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Memorial Day is Monday, kicking off Week 9, and it is often considered a re-evaluation point on the fantasy baseball calendar. Assuming there are no postponements between publishing time and then, 32.4% of the 2021 schedule will be in the books at the dawn of Week 9, and just to use a familiar checkpoint as a comparison, if Week 9 then concludes without a postponement, we'll be only 13 games shy of matching the entirety of the 2020 regular-season schedule. Clichéd or not, while you're enjoying your holiday weekend, take stock of your fantasy team's standing, strengths and weaknesses, for it's a prime time of year to address each. For one, you know that everyone else probably will be, meaning a greater likelihood of trade opportunities. As for Week 9 planning specifically, be aware that Memorial Day brings a slate of 10 day games, two of which begin during the 1 p.m. ET hour. Don't forget to set your lineups, and be sure to tune in for a Memorial Day tripleheader of baseball on ESPN: Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles begins at 1 p.m. ET, Boston Red Sox at Houston Astros at 4 p.m. ET and Pittsburgh Pirates at Kansas City Royals at 8 p.m. ET. Additionally, Los Angeles Angels at San Francisco Giants begins at 4:05 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Thanks to a Memorial Day doubleheader, the Chicago White Sox get a dream of a Week 9 schedule, with eight scheduled games in seven days. That's especially good news if you roster Carlos Rodon, whose workload the White Sox have carefully monitored all season, as it greatly enhances his chances at a favorable two-start week. He'd be on normal four days' rest for scheduled Monday and Saturday starts, which would represent three turns in a row on that amount of rest, but even if he had one of the turns pushed back by a day he'd be aligned for assignments at the Cleveland Indians and home against the Detroit Tigers, both of which have averaged fewer than four runs per game and both sporting bottom-six wOBA against lefties thus far. Rodon doesn't exclusively benefit, however, as Dylan Cease could align for a two-start week and it's a start-all-fantasy-relevant-pitchers situation, with the possible exception of long man/typical doubleheader spot starter Michael Kopech, on the bereavement list at publishing time while also nursing a hamstring injury, which is why manager Tony La Russa has already ruled the right-hander out for that start. On the hitting side, the White Sox's lineup would match up more favorable in a week populated by left-handed opposing starters -- they're set to face six (and possibly seven) righties in their eight games -- but Cleveland's rotation depth has been challenged and the Tigers' rotation is inexperienced and bullpen thin, boosting these hitters' appeal up and down the order.
Speaking of rotation issues, Rodon isn't the only pitcher in the "workload maintenance" department. Six teams are currently utilizing six-man rotations that project to extend either directly before or into Week 9: The Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. Of these, only the Cardinals, Padres and Mariners are aligned for seven-game weeks, granting a single two-start pitcher for each (Jack Flaherty, Chris Paddack and Logan Gilbert). But, as always, keep an eye on those other teams playing lengthy stretches of games without a day off, as each might add a sixth man to grant their regular starters additional rest. Among those teams, along with the two-start pitcher whose second turn is threatened: The Chicago Cubs are scheduled for days 7-13 of a 16-day stretch without a day off, so Kyle Hendricks could have his second turn bumped into Week 10. The White Sox play days 11-17 of a scheduled 17-day stretch totaling 18 games without a day off (with the postponement recently hardly granting them much in the way of rest), so Cease could lose his second turn.
Some good news on the rotation front: The Astros are getting healthier, as Framber Valdez (finger), Jake Odorizzi (forearm) and Jose Urquidy (shoulder) are set for activation within a four-day span entering Week 9, with Valdez having returned May 28, Odorizzi May 29 and Urquidy set to return on Monday, which aligns Urquidy for a two-start week. Cristian Javier has been moved to the bullpen to clear space. All three returning pitchers could face limited pitch counts in their return starts, capping their fantasy appeal, and be forewarned that not a single Astros pitcher faces even a league-average matchup during Week 9, as the opposing Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays both rate a notch below-average as a pitching matchup. Valdez, aligned for only a Wednesday start, faces their worst individual matchup, as the Red Sox rank seventh in the majors in wOBA (.327) and second-best in strikeout rate (19.1%) against lefties.
Interleague play comes to Coors Field for the entirety of Week 9, as the Colorado Rockies host the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics for three games apiece. While two-start pitcher German Marquez has pitched effectively enough to warrant fantasy-start status in leagues that weigh counting numbers (the age-old quests for wins and strikeouts), you know the drill with Coors games: Avoid the pitchers, and load up on the hitters. Rockies right-handed hitters stack up best, which is great news for Josh Fuentes (71.9% available in ESPN leagues), who has six multi-hit games in his past seven at Coors, and Brendan Rodgers (93.2% available), who should get the bulk of the at-bats at shortstop. For the visitors, the Athletics stack up better overall than the Rangers, due to their other series coming against the Mariners (the Rangers also face the Tampa Bay Rays), and the Athletics should be less impacted by the loss of the designated hitter for three of their six games, as usual DH Jed Lowrie can shift to second base while at Coors. Since the Athletics are scheduled to face a pair of lefty starters at Coors and three for the week overall, this is a good week to add and start Stephen Piscotty (97.9% available), a .276/.358/.473 career hitter against left-handers.
The other DH-impacted teams with interleague games include the Tigers (two at the Brewers), Angels (two at the Giants), Miami Marlins (two at the Blue Jays) and Pirates (two at the Royals). Shohei Ohtani is the only significant name impacted, as he has 41-of-46 starts at DH plus another five as a lineup-entrant pitcher for the Angels, and he is not on turn to make a start in either of those games at San Francisco. The Blue Jays are impacted in terms of length of schedule, the only team scheduled for five games in a week where the White Sox play eight and 15 teams play on all seven games. It'll be their first games in 2021 at Buffalo's Sahlen Field, where the Blue Jays and their opponents hit 67 home runs in 26 games in 2020 (though their 2.58 homers-per-game average ranked a mere 12th among big-league ballparks). Alex Manoah, who had a dazzling big-league debut outing on May 27, is aligned for a great matchup on Wednesday, facing the Marlins.
The Twins' seven-games-all-on-the-road schedule is nearly as favorable as that of the Rockies, as they'll play three at Baltimore's Camden Yards and four at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium, avoiding Orioles ace John Means while facing a Royals spot starter during the weekend. The Twins are scheduled to face three (and possibly four) left-handed starting pitchers, which always benefits lefty-mashing catcher Mitch Garver (60.2% available), a career .261/.353/.515 hitter against left-handers. Miguel Sano (38.4%), who is also in the midst of a massive power surge, with seven homers in his past 14 games, is another must.
Besides the aforementioned Astros starters, here are some other notable fantasy names who should or will return for Week 9: Cody Bellinger (leg) completed a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City and was activated during the weekend, right in time for a full Week 9. Marco Gonzales (forearm, 10-day IL) is expected to rejoin the Mariners' rotation on Tuesday, facing a middling matchup at home against the Athletics. Wade Miley (foot, 10-day IL) is expected to rejoin the Cincinnati Reds' rotation on Monday, setting him up for a two-start week with assignments against the Philadelphia Phillies (home) and Cardinals (road).