Opening Day and the start of a new Major League Baseball season is roughly six weeks off, but teams are already announcing plans for who’ll take the ball for their maiden voyage in 2026. Traditional MLB Opening Day is set for Thursday, March 26 in the 2026 season, though the Yankees and Giants will get the season started a day earlier with a matchup in San Francisco on March 25.
With that in mind, CBS Sports will use the space below to log every team’s Opening Day starting pitcher decision. These things are always subject to change at a later date, be it because of injury or further roster move, but we’ll keep this as current as the news cycle allows.
Before we meet this year’s crop of Opening Day starters, here’s a look at the pitchers who’ve made the most of these starts in MLB history:
- Tom Seaver: 16
- Steve Carlton: 14
- Jack Morris: 14
- Randy Johnson: 14
- Walter Johnson: 14
Boston Red Sox: Garrett Crochet
Crochet will be entering his second season with the Red Sox, and he’ll be making his third consecutive (and third overall) Opening Day start. Crochet finished second in American League Cy Young Award voting after compiling a 2.59 ERA (159 ERA+) and a 5.54 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 32 starts.
Detroit Tigers: Tarik Skubal
Skubal, winner of two consecutive AL Cy Young awards, will make his third consecutive Opening Day start for the Tigers, tying him for eighth most in franchise history. It’s possible this could be Skubal’s final Opening Day assignment for Detroit. He’s entering his walk year and is expected to receive a massive payday after accumulating a 3.08 ERA (135 ERA+) and a 5.17 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his first 137 big-league appearances.
Houston Astros: Hunter Brown
The Astros will start someone other than Framber Valdez (now a member of the Tigers) on Opening Day for the first time since 2021. Brown will receive the honors after managing a 2.43 ERA (172 ERA+) and a 3.61 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 31 starts in 2025.
Miami Marlins: Sandy Alcantara
It was Friday, Feb. 13 when the Marlins unveiled that Sandy Alcantara would again get the ball on Opening Day. This will be the sixth time in the last seven seasons that he opens the season for the Marlins with 2024 — when he was recovering from Tommy John surgery — being the exception. The 2022 Cy Young winner was 11-12 with a 5.36 ERA last season, but he seemed to finally pitch back to form late in the season. He was 5-1 with a 2.68 ERA in the last eight outings.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly
After starting Arizona’s second game of the regular season each of the last five years, Kelly will get the nod in Game 1 this season. It will be his first career Opening Day start. Zac Gallen, the team’s Opening Day starter the last three years, recently re-signed with the Diamondbacks, though he is coming off a career-worst season. Kelly, 37, went 12-9 with a 3.52 ERA for the D-backs and Rangers last year. He was traded away at the deadline, then returned to Arizona as a free agent in the offseason.
Tampa Bay Rays: Drew Rasmussen
The Rays will send Rasmussen to the bump to start this season March 26 in St. Louis. It’ll be the first Opening Day start in the career of the Rays’ right-hander. Last season marked the first full season since Rasmussen underwent an internal brace surgery on his right elbow and he made a career-high 31 starts. In those starts, he worked 150 innings, pitching to a 2.76 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 127 strikeouts against 36 unintentional walks. He made the All-Star team for the first time and finished ninth in Cy Young voting, also accumulating a career-best 4.4 WAR.
New York Mets: Freddy Peralta
The Mets acquired Peralta from the Brewers via a four-player trade in January, and the right-hander gives New York the reliable frontline presence it sorely needs. Last season, Peralta, a two-time All-Star, deservedly finished in the top five of the NL Cy Young vote. In each of the last three seasons, he’s reached at least 30 starts and racked up at least 200 strikeouts, and over that span he boasts an ERA+ of 123. The start — against the Pirates at Citi Field — will mark Peralta’s third straight Opening Day start.
