There’s baseball on all day long today, but that only leaves five games for tonight’s featured MLB DFS slate on DraftKings. No matter. It’s still a star-studded affair, headlined by the trio of Spencer Strider ($10,600), Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($10,300) and Cristopher Sanchez ($9,000) all toeing the rubber.
Who should you be building your lineups around? Let’s dive in.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
PITCHER
Value
Charlie Morton, Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays, $6,500 – This could go very wrong. Two months ago, the 41-year-old Morton looked like he might be DFA’d, while the Rays lead MLB with a 123 wRC+ so far in June. However, this is a tiny slate and I’m willing to endure some risk for Morton’s cheap price tag and strikeout upside. The right-hander has been rejuvenated since May 17, pitching to a 2.59 ERA and a 2.24 FIP across that span of time with a 30.8% strikeout rate. If you need some insight into how the directly translates to DFS, consider that Morton’s exceeded 28 FPTS in two of his past three starts, including a 10-strikeout performance last Friday against the Angels. He generated 16 whiffs on just 78 pitches that day. That’s impressive stuff.
INFIELD
Stud
Jose Altuve, Houston Astros at Athletics, $4,500 – I’ve just been spamming Altuve all month, but I have zero regrets about it. After another home run and a three-hit day on Wednesday, Altuve is slashing .355/.380/.656 with a 188 wRC+ over his last 100 plate appearances. We love a neat and tidy small size, don’t we? It’s a stretch where the former All-Star has notched eight of his 12 long balls so far this season. The left-handed Jacob Lopez ($6,300) will now take the mound for the Athletics on Thursday. For his career, Altuve is hitting .327 off LHPs. The man may be short in stature, but goodness can hit mash the baseball.
Value
Eric Wagaman, Miami Marlins vs. Philadelphia Phillies, $3,500 – I’ll be honest, I haven’t thought about Wagaman too much this season, but there’s a time and a place to utilize the rookie in DFS, and that’s when the Marlins are facing a left-handed pitcher. Wagaman hit a home run earlier this week off Jesus Luzardo, and for 2025 as a whole, the 27-year-old sports a .289 average, a .205 ISO and an .804 OPS off southpaws. At this price? That’s pretty solid production.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Brent Rooker, Athletics vs. Houston Astros, $4,900 – I still feel like anytime you can get Rooker in your lineup for less than $5,000, it’s a steal. Rooker has hit 84 home runs since the beginning of 2023 — the ninth-most of any player in that span of time. The All-Star is also hitting .291 with a 161 wRC+ off lefties the past two-plus seasons. Not too shabby. The southpaw in question on Thursday? Colton Gordon ($6,700). The Astros’ rookie has been decent at the MLB level so far, yet any struggles he’s had have been due to RHBs. Specifically, Gordon’s conceded 2.13 long balls per nine within the split in his six starts. Woof.
Value
Cam Smith, Houston Astros at Athletics, $3,500 – If only the Astros faced left-handed pitchers more often. Smith has been a menace in opposite-hand matchups this season, registering four of his five career home runs in just 35 plate appearances versus LHPs. The former top prospect is also slashing .310/.429/.828 with a 245 wRC+ within the split. It’s obviously a small sample, but it’s one that you can not ignore. The aforementioned Lopez will be tasked with slowing Smith down, yet Lopez has surrendered 1.80 opponent long balls per nine this season. I have my doubts.
