On Wednesday, Major League Baseball has a jam-packed schedule of action throughout the day, with action all across the afternoon and nine games on the main DFS fantasy baseball slate, which begins at 6:35 p.m. ET in order to include the four games starting just before 7:00 p.m. ET. All the action starts before 9:00 p.m. ET, so it isn’t an extremely late night of action, with the Dodgers and Rockies wrapping things up at Coors Field with an 8:40 p.m. ET first pitch. With 18 teams on the board, the player pool features a solid mix of matchups to consider as you assemble your lineup. Let’s dive in and examine some of my top MLB DFS picks for Wednesday night’s slate.
Overall, the weather forecast looks clear for Wednesday night, with several domes and roofs helping rain stay out of the picture. Baltimore, Cincinnati and (of course) Colorado look to be the best hitting envinronments to attack. The run totals are fairly consistent across the board, with matchups providing the main advantages rather than ballparks. Even without any rain concerns, it’s always important to double-check lineups and forecasts before locking in your final roster.
Make your DraftKings MLB DFS picks here: MLB $60K Rally Cap [$20K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays, $9,700 — The Rays dropped the series opener to the Jays 10-5 on Tuesday, but Rasmussen will look to get them back on track after losing four of their last five games to start this homestand. The 31-year-old righty is 12-5 on the season and has already established a career-high in wins and strikeouts (133 in 129 1/3 innings). He has a 2.78 ERA and 0.91 WHIP on the year.
His last start was shorter since his team was up big, and he left after five innings against the Braves. He only had 13.6 FPTS in that start, but he showed his upside with three straight games of 33+ FPTS in his previous three starts. He has averaged 19.1 FPTS per start over his last 10 outings and 20.7 FPTS in his 11 starts at home this year.
This will be his fourth game against the Blue Jays, and he has allowed eight runs in 17 innings while picking up 16 strikeouts and averaging 16.6 FPTS per outing. Toronto’s lineup did mash out 10 runs in the series opener, but they are still a favorable matchup overall with the third-lowest team wOBA and second-lowest team ISO in the majors since the All-Star break.
Value
Dustin May, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Seattle Mariners, $7,800 — May has made two starts since joining the Brew Crew at the trade deadline. He earned 19.3 FPTS against the Pirates and 22.2 FPTS against the Padres in those two outings, allowing just three total runs across 13 innings with 11 strikeouts.
The Brewers have a history of getting the most out of the arms they acquire via trade, and May is a solid play under $8K as he faces the Mariners. He flashed dominant upside earlier this year with the Cardinals, earning 20+ FPTS in four straight starts and averaging 30.8 FPTS per start during that stretch.
Seattle has a solid offense overall, but they have been struggling lately, scoring just 87 runs over the last 30 days (3.3 runs per game), tied for the second-fewest runs scored in the MLB over that span. They also have a high strikeout rate as a team, which could help May post a ceiling game or counteract any runs allowed with strikeout points.
INFIELD
Stud
3B Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians vs. San Francisco Giants, $5,300 — The Guardians’ switch-hitting superstar is starting to find his form after scuffling and dealing with soreness in his hand that required surgery in mid-June to repair a hamate fracture. Ramirez went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored for 15 FPTS against the Giants on Tuesday and has gone 6-for-11 over his last three games. Even though that’s an increidbly small sample size it could be a sign that he’s starting to heat up and ready to go on a big run.
He gets a favorable matchup on Wednesday night against Giants SP Adrian Houser, who is 3-7 with a 4.28 ERA on the season. Ramirez is 2-for-4 with a double, a homer and two RBI against Houser in their past meetings. Over his last 10 games, Ramirez is hitting .323 with an average of 8.4 FPTS per game, making him a great play at just over $5,000 on Wednesday night at home against the Giants. Ramirez’ teammate Angel Genao ($2,800) is a great bargain play to stck with Ramirez on the left side of the infield as well.
Value
1B Michael Toglia, Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals, $2,300 — If you’re looking for a big-swinger at a bargain basement price, Toglia is a solid option to consider at first base. Toglia slashed .273/.373/.547 with 22 homers and 65 RBI for Triple-A Louisville this season after joining the Reds on a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.
The 28-year-old switch hitter has hit only .158 in his seven games since joining the Reds, with eight strikeouts in 19 at-bats. His high strikeout rate definitely limits his potential, but when he does connect, it typically goes far. The Reds will be facing lefty Matthew Liberatore ($6,600) on Wednesday, meaning Toglia will likely get into the lineup. He’s a boom-or-bust bargain option at barely more than the minimum salary.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies, $5,700 — Pages has been one of the Dodgers’ most consistent bats, helping to cover for some of the bigger-name players who have struggled. The 25-year-old righty has been hitting in the heart of the order for most of the season, and is hitting .273 with a .348 wOBA on the year. Over his last 13 games, he has been even hotter, hitting .320 with a .404 wOBA, three homers, two stolen bases, and an average of 8.8 FPTS per game over that stretch.
He has also averaged 10.5 FPTS per game in his 12 games against the Rockies this year, and he already had 24 FPTS in his two games in this series. On Wednesday, he’ll face Kyle Freeland ($5,000), whom he has gone 6-for-13 against in their past meetings with two doubles and two homers. He’ll be on the strong side of his splits against the lefty and offers good value and a high ceiling in Wednesday night’s matchup.
Value
Lawrence Butler, Athletics at Kansas City Royals, $3,400 — With several of the Athletics’ biggest hitters shut down for the season, Butler will likely step into a more prominent role in the heart of the order, especially against righties. The dual-threat 26-year-old lefty has had a down year overall, which is why his salary is so low, but he has shown some signs of turning things around lately.
He has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, going 9-for-30 (.300), and over his last 20 games, he has six homers, three stolen bases, and a .378 wOBA. His contact metrics have been trending up over that span as well, and he gets a good matchup on Wednesday night against Seth Lugo ($6,800), who has let lefties hit .285 with a .353 wOBA against him this year.
