We might have gotten our first two "rush out and add them" pitching performances of the season Monday. Not that these were the first two impressive performances of the season – Mackenzie Gore and Jesus Luzardo both had pretty eye-opening showings in their first turns through the rotation, for instance – but Monday was the first time pitchers who were widely available in Fantasy leagues showed out.

So, who should you go out and add: Kris Bubic or Jordan Hicks?

Well, in most leagues, that's going to be pretty straightforward: Bubic is rostered in 60% of CBS Fantasy leagues, while Hicks is rostered in just 15% of leagues. So, many of you won't have a choice to make here. 

But I would prioritize Bubic in any league where both are available because I have a hunch he's going to be really valuable if he stays healthy this season. In his debut against the Brewers Monday, he made it through six shutout innings allowing just three hits and a pair of walks, while striking out eight. He did it mostly thanks to his four-seam fastball, which sat at 92.5 mph – down 0.5 mph from last season, when he pitched in relief, but up from a previous career-high of 91.9 mph back in 2022. That four-seamer has always generated pretty good swing-and-miss results, but it played up in relief last season, and with the added velocity, it's not unreasonable to think he might be able to manage a 25% whiff rate with it – that would be a career-best mark as a starter, though down nearly 10 percentage points from last season. 

He didn't need much beyond the four-seamer in this one, as he did a good job keeping it elevated, but we've seen flashes from the rest of the arsenal, too, especially the changeup. There's a deep arsenal here with multiple above-average pitches, and I don't think this was a one-off – I think we might be witnessing the start of the breakout for Bubic.

I'm less confident of that with Hicks, but then I don't have to be confident in it to believe he's worth adding when he's available in 85% of leagues. But if you're remembering back to Hicks getting some hype last April, I'd suggest you take a second look at what he did Monday, because this isn't just about the results.

Though to be clear, the results were pretty good! Facing a good Astros lineup, Hicks allowed just one hit over six shutout innings of his own, striking out two while walking just two. And this wasn't just getting lucky, or anything – he gave up some hard contact, but almost none of it was hit anywhere it could do damage, with only two batted balls against him generating an expected batting average better than .330. 

How'd he do it? Unlike last year, where he showed off a deeper arsenal with his move to the rotation, Hicks did it this time by just doing what he did as a reliever: He spammed wicked high-90s sinkers the whole dang game. Hicks threw his sinker 67% of the time, and it worked because he sat at 98 mph with the pitch, up 3.5 mph from last season.

And he never ran out of gas. Facing Yordan Alvarez for his final batter of the night, the radar gun showed this for Hicks: 98.9, 98.7, 98.2, and 97.7 mph, the latter of which led to a lineout to end the outing for him. At least on Monday, Hicks didn't need a deeper arsenal.

But it's there. Last season, he lowered his sinker usage to just 51.5%, leaning otherwise on his sweeper (24.1% usage) and his splitter (19.1%). Both pitches had an expected wOBA of .270 or lower and a whiff rate of 37.6% or higher, which is excellent in both regards. If Hicks can sustain this velocity as a starter, this might be the most exciting version of him we've ever seen. 

If you're skeptical about Hicks, I don't blame you. I'm skeptical, too, and I don't think he's someone who just needs to be rostered in every single league – though I do think Bubic does. But after being pretty unenthused about Hicks even when he was getting solid results early last season, I think he's someone worth getting excited about, at least as far as early-season waiver-wire adds go. 

We're looking for more waiver-wire targets in the rest of today's newsletter, but if you're looking for targets to consider after losing Jurickson Profar to an 80-game suspension for a failed PED test, go to this piece from Scott White before you do anything else . I don't have much to add here – even the idea that this explains why Profar added so much to his average exit velocity feels like an overly simple explanation for something that is probably more complicated than that – except that it's a bummer we won't get to see whether Profar could sustain his breakout from a year ago. Oh, and the Braves could suddenly be in some trouble, at least until Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña are ready to return. 

Now, let's get to everything else you need to know from Monday's action around MLB: 

Here's who we're looking to add coming out of Monday's action: 

Lars Nootbaar, OF, Cardinals (64%) – The talent has always been there for Nootbaar, so let's just hope he actually stays healthy this time. Nootbaar went deep Monday for the second time this season, and he now has two hits in three of the first four games, with only one strikeout in 19 trips to the plate. Nootbaar is probably better suited for a H2H points league, which is a shallower format, but if he lives up to his potential, he's worth starting there, too. Let's add him everywhere, just in case. He's a ready-made Profar replacement.

Heston Kjerstad, OF, Orioles (30%) – With Colton Cowser going on the IL with a fractured thumb – don't dive into first base, kids! – Kjerstad is suddenly in line for significant playing time for the Orioles. Kjerstad has had a long road from No. 2 overall pick to now, but he showed some pop in the majors last season and has 26 homers in 132 career Triple-A games. He started against a lefty Monday and could be a big part of the Orioles' plans until Cowser gets back. And after that? Who knows, life finds a way. 

