The fireworks show has been going on all spring as Cal Raleigh ($5,500), Shohei Ohtani ($6,400), and Aaron Judge ($6,500) have jostled for the MLB lead in home runs. The brash display that has brought eyeballs back to baseball, as television ratings are rising for the first time in half a decade.
All of those stars will take the field in tonight’s 12-game featured slate on DraftKings, but it’d be too cost-prohibitive to take them all. Here are two pitchers, three infielders, and three outfielders I like for tonight’s contest.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $225K Knuckleball [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds vs. Milwaukee Brewers, $9,500 – Greene has had short outings in each of his last three starts, exiting early with a groin strain on May 7 and then pitching nine total innings since his activation from the injured list, but the flamethrower has still been effective. He’s given up more than two runs only twice in his 10 starts this season, and he managed to limit the damage well in his last start despite giving up seven hits (8.5 FPTS). As long as his groin is better, he should have no problem performing against a Brewers team that posted just a .662 OPS in May, the league’s fifth-worst mark, despite some heroics from 2018 MVP Christian Yelich ($4,500).
Value
Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets, $6,900 – Never mind that the Mets have had an excellent offense all season and that Kershaw, after overcoming serious injuries in each of the last five seasons, is far past his peak. But the veteran southpaw showed flashes of his former greatness in his most recent start, pitching five innings of one-run ball, and it should’ve been enough to pick up the win if not for a poor bullpen effort. His signature soap-bubble curve still mystifies batters by dropping 6.2 inches more than average, and he’s still able to induce a lot of grounders, so though New York generates plenty of hard hits, they’ll be straight to Los Angeles’ fielders. Also, give me a Dodgers team with the league’s second-best walk rate against a walk-prone right-hander in Tylor Megill ($8,300); I like Kershaw to pick up his first win of the season.
INFIELDER
Stud
Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies at Toronto Blue Jays, $5,900 – Harper isn’t a guarantee to play, as he was hit in the elbow by a pitch last Tuesday against Atlanta, but he’s stated that he hopes to be ready to go tonight. Prior to his injury, he was on a tear, having slashed .351/.405/.541 over his prior 10 games (9.1 FPTS per game), and though he only went deep once across that span, there’s no reason he wouldn’t be able to tonight. Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis ($5,700) has conceded 15 homers this season, the second-most in the MLB, and conceded a .962 OPS to lefties. Francis has effectively turned the average lefty into Ohtani with worse plate discipline, and Harper is a significantly above-average lefty.
Stud
Cal Raleigh, Seattle Mariners vs. Baltimore Orioles, $5,500 – Despite being by far the most expensive catcher on tonight’s slate, Raleigh is worth it. He was recently named co-American League Player of the Week, and he’s slashed .333/.422/.872 with seven homers and 12 RBI’s in his last 10 games, averaging 14.3 FPTS per game across that span. There’s no reason to believe he’ll slow down tonight against Tomoyuki Sugano ($6,500), who rarely induces whiffs even if he hasn’t given up many hard hits this season. Sugano is still tied for ninth in homers conceded and the Orioles also have the league’s fourth-worst bullpen. Also, while the Japanese veteran rarely issues walks, Raleigh has had nearly as many walks as strikeouts against right-handers this season.
Value
Carlos Correa, Minnesota Twins at Athletics, $3,700 – The veteran has been pretty good since returning from a concussion on May 23, as he’s slashing .286/.342/.629 with three homers over his last 10 games (8.9 FPTS per game). He’s had a solid combination of contact and power this season, ranking near the league’s top quartile in expected batting average and bat speed while posting above-average strikeout and whiff percentages and a near-median hard-hit percentage and average exit velocity. Athletics starter Osvaldo Bido ($6,000), on the other hand, been above average at basically nothing. He’s allowed four or more runs in three of his last five MLB starts — plus an additional stinker with Triple-A Las Vegas — and is backed up by the league’s worst bullpen.
OUTFIELDER
Stud
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, $6,200 – Acuña hasn’t missed a beat after returning from the torn ACL that cut his 2024 season short, and his DFS salary has already jumped by $700 since his season debut. He made his debut in dream fashion by hitting a home run on his first pitch back, and since then, he hasn’t slowed down, slashing .324/.395/.647 (10 FPTS per game). The Venezuelan should have no problems tonight against Zac Gallen ($8,000), who has given up four or more earned runs in each of his last four games. Gallen throws his fastball on nearly half of his pitches, and Acuña has slugged .647 against fastballs so far, though he’s been even better against breaking balls.
Stud
Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers at Chicago White Sox, $4,500 – Greene has been horrific against southpaws, hitting them to just a .564 OPS, but he’s been an absolute star against righties, posting a .929 OPS. Thankfully for Greene, the White Sox’s starter today is right-hander Shane Smith ($7,500), who’s given up three earned runs in limited innings in each of his last two starts. Smith has been a solid pitcher overall this season, but he very rarely induces chases, nullifying one of Greene’s weaknesses. Plus, Smith hasn’t thrown more than 91 pitches in any start this season, so Greene should have at least four innings to take advantage of Chicago’s weak bullpen, which has posted the seventh-worst ERA and allowed the sixth-most homers this season.
Value
Rob Refsnyder, Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Angels, $4,000 – Refsnyder hasn’t been incredibly productive in the runs department, but he’s had a solid season as a contact hitter, slashing .304/.379/.571 in his 22 games (seven FPTS per game). He’s also recorded nine or more FPTS each of the last three games in which he’s recorded more than three plate appearances, which he should do tonight with a southpaw taking the mound in Yusei Kikuchi ($6,700). Kikuchi is a breaking-ball specialist, but thankfully, so is Refsnyder, as he’s slugged .667 this season against breaking balls. His only weaknesses as a hitter are that he strikes out and whiffs too much, but Kikuchi is below-average in both of those categories.
