Major League Baseball has another busy Wednesday night ahead with eight matchups on DraftKings’ main slate, which gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. Half of the eight games on tap are divisional matchups while the other four feature interleague games. Most of these teams are wrapping up their series before a light schedule on Thursday.
With 16 teams in action, there are lots of matchups and angles to consider. Based on form, matchup and expected opportunity, I’ve selected my favorite value plays and studs at each position. Make sure to stay locked in to @DKLive on Twitter throughout the day and check the latest news in the DK Live app for any breaking news that may impact your roster.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $250K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
Starting Pitcher
Stud
Kenta Maeda, MIN at MIL, $9,100 — The Twins have gotten good starts from Maeda so far in his first season in Minnesota. He is 2-0 with a 2.65 ERA and had over 20 DKFP in each of his first two outings, which were divisional wins over Chicago and Cleveland. He took a no-decision and only had 13.1 DKFP in his most recent start against the Pirates but all the damage was done in one inning on a three-run homer by Gregory Polanco. Aside from that one mistake, he was good once again and I think he’ll be able to help the Twins get a road win in Milwaukee in the rubber game of their three-game series.
Other Options — Zack Greinke ($10,300), Blake Snell ($9,400)
Value
Masahiro Tanaka, NYY vs. ATL, $7,600 — Tanaka is still building up to his full workload after a scary Summer Camp injury, but he looked very sharp in his most recent outing. Despite going five shutout innings allowing no walks, no runs and just one hit, Tanaka is still looking for his first win of the season after the Yankees didn’t give him any run support against the Rays. Tanaka still had a solid 20.7 DKFP thanks to his five strikeouts, and looks to be rounding into form nicely. He faces the Braves at Yankees Stadium in this matchup, and Tanaka thrived at home last season even though the park is known as being hitter-friendly.
Other Option — Taijuan Walker ($6,800), Zach Eflin ($6,400)
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Catcher
Stud
J.T. Realmuto, PHI vs. BAL, $5,100 — The Phillies haven’t gotten a great start to the season and had to miss games after playing the Marlins. However, Realmuto has been a bright spot in their offense, going 11-for-39 (.282) with five home runs and 12 RBI, all of which have come in his past 10 games. Realmuto has hit two of his long balls off of lefties like Wade LeBlanc ($6,100), who he’ll face today, and the 29-year-old backstop has gone 5-for-11 (.455) against lefties this year after hitting .276 against them last season with an .847 OPS. Realmuto is an expensive option at catcher but has brought his power game so far this season, making him worth a look in this matchup, especially against a left-handed starter.
Other Options — Mitch Garver ($4,900), Pedro Severino ($3,900)
Value
Wilson Ramos, NYM vs. WAS, $3,100 — Ramos is an affordable option as he continues his series against his former team, the Nationals. He is only hitting .192 on the season but does have a little bit of pop still in his bat as he showed with a double and a home run over his past seven contests. He has a good history against Nationals starter Anibal Sánchez ($7,900), having gone 8-for-22 (.364) against him in the past with a pair of doubles.
Other Options — Francisco Mejía ($3,300), Martín Maldonado ($3,300)
First Base
Stud
Renato Núñez, BAL at PHI, $4,300 — While there are lots of more well-known and more expensive plays at 1B, don’t overlook the red-hot Núñez just because he plays for the Orioles. Núñez has gone 14-for-36 (.389) over his past 10 games with two doubles, five home runs, 10 RBI and an average of 13.7 DKFP per game. He has at least 19 DKFP in three of his past four games and has hit safely in five straight starts.
Other Options — Freddie Freeman ($4,900), Luke Voit ($4,400)
Value
Rhys Hoskins, PHI vs. BAL, $3,800 — Hoskins has been locked in as the No. 2 hitter for the Phillies throughout the start of the season and has seemed to settle into a nice groove lately with at least 9.0 DKFP in three straight contests. He is still looking for his first homer of the year but has thrived against left-handed pitchers over the past few seasons. Last year, he hit nine of his 29 homers against southpaws with an impressive .980 OPS and has gone 3-for-10 with a .963 OPS against lefties in his limited at-bats this year.
