All 30 MLB clubs are in action on Sunday, highlighted by an eight-game afternoon slate loaded with firepower to fuel your DFS lineups.
From bona fide stars to stealthy value plays, let’s take a look at three must-starts for Sunday afternoon.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here before 1:35 p.m. ET: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st].
SP Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates at Cleveland Guardians ($9,500)
The back of Paul Skenes’ 2026 baseball card is a far cry from what we’ve come to expect from the superstar flamethrower. The reigning National League Cy Young, 24, finished the first half of the year staked to — at least for his standards — a towering 3.57 ERA across 20 starts (108.1 IP). But that doesn’t mean that the stuff is gone.
Much of the right-handed phenom’s struggles stem from behind him; the Pirates feature one of the game’s sloppiest defenses, placed 25th in Fielding Run Value (-14) and tied for third in total throwing errors (34). Skenes has still posted an elite 1.02 WHIP while ranking fourth in MLB in strikeout rate (29.5 percent) and second in xERA (2.72).
While Skenes has served up more loud contact than usual this season, he shouldn’t have to worry about that against the Guardians — who have been swinging wet newspapers all year. Amid a disastrous season from Jose Ramirez, Cleveland heads into Sunday sitting 25th in wRC+ and second-to-last in wOBA, xwOBA, hard-hit rate, and barrel rate. Woof.
3B Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox ($6,100)
Nothing can slow this guy down right now. After getting hit on the hand by a pitch during the All-Star Game, Junior Caminero shrugged off the injury scare and returned to the lineup after the break. He proceeded to drill one over Fenway Park’s Green Monster in the nightcap of Friday’s double-header against the Red Sox.
At just 23, Caminero is staking his claim for the American League MVP award. He heads into Sunday with an exceptional .927 OPS and 29 home runs — tied for the third-most bombs in baseball.
Same-side pitching matchups have done little to neutralize arguably the game’s hottest hitter. That trend should continue on Sunday. While Boston’s Sonny Gray carded an outstanding 2.54 ERA across 17 starts in the first half, his underlying metrics forecast a regression in the stretch run. The veteran right-hander, 36, owns a 3.61 xERA, a middling 22.3 percent strikeout rate, and a worrisome 22.3 percent whiff rate behind his absolute meatball of a four-seamer. Hitters like Caminero tend to capitalize on those sorts of things.
OF Garrett Mitchell, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Miami Marlins ($4,000)
In Moneyball terms, Garrett Mitchell’s “defect” is that he swings and misses far too often. But here’s the thing: he recently transformed his bat into a heat-seeking missile.
The Milwaukee center-fielder heads into Sunday with an .836 OPS, eight home runs, and a tantalizing Baseball Savant profile — ranking in MLB’s top 10 percent or better in bat speed (98th percentile), average exit velocity (94th), and hard-hit rate (90th). He’s also on a scorching run of form, hitting .344 with a .975 OPS and five homers since the beginning of June.
After walking off the Marlins in extras on Friday, the 27-year-old Mitchell stretched his hitting streak to seven games with a 3-for-5 effort in Saturday’s 8–6 win.
He’s been mashing righties all season long, and Sunday should be no different against Eury Pérez. While the young fireballer, 23, has posted a respectable 3.78 ERA across 16 starts, he’s also responsible for a 4.16 xERA and the fourth-highest barrel rate in the majors (min. 80 IP). With the way balls are flying off Mitchell’s bat right now, Sunday’s showdown with the struggling flamethrower feels like a perfect match — a steal for only $4,000.
