (4 vs. STL, 3 vs. CIN)
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Pirates’ hitters have favorable matchups against the Cardinals’ pitchers, one of the worst in MLB. Maybe this is the week Konnor Griffin heats up after hitting his first home run on his 20th birthday.
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Cardinals (4 at PIT, 3 vs. LAD)
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I initially wanted to recommend picking up a Cardinals’ hitter based on volume. One of them being Masyn Winn. However, Winn lacks some of the fantasy juice we’re looking for, though there could be some batting average and counting stats. The first four games against the Pirates might be challenging, as they project to face Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller. There will be some volatility against the Dodgers in the latter half of the week against Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki and Justin Wrobleski.
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Blue Jays (3 vs. BOS, 4 at MIN)
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This looks like a fun week for Blue Jays’ hitters, facing the Red Sox and Twins’ pitchers, who have been struggling in multiple categories. They project to matchup against Ranger Suárez, Peyton Tolle and Brayan Bello in the first part of the week. Look for Blue Jays’ hitters to feast against Connor Prielipp, Simeon Woods Richardson and Bailey Ober.
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Strong-Side Platoon Matchups to Monitor
Jac Caglianone, 1B/OF, Royals (53% Rostered)
The Royals have faced six left-handed starting pitchers in 2026. Caglianone started against two of them. Though we haven’t seen the expected power surge, his .373 BABIP has been fueling the early batting average. The Royals project to face five out of six right-handed starting pitchers in Week 6. The first half of the week will be played away from home at the Athletics, potentially turning into a productive three-game slate, though he faces one lefty.
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Caglianone’s power inputs have been near-elite, hinting at home runs coming soon. That’s evident by Caglianone’s 76 mph bat speed, fourth-best mph Exit Velocity 50 or EV50 and 9.1% barrel per plate appearance rate. EV50 is a better marker for power skills than average exit velocity since it accounts 50% of the player’s hardest hit batted balls.
Keep being patient and stream him with those right-handed heavy matchups. Or go buy low in trading leagues.
Garrett Mitchell, OF, Brewers (13% Rostered)
Jake Bauers, 1B/OF, Brewers (18% Rostered)
This should be a good week for Brewers’ hitters across the board since they face two of the worst pitching teams (ARI and WAS). The Brewers project to face four right-handed starting pitchers out of six games, but the matchups could outweigh the volume for Mitchell and Bauers, as strong-side platoon options. Milwaukee projects to face one lefty in each three-game series against the Diamondbacks and Nationals.
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Bauers has been providing power (5 HR) and speed (3 SB) with strong bat speed (76.2 mph) and the 29th-highest EV50. Look for Bauers to hit a couple of home runs in Week 6 with those juicy matchups against the Diamondbacks and Nationals.
Here’s a look at the top hitters based on EV50 so far in the 2026 MLB season.
There are a few wild stats in Mitchell’s profile, including a .441 BABIP, walk rate north of 20% and 61.4% contact rate. That tells us Mitchell might be luckier, though there has been strong bat speed (76.6 mph) with the 11th-best EV50 in 2026. Meanwhile, Mitchell has five stolen bases with a high stolen base opportunity rate (26%). Injuries have been problematic for Mitchell in the past, but he possesses the tools we like in fantasy.
Both Bauers and Mitchell can be deep-league streams for power and speed.
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TJ Friedl, OF, Reds (16% Rostered)
Friedl projects to face five out of six right-handed starting pitchers in Week 6. The Reds play the Rockies in Cincinnati, then three games at Pittsburgh. There’s no denying Friedl has been awful to start (.185 BA, 1 HR, 4 SB). He hit his first home run on Saturday against the Tigers, as his second three-hit game of the season.
Friedl played in two early games against left-handed starting pitchers, but sat in the last four versus lefties. Thankfully, Friedl remains in the leadoff spot in a strong-side platoon role, helping with potential volume. Friedl has been unlucky from a BABIP (.239) standpoint compared to his .280 career BABIP.
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Friedl should be productive in Week 6 for batting average and speed, especially against the Rockies for the first half of the week.
Shallow to Medium-League Hitter Waiver Wire (Around 50% Rostered or Lower)
Josh Jung, 3B, Rangers (38% Rostered)
It’s nice to see Jung healthy after missing significant time in 2023 and 2024. Jung’s 82.7% contact rate increased from 77.1% (2025), coinciding with his swinging-strike rate dipping by three points (8.2%). That helps Jung maintain a better batting average in 2026 (.299) compared to a .258 career BA. If Jung can maintain a higher batting average with league-average power, that’s a sneaky value increase.
