We got ourselves a lil’ mini MLB DFS slate on Thursday night.
With a majority of the action taking place this afternoon, there are only three games that get going past 7:00 p.m. ET this evening, with the big one a meeting between the Red Sox and the Yankees in the Bronx.
Fewer games means fewer players to choose from for your lineups on DraftKings. That’s where I come in. Allow me help you out. Here are my top picks for tonight’s festivities.
Make your DraftKings MLB DFS picks here: MLB $80K Relay Throw [$20K to 1st] (Night)
PITCHER
Value
Luis Gil, New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, $7,500 – With the recent struggles of Sonny Gray ($9,000), I think you could make the case that Gil is the best pitcher on tonight’s slate. Yet, for whatever reason, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year is priced as only the fourth-most expensive of your six options. Whatever. I’ll gladly take the savings and spend elsewhere. After a rocky first appearance of the season in Miami, Gil’s collected a win and exactly 17.8 FPTS in each of his past two starts, tossing 5.1 innings in both outings. It’s just a 14.0 inning sample, but so far in 2025, Gil owns a 3.76 FIP and he’s struck out 14 opponents. You don’t have to squint too hard to see the upside here, and Gil was great against Boston in 2024, allowing two earned runs over 11.2 innings of work. He won’t be bothered by the bright lights.
INFIELD
Stud
Jazz Chisholm, New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, $5,200 – The Yankees have hit 14 home runs in their past two games, so you can basically pick anyone out of this lineup and make a case that they’re red-hot. Chisholm hit one of those long balls on Tuesday evening. His 22nd of the season. It’s important to know that 20 of those 22 have come off of right-handed pitching and that Chisholm’s been at his absolute best facing an RHP at Yankee Stadium, a scenario where he sports a .354 ISO. Tonight’s righty? Lucas Giolito ($8,500), who has surrendered a whopping 1.83 opponent home runs per nine since the All-Star break. You can see where I’m going with this, right?
Value
Samuel Basallo, Baltimore Orioles vs. Houston Astros, $3,200 – I’ll be honest, I’m confused by how well Jason Alexander ($8,000) has been pitching for the Astros in August. I also still think I’m fine with stacking some left-handed bats against the journeyman RHP — especially if those bats are as cheap as Basallo. One of the top positional prospects in all of baseball, Basallo has started his MLB career in style, with three hits and five RBI in his first 10 at-bats. Basallo had a .319 ISO and a 151 wRC+ in Triple-A. The ceiling in DFS is obvious.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Lars Nootbar, St. Louis Cardinals at Tampa Bay Rays, $4,000 – The ball has been flying out of George M. Steinbrenner Field all season long, so you’ll probably have to find a way to get a little exposure to a struggling Cardinals lineup. Especially with the Rays starting Joe Boyle ($6,000), who in his last two starts, has conceded 10 earned runs, seven walks and four long balls. That’s not even mentioning Boyle’s season-long opponent barrel rate (12.9%), which would rank near the bottom of the league had Boyle pitched enough innings to qualify. Nootbar possesses a respectable .772 OPS against RHPs in 2025. He can do some real damage in this matchup.
Value
Josh Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays vs. St. Louis Cardinals, $3,800 – The magic of George M. Steinbrenner Field cuts both ways. It’s been a disappointing season for Lowe, but the 27-year-old owns a career 115 wRC+ off of right-handed pitching and Lowe has the ability to steal a base on any night. With a price tag under $4,000, he’s viable in tonight’s tilt with the reeling Gray. In the veteran’s past six starts, Gray has pitched to a ugly 6.96 ERA and he’s allowed opponents to slash .324/.347/.597 with a .400 wOBA.
