Starting Pitchers on the Mend

We expect several familiar names returning to Major League rotations in the next month. Let’s dive into how they are progressing, when they might be activated, and what to expect from them for the rest of this season.

Hayden Wesneski, Houston Astros (ETA: Today)

Remember him? Originally drafted by the Yankees, Wesneski spent three seasons in the Cubs system, moving between Triple-A and the Majors, as well as between starter and reliever. He was part of the winter 2024 deal that shipped Kyle Tucker out of Houston. He generated great late-round buzz during the 2025 draft season, with fantasy managers excited to see how the Astros organization could help propel him into being a successful starter. Wesneski cracked the Opening Day rotation, but the box scores were not impressive, except for a 10-strikeout effort against the very strikeoutable Angels on April 13. He had a start skipped in late April, and soon thereafter, he was placed on the IL due to right elbow discomfort (inflammation). The swelling did not subside, and on May 18, it was announced that he would be undergoing Tommy John surgery. Fast forward to early May of this year, and Wesneski was already throwing bullpen sessions and began throwing live batting practice in late May, just 12 months after surgery. He began a rehab assignment at the end of June. Wesneski has made five rehab starts, the most recent with Triple-A Sugar Land. He has built up to 80 pitches and sports a 21:4 K:BB and a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings across those five starts. Wesneski is traveling with the Astros and is a candidate to make his 2026 debut on Wednesday against the Angels. Wesneski should be a hot free agent in NFBC this weekend, once he officially enters the player pool. We can speculate on him in deeper Fantrax leagues, where he is currently 14% rostered, or Ottoneu leagues, where he is 7.6% rostered. In shallower Yahoo leagues (2% rostered), it’s better to wait and see. There is no reason to drop a reliable starter for him. Nevertheless, he will be a sight for sore eyes for fans who watched every starter not named Peter Lambert get hurt or struggle mightily over the course of this season.

AJ Smith-Shawver, Atlanta Braves (ETA: Today)

It may feel like he’s had nine lives, but remember he made his MLB debut at 20 and isn’t even 24 yet. Smith-Shawver had just 74 innings of big-league experience before getting struck down by the dreaded TJS last June. He has been on a rehab assignment since June 30 and has punched out 21 batters with just five walks and three earned runs allowed over 17.2 innings. He was slated for another minor-league start, but with a makeup game and doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday, Smith-Shawver will toe the rubber against the Mets immediately. He isn’t rostered or available in NFBC FAAB leagues and is being stashed on about half of Fantrax injured lists and almost 85% of Ottoneu leagues. The Braves shouldn’t and won’t push him, but if he looks nearly as good against MLB hitters as he has in his rehab, AJSS should command a spot in the Braves rotation. Assuming the rest of the starters remain healthy, Grant Holmes is the starter most likely to be moved into the bullpen in a bulk role. Holmes and Smith-Shawver could do the piggyback thing, too.

Michael Soroka, Arizona Diamondbacks (ETA: early- to mid-August)

Soroka’s first season in the NL West was going quite well until a strained left glute sent him to the injured list on June 20. Through 15 starts, Soroka had an 8-2 record with a 3.07 ERA (3.66 SIERA), 1.09 WHIP, a 23.7% strikeout rate, and a career-best 5.1% walk rate. Soroka walked more than two batters in just one of his 14 starts, excluding that final one where he pitched one inning and was pulled. He did not allow more than one earned run in 57% of his starts (8-of-14) and reached the sixth or seventh inning in each of his last five starts. He was proving to be a mainstay in shallower (12-team) fantasy rotations. It feels like the Calgary native is much older than he is (28), as he has been in the big leagues since 2018 and threw just 46 innings between 2020 and 2023. Soroka is working his way back, throwing a two-inning simulated game over the weekend and a bullpen session on Monday. Earlier this month, manager Torey Lovullo said he expected a “quick turnaround”, though Soroka had his bullpen session pushed back and the staff has been easing him back in. He should continue ramping up over the next two weeks and may return to Arizona’s rotation sometime next week or the week after. Depending on how quickly he returns, Soroka may either slot in to face the Padres at home (Week 20) and the Rockies at home (Week 21), which would be a much better setup than at-Dodgers in Week 20 and at-Braves in Week 21. We might be getting ahead of ourselves though, since Soroka has yet to cross the 50-pitch threshold and may require a rehab start or two. The fantasy market remains bullish and steadfast on him. Soroka is rostered in 100% of NFBC Main Event leagues, 98% of Ottoneu leagues, 95% of NFBC OCs and even 67% of Yahoo leagues, though many managers have the option of an IL slot to stash him in. Soroka may not be a 3.00-ERA, 1.00-WHIP arm over the final six weeks, but can still finish the season off strong and be helpful to folks who have patiently waited.

