Starts and Sits - All Hitter Matchups for Fantasy Baseball (May 18 - May 24)

May 18, 2026

Hitter fantasy baseball starts/sits, recommendations for all hitter matchups from 5/18 - 5/24 (2026). Our fantasy baseball BvP chart and hitter matchup ratings.

Hello RotoBallers! It's time to set those lineups, and we're here to guide you with our fantasy baseball hitter start/sit recommendations chart for the week ahead (May 18 - May 24). Today, we'll look at some lineup decisions for players like Rafael Devers, Kazuma Okamoto, Manny Machado, Teoscar Hernandez, and more -- and how their matchups project for fantasy baseball. You can also check our Starting Pitcher Start/Sit Matchups Chart.

This fantasy baseball hitter matchups chart - also known as fantasy baseball BvP (batter vs. pitcher) - is designed to assist you in setting winning lineups for all fantasy baseball leagues and DFS competitions, as it identifies which players have the most favorable matchups.

So, who should you start and sit? We're here to help you with a quick reference start 'em, sit 'em grid for all of these hitter BvP matchups. This weekly article provides readers with a chart of every player matchup, the opponent, our start/sit recommendation, and the matchup rating projection confidence/startability score based on an array of metrics. Good luck RotoBallers!

Hitters Start/Sit Matchups Chart: May 18 - May 24

Players are sorted in alphabetical order by their last names. You can also use the color-coded chart below.

Start/Sit Color-Coded Matchups Chart

The below grid shows the same data but as a color-coded grid:

Fantasy Baseball Player News

Samuel Basallo, C, Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 13-3 loss to the hosting Washington Nationals in D.C. to extend his current hitting streak to nine games. The left-handed-hitting Dominican backstop is now batting .278 on the year with an .833 OPS as one of the better young hitters in the game.

He also has a decent .341 on-base percentage and .492 slugging percentage with six home runs and 17 RBI on the year across 138 plate appearances. The 21-year-old will see regular playing time between catcher and designated hitter while sharing time behind the plate with Adley Rutschman. Manager Craig Albernaz has said that Basallo has earned the right to face left-handed pitchers, which is huge. So far in 2026, he's gone 7-for-25 (.280) against southpaws with one of his six home runs. Basallo is one of the better young catchers in the game, and he's rostered in only 40% of Yahoo leagues at the moment.

Bryce Eldridge, 1B, San Francisco Giants

Since being called up to the big leagues in early May, San Francisco Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge has struggled to an .083/.185/.208 slash line with one home run, one RBI, and one run scored across 27 plate appearances. Eldridge has struck out in 33.3% of his plate appearances, a recurring issue for him after he struck out in 35.1% of his plate appearances after making his MLB debut in 2025.

However, the 21-year-old is considered one of the top hitting prospects in the Giants system and has still only logged 64 career plate appearances at the MLB level. Eldridge got off to an excellent start at Triple-A Sacramento before earning the call, hitting .333/.445/.518 with five home runs and 22 RBI across 137 plate appearances. In deeper leagues, Eldridge could be a worthy high-upside, buy-low candidate for fantasy managers to target on the waiver wire.

Sam Antonacci, INF/OF, Chicago White Sox

Since making his MLB debut on April 15, Chicago White Sox outfielder Sam Antonacci has proven he's ready for the big leagues. Across 106 plate appearances entering play on Sunday, the 23-year-old was hitting .284/.385/.420 with one home run, nine RBI, 16 runs scored, and three stolen bases. Antonacci's plate skills were one of his calling cards as a prospect, and he's struck out in just 12.3% of his MLB plate appearances so far.

While he's just three for his first six as a base stealer with the White Sox, Antonacci swiped 48 bags in the minors in 2025 and should get to more speed in the big leagues over the course of the year. His 10.3% barrel rate also hints at some untapped power upside, although fantasy managers shouldn't expect more than 10 to 15 long balls at the most. Even still, Antonacci offers a well-rounded skill set and has emerged as the everyday leadoff hitter for an improving White Sox lineup. In fantasy leagues where he's not already rostered, Antonacci is worth targeting on the waiver wire.

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