Major League Baseball is ready for another great Sunday afternoon of day baseball with 10 games on the main slate at DraftKings starting between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. ET. Only the matchup between the Reds and Cardinals is a divisional contest, providing a variety of non-traditional matchups throughout the afternoon like the Cubs visiting Yankee Stadium and the Marlins visiting Space City to take on the Astros.
With 20 teams in action on the main Sunday slate, there are lots of situations and storylines to keep track of as we approach the first pitch. In order to keep tabs on the latest availability news and player updates throughout the day, install the DK Live app and follow DK Live on Twitter (@dklive). You can also find me on Twitter (@ZT_Sports), where I’m happy to answer questions or break down my picks listed below a little further.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Live app. You also can follow DK Live on Twitter @dklive.
PITCHER
Stud
Kyle Wright, Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ($10,100) – There are several top pitchers you can pay up for, but Wright has been remarkably consistent and gets a very favorable matchup against the Pirates. Wright has over 22 DKFP in four of his past five outings and has gone 6-3 in his 11 starts. His 2.39 ERA, 2.75 FIP and 9.71 K/9 would all be career bests by a wide margin if he can continue to have so much success. He has 50 strikeouts in 44 2⁄3 innings at home and 14 strikeouts in 12 1⁄3 innings in his two daytime starts in which he has allowed just one earned run. The Pirates should be a good matchup since they rank in the bottom five in the Majors in batting average and have the second-lowest run total ahead of only the Tigers.
Other Options – Justin Verlander ($10,500), Tarik Skubal ($8,800)
Value
Jeffrey Springs, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Minnesota Twins ($7,700) – The Rays have stretched Springs out after he started in the bullpen, and he has now made seven starts. He worked his way up to 92 pitches in six strong innings in his most recent outing. He struck out five and didn’t give up a run in that game on his way to 18.7 DKFP. Springs has over 17 DKFP in four straight starts and has a 1.32 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 2.28 FIP over his five most recent outings. The Twins don’t have a deep lineup, and like Wright, Springs has been excellent at home. With a good matchup and favorable splits, both starters should deliver solid results at their price point.
Other Option – Michael Kopech ($8,100), Dakota Hudson ($7,100)
INFIELD
Stud
Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays at Detroit Tigers ($5,800) – Bichette has multiple hits in four straight games and 10 of his past 16 contests. He went 2-for-4 Saturday and in the previous 15 games, he hit .349 (11-for-63) with four home runs, a .302 ISO and a .458 wOBA. Bichette is up to a .338 wOBA on the season after his slow start and continues to hit second in the Blue Jays’ power-heavy lineup.
Stud
Josh Bell, Washington Nationals vs. Milwaukee Brewers ($4,200) – Bell has seven homers on the season and three have come in his past nine games including one on Saturday off lefty Eric Lauer. In his 11 games before that game, he had six multi-hit games while going 17-for-45 (.378) with a .222 ISO and .433 wOBA. The switch hitter has hit six of his seven home runs against right-handed pitchers like Brewers SP Jason Alexander ($6,800).
Other Options – Santiago Espinal ($4,900), Yandy Díaz ($4,100)
Value
Jake Burger, Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers ($3,600) – Burger has been feasting lately and staking his claim to be a prime feature in Chicago’s order for a while. He has three home runs in his past four games and has at least 11 DKFP in seven straight contests. He has raised his average for the season to .280 with a .248 ISO and .367 wOBA. He and the White Sox will look to bounce back from Saturday’s tough loss and salvage a series victory by beating the Rangers and Jon Gray ($7,900).
Value
Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($2,700) – Stott’s season numbers are still admittedly uninspiring, but a deeper look reveals that the 24-year-old first-round pick from 2019 has been settling in at the Major League level and is starting to offer some nice production. In his 32 games in the Majors, he’s only hitting .184, but over his past 10 contests, he’s hitting .333 (12-for-36) with four home runs and a stolen base. He and the Phillies will try to give a rude welcome back to Luke Weaver ($6,600), who is expected to be activated from the IL and make his first start since April 7.