Other Options — Ty France ($3,600), Michael Chavis ($2,700)
Second Base
Stud
Nick Solak, TEX vs. SEA, $4,300 — Solak has posted three straight multi-hit games, going 7-for-13 with two doubles, four runs scored, a stolen base and three RBI over that three-game stretch. He seems to be adjusting well to the Rangers’ new home, going 11-for-30 (.367) with a .858 OPS at Globe Life Park in Arlington.
Other Option — Rougned Odor ($4,600), Brandon Lowe ($4,400)
Value
Starlin Castro, WAS at NYM, $3,600 — Castro has been in the middle of the Nationals’ order for much of the season and has posted a solid 15-for-52 (.288) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and a .757 OPS. Castro and the Nats will get a good matchup against Mets’ starting pitcher Walker Lockett ($6,500), who has a 8.84 ERA in 37 and two thirds innings in the Majors to this point in this career.
Other Options — Mike Brosseau ($3,200), Jurickson Profar ($3,100)
Third Base
Stud
Alex Bregman, HOU vs. SF, $5,700 — Bregman has been heating up lately and has gone 11-41 (.268) with four doubles and three home runs over his past 10 games for a robust average of 9.6 DKFP per contest. He started slow but has quickly come around and returned to top-shelf production. He and the rest of the Astros are likely to be a popular and productive slate against Trevor Cahill ($5,700), who will start for the Giants from their taxi squad.
Other Options — Gio Urshela ($4,800), Manny Machado ($4,200)
Value
Rio Ruiz, BAL at PHI, $3,500 — Ruiz is another hitter for the Orioles who is off to a strong start to the year. He has at least 4.0 DKFP in nine of his past 10 games and has averaged 10.4 DKFP over that stretch with a .286 average and three home runs over that stretch. He will take on Eflin, who let lefties like Ruiz go 4-for-6 against him in his first start of the season and hit .258 with an .859 OPS against him last year. Ruiz’s rebuilt swing has been paying off so far this season, and he’ll look to keep mashing at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday night.
Other Option — Asdrúbal Cabrera ($3,800), Phil Gosselin ($3,300)
Shortstop
Stud
Fernando Tatis Jr., SD at LAD, $5,500 — Just a quick reminder: Tatis is only 21 years old. Another reminder: he’s crushing it so far this season and rolls into his matchup with Julio Urías ($9,700) hitting .333 on the season with eight home runs and five stolen bases. Six of those home runs have come in his past eight games, and he has averaged 16.4 DKFP per contest over that stretch. He is one of the brightest rising stars in all of baseball and can be slotted in as your stud at SS on almost any slate containing the Padres.
Other Options — Trea Turner ($4,800), Carlos Correa ($4,500)
Value
Andrés Giménez, NYM vs. WAS, $2,600 — The Mets have been showcasing a 21-year-old of their own in rookie sensation Giménez, who has hit .293 in his 17 games this season and stolen three bases. He doesn’t have a ton of power but makes solid contact and brings upside due to his work on the bases. If he continues to fill in for the injured Robinson Canó and gets on base, he’ll have potential to be a great option at a super-cheap salary against the Nats in this one.
Other Option — J.P. Crawford ($3,900), Adeiny Hechavarría ($3,200)
Outfield
Stud
Juan Soto, WAS at NYM, $5,000 — Soto has averaged 11.8 DKFP in his five games since getting a late start to the season due to testing positive for COVID-19 immediately prior to the Nationals’ Opening Day game. Soto has gone 7-for-19 (.368) with a pair of home runs. He gets another good matchup tonight at Citi Field, where he went 14-for-35 (.400) last season with four home runs, more than he hit in any other road park. Lockett specifically has been beaten up by left-handed hitters like Soto, allowing them to hit .413 against him with four home runs and a 1.139 OPS in his 13 MLB appearances.
Other Options — Nelson Cruz ($5,400), Michael Brantley ($4,500)
Value
Byron Buxton, MIN at MIL, $3,300 — Buxton has been limited by injury often through his career but seems to be fully healthy and ready to contribute for the Twins. He picked up three more hits last night and added his first stolen base or the season. He has gone 10-for-27 (.370) with a double, three home runs and a stolen base over his past eight contests. While he hasn’t faced Eric Lauer ($6,500) in his career, Buxton does have a good track record against southpaws, hitting .317 against lefties last season with six doubles, three home runs and a .923 OPS.
Other Options — Kyle Lewis ($4,100), Wil Myers ($3,200) Kevin Pillar ($2,600)
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $250K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Z.Thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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