Major League Baseball celebrates Labor Day with games spread all throughout this Monday, providing several solid slates of action to fill up the holiday.
There are six games on the main slate on Monday night, which begins at 6:40 p.m. ET. That’s when the Tigers start their visit to sunny Southern California to face the Padres. After two divisional games and one other interleague contest, the final game of the day will feature the Yankees facing the World Series Champs in Texas.
With a dozen teams in the player pool, there are plenty of options to consider, even though this isn’t a massive slate. Some stars are in smash spots, but if you run short on salary cap space, you may have to mix in some cheap options as well.
The three options highlighted in this post are young options on the rise. Since they’re still just settling in and realizing their potential, they have low salaries but still bring extremely high ceilings.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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SP Brayan Bello, Boston Red Sox at New York Mets, $7,200
This should be a great series between the Mets and Red Sox who both start the week as the first team out of the Wild Card spot in their respective leagues. The Red Sox are 4 1/2 games behind the Twins and Royals while the Mets are just one game back of the Braves. In the first game of the series, Bello will get the call for Boston as the 25-year-old righty looks to continue his strong second half.
In eight starts since the All-Star break, Bello is only 2-1 but has a 3.42 ERA and 3.93 FIP with 46 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings. He has allowed more than three runs only once during that stretch and posted over 16 fantasy points five times.
Bello’s best start of the season came in his most recent outing last Wednesday against the Blue Jays. In eight shutout innings, Bello gave up just two hits with nine strikeouts to earn 38.2 fantasy points.
In a tougher matchup against the Mets, he is unlikely to duplicate that performance, but he still has a good shot at returning value. He has allowed one earned run or fewer on less than five hits in three of his last four games with 22 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings to average 19.7 fantasy points per outing. He has displayed both a very high ceiling and consistent results making him a solid play just over $7,000.
OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $3,300
It took a minute for Crow-Armstrong to find his groove at the MLB level, but he has been raking over the last two weeks. The 22-year-old lefty has caught fire over his last 10 games, averaging 14.5 fantasy points per game. During that span, he went 16-for-39 (.410) with three doubles, three stolen bases and a pair of home runs.
Crow-Armstrong has been a top prospect in the organization for the last few years but had struggled in his first few tastes of the MLB. Those struggles appear to be a thing of the past now, as the dynamic dual-threat athlete looks ready to blossom into a star. He is tied for the team lead with 26 stolen bases and has plenty of power potential as well, giving him a sky-high ceiling in what should be an entertaining matchup with another impressive rookie, Jared Jones ($8,400).
2B/SS Brooks Lee, Minnesota Twins at Tampa Bay Rays, $2,900
Lee returned from the 10-day IL on Sunday and went 1-for-4 in his first game after missing over three weeks with bicep tendinitis. The 23-year-old switch-hitter is another top prospect finding his groove at the MLB level and has hit .252 with two homers, three stolen bases and a .279 wOBA in his first 27 games.
His minor league production indicates he has much more potential, and MLB Pipeline ranked him as the team’s No. 2 prospect. In his 25 games in Triple-A this season, he had eight homers and a .417 wOBA.
Like Crow-Armstrong, Lee has typically hit near the bottom of the lineup but should receive increased opportunity over the next month. Lee can play multiple infield positions and has proven his bat is MLB-ready. He made an instant impact when he was called up in early July but then struggled while trying to play through his injury.
Now that he’s healthy, look for the top prospect to offer great value on Monday against Zack Littell ($7,600), who is also just returning from the IL.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