Other Options – Danny Mendick ($3,300), Luis García ($2,800)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros vs. Miami Marlins ($5,700) – Alvarez came up empty going 0-for-3 with a walk on Saturday, but he has been red-hot since signing his extension to stay in Houston. In his previous 11 games, Alvarez had eight multi-hit performances while going 22-for-43 (.512) with five home runs, a .442 ISO and .637 wOBA. He has struggled a little with lefties, but is hitting .336 with a .479 wOBA against righties this season, so he should be in a good matchup against Edward Cabrera ($9,300), who has been very sharp but did give up a home run to left-handed hitting Luis García ($2,800) of the Nationals in his most recent start.
Stud
Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins ($4,900) – Arozarena checks in just below the elite tier of OF in terms of salary but still brings elite upside with his multi-dimensional ways of producing fantasy points. Arozarena went 2-for-4 Saturday and has at least 8.0 DKFP in three of his past four games. Over his past 10 games, he has averaged 11.5 DKFP per contest thanks to going 12-for-40 (.300) with three homers and three stolen bases. With a great matchup highlighted in stacks below, Arozarena is a nice way to save salary but still get a high ceiling on Sunday afternoon.
Other Options – Aaron Judge ($6,100), Adolis García ($4,200)
Value
Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ($3,100) – Harris has settled into an everyday role with the Braves, and the 21-year-old has shown he can hit enough to make his plus defense an overall win. In his 14 games in the Majors, he has gone 15-for-51 (.294) with a pair of stolen bases, a .137 ISO and a .327 wOBA. He did provide a little power with five home runs in 43 games at Double-A before being called up, so the upside for more power is there as he adjusts to his new level. For now, he’s a solid affordable play in good matchups like this one against José Quintana ($7,500) and benefits from the boost of playing in a strong lineup.
Value
Victor Reyes, Detroit Tigers vs. Toronto Blue Jays ($2,700) – Most of the Tigers are a little priced up for their matchup with Ross Stripling ($6,900), but Reyes remains very affordable since he was just activated from the IL on Saturday. He jumped right back into the leadoff role for Detroit and went 3-for-4 for 13 DKFP. Before his time on the shelf due to a quad injury, he hit .292 (7-for-24) with two doubles, a triple and a .349 wOBA. While he may not be able to maintain that level of production all season, he does bring lots of upside if he’s back in the leadoff spot at this salary under $3K on Sunday.
Other Options – Hunter Renfroe ($3,700), Andrew McCutchen ($3,100)
TEAMS TO STACK
New York Yankees vs. Chicago Cubs – The Yankees continue to put up great offensive numbers across the board especially when playing at home and especially in power categories. Coming into Saturday night’s matchup, they already led the Majors with 88 home runs in 55 games and swatted six more in their win on Saturday night. On Sunday afternoon, they’ll look to keep rolling against Kyle Hendricks ($7,300), who will be pitching on 12 days of rest since he was dealing with some shoulder fatigue. Before missing his turn, he allowed 14 runs in 14 innings over his three most recent starts while surrendering five home runs. On the season, he has allowed lefties to hit nine home runs and post a .406 wOBA. He has also struggled on the road, so the Yankees should be able to get to him in this contest. The usual suspects of Aaron Judge ($6,100), Giancarlo Stanton ($5,300) and DJ LeMahieu ($5,000) are strong plays while lefties Anthony Rizzo ($5,500), Matt Carpenter ($3,900) and Joey Gallo ($3,800) get a boost from the specific matchup.
Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins – I actually like Cole Sands ($5,300) due to his potential as a prospect, but he doesn’t look ready for the Majors at this point. The Twins will have to give him another start, though, since Joe Ryan (illness) and Josh Winder (shoulder) are still not ready to return from their time on the IL. In his four games, the 24-year-old righty has allowed 11 runs in 11 2⁄3 innings while surrendering 17 hits and four home runs. Three of those four home runs have been given up to right-handed batters, who have a .516 wOBA against him. Kevin Kiermaier ($3,300) has been hitting leadoff and offers value, but righties Randy Arozarena (highlighted above), Manuel Margot ($4,300) and Yandy Díaz ($4,100) are in a better matchup based on the splits. You can also check out Taylor Walls ($2,500), Brett Phillips ($2,600) and even speedy Vidal Bruján ($2,200) if you need a bargain option.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K 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 do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. 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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