All 30 MLB teams are in action Monday night with the All-Star Game now behind us and the home stretch of the season arriving. The action will kick off with a matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland Guardians at 6:40 p.m. ET and build up to a 10:10 p.m. ET showdown between the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels.
There are plenty of ways to get in on the action on DraftKings. One of the more unique ways to play this year is with Pick6 Fantasy Baseball!
Let’s take a look at my top Pick6 plays for Monday’s action. You simply choose whether each set statistic will be more or less than the set number. With the stage set, here are my top picks on Monday’s MLB slate.
Bryce Harper More Than 1.5 Total Bases
The Philadelphia Phillies will open up a series against the Los Angeles Dodgers Monday night with Emmet Sheehan on the mound. It has been a tough season for Sheehan, who enters with a 4.81 ERA overall and 5.05 ERA on the road. While his splits are fairly equal, left-handed hitters have had a bit more success with their power numbers against the Dodgers’ starter. Lefties are slashing .246/.305.486 with nine home runs and 15 doubles against Sheehan in 2026.
Enter Bryce Harper, who is slashing .258/.363/.490 with an .854 OPS on the season. Harper has fared much better facing right-handed pitching this season, slashing .284/.388/.596 with 17 home runs and 15 doubles against them. He is averaging 2.6 combined hits, runs, and RBIs per game against right-handed pitchers this season, and has five hits across his past five games. This is an important matchup for the Phillies, and Harper should set the tone by recording more than 1.5 total bases in this favorable matchup.
Cristopher Sanchez More Than 6.5 Strikeouts
Cristopher Sanchez will take the mound for the Phillies Monday night, eager to get back on track after allowing three runs as the All-Star Game starter. But the season’s larger sample size should carry more weight than this unique exhibition, and Sanchez has been elite all year. The 29-year-old enters Monday’s matchup with an MLB-best 5.1 bWAR, a 2.62 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and 144 strikeouts over 127.1 innings. He has tallied more than 6.5 strikeouts in 13 of his 20 starts and recorded double-digit K’s in four games.
Sanchez has not faced the Dodgers yet this season, but has tallied 119 at-bats against several members of their lineup throughout his career. He has notched 30 strikeouts to 29 hits allowed, including 10 punchouts in 22 at-bats against Shohei Ohtani. The Phillies are firmly in the NL East race, and this is an important matchup against the back-to-back World Series champions. Expect Sanchez to rise to the occasion and bring his best effort on the mound, recording more than 6.5 strikeouts in the process.
Payton Tolle More Than 6.5 Strikeouts
Payton Tolle will get the start for the Red Sox on Monday as they face off with the Baltimore Orioles. He has made 15 starts so far this season and enters with a 3.11 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and 87 strikeouts across 84 innings pitched. Tolle has tallied more than 6.5 strikeouts in six starts this season and increased his strikeout rate to an impressive 25.5%. Tolle is also posting a 29% K-rate against right-handed hitters, and there should be seven right-handed bats in the Orioles lineup Monday night.
This is a friendly matchup for Tolle to tally strikeouts, with Baltimore ranking third in MLB in strikeout rate. The bottom seven hitters in the Orioles lineup each have strikeout rates of 24% or higher. Tolle faced this Orioles lineup on June 3, and threw six scoreless innings with five K’s. He has continued to perform at a high level since this point and should record more than 6.5 punchouts on Monday.
Riley Greene More than 2.5 Hits, Runs, & RBIs
It has been a strong season for Riley Greene, who earned his third All-Star appearance. The 25-year-old is slashing .286/.379/.467 on the season with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs. Greene is posting a 1.000 OPS since the All-Star break and has 22 hits across his past 22 games.
Jameson Taillon will be on the mound for the Cubs, and this will be his first start since June 7. Taillon is saddled with a 5.19 ERA on the season and has given up 20 home runs in 13 starts. He has allowed at least one homer in 10 outings. Green is just 1-for-8 against Taillon in his career, although that lone hit was a home run. The Tigers’ star has especially shined against right-handed pitching, and this is a great chance to add to this. Green is posting a .886 OPS against right-handed pitching, with 12 of his 14 home runs coming in this matchup. While a home run seems completely on the table, I am backing Greene to record more than 2.5 combined hits, runs, and RBIs for some additional flexibility in how he can accomplish this. Trust the Tigers’ star to remain hot and capitalize on this vulnerable matchup.
James Wood More Than 1.5 Total Bases
It has been a stellar season for James Wood, who has climbed up the list of most formidable sluggers in the league. The Nationals star is up to 28 home runs, 23 doubles, and 66 RBIs on the season with a .957 OPS, fourth-best in the majors. Wood has recorded more than 1.5 total bases in 53 of his 100 games played this season.
This is a great chance to add to this tally, as Kyle Freeland will get the start for the Rockies. Freeland enters with an MLB-worst 7.36 ERA (min. 80 IP) and has allowed 18 home runs in 17 appearances. Colorado is 6-12 with him on the mound, and his ERA has ballooned to 8.46 since returning from the IL in late April. Wood has been excellent all season and should capitalize on this matchup by recording more than 1.5 total bases on Monday.
Ketel Marte More Than 1.5 Total Bases
The Arizona Diamondbacks will open up a series against the Athletics Monday night with the struggling Jeffrey Springs on the hill. He enters this matchup with a 6.08 ERA and an MLB-worst nine losses and 26 home runs allowed. He’s served up at least one homer in 10 straight starts, while surrendering six earned runs in four of his last five.
Ketel Marte is a prime candidate to do some damage against the beleaguered starter. The three-time All-Star is hitting .258 with a .768 OPS, 17 home runs, and 56 RBIs. Marte has been especially sharp against left-handed pitching, posting a .299 batting average and .933 OPS with seven home runs in just 107 plate appearances. Marte is hitting .308 since the All-Star break and should jump all over this favorable pitching matchup for more than 2.5 hits, runs, and RBIs.
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 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 cannot pick the same player twice and 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!
