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UPDATE: Springs has been scratched from his start for Tampa Bay and has been placed on the family medical emergency list. In his place, look at Logan Gilbert ($9,500). Gilbert matches up against the Oakland Athletics who haven’t exactly been good. He has a plus matchup and has been a great arm for Seattle this season. Gilbert has the upside to go along with his high price tag.
The MLB main slate on Thursday, June 30th will contain a number of exciting matchups. There are seven games included in the main schedule of games and they start with the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies wrapping their divisional series starting at 6:05 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The final game of the night is a huge AL West showdown between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers at 10:10 p.m. ET on FS1.
Top Pitchers
Aaron Nola, PHI vs. ATL ($10,000) — Nola has a tough matchup against the Braves, but still carries the highest price tag of Thursday’s main slate. He will be facing Atlanta for the second time this season. In his last, he pitched 8.1 innings and gave up only five hits and one earned run while striking out 10 for his second win of the year.
Jeffrey Springs, TB vs. TOR ($9,900) — Springs has been converted to a starter from the bullpen. He will be making his 19th appearance of the season and his 11th start. He faced Toronto on May 15th and pitched 4.2 innings and gave up four hits and truck out two. Springs has factored into the decision only once over his last five starts.
Top Hitters
Manny Machado, SD vs. LAD ($6,100) — Machado is expected back on Friday returning from an injury that has sidelined him since June 19th. He leads the Padres hitting .328 which is the third-highest batting average in the majors. San Diego has been missing his bat and is hoping he can return Thursday as he was reportedly close to game action on Wednesday. If he doesn’t go, keep the selection in the family and add Machado’s brother-in-law Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros to your lineup.
Aaron Judge, NYY vs. HOU ($6,000) — No surprise here seeing Judge atop the most expensive hitters for DFS. Judge is clobbering baseballs this season and through 74 games is hitting .290 with 29 home runs that lead the MLB. He is averaging 10.9 fantasy points per game which is the highest for a hitter in the main slate.
Value Pitcher
Kyle Hendricks, CHC vs. CIN ($5,100) — Hendricks will be making his 15th start of the season. He has largely gotten rocked which is why his price tag is so low. He faced the Reds earlier this season and pitched only four innings, giving up five hits and four earned runs while striking out one on the way to his fifth loss of the season. Cincinnati isn’t exactly inspiring fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers, but there is risk with adding Hendricks.
Value Hitter
Joey Votto, CIN vs. CHC ($3,600) — Votto has the handedness matchup against the right-handed Hendricks. These two have had many battles in their careers. Votto is 15 for 38 against him with three doubles, a rare triple, and five home runs. Votto’s career is winding down but is playing better since returning from injury. On Wednesday, he went 2-4 with two doubles and is 4-13 over his last three games. His salary is low enough that there isn’t a lot of risk slotting him into the bottom of your lineup.