Yesterday marked the first day with baseball action since October 30, 2024. The next day without it will be Monday, July 14 — the day before the All-Star Game. Baseball fans, settle in for what will surely be a long and exhilarating summer.
16 teams will be on DraftKings’ featured DFS slate for today’s action. Here are two pitchers, three infielders, and three outfielders to target.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Bat Flip [$100K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Network app. You also can follow DK Network on Twitter @dknetwork.
PITCHER
Stud
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Detroit Tigers, $9,000: The Dodgers star is the second-most expensive pitcher on today’s slate, but I like him more than Dylan Cease ($9,300), especially since Cease is going up against the high-powered Atlanta offense and Yamamoto will be at the extremely pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium. This also won’t be his first start of 2025; pitching in his home country of Japan during the Tokyo Series, he tossed five innings, giving up three hits, one walk and one run, striking out four (18.85 FPTS). Plus, every member of Detroit’s lineup except for Riley Greene ($4,700) struggles against right-handed pitchers. The only concern is whether Yamamoto can go deep into the game, but it’s the early season and everyone will be cautious with their pitchers. Five innings and the win should be more than enough.
Value
Charlie Morton, Baltimore Orioles at Toronto Blue Jays, $7,000 – Toronto had a rough season in 2024, finishing with a losing record for the first time since 2019, and the Orioles have established themselves as perennial playoff contenders just three years after losing 110 games in 2021. The Blue Jays’ struggles make sense; their pitching staff is aging, with all of their active pitchers being 28 or older, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($5,300) can’t carry the offense alone. Guerrero is a slow starter, having slashed just .229/331/.348 prior to May last season, and if he does so again, Toronto might not have enough supporting talent to compensate. Even with Guerrero going on a tear towards the end of last season, the Blue Jays finished with the league’s eighth-fewest runs, 12th-fewest hits, and fifth-fewest home runs.
INFIELDER
Stud
Corey Seager, Texas Rangers vs. Boston Red Sox, $5,100 – The two-time World Series MVP and former AL MVP runner-up looked to be in doubt with a calf issue, but he was healthy and in the lineup yesterday, although he struggled to the tune of no hits and two strikeouts in four at-bats (0 FPTS). I doubt his struggles will continue against the right-handed Tanner Houck ($7,700), given that Seager mashed righties last year to the tune of a .944 OPS. In 2024, the Red Sox as a team ranked in the bottom half of the MLB in ERA, WHIP, and opponent batting average, so Seager should be well-suited to take advantage.
Stud
Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Chicago Cubs, $5,500 – Marte got off to quite the hot start in yesterday’s 10-6 defeat to the Cubs, going two-for-five with a single, a double, and two runs scored (12 FPTS). He’s now set up to go against Jameson Taillon ($7,200), who’s one of the cheapest pitching options on today’s slate for a reason. Taillon has never posted better than a 3.20 ERA or a 1.1 WHIP in his career, and he’s a 33-year-old coming off a season in which he posted the worst strikeout rate of his career against one of the less strikeout-prone power hitters in baseball. The right-handed Taillon was significantly worse against left-handed batters in 2024, so the switch-hitting Marte should be well-suited to capitalize, even if he’s better from the right side of the batter’s box.
Value
Donovan Solano, Seattle Mariners vs. Athletics, $3,000 – Solano could get reps at either designated hitter, first base, or third base, depending on whether or not manager Dan Wilson opts to try the left-handed Luke Raley ($3,400) at first against the Athletics’ southpaw starter, Jeffrey Springs ($7,500). Either way, you’d think that the journeyman 37-year-old would be in the lineup in some position tonight, given that he slashed .302/.373/.443 against lefties in 2024 and had a very solid spring training, posting a .314/.368/.457 slash line. The Athletics had one of the worst pitching staffs in all of baseball last season, ranking sixth-to-last in ERA, WHIP, and batting average against, and they also provided their pitchers with less defensive help than any team besides the Chicago White Sox.
OUTFIELDER
Stud
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros vs. New York Mets, $5,700 – The 27-year-old Cuban has been one of the MLB’s breakout stars in the last few seasons, making the All-Star team and earning MVP votes in each of the last three seasons, helping the Astros win a title in 2022. He’s now hit at least 30 home runs in each of his last four seasons, and he got off to a fairly good start to his 2025 campaign in yesterday’s 3-1 win over the Mets, walking twice (4 FPTS). New York starter Tylor Megill ($6,000) is the cheapest pitcher on today’s slate, and for good reason: he’s never recorded a sub-4 ERA or topped one WAR in a single season. Megill gave up a 43.4% hard-hit percentage last season, which would’ve been the sixth-worst figure in the league if he’d pitched enough innings to qualify.
Stud
Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres vs. Atlanta Braves, $5,400 – The pride of San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic had an excellent opening game of the 2025 campaign on Thursday, going three-for-four with two stolen bases and two runs scored (23 FPTS). Tatís is surely hoping for a bounce-back season after a 2024 campaign in which he missed two months with a stress fracture in his leg. He’s just 26, with two top-five MVP finishes under his belt, and has plenty of time to recapture the tantalizing potential that convinced San Diego to ink him to a 14-year, $340-million pact back in 2020. The Braves’ starter is right-hander Reynaldo López ($7,800) — who, coincidentally, also hails from San Pedro de Macorís — but thankfully for Padres fans, the right-handed Tatís has reverse splits.
Value
Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates at Miami Marlins, $3,800 – McCutchen is a franchise legend — he won NL MVP in 2013 with the Pirates — who has returned to Pittsburgh for the last few seasons of his career. Sure, he isn’t in his prime anymore — 2024 marked just the second full season of his career in which he wasn’t able to accumulate one WAR — but he still has plenty of pop and gets on base, hitting 20 home runs and posting a .232/.328/.411 slash line in 2024. He’s going against Connor Gillispie ($6,300), who’s somewhat of an unknown commodity with zero career starts and eight total innings to his name, so while Gillispie was fairly solid in spring training, I’ll bank on veteran guile to come out on top here.
