This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
All 30 teams are in action Tuesday, with only one game starting off before 7:05 pm ET. That leaves us with a 14-game main slate. In addition to the wide range of options available, the other unique thing about Tuesday is the trade deadline. There are likely to be a number of deals agreed to before 6:00 pm ET, watering down some lineups and potentially shifting the list of starters. With that in mind, make sure to monitor the news before locking in lineups at first pitch.
Pitchers
We have four seemingly elite pitchers available Tuesday, but the standout option is Spencer Strider ($12,500). He faces a tough and recently bolstered Angels' lineup but has fared well in recent starts both at Boston and Tampa Bay. Due to his price, he's best fit for cash games, but he's a good bet for 26-28 DK points.
Zac Gallen ($10,500) has been on a bit of a downward trend in recent outings, but he's a good tournament option among the elite arms. He draws a matchup against the Giants, a slightly above-average lineup but one that strikes outs at a 25 percent clip against right-handed pitching – the fourth-highest rate in the league.
The right move has been staying away from Lance Lynn ($7,900) for basically the entire season. It's unrealistic to