Start/Sit Chart - Fantasy Baseball Hitter Matchups for Thursday March 26th

March 26, 2026

Hitter fantasy baseball starts/sits, recommendations for all hitter matchups on Thursday March 26th, 2026. Our fantasy baseball BvP chart (batter vs. pitcher).

Welcome to Opening Day RotoBallers! It's time to set those lineups, and we're here to guide you with our fantasy baseball hitters start/sit recommendations chart for Thursday, March 26th, 2026. Today, we'll look at some lineup decisions for players like Wilyer Abreu, Colson Montgomery, Jorge Polanco, Brandon Nimmo, 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 daily 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!

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Hitters Start/Sit Matchups Chart: Thursday (3/26)

Players are sorted from highest to lowest Matchup Ratings. 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

Jeremy Pena, Houston Astros

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (finger) is on the team's Opening Day roster, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Pena fractured the tip of his finger during an exhibition game with the Dominican Republic in a tune-up for the World Baseball Classic, but the 28-year-old has recovered nicely and was able to play in the team's exhibition game on Tuesday.

He should be in the Opening Day lineup on Thursday against the division-rival Los Angeles Angels. Pena's finger injury may hinder him early on at the plate, but fantasy managers shouldn't be too worried. He was a first-time All-Star in 2025 in his fourth big-league season, slashing .304/.363/.477 with an .840 OPS, 17 home runs, 62 RBI, 68 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases in 125 games played.

Pena has 30-30 upside in Houston if everything falls into place, but fantasy managers should consider him a low-end shortstop in 12-team leagues to begin 2026.

Francisco Lindor, New York Mets

MLB.com reports that New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (hand), who is recovering from a stress reaction in his left hamate bone, is likely to be ready for Opening Day on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lindor made his Grapefruit League debut in spring training on March 15, which was 4 1/2 weeks after he had hand surgery on Feb. 11, and he's scheduled to play in each of the team's last two spring training games.

Fantasy managers should be stoked that Lindor is on track for Opening Day, but he'll be greeted with a very difficult matchup in Game 1 on Thursday against reigning National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes. Coming off a hand injury against one of the most dominant pitchers in the game will have fantasy managers in DFS avoiding the five-time All-Star if he's in the starting lineup, as expected. Overall, Lindor is one of the best shortstops in the game on one of the best teams in baseball.

RotoBaller has him ranked as the No. 4 shortstop, behind only Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, and Elly De La Cruz.

Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox

Chicago White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami is slated to have a starring role to begin his debut season in the major leagues and could emerge as one of the game's top power hitters. Murakami has spent his entire professional career overseeing in the NPB and consistently flashed elite power. He enjoyed his best season back in 2022 when he launched an eye-catching 56 home runs.

Since 2023, Murakami has hit at least 30 home runs in two seasons and was on pace to meet that mark once again in 2025, but he only appeared in 56 games. However, in this short stint, Murakami hit 22 long balls while holding a .273 AVG. The lone knock on his profile is his high strikeout rate that has sat above 28.0% in each of his last three seasons. In spring training, Murakami held a .276/.323/.448 line with a home run, but struck out at a 25.8% rate. While his value could drop in points leagues that punish high strikeout hitters, he does draw walks at an impressive rate, which can offset his strikeout totals.

Given that he is slated to see an everyday role in the Chicago starting lineup, the rookie slugger possesses 30-HR upside if he can make a quick adjustment ot major-league pitching. He is worth starting in all 12+ team leagues in the opening week of the season.

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