Carmen Mlodzinski Is Making His Case — And WaiverScout Has Been Watching
Carmen Mlodzinski just logged 11.7 innings over the last seven days, and his strikeout rate is trending in the right direction — 21.6% over the past week versus 20.6% over 30 days. At just 16% rostered, the Pittsburgh right-hander is still available in the vast majority of leagues. That window could be closing fast: his ownership has surged +6% in the last seven days alone, and the velocity on his roster trend is classified as surging.
WaiverScout Called This Early
This isn't the first time Mlodzinski has appeared on our board. WaiverScout first flagged him as a Watch back on April 17 when he was rostered in just 6% of leagues. We escalated him to Add Now on April 21 at 26% ownership, then continued tracking him through Watch signals on April 25 and May 3. The signal has only strengthened since. If you acted on our earlier alerts, you're already reaping the benefits. If you didn't, this is the moment to stop waiting.
The Workload Signal Is Real
The most compelling factor right now is opportunity. Mlodzinski threw 11.7 innings over the past seven days — that's full-rotation workload, not bullpen filler. Earlier this year, FanGraphs noted that the Pirates may have finally found a version of Mlodzinski that works, and the innings volume suggests the organization agrees. He's being trusted with meaningful starts and stretched out in a way that gives him fantasy relevance in standard leagues, not just deep formats.
His most recent outing on May 8 wasn't his sharpest — just 1 strikeout and a loss against the Giants, per CBS Sports. But one rough start doesn't erase the broader trend. His May 2 game featured 10 strikeouts across 25 batters faced, and his April 26 and April 21 starts showed solid run prevention with 5 and 4 RBI allowed respectively across modest batter counts. The K-rate improvement from 20.6% to 21.6% over the recent window suggests the stuff is playing, even if the results aren't always pristine.
The Broader Fantasy Landscape
Mlodzinski is starting to pop up on streaming radars — FantasySP highlighted him as a standout streaming option just in the last 24 hours. That external validation matters because it tells you the broader fantasy community is waking up to what WaiverScout identified weeks ago. When streaming sites start featuring a pitcher, the ownership spike accelerates. The 16% rostered number you see today won't last through the weekend.
For context, comparable young arms like Chase Burns, Emerson Hancock, and Braxton Ashcraft represent the same tier of emerging pitching talent worth monitoring. But Mlodzinski has the current workload edge — 11.7 innings in seven days is not speculative. It's happening.
Confidence Check
We want to be transparent: this is still an early signal. The sample size is small, and we're working with limited rolling stat windows. Early signs suggest Mlodzinski could be emerging as a viable fantasy starter, but the confidence level reflects the newness of the data. That said, in fantasy baseball, waiting for certainty means missing the window entirely.
Verdict: Add Now
Carmen Mlodzinski is an Add Now. The rotation workload is established, the strikeout rate is ticking upward (21.6% over 7 days), ownership is surging from a low 16% base, and the broader fantasy industry is starting to catch on. WaiverScout identified this signal at 6% ownership. Don't wait until he's at 40%. Grab him now in leagues where he's still available and ride the momentum while the cost is zero.