Major League Baseball has a two-game slate on Monday night, with the focus shifting from the National League to the American League, with two more Game 2’s on the schedule. The first pitch is at 5:00 p.m. ET in Cleveland, with the Yankees and Rays finishing out the slate at The Trop, with first pitch for that game at 8:00 p.m. ET. Even with just two games on the slate, it’s important to find the right MLB DFS value picks. The right bargains can provide production at their low salary, while also enabling you to spend more on superstar options across the rest of your lineup.
To help you as you search through the bargain bin, check out these three MLB DFS value picks in this post, who bring big upside despite their small salaries:
- SP Sean Burke, Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians, $7,000: Burke went 4-1 in his last five regular season starts, with 19+ FPTS in four of those five outings. He had 16.6 FPTS in the Wild Card Series vs. Hou, showing excellent swing-and-miss stuff.
- OF Jonny DeLuca, Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees, $3,200: In the last 20 games of the regular season, DeLuca hit .281 (18-for-64) with four doubles, three stolen bases and a pair of home runs. He brings power and speed upside at this bargain salary for the Rays despite a tough matchup.
- SS George Lombard Jr., New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays, $2,700: Lombard is averaging 9.9 FPTS over his last 14 games dating back to the regular season, hitting hit .283 with two doubles, a stolen base, and four home runs in his last 11 regular-season games backed up by a 40% hard-hit rate, and 14.3% barrel rate.
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Top MLB DFS Value Plays
SP Sean Burke, Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians, $7,000
Burke will serve as the White Sox bulk reliever on Monday night after Anthony Kay ($4,000) opens the game. Burke had a strong finish to the regular season and a good outing in the Wild Card Series, where he and the White Sox went on the road and swept the Astros. They’ll look to make it four straight road wins to start the postseason, after winning on Saturday in Cleveland, 3-0.
Burke had 16.6 FPTS in his Game 2 start against the Astros, striking out eight in four innings but also giving up three solo home runs. He didn’t get a decision in that game, but showed that his stuff is still sharp by generating 14 whiffs on 72 pitches.
Down the stretch, Burke went 4-1 in his last five starts, allowing one or zero earned runs in four of those five outings. He faced the Guardians in one of those starts, working five innings and allowing one unearned run on four hits with four strikeouts for 19.6 FPTS. In 17 1/3 innings against the Guardians this year, he racked up 21 strikeouts and posted a 1.04 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. His success in the matchup and recent form make him the top pitcher in today’s MLB DFS Value Picks.
OF Jonny DeLuca, Tampa Bay Rays vs. New York Yankees, $3,200
DeLuca started Game 1 in center field for the Rays but went 0-for-3 with a strikeout in the low-scoring 1-0 contest. While he came up empty in that game, the 28-year-old righty was very productive down the stretch for the Rays and should remain a fixture in the batting order throughout their playoff run.
In the last 20 games of the regular season, DeLuca hit .281 (18-for-64) with four doubles, three stolen bases and a pair of home runs. He had a .333 wOBA over that stretch and a 33.3% hard-hit rate. He’s one of the biggest stolen base threats in the Rays lineup and brings a little pop as well. He’s 1-for-3 with a walk against Yankees Ace Cam Schlittler ($10,200), and he’ll try to help his Rays secure a 2-0 series by taking down Schlittler on Monday night.
SS George Lombard Jr., New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays, $2,700
On the other side of that matchup, another young player who contributed good numbers down the stretch is George Lombard Jr. of the Yankees, who comes at a very affordable salary of just $2,700. The 21-year-old joined the team in early August and has settled in quickly at the MLB level.
Over his last 11 regular-season games, Lombard hit .283 (13-for-46) with two doubles, a stolen base, and four home runs. He posted a .376 wOBA, 40% hard-hit rate, and 14.3% barrel rate. In the playoffs, he is 4-for-11 with a total of 20 FPTS. He has 7+ FPTS in four of his last six games and is averaging 9.9 FPTS over his last 14 games dating back to the regular season. He makes a lot of sense in Monday’s MLB DFS Value Picks if you can go cheap at SS to pay up for sluggers in other spots.