Hunter Goodman, C, Rockies (20%) – Pretty early on in Spring Training, the Rockies announced that Jacob Stallings would be their starting catcher, but that has only happened once in the first four games of the season. Goodman has been the starter behind the plate in the other three, and in the one game Stallings did start, Goodman was the DH. It helps that he's swinging a hot bat, with a hit in each game, including his first homer of the season off Cristopher Sanchez Monday. Goodman has rare power upside for a catcher, and if he's going to keep playing this often, he's a must-roster player in any two-catcher leagues. 

Gavin Sheets, 1B, Padres (9%) – It's probably just a random hot streak from a player who has had a few before, but Sheets hit .315/.373/.704 this spring after a swing change and now has seven hits in five games, three of them for extra bases after Monday's two-double game. In deeper leagues, he's worth a look as a CI option. 

Brady Singer, SP, Reds (58%) – I'm not much of a believer in Singer, at least as an impact arm. But there's a relatively high floor here, and he'll occasionally put together starts like this where he looks like more than just a floor play. I don't expect four whiffs on each of his four-seamer and sinker to be much of a thing every time out, but I do think he'll be usable moving forward – especially with the schedule lining up so he may face the Brewers, Pirates, Mariners, and Marlins in his next four starts. 

Christopher Sanchez, Phillies vs. COL: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K – Yeah, that's what we wanted to see. Obviously, the quality start would have been nice, and if it was April 31 instead of March 31, he might have been given the chance to get there. But the velocity gain was there without an appreciable loss of command. It's the Rockies on the road, but Sanchez checked about every box you could have hoped for if you're betting on the breakout here. A top-30 ranking might not be too aggressive already. 

Bowden Francis, Blue Jays vs. WAS: 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K – Okay, we're picking up where we left off last season, I guess. I still don't quite get how he's doing this, with seven different batted balls with an expected batting average of .300 or higher, which turned into two hits. It's not even like he had elite command here, and he gave up eight batted balls over 95 mph, so he didn't exactly limit hard contact. I remain baffled, truly. But I'll keep starting him in all H2H points leagues, and against the right matchups in categories. 

Drew Rasmussen, Rays vs. PIT: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – The only reason I'm not pounding the table for Rasmussen as a must-add player is because I think short outings are likely to be the norm with the Rays, especially given his injury history. They weren't even willing to let him go six innings when he had just 70 pitches after five in this one. The stuff is terrific, and there will certainly be days when he gets the opportunity to pitch deeper. But I worry the Rays will limit his upside with a kid's gloves approach. But if he's available in your league and you have a roster spot, I would add him ahead of Hicks. 

Jackson Jobe, Tigers @SEA: 4 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K – He's going to be my White Whale all season, isn't he? The stuff was exceptional , as expected, but the results weren't, continuing a trend from last year in the minors as well as this spring. Jobe's command wasn't great in this one, which I think explains much of the issue today, and maybe that's been the issue all along. But this level of stuff should be able to generate whiffs and strikeouts more consistently even with less than ideal command. I'm not giving up on Jobe, but I'm not sure we can or should expect an immediate difference-maker out of him. 

Grant Holmes, Braves @LAD: 4 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K – It's the Dodgers, so I won't hold it against him too much. Better pitchers than Grant Holmes have had worse lines against that lineup, even without Freddie Freeman. But I'm also a bit more skeptical that Holmes is going to be a must-start pitcher than my colleagues, so I still need to see some evidence from Holmes as a starter before I buy in fully. 

David Peterson, Mets @MIA: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 9 K – Peterson has started like this sometimes, especially against the right matchups. I don't think the stuff is good enough to make him much more than a streamer, but if you took advantage of the matchup this time around, it certainly worked out. He gets the Blue Jays and A's in his next two so I don't mind hanging on to him. 

Michael Soroka, Nationals @TOR: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 3 K – Soroka held onto his velocity gains from the spring, but he didn't do much to impress. I'll hang on to him in H2H points leagues for the SPaRP eligibility and the occasional two-start week, but I don't really think he needs to be rostered beyond that. 

Chris Paddack, Twins @CWS: 3.1 IP, 6 H, 9 ER, 4 BB, 2 K – Given the matchup, I was willing to give Paddack a look and see if he could carry some of his late-spring success over. That went about as poorly as it possibly could, and there just hasn't been much to be optimistic about here in a long time. I'm not sure he belongs in the Twins rotation when David Festa and Zebby Matthews are in the minors, and he doesn't belong on your Fantasy roster after this one. 

Cade Povich, Orioles vs. BOS: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K – This one wasn't as much of a disaster as some of the guys ahead of him, but Povich's 10 swinging strikes on 94 pitches don't exactly support the eight strikeouts. Povich has some talent, but it's a pretty fringe-y profile – the stuff isn't quite good enough for the command, or the command isn't quite good enough for the stuff. He'll have some useful stretches, but I didn't see enough here to think Povich is someone I absolutely need to keep around moving forward, either. 

