Ryan Pepiot DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot was terrific on Friday, tossing 6 innings of shutout ball in a tough no-decision against the Houston Astros. Pepiot left the game with a 1-0 lead, but the bullpen was unable to hang onto it, and the Rays ended up taking a 2-1 loss. The 27-year-old was great all night, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out four. It is Pepiot's fifth consecutive quality start and second straight scoreless outing. He is now 3-5 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 56 strikeouts in 70 IP. The advanced stats haven't loved what the righty has done so far this year, but he has gotten the job done. Still, his lack of strikeouts should make fantasy owners wary. Pepiot can be seen as a sell-high candidate if someone is valuing him at his surface-level numbers. His next start should come on Thursday at home against the Texas Rangers, which is a juicy matchup right now.

With Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan (triceps) set to miss time to open the 2025 regular season, right-hander Ryan Pepiot will step in and start on Opening Day on Friday, March 28, against the Colorado Rockies, according to manager Kevin Cash. The 27-year-old went 8-8 with a career-high 3.60 ERA (3.95 FIP), a 1.15 WHIP and a 142:48 K:BB in 130 innings pitched over 26 starts in his first year with the Rays in 2024. Pepiot's season was interrupted by an infection caused by a bug bite, but otherwise he was pretty solid with nine quality starts in his 26 total starts. His fastball-changeup combination can get it done, but Pepiot might not be able to take the next step in his big-league career unless he develops a quality third pitch to keep hitters off balance. Still, there's a lot to like in fantasy, and he'll be a popular DFS play in his first start at home against the Rockies.

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot (undisclosed) left his start early on Thursday but does not have an injury designation, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The right-hander logged only two innings of work against the Guardians before departing. Pepiot ran into some trouble, as he served up four hits, two walks, and two earned runs while only striking out one. However, since Aug. 16, Pepiot has carried a strong 2.81 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Fantasy managers should pay close attention to any updates regarding the 27-year-old, as he may be on another strict pitch count in his next start. In his first season in Tampa Bay, the former Dodger sits with a 3.66 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP through 113 innings of work.