Edward Cabrera, Chicago Cubs (ETA: mid-August)

It’s been a rough first season (5.10 ERA, 1.40 WHIP over 14 starts) in a Cubs uniform for the 28-year-old righty. Cabrera has been sidelined since June 24 with a moderate left hamstring strain and will begin a rehab assignment this Friday. He is expected to make at least three rehab starts, which would estimate a return the rotation sometime in the middle of August, perhaps at home against the Cardinals, the weekend of August 14-16. NFBC Main Event (93%), Fantrax (79%) and Ottoneu (82%) managers have mostly been stashing, while OC managers (33%) have not. There is very little chance of E-Cab coming back as an elite contributor since he’s never been one to begin with, especially for those of us concerned about making up ground in the WHIP category. I would much prefer Soroka to Cabrera for the rest of the season and would even rather take a flier on Wesneski ahead of him.

Blake Snell, Los Angeles Dodgers (ETA: next week)

Who’s ready for the Snellzilla roller coaster? You know, the one that keeps going down. Snell underwent a NanoScope procedure on his left elbow in May, started a rehab assignment on July 18, and will make his third rehab start on Wednesday for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Snell is targeting 60 pitches or roughly four innings in this outing and will be assessed afterwards on whether he can be activated by the Dodgers next week. The Dodgers have a six-game road trip (Cubs, D-Backs) in Week 20 and then return for a seven-game homestand against the Royals (3x) and Brewers (4x) the week of August 11. That week feels like a reasonable time for Snell to return. Depending on how the next rehab start (or two) goes and how many pitches he throws, we may want to be careful with immediately re-inserting him into our lineups.

Jackson Jobe, Detroit Tigers (ETA: mid-August)

Here’s another #oldfriend who is quite young, turning 24 on Thursday. Jobe is a former top pitching prospect and third-overall draft pick who cracked the 2025 Opening Day roster and made 10 mediocre starts before getting shut down with a flexor strain and eventual Tommy John surgery last June. Jobe started his rehab assignment 12 months later, at the end of last month. In 11.1 innings over four rehab starts, Jobe has allowed just two runs on nine hits with a 12:2 K:BB. He will pitch a bullpen session at Comerica Park before moving on his rehab to Triple-A Toledo. With the Tigers slowly falling out of the playoff race and possibly dealing Tarik Skubal, there should be an opportunity for Jobe to make a handful of starts over the final five weeks of the season. Jobe likely won’t have his pitch counts pushed hard down the stretch which makes his ROS redraft value is speculative, but he’s a strong candidate for potential buy-low opportunities in keeper and dynasty leagues.

Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees (ETA: mid-August)

Schmidt underwent an internal brace procedure last summer and began tossing live bullpen sessions last week. It may appear that the Yankees would have an abundance of starting pitcher options once Schmidt returns sometime in the middle of next month, but there’s no such thing as an abundance of starting pitchers, and Schmidt will likely be deployed out of the bullpen when he returns. Of course, much can occur on the injury front over the next three weeks. My prediction is that Schmidt will eventually get into some piggybacking/bulk work in early September and make two starts over the final three weeks. Schmidt is more of a guy to monitor than a guy to add right now.

Jordan Montgomery, Texas Rangers (ETA: this week or next)

J-Mont is well known for his excellent rookie season for the Yankees in 2017. He underwent TJS in 2018, returned in 2020, produced a sub-3.50 ERA over 94 starts between 2021 and 2023, and had a injury-plagued disaster season in 2024. In March of 2025, he underwent hybrid UCL reconstruction surgery. Montgomery has been pitching on a minor-league rehab assignment since June and recently ramped up to 75 pitches in his latest Triple-A rehab start. Montgomery is expected to be activated by the Rangers soon, possibly as early as this weekend against the Astros. He would replace veteran Cal Quantrill in the rotation, joining MacKenzie Gore as the only southpaws. If he makes that start, he will enter the NFBC free agent pool for Sunday night bidding and would certainly earn attention in 15-team formats.

There are several others on their way back soon, but they may not garner as much interest or may not have clear timetables. Nick Pivetta has been out since April with a right flexor strain. He’s been active and throwing bullpen sessions, but has not started a rehab assignment yet. A healthy Pivetta could be a stellar September acquisition, but there’s no overwhelming reason to stash him anywhere other than in an IL slot. Yusei Kikuchi has been out for months with left shoulder inflammation and should embark on a rehab assignment soon. My recommendation is to ignore him entirely. Finally, my old roto crush Cody Bradford is up to 48 pitches in his latest rehab start at Double-A Frisco. The 28-year-old is a crafty southpaw with plus control who had a strong 14-start run in 2024. Unfortunately, he has been plagued by an elbow injury since then, which resulted in an internal brace procedure and an extended delay.

Hayden Wesneski, Jackson Jobe, and AJ Smith-Shawver are all intriguing, the latter two specifically in keeper and dynasty leagues. Blake Snell is the biggest star of this group, but may not be the one who makes the biggest fantasy impact. Michael Soroka is my pick for best starting pitcher of this group over the final six weeks of the season.