Kumar Rocker, Rangers @CIN: 3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K – Rocker experimented a bit this spring with a tweaked curveball, but that was almost nowhere to be seen in his debut, and the old approach certainly didn't work, either. Rocker leaned heavily on his four-seamer and slider, and while the former generated some whiffs, it wasn't enough to overcome how hard the Reds consistently hit him – he had a 96.6 mph average exit velocity on 13 balls in play. Rocker's stuff is so electric that I want to give him a longer leash than the Sorokas and Poviches of the world, but he wasn't close to a finished product last season, and he didn't look much closer to start this one. I'd like to see more of the curveball next time, just for a different look.

Ronel Blanco, Astros vs. SF: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K – I don't have much to say here, honestly: Blanco is fine, more or less, but I don't expect him to be much more than that. Certainly not like he was last season when he outran his peripherals basically all season long. He's a fine low-end starter for Fantasy, someone you probably won't be dropping, but I don't see much to get excited about. 

Martin Perez, White Sox vs. MIN: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K – Perez will do this occasionally, just like any major-league pitcher will occasionally have signs of genius. But Perez has a long track record of mostly mediocre production, and I see no reason to expect that to change in 2025. I've got him on an AL-only roster, and that's the only league I'd be looking to add him in coming off this outing. 

German Marquez, Rockies @PHI – 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K – Marquez looked pretty good in this one, a promising sign after all the arm troubles in recent years. Unfortunately, he still calls Coors Field his home for half his starts for now, so he isn't likely to matter outside of streaming scenarios unless and until there is a trade. 

Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds – A 4-for-5 day with two homers is impressive enough. But he did that with five batted balls over 99 mph and added a steal, too. De La Cruz had a tremendous spring and could be unlocking another level here. 

Oneil Cruz, OF, Pirates – Cruz started running a lot more at the end of last season, and he's carried it over so far, with five steals in his first five games. And he had six steals in 14 games in the spring, too, so this does seem to be a conscious decision. He's an elite athlete, and if he wants to run aggressively, there's no reason he couldn't steal 30 bases – and that probably isn't the ceiling. I just don't know what a reasonable ceiling for someone with Cruz's gifts could be. 

Matt McLain, SS, Reds – With his homer Monday, McLain now has three through four games, which is a pretty solid start, I'd say! His plate discipline still hasn't been great, and McLain still has more like average-to-above-average raw power, but he's hitting the ball well right now. 

Andres Gimenez, 2B, Blue Jays – This is the first time Gimenez has ever hit three homers in a five-game span, which is a nice little bonus for him. I don't see much reason to think this is anything more than a fluke – back in 2023, Brian Anderson and C.J. Cron both homered in their first five games, only to end up with 21 combined between them that season. Sometimes, stuff just happens all in a row and it doesn't mean anything. That's my best guess here. 

Jacob Wilson, SS, Athletics – Wilson hit his first MLB homer Monday, and it was exactly what you think it was: He snuck a low line drive right down the left field line for a 341-foot homer that wouldn't have been out in any other park in baseball, per Statcast. I like Wilson, but if he gets 10 over the fences this season, I'll view it as a huge win. 

Freddie Freeman was out of the lineup Monday. Apparently, he re-aggravated his surgically repaired ankle while showering Saturday night. He's day-to-day, but this is pretty worrying, given the lingering nature of this injury. 

Reynaldo Lopez was placed on the IL with right shoulder inflammation. He dealt with a similar injury last season, and maybe this explains why his velocity was down this spring. My hopes for Lopez are extremely low at this point, but I'm trying to stash him if I can. 

Garrett Crochet and the Red Sox are in agreement on a six-year, $170-million extension that will kick in after 2026, with an opt-out after 2030. It's a huge commitment from the Red Sox on a pitcher who has yet to prove it over a full season. That's confidence. 

Jose Ramirez was back in the lineup after missing one game with a sprained right wrist. He homered and had three hits, which you love to see. 

Gunnar Henderson is on track to return when first eligible Thursday. He'll miss six games if that works out. 

Francisco Lindor was out Monday for the birth of his child.

Trea Turner reported improvement with his lower back spasms and is aiming to return to the lineup Wednesday.

Gleyber Torres went on the IL with a left oblique strain. Colt Keith started at 2B, with Spencer Torkelson was at 1B, while Justyn Henry Malloy was recalled, started at DH, and led off in this game. He's worth a look in very deep leagues. 

Jared Jones was shifted to the 60-day IL on Monday. He's out with a right UCL sprain, and this doesn't really change his timetable. 

Max Scherzer visited a hand specialist on Monday. He's on the IL with that ongoing thumb issue, and hopefully, we'll know more today. I'm stashing him until we get really bad news. 

Christian Encarnacion-Strand left after getting hit by a pitch on his right hand. X-rays came back negative, so hopefully he's fine moving forward. 

Aaron Civale went on the IL with a strained left hamstring.

Edward Cabrera will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Tuesday. He's on the IL with a blister on his right middle finger and still has some upside, though he needs to show it in a game before we buy in. 

Ryan Weathers is expected to begin a throwing progression later this week. He's on the IL with a left flexor strain and will probably be out until at least May. 

Eury Perez is scheduled to face hitters for the first time Tuesday since undergoing Tommy John surgery around a year ago. We'll see him sometime this summer, though likely not anytime before June. But just keep him in mind as we get closer because Perez still has ace upside if he can get back to his pre-injury form.