There are eight games taking place across today’s Monday MLB slate. The Philadelphia Phillies will host the San Diego Padres at 6:35 p.m. ET to get the action started, with games taking place all throughout the night before a pair of games close down the action at 9:40 p.m. ET between the Giants and Diamondbacks as well as the Mariners and Royals. One of the more unique ways to get in on the action, and one of the newest features on DraftKings this year is Pick6 Fantasy Baseball!
This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for today’s action, 6/30/25. You simply choose whether each set statistic will be more or less than the set number. With the stage set, here are my favorite picks on tonight’s MLB slate.
Trea Turner More Than 1.5 Total Bases
Trea Turner went 0-for-7 on the weekend, which was a rare blemish on a strong streak of production. The three-time All-Star is slashing .296/.348/.456 on the season, with his 16.5% strikeout rate marking his lowest since 2020. He leads the National League with 100 hits tallied and has notched at least one hit in 15 of his past 23 games. Turner has tallied more than 1.5 total bases in 34 games this season, including six of his past 14.
The Phillies will return home tonight and face the Padres with Matt Waldron on the mound. This will mark the 2025 debut for the 27-year-old. Waldron pitched 146.2 innings in 2024 and allowed 70 hits to right-handed hitters. Turner has posted similar splits against right and left-handed pitchers, with him hitting .292 against righties as well as .286 at home. Look for him to capitalize on the lack of experience of Waldron and snap the 0-7 streak at the plate from the weekend. Turner has not gone more than two consecutive games without logging a hit all season, and expect him to snap out of things tonight. Count on him to tally more than 1.5 total bases and lead the offensive charge for this Phillies team.
Max Kepler More Than 0.5 RBIs
The lone offseason bat the Phillies brought in during free agency was Max Kepler. The former Twins standout has had his early ups and downs and has been vocal in recent days with his frustrations over playing in a platoon role. To his credit, the production has grown from Kepler, with his power numbers especially shining in recent games. Across the season overall, Kepler is slashing .207/.302/.374 with nine home runs and 28 RBIs.
While this will be his first start this season, Matt Waldron has been vulnerable to giving up home runs in the past. Last season, he conceded 1.34 home runs per nine innings to left-handed hitters and produced an overall hard-hit percentage of 34.7%. He relies primarily on his off-speed pitches for success, with a heavy usage on his knuckleball. One misplaced location on this style of pitch creates a clear path for a home run and gives Kepler a chance at putting one over the fence tonight. To be a bit safer, I am backing Kepler to record more than 0.5 runs batted in with the hitters in front of him providing plenty of chances for RBIs in recent games. Expect Kepler to welcome this matchup and back up his veiled shots for lack of opportunity.
Carlos Rodon More Than 5.5 Strikeouts
The New York Yankees will travel to face the Toronto Blue Jays with Carlos Rodon on the mound tonight. The 32-year-old enters with a 2.92 ERA and with 119 strikeouts logged across his first 101.2 innings pitched. He has tallied more than 5.5 strikeouts in 11 of the 17 games he has started this season, including six of his eight starts on the road. Rodon has not had fewer than four strikeouts in a start all season.
The Blue Jays enter this matchup with the fewest strikeouts tallied on the season as a team. But Rodon has had success in the past, recording eight strikeouts in each of his past two matchups with Toronto and striking out 46 batters over 37.2 innings pitched against them in his career. Rodon is sixth in the MLB in strikeouts and third in the American League. Toronto has not been as effective in limiting strikeouts lately, as they are coming off back-to-back games with seven strikeouts against the Red Sox and tallied 23 total strikeouts in the previous series against the Guardians. Count on Rodon imposing himself in this game and looking as locked in as he has been all season. The Blue Jays’ lack of strikeouts has made this number creep down, and it feels like a perfect spot to capitalize.
Jacob Lopez More Than 4.5 Strikeouts
The Athletics will open up a series against the Tampa Bay Rays tonight with Jacob Lopez getting the start. There will be some added juice to the matchup as the 27-year-old is facing his former team. Lopez has thrown just 43.0 total innings this year and enters with a 3.56 ERA. The left-hander started the season in a bullpen role but has shifted into the starting rotation and had some success. Lopez has tallied more than 4.5 strikeouts in five of his last six appearances.
The Rays are coming off a 10-strikeout performance in their loss on Sunday to the Orioles. They rank 14th in the league in strikeouts overall. Lopez is currently averaging a career-high 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings and has gone 6.0 innings or deeper in his last three starts. In his most recent start, he went 7.0 innings, allowing just three hits, no runs, and six strikeouts. Lopez has tallied nine strikeouts in three of his past five starts. Whether this is sustainable success is to be determined, but Lopez is playing at a high level, and I am backing this to continue against his former team tonight. Count on the left-hander playing with a chip on his shoulder and sitting down at least five hitters tonight.
Yandy Diaz More Than 1.5 Total Bases
One former teammate whom Lopez must be mindful of is Yandy Diaz. The 33-year-old is slashing .291/.346/.472 on the season with a hard-hit rate of 55% and barrel percentage of 10.4%. For the success that Lopez has had, he has struggled more against right-handed hitters who are posting a .412 slugging percentage and .335 wOBA against him. Diaz has three home runs in the past nine games and will benefit from tonight’s matchup being played in the Triple-A ballpark.
Looking beyond Diaz, the Athletics’ bullpen is giving up 1.33 home runs per nine innings, the eighth-worst rate, and has allowed the seventh-worst barrel rate across the past 30 days. Diaz has been red-hot at the plate, tallying two or more hits in 13 of his past 19 games. He has tallied 56 total bases across this stretch with a 1.229 OPS. It will be hitting weather tonight, and count on Diaz remaining hot by tallying more than 1.5 total bases tonight.
Vinnie Pasquantino Less Than 0.5 Runs Batted In
In one of the final matchups of the night, the Mariners will host the Royals with George Kirby on the bump. The 27-year-old has struggled this year, entering with a career-worst 5.40 ERA across his first seven starts. Kirby has especially struggled when facing left-handed hitters and is currently allowing 2.84 home runs per nine innings to lefties, as well as a 42.1% hard hit rate and 9.3% barrel percentage. These each mark the worst rates of his career.
Enter Vinnie Pasquantino as a Royals player in a strong position to capitalize on this friendly matchup. The first baseman and designated hitter enters with slash marks of .270/.330/.417 on he season with 11 of his 12 home runs coming against right-handed pitching. This .473 slugging percentage against right-handers is encouraging and puts him in play for putting one over the fence tonight. But this game will be played in one of the most difficult home run parks in the MLB, and I am backing Pasquantino to record an RBI instead. He has 47 RBIs on the season and is coming off a five-RBI eruption on Saturday. Count on him to take advantage of Kirby’s struggles and deliver with an RBI tonight.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2+ players and select whether or not you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you can not pick the same player twice and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
Sweat Your Picks
When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
Compete for Prizes
Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.
Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!
