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Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Tuesday's MLB games

Everything you need to know to place your MLB bets and set your fantasy baseball lineups for Tuesday, May 21.

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Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by ESPN BET, and fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

Note: This file will be updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

A Cub we can no longer ignore

Chicago Cubs RHP Javier Assad enters his Tuesday home start with Atlanta boasting a cool 1.49 ERA, third lowest in baseball, yet he remains available in 50% of ESPN standard leagues. One may ask the pertinent question of what more does Assad need to do to attract fantasy managers? OK, so he is a bit fortunate to have an ERA this low, but his FIP is a solid 2.94. Assad has permitted no more than two earned runs over each of his nine starts. Why would start No. 10 be different?

Sure, the mighty Atlanta Braves lineup may be scaring some potential investors away, but Assad tamed this lineup on the road in his most recent outing, tossing six scoreless frames and striking out seven to earn his fourth victory. The Braves entered their Monday doubleheader with the Padres averaging 4.64 runs per game, down from last season's 5.85 mark, as OF Marcell Ozuna is the lone lineup member producing big numbers. Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson and Austin Riley are underachieving.

You will not find Assad among the top-10 starting pitcher fantasy points leaders due to relatively tepid volume and strikeout rate, but he does have more points than Zac Gallen, George Kirby, Joe Ryan and myriad others who are rostered in nearly every league. Nearly a third of the season is over and one of the ERA leaders remains readily available. It isn't all luck. Assad's fastball is not special, but he keeps hitters off balance with a cutter, slider and curveball. It is well past the time to add Assad, even against Atlanta.

Meanwhile, the Cubs should get a key piece of their lineup and defense back on Tuesday as SS Dansby Swanson is ready to return from an injured list stint due to a sore knee. Swanson's current numbers hardly excite, but he has a track record of success, having reached 20 home runs and 80 RBI in each of the past three seasons, and he contributes stolen bases. Swanson is available in 35% of ESPN standard leagues, and likely to turn his ordinary statistics around soon.

Everything else you need to know for Tuesday

The fellow with the No. 2 ERA in baseball also pitches Tuesday, as Philadelphia Phillies LHP Ranger Suarez puts his 8-0 mark on the line against the Rangers. (Cubs LHP Shota Imanaga is first with a 0.84 ERA.) Suarez averages 20.9 ESPN fantasy points per outing, tops among all starting pitchers, and he is rostered in nearly every league. As with Assad and Imanaga, Suarez is unlikely to keep his ERA this dominant all season, his .215 BABIP the seventh-best among qualified starters. Still, enjoy this fun ride. Milwaukee Brewers LHP Robert Gasser has won his first two big-league starts, and goes for No. 3 at Miami against the Marlins, not exactly a fearsome offense. Gasser is not a particularly hard thrower, and he relies heavily on his slider to tame right-handed hitters, throwing it 37% of the time so far. Gasser piled on the strikeouts in the minor leagues, and this is a prime streaming opportunity in a pitcher's park. Fantasy managers should be more interested. The Brewers may not be committing to Gasser for the rest of the season yet, but if he keeps thriving, they will. San Diego Padres RHP Joe Musgrove is slated to return from his injured list stint due to a sore elbow to face the Reds, but fantasy managers may want to wait and see how he performs first. Musgrove, once a top-20 fantasy starter, has a 6.37 ERA and 1.51 WHIP, though three of his past four outings before hitting the IL were quality starts. We know what Musgrove, 31, used to be, but whether he can resume pitching at a high level or not - and stay healthy - is another matter.

It's not too late to start a free fantasy baseball league. Leagues drafted this week will start scoring fresh the following Monday. Come and join the fun!

Starting pitcher rankings for Tuesday

Reliever report

To get the latest information on each team's bullpen hierarchy, as well as which pitchers might be facing a bit of fatigue and who might be the most likely suspects to vulture a save or pick up a surprise hold in their stead, check out the latest Closer Chart, which will be updated every morning. 

Hitting report

Plan ahead in fantasy baseball with help from our Forecaster projections. Each day, we will provide an updated preview of the next 10 days for every team, projecting the matchup quality for hitters (overall and by handedness) as well as for base stealers.

Best Sub-50% rostered hitters for Tuesday

Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing, and lots more. 

Carlos Correa (MIN, SS -- 46%) at Patrick Corbin Byron Buxton (MIN, DH -- 12%) at Corbin Wenceel Perez (DET, 2B -- 3%) at Alec Marsh Jorge Soler (SF, RF -- 48%) at Martin Perez Willi Castro (MIN, LF -- 26%) at Corbin Mark Canha (DET, LF -- 16%) at Marsh Kerry Carpenter (DET, RF -- 10%) at Marsh Spencer Torkelson (DET, 1B -- 47%) at Marsh Lars Nootbaar (STL, CF -- 17%) vs. Dean Kremer Matt Chapman (SF, 3B -- 32%) at Perez Worst Over-50% rostered hitters for Tuesday Gabriel Moreno (ARI, C -- 59%) at Tyler Glasnow Jazz Chisholm Jr. (MIA, CF -- 67%) vs. Robert Gasser Anthony Volpe (NYY, SS -- 82%) vs. Bryan Woo Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (ARI, LF -- 84%) at Glasnow Evan Carter (TEX, LF -- 66%) at Ranger Suarez Gleyber Torres (NYY, 2B -- 65%) vs. Woo Jordan Westburg (BAL, 2B -- 84%) at Lance Lynn Nick Castellanos (PHI, RF -- 62%) vs. Jon Gray Tyler O'Neill (BOS, LF -- 67%) at Zack Littell Christian Walker (ARI, 1B -- 94%) at Glasnow