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The Rangers face the Yankees for three games and the Tigers for three games. Jung might struggle early in the week since the Yankees have one of the best pitching staffs early in 2026, ranking first in Pitching+. However, Texas will face beatable options for the Tigers (Jack Flaherty, Keider Montero and Casey Mize) in the latter half of the week.
If you’re struggling at third base or need volume for counting stats and batting average, target Jung off the waiver wire.
Ildemaro Vargas, 1B/2B, Diamondbacks (44% Rostered)
Vargas was an early-season dynasty pickup for me in a deep league, though it felt like a short-term play. This is Vargas’s 10th MLB season (34 years old) and he will soon surpass his career high in home runs (6) in 2026. With several Diamondbacks’ hitter injuries to Carlos Santana, Pavin Smith and Gabriel Moreno, Vargas has been a stable force in their lineup. Vargas played mostly at first and second base this season, hitting in the middle of the lineup.
Here’s a look at the batting stats for Ildemaro Vargas from 2024-2026.
Vargas’s .365 BABIP has been fueling his .367 batting average. It’s hard to compare seasons because Vargas compiled over 300 plate appearances once in 2024. He does put the ball into play with a strong 86.8% contact rate and a 6% swinging-strike rate throughout his career. The main difference for Vargas involves him pulling the ball in the air (29.2%) in 2026, nearly double his career average (15.6%). Meanwhile, Vargas’s 6.5% barrel per plate appearance rate in 2026 tripled his career average (2.2%).
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Continue riding the heat wave with Vargas for batting and power, especially with his projectable volume in the lineup.
Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B, White Sox (54% Rostered)
Munetaka Murakami has stolen the highlight show for the White Sox, but don’t sleep on Miguel Vargas. He already has five home runs and five stolen bases, yet only a .205 batting average. Vargas can be a value in leagues that award OBP (.353) and points because of his ability to take walks (16.4% walk rate) and find his way on base. His bat speed increased by over 2 mph (72.9 mph), aligning with a 8.6% barrel rate per plate appearance. Both are career bests for Vargas in 2026.
Here’s a look at the bat speed of Miguel Vargas over the past three seasons.
The White Sox play the Angels and Padres in Week 6, including questionable options like Jack Kochanowicz, Yusei Kikuchi, Germán Márquez and Randy Vasquez. Vargas should be a nice source of power to add off waivers in shallow-to-medium leagues. He tends to be more valuable in leagues that count OBP and points for walks toward their scoring.
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Deep-League Hitter Waiver Wire
Brett Baty, 1B/2B/3B/OF, Mets (7% Rostered)
Baty projects to face two of the worst pitching staffs in Week 6, including five out of six right-handed starting pitchers. With the Mets losing often recently, they only have one player with a wRC+ over 100 (Francisco Alvarez). Baty possesses high-end bat speed (75 mph) and struggles to make consistent contact (73.4% contact rate). Though groundballs can be an issue with a career 51.6% groundball rate, Baty crushes the ball when it’s in the air.
That’s evident in Baty’s 96.1 mph average exit velocity on flyballs and line drives, similar to Pete Alonso, Junior Caminero and Yordan Alvarez. The Mets face the Nationals to begin the week, and the Nationals allow the second-highest home run rate (HR/F). Meanwhile, the Angels limit home runs, ranking 27th in HR/F, mainly because they induce groundballs.
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Baty can be a source of power in Week 6 in deeper formats.
Evan Carter, OF, Rangers (6% Rostered)
The Rangers face right-handed starting pitchers in five out of six games in Week 6, including three at home against the Yankees and three at Detroit. Carter has hit a home run and stolen at least one base in each of the past three weeks. He might fare better in points and OBP leagues, given his 15.3% walk rate and weak .218 batting average. Carter could benefit from being less passive, given his 19.6% chase rate, but that pairs well with his plate discipline.
Volume matters in deeper leagues, which Carter should provide as a strong-side platoon option.
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Nasim Nuñez, 2B/SS, Nationals (5% Rostered)
If your team needs steals, Nuñez is the target. The Nationals rank third in stolen bases (29), with Nuñez accounting for 12 of them. Nuñez’s batting average has been brutal, but he puts the ball into play often with a strong 78.4% contact rate. Thankfully, Nuñez ranks high in the defensive metrics (84th percentile Outs Above Average), keeping his bat in the lineup even if he struggles at the plate.
His elite sprint speed (99th percentile) paired with his ridiculously high 53% stolen base opportunity rate, makes him a viable option to stream stolen bases.
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