This slate is going to be interesting.
It’s an early 1:10 p.m. ET lock. It’s just four games. And, to top it all off, there’s rain expected in Minnesota, so that contest between the White Sox and the Twins might get rained out.
Let’s dive into the madness and find some DFS picks.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals vs. Colorado Rockies, $9,800 – You have a choice to make at the very top of this slate. You can either go with Ragans or Garrett Crochet ($10,300). If it were me, I’d save the $500 and go with the former. Ragans has looked better than he ever has to begin 2025, maintaining a 2.23 xERA and a 1.80 FIP across his first five starts of the season. The key? The left-hander has struck out 42 opponents in 27.2 innings of work. That’s a 36.8% strikeout rate that is the third-highest qualified mark in baseball at the moment. Meanwhile, the Rockies own the league’s highest strikeout rate on the road at a whopping 31.0%. They also sport a league-low 47 wRC+ within the split.
INFIELD
Stud
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals vs. Colorado Rockies, $6,000 – Witt isn’t having quite the same offensive impact as he had a season ago, but the All-Star remains one of the bets shortstops in all of baseball. In 105 plate appearances in 2025, Witt is slashing .308/.381/.473 with a .394 expected wOBA. Witt’s also stolen seven bases and comes into this contest against German Marquez ($5,500) riding a 14-game hitting streak. I’d expect that’ll get to 15 games at some point this afternoon, as Marquez is allowing opposing RHBs to bat .361. It’s not a Coors thing, either. Marquez has made each of his past two starts on the road and he’s conceded 12 earned runs in only 5.1 innings. Woof.
Value
Luke Keaschall, Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox, $3,500 – According to MLB Pipeline, Keaschall is the Twins’ third-best prospect and the 57th-best prospect in all of baseball. He’s only played in five games since making his MLB debut last week, but it’s not that difficult to see the pedigree. The 22-year-old is slashing .353/.500/.529 with five stolen bases in his 22 plate appearances. Obviously that’s a very small sample, yet Keaschall is also dirt cheap and batting in the three-spot for Minnesota on Thursday. Shane Smith ($6,000) has been a nice story for the White Sox. However, a 4.68 SIERA suggests that Smith isn’t anything to fear. Feel free to try and save with some Twins’ bats.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox vs. Seattle Mariners, $5,100 – It was a slow beginning to the season for Duran, but things have certainly picked up in the All-Star’s past eight games. Dating back to April 15, the day that Duran hit his first home run of 2025, the outfielder is slashing .294/.368/.529 with a 154 wRC+. Needless to say, the 28-year-old is red-hot and appears to have found his stroke. On Thursday, Duran will draw an opposite-hand matchup against Bryan Woo ($7,900). Seattle’s young RHP is having a strong start to his third MLB campaign, though he’s once again been much better at home than on the road — a trend we’ve seen throughout his career. To wit, Woo owns a 1.38 ERA at T-Mobile Park and a 4.85 ERA everywhere else.
Value
Andrew Benintendi, Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins, $4,000 – As you can imagine, there isn’t much to get excited about when discussing the White Sox’s lineup. However, Benintendi has carried over the power swing that saw him match a career-high with 20 home runs in 2024. The veteran outfielder has been slightly slowed by injury, but in his 52 plate appearances against RHPs this season, Benintendi has managed a .785 OPS and a 128 wRC+. This is all very important when combined with the fact that Chris Paddack ($7,000) is starting for the Twins on Thursday. Paddack comes into this afternoon’s tilt with a 7.27 ERA and surrendering 2.08 opponent home runs per nine.
