Monday's entire slate will be played under the lights with 20 of 30 MLB teams in action. The marquee matchup features a pair of southpaws -- one with a 2.96 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, while the other has begun the campaign with 8.50 and 1.56 ratios. Heading into the season, the assumption would have been Chris Sale was the former and Matthew Boyd the latter, but roles have been reversed.
There are a few spot starters in shallower formats. Those in deeper leagues will have to be patient for better options as the week progresses. On the hitting side, now that the season has passed the point where teams enjoy an extra year of team control, some have started to call up their top prospects, a couple of whom are highlighted.
Here are some candidates to consider to help keep Monday lineups fully stocked, with each option available in at least half of all ESPN leagues.
Pitching
Pitchers to stream
Mike Minor (L), rostered in 38 percent of ESPN leagues, Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics: If Minor pitched for a team with a more favorable home venue, he probably wouldn't be available in so many leagues. As is, he's in play for road matchups, especially in pitchers' parks. Oakland is dangerous, and doesn't fan much, but on a slate with limited options, go with the skills and hope for the best. Minor doesn't hurt himself with walks and generally keeps the ball in the yard.
Steven Matz (L), 43 percent, New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies: Matz is coming off an unmitigated disaster, but his previous pair of outings featured 16 punchouts in 11 frames. The Phillies are productive, but much more so at home. There's risk, but again, not much from which to choose.
Brad Keller (R), 46 percent, Kansas City Royals at Tampa Bay Rays: Keller is appealing his suspension for hitting Tim Anderson. He's due for regression, as a .210 BABIP is masking 17 walks in 30⅔ innings. Still, backed by a good defense in a run-suppressing venue, Keller is one of the safer streaming options.
Bullpen: The Baltimore Orioles host the Chicago White Sox in an early-week series. As two of the weaker teams in the league, their closers are not highly sought after. Especially with the holes in fantasy lineups on Monday, grabbing one can sneak in an extra save. Chicago's Alex Colome is available in a little over half of ESPN leagues and is the safer bet; Mychal Givens is ostensibly the Orioles' closer, but he has yet to log a save this season and identifying the option most likely to garner a Baltimore save is a dart throw.
Hitting
Catcher -- Yan Gomes (R), 10 percent, Washington Nationals at Colorado Rockies (undecided): Gomes rested on Sunday, so there's a good chance he's back in the lineup as the Nationals open a series at Coors field, where Gomes' fly ball tendency plays in any week. Further, there's a good chance southpaw Tyler Anderson is activated for the contest, giving Gomes the platoon bump.
First Base -- Ji-Man Choi (L), 3 percent, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kansas City Royals (RHP Brad Keller): Choi missed Sunday's game with a sore calf, so his availability is unclear. However, there's a comparable pivot in the same game as the Royals' Ryan O'Hearn is similarly available. With righty Yonny Chirinos likely to work multiple innings for the Rays, both Choi and O'Hearn stand to benefit from the platoon edge in the majority of their at-bats.
Second Base -- David Fletcher (R), 3 percent, Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees (LHP J.A. Happ): While some of it is due to an unlucky hit rate, Happ hasn't been very sharp, allowing 31 baserunners in 18⅔ innings. The Yankees don't just miss Gary Sanchez's bat, but Kyle Higashioka isn't as adept at controlling the running game. Fletcher is a perfect 5-for-5 stealing bases in his young career.
Third Base -- Michael Chavis (R), 4 percent, Boston Red Sox vs. Detroit Tigers (LHP Matthew Boyd): Chavis was introduced in this space Saturday, despite a tough matchup with Tyler Glasnow. This time, he lines up to enjoy the platoon edge on Boyd. To be fair, as suggested in the opening, Boyd is pitching well, but Fenway Park has a way of being an equalizer.
Shortstop -- Cole Tucker (S), 2 percent, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (RHP Zack Godley): A strong Arizona Fall League campaign put Tucker on the fast track. With Erik Gonzalez injured and on the shelf and ample time having passed so the Pirates gain an extra year of control, Tucker has been summoned and inserted into the leadoff spot. His forte is speed, a commodity coming in handy to many fantasy players.
Corner Infield -- Ryan McMahon (L), 12 percent, Colorado Rockies vs. Washington Nationals (RHP Jeremy Hellickson): McMahon has a pair of homers and a swipe in the three games since returning from the injured list. He's in a great spot at Coors, facing the potentially incendiary Hellickson.
Middle Infield -- Logan Forsythe (R), under 1 percent, Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics (RHP Chris Bassitt): Shin-Soo Choo has been popular in this space, so let's swerve to Forsythe, who has been filling in at first and second as Ronald Guzman and Rougned Odor are out. He's a journeyman, admittedly better against southpaws, but Bassitt isn't to be feared.
Outfield -- Clint Frazier (R), 31 percent, New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels (RHP Matt Harvey): Frazier has been a frequent visitor in this space, mostly due to playing-time questions. Now with Aaron Judge out, the slugging fly-chaser will be in there every day, likely in a productive spot in the order. It shouldn't be long before his availability dwindles.
Leury Garcia (S), 6 percent, Chicago White Sox at Baltimore Orioles (RHP David Hess): Things can change, especially with a team searching for an identity such as the White Sox. That said, Garcia resides atop the White Sox order, offering a power-speed combo. This comes in handy squaring off with one of the weakest arms on the slate.
Joey Rickard (R), under 1 percent, Baltimore Orioles vs. Chicago White Sox (LHP Manny Banuelos): Rickard has been a useful platoon player with a career .766 OPS versus southpaw pitching. He also has the speed to take advantage of the White Sox's troubles with opposing would-be base stealers.