On Monday, Major League Baseball starts the week with a solid nine-game slate that is scheduled to begin at 6:40 p.m. ET with games in Cleveland and Pittsburgh. With 18 teams in the player pool, there are plenty of options that make lots of sense to include in your roster builds for Monday night. As you build your lineup, you may need to find a few bargain plays to round out your roster. In this post, I’ll highlight my top three bargain plays for Monday’s massive hefty nine-game slate of MLB DFS action.
As always, be sure to double-check weather conditions and lineups before the first pitch. The Midwest has some rain around Cleveland and Pittsburgh, but the rest of the night looks relatively clear. Be sure to check the latest before game time and also double-check lineups as they come out to be sure your bargain plays are in the lineup in spots that give them good upside.
As you make out your lineup card for this Monday night, be sure to check out the full range of MLB coverage from the team at DKNetwork, since these bargain values are just one piece of the MLB DFS picture to consider.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $225K Knuckleball [$50K to 1st]
SP Eury Perez, Miami Marlins at Pittsburgh Pirats, $7,000
As long as the weather cooperates, Eury Perez is set to make his first MLB start since 2023 after his long road back from Tommy John surgery. Perez pitched 19 games in 2023, going 5-6 with a 3.15 ERA, 4.11 FIP and 10.7 K/9.
Even after missing over a full year, he’s still only 22 years old as he returns to action. He has looked outstanding during his rehab work, going 1-1 in eight minor league games with a 1.99 ERA, 3.73 FIP and 27 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings.
In his three starts at Triple-A, he gave up just three earned runs over 12 2/3 innings and totaled 15 strikeouts for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Perez was one of the top prospects for the Marlins and is now back on track after his injury. In his first start back, Perez will bring some extra risk, but he also has a very high ceiling and lots of punchout potential.
One thing that boosts his upside even further is that he’ll be facing the Pirates, who have the fourth-lowest batting average and wOBA in the majors and have averaged just 3.1 runs per game on the year. They also have the fifth-highest K% in the majors, so Perez should get plenty of strikeouts.
OF Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels vs. Athletics, $3,200
Adell was a top prospect but has taken some time to find consistency at the MLB level. He has played parts of the last six seasons for the Angels and has proven that he can be one of the streakiest performers in the entire league. When he’s on a heater, though, he still has huge upside, and right now, he’s running hot as the Angels host the Athletics to start their AL West matchup this week.
On the season, Adell is hitting .220 with a .326 wOBA, but he homered twice on Saturday to boost his hard-hit rate to 46.8% and his barrel rate to 13.5%, which would both be career highs. Over his last 11 games before Sunday’s 0-for-3, he went 13-for-34 (.382) with two doubles, five homers, a 50% hard-hit rate and a 17.9% barrel rate.
Adell will look to stay hot against lefty Jeffrey Springs ($6,800) on Monday, who has allowed 11 homers in 13 games while posting a 4.66 ERA, 4.90 FIP and 1.34 WHIP.
1B Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Cincinnati Reds at Cleveland Guardians, $3,000
Encarnacion-Strand is another big-name prospect who’s yet to stick in the majors, but he could be starting to find his groove and deliver on his potential. He missed six weeks with lower back inflammation but has been hot since re-joining the team over the weekend.
CES went 9-for-57 (.158) in his 15 games before landing on the injured list, but he has been much better now that his back is right. In his 12 games on his rehab assignment, he went 14-for-44 (.318) with six doubles, a triple, two homers and a .449 wOBA.
In his three games since returning, he went 7-for-14 with a double, three home runs, six RBI, and helped power the Reds to a three-game home sweep of the Dbacks. The Reds have been desperate for an offensive spark, and Encarnacion-Strand provided that over the weekend. He’ll look to keep it going on Monday against Luis Ortiz ($7,500) and the Guardians in an all-Buckeye State matchup on Monday’s MLB DFS slate.
