Fantasy Baseball Two-Start Pitchers: Don’t Be Upsetti, Have Some Arrighetti

There are quite a few top names among this week’s two-start pitchers. These are the weeks that will make fantasy baseball managers salivate. A few young starting pitchers top my list as my favorite two-start pitchers for the week of June 8-14.

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I rank the remaining eligible pitchers into four different categories. The first tier is the “No-Brainers,” with ideal pitchers and matchups that require no thought to start. Then the “Next In Line” tier, which will include other optimal matchups but carries a sense of risk.

The third tier is the “Streamer” tier, which is what the name suggests: pitchers who can produce decent stats, but the matchups aren’t ideal, so start at your own risk. The last tier is the “Avoid” tier, which includes pitchers with terrible matchups or who have been pitching badly and can be left on the bench or on the waiver wire.

MLB Two-Start Pitchers for June 8-14

My Favorite Two-Start Pitchers of the Week

Payton Tolle, Boston Red Sox (@ Rays, Rangers)

Payton Tolle had a cup of coffee with the Red Sox last season, only pitching in 16.2 innings, but he posted a 6.06 ERA with 10.47 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s flipped that script in 2026 by posting a 2.28 ERA over 47.1 innings in what’s still his rookie season.

His K/9 this season (9.70) is his lowest, including all three minor-league affiliate stops last year, but he’s holding batters to a .191 average. The Rangers’ offense is terrible against southpaws, ranking 27th in batting average and 29th in runs, so these struggles give Tolle an even bigger boost.

The Rays aren’t much better with a .676 OPS against lefties compared to .740 against righties. The Rays were one of the hottest teams in May, going 16-3 before the 24th; they’ve been on a 2-8 losing streak since then. I’ll take Tolle versus a skidding Rays team any day.

Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros (@ Angels, @ Royals)

Spencer Arrighetti has been a massive surprise this season. Over 51 innings, he has a 1.94 ERA and is holding hitters to a .182 average. His 7-1 record is also a welcome stat for fantasy baseball managers, matching a career high in wins he earned in his rookie year, though that was over 28 starts and a relief appearance.

The Astros’ pitcher has always struggled with control, and this season is no different. He’s posted a 4.76 walks per nine innings, but Arrighetti has proven to be able to keep those runners on base, with an 86.4 percent left-on-base rate.

The righty gets two of the weakest offenses, both in the bottom four in run differential. The Royals also have the lowest runs per game average (3.84), and the Angels’ offense leads the league in strikeouts. Fantasy managers can feel confident starting Arrighetti in both matchups.

Kyle Harrison, Milwaukee Brewers (@ Athletics, vs Phillies)

I wrote about Harrison last week in my two-start pitcher report, but the Brewers changed their plans and moved to a six-man rotation due to the high number of consecutive games they had. Harrison has been outstanding in his fourth MLB season, posting a 31.9 percent strikeout rate and a 92.2 percent left-on-base rate.

He’s allowed one or fewer runs in seven of his last eight starts and has struck out 11 or more batters in three of those outings. His last outing was against the Giants, and he struck out 12 over 5.2 innings. Harrison gets two teams next week that rank around the middle of MLB teams in strikeouts, so look for more success from him.

No-Brainer Pitchers

Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees (@ Guardians, @ Blue Jays)

Christopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies (@ Blue Jays, @ Brewers)

Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants (vs Nationals, vs Cubs)

Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates (vs Dodgers, vs Marlins)

Next In Line Pitchers

Grayson Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels (vs Astros, vs Rays)

Taj Bradley, Minnesota Twins (@ Tigers, vs Cardinals)

Troy Melton, Detroit Tigers (vs Twins, @ Guardians)

Grant Holmes, Atlanta Braves (@ White Sox, @ Mets)

Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers (@ Royals, @ Red Sox)

Stephen Kolek, Kansas City Royals (vs Rangers, vs Astros)

Colin Rea, Chicago Cubs (@ Rockies, @ Giants)

Pitching Streamers

Steven Matz, Tampa Bay Rays (vs Red Sox, @ Angels)

Gavin Williams, Cleveland Guardians (vs Yankees, vs Tigers)

Andrew Abbott, Cincinnati Reds (@ Padres, vs Diamondbacks)

Jeffrey Springs, Athletics (vs Brewers, vs Rockies)

Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks (@ Marlins, @ Reds)

Dustin May, St. Louis Cardinals (@ Mets, @ Twins)

Kodai Senga, New York Mets (vs Cardinals, vs Braves)

Pitchers to Avoid

Chris Bassitt, Baltimore Orioles (vs Mariners, vs Padres)

Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles (vs Mariners, vs Padres)

Patrick Corbin, Toronto Blue Jays (vs Phillies, vs Yankees)

Walker Buehler, San Diego Padres (vs Reds, @ Orioles)

Miles Mikolas, Washington Nationals (@ Giants, vs Mariners)

Tomoyuki Sugano, Colorado Rockies (vs Cubs, @ Athletics)