After starting the week with back-to-back monster slates, Major League Baseball spreads out the action on Wednesday with a split schedule of six games on the afternoon slate and five games on the featured evening slate. The main DFS fantasy baseball contests include the five games starting at 6:45 p.m. ET or later. Let’s take a look at the 10 teams in the player pool for Wednesday night and highlight my top MLB DFS picks for Wednesday evening.
In the big picture, the weather looks solid for this slate, with no rain in the forecast in Washington, Boston or Atlanta, and indoor venues being used in Arizona and Seattle. Even without any precipitation in play, it always makes sense to still confirm the forecast and lineups to be sure your team is set for success before contests lock.
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Pitchers
Stud
George Kirby, Seattle Mariners vs. Chicago White Sox, $9,900: While 2025 has been far from smooth sailing for Kirby, he brings a high enough ceiling to this matchup with the White Sox to be the top arm on Wednesday’s slate. Kirby has earned over 22 fantasy points in four of his last six outings and posted over 26 fantasy points in each of his last two starts, which were wins over the Rangers and Angels.
Overall, Kirby has a 4.13 ERA and 3.60 FIP on the season, but he is 5-2 in his last seven starts with a 2.61 ERA and 2.63 FIP now that he has ramped up and shaken off an inconsistent start after opening the season on the injured list with a shoulder issue.
The White Sox offense has been much improved over the last month, but they’re still a good enough matchup for Kirby to be the best ace to build around on Wednesday night.
Value
Jeffrey Springs, Athletics at Washington Nationals, $6,800: Springs has made four “Quality Starts” in his last five outings, producing over 15 fantasy points in each of those games. He was especially sharp in his last start, earning 27.7 fantasy points by holding the Mariners to one run on two hits in six innings even though he was pitching at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park.
Springs set a new personal best with his 10th win of the year and is nearing a career-high in innings as well in his first year with the Athletics. He has a 4.00 ERA, 4.66 FIP and 7.3 K/9, but his recent performance has been even better than those numbers.
The Nationals are a good matchup for him on Wednesday since they have scored the second-fewest runs in the majors over the last month while hitting .231 as a team.
Infield
Stud
Nick Kurtz, Athletics at Washington Nationals, $6,100: The summer of Kurtz continued for the A’s on Tuesday night as the rookie first baseman had three hits and 23 fantasy points to power the A’s to a win over the Nats in the first game of this series. He has at least seven fantasy points in four straight games and in 14 of his last 17 games.
In those 17 games, Kurtz is an unreal 32-for-65 (.492) with 11 doubles, a triple, seven home runs and a .643 wOBA backed up by a 58.8% hard-hit rate and 27.5% barrel rate. He has his massive 76 fantasy-point performance during that span and has averaged 16.6 fantasy points per game over that 17-game span.
On Wednesday’s slate, Kurtz and the A’s are in an attractive matchup against righty Cade Cavalli ($7,000), who will be making his first MLB start since 2024. He had a 9.00 ERA over his last six starts with Rochester in Triple-A, so Kurtz and the A’s will look to spoil his return Wednesday night.
Stud
Manny Machado, San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks, $5,600: The other matchup I’m leaning into on Wednesday’s slate is the Padres taking on Anthony DeSclafani ($5,500) and the Dbacks. DeSclafani gave up four runs in just 2 2/3 innings in his first start of the season, and righties like Machado are crushing him with five homers and a .341 wOBA in 69 plate appearances.
Machado has some good momentum coming into this matchup after reaching base safely in 13 straight games while hitting .444 with six doubles, two homers and a .497 wOBA over that span. He had three hits and 17 fantasy points on Tuesday in the Padres’ win.
Value
Tyler Locklear, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. San Diego Padres, $2,400: Locklear was the big piece the Dbacks got back for Eugenio Suarez ($6,000) and he has stepped in immediately at first base for Arizona. He is very affordable given his upside and has looked good in his first five games with the Snakes. Locklear posted 17 fantasy points on Sunday while going 2-for-3 with a stolen base, and he followed that up with 14 fantasy points and his first home run with Arizona on Monday. He had two walks on Tuesday and continues to work on his plate approach.
In Triple-A before the trade, Locklear hit .316 with the Tacoma Rainiers and had 19 homers and 18 stolen bases. He brings a good overall skill set and should continue to get plenty of playing time, making him a great play at under $2,500 on Wednesday’s slate against lefty Nestor Cortes ($6,900) in his Padres debut.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners vs. Chicago White Sox, $5,300: It’s the second half of the season, so it must be Julio’s time to shine. While he continues to start the season slow each year, the 24-year-old has made a habit of coming on strong as the weather heats up. In his last 20 games, he is hitting .298 with eight home runs, six stolen bases and an average of 11.75 fantasy points per game.
Rodriguez and the Mariners are taking on Jonathan Cannon ($5,800) on Wednesday night, who has a 4.94 ERA and 4.81 FIP on the road this season. Rodriguez had two hits in each of his last two games and seems to be relieved to have so much help now in the Mariners’ re-stocked lineup for the stretch run.
Stud
Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks, $4,400: Merrill has at least seven fantasy points in five straight games and is averaging 11.1 fantasy points per game over his last seven contests. Merrill is 9-for-27 (.333) in those seven contests with a double, two triples, a home run and a 45.8% hard-hit rate.
The 22-year-old lefty hasn’t quite been able to match last year’s production in his sophomore season, partly due to injuries. He’s finding a good rhythm now, though, and he should be set for a strong showing against DeSclafani and the Dbacks in Arizona.
Value
Eli White, Atlanta Braves vs. Milwaukee Brewers, $2,500: Both Blake Perkins ($3,200) and Isaac Collins ($3,400) have been strong value contributors while filling in the Brewers’ outfield for the past several games, but since they’ll have to deal with Spencer Strider ($9,600), I’m looking on the other side of this matchup for my top bargain outfielder. White is a bargain at only $2,500 and brings both power and speed potential against Jose Quintana ($7,700) in a much better matchup.
White is hitting .254 in his 78 games for the Braves this season with seven homers and seven stolen bases. He has three homers in his last three games and has gone 10-for-30 (.333) in his last eight games, averaging 11.5 fantasy points per game over that short stretch. He should continue to get playing time while Ronald Acuna Jr. (calf) is on the injured list, and he brings good upside at a bargain rate on Wednesday.
