There’s no time for a quirky lil’ intro paragraph today, as Thursday’s featured MLB DFS slate on DraftKings gets started right at 1:10 p.m. ET with a trio of games.
With that in mind, let’s waste no time getting to the picks.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Value
Hayden Birdsong, San Francisco Giants vs. Miami Marlins, $8,000 – While his surface stats tell a slightly different story, Birdsong’s actually been better as a starter than a reliever in 2025. At least that’s what his 3.04 FIP in his last six appearances would suggest. Really, he’s just been a little unlucky as a starter — and he was very lucky coming out of the bullpen. To wit, Birdsong has a 68.1% stand rate in his starts and his .326 opponent BABIP is 59 points higher than his mark as an RP. In totality, the 23-year-old has managed a 3.25 ERA across 52.2 innings. He’s also struck out 55 in this span of time. Not too shabby. In terms of matchup, while the Marlins haven’t been the complete dumpster fire that many predicted they’d be from a run-scoring perspective, the team still sits in the lower-third of the league in ISO (.131) and wRC+ (93).
INFIELD
Stud
Will Smith, Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies, $6,000 – Smith’s going to be a popular pick on this slate. Well, unless you care a little too much about BvP stats, because the backstop is somehow 0-for-12 in his career against the left-handed Austin Gomber ($4,500). Don’t sweat it for a second. Smith owns a team-high .463 expected wOBA against LHPs in 2025 and he’s also hitting .383 within the split. As for Gomber, he allowed nine earned runs and three long balls last week in his first start at Coors this season. Expect more of the same this afternoon.
Value
Javier Baez, Detroit Tigers vs. Athletics, $4,000 – The Javier Baez renaissance has been a wonderful time and the veteran is a huge reason why the Tigers rank third in MLB in wRC+ against left-handed pitching (121). In 71 plate appearances within the split, Baez is slashing .353/.380/.500 with a 151 wRC+ of his own. It’s honestly a little shocking that Baez continues to be listed this cheap in DFS contests — but I’ll surely take the savings on a small slate. It doesn’t hurt that Jeffrey Springs ($6,300) is conceding 1.53 home runs per nine to opposing RHBs in 2025, either.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Brent Rooker, Athletics at Detroit Tigers, $4,800 – While it feels like Rooker is having a down season after truly breaking out in 2024, the veteran actually possesses a career-best .399 expected wOBA in his 358 plate appearances in 2025. That’s a 95th percentile mark in MLB. Rooker’s .560 expected slugging rate is a 96th percentile mark. His .300 expected batting average ranks in the 93rd percentile. See what I mean? As always, Rooker is also just destroying LHPs this season, registering a 202 wRC+ within the split. That’s crucial to this slate, as the Atheltics are squaring-off with Dietrich Enns ($6,500), a 34-year-old lefty who hasn’t thrown a pitch at the MLB level since 2021.
Value
Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Guardians, $3,800 – Barger remains a Baseball Savant darling, coming into this matinee affair with the Guardians in possession of a 93rd percentile average exit velocity (93.3) and a 90th percentile expected slugging rate (.527). In layman’s terms, he’s also simply managed a .243 ISO and a 131 wRC+ against RHPs in 2025. Barger is now hitting second in the Jays’ order when the team is facing a righty, though his price tag doesn’t seem to reflect all this. Tanner Bibee ($8,500) is a good starter, yet he’s surrendered a whopping 1.98 home runs per nine to opposing LHBs in his 15 starts. That’s far from ideal.
