While there’s 20 starting pitchers toeing the rubber this evening, I’ve got to be honest, this isn’t exactly a group full of aces. Still, while that might make finding some value on the mound difficult, it should also open up a lot of opportunity for value in the rest of your DFS lineups on DraftKings.
Let’s sort through it all below, as I reveal by top picks for tonight’s MLB slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: MLB $200K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
SP Sawyer Gipson-Long, Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox, $6,000
It has been a long time since we’ve seen Gipson-Long at the MLB level, but he’s set to make his return to the Tigers’ rotation on Wednesday in Chicago. In 2023, Gipson-Long made four starts with Detroit, turning some heads with a 2.70 ERA, 2.52 xERA and 31.7% strikeout rate over a 20.0 inning sample. Then, he missed all of 2024 due to injury. The 27-year-old has looked good in his rehab, though, with a 2.20 ERA in 16.1 innings across multiple levels of the minors. He seems ready to re-emerge in the big leagues and his price and matchup are pristine.
For the season as a whole, the White Sox have been one of the worst lineups in all of baseball. Chicago comes into tonight’s tilt in possession of a .221 average and an 81 wRC+. The team also ranks inside the top 10 of MLB in strikeout rate (23.1%). Don’t get too ahead of yourself, the White Sox are still a massive step-up in talent level from even the best Triple-A club, but Gipson-Long appears to be in a nice landing spot to hit the ground running.
OF Colton Cowser, Baltimore Orioles at Seattle Mariners, $4,000
Did you forget about the guy who barely finished second to Luis Gil in AL Rookie of the Year voting last season? I wouldn’t blame you. After breaking a finger in the Orioles’ opening series of 2025, Cowser only made his return from the IL on Tuesday, hitting a solo home runs in Baltimore’s victory over Seattle. Cowser was so good in 2024 against right-handed pitching. In 415 plate appearances within the split, the outfielder mustered an .806 OPS and a .222 ISO to go along with a 130 wRC+. What does that mean? Well, if not for Cowser’s injury, he surely wouldn’t be this cheap in a matchup with Emerson Hancock ($6,500).
Hancock remains in the Mariners’ rotation strictly due to the team’s own injury issues. The former sixth-overall pick sports a 5.64 ERA and 5.34 xERA over 44.2 innings of work in 2025 and he’s allowed multiple earned runs in all but one of his nine starts. LHBs have been particularly effective against Hancock, combining to hit 2.01 home runs per nine off Seattle’s right-hander. Woof.
SS Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins at Athletics, $3,700
I won’t sugarcoat how poorly Correa’s performed in 2025, but there have been some positive signs as of late. In fact, Correa ended May with a .313 average and a 148 wRC+ in the month. That’s pretty damn good. Correa’s also tended to be at his best this season in matchups with LHPs, as evidenced by a .306/.342/.649 slash line in his 38 plate appearances within the split. Why is that important for tonight’s proceedings? One name: Jeffrey Springs ($7,000).
Springs hasn’t been a complete train-wreck in 2025, but he is five days removed from allowing six earned runs in just two innings against the Blue Jays. Springs walked six in that contest. Six. All told, Springs owns a 5.02 FIP in his 61.0 innings of work. He’s also pitched to a 5.88 ERA in the hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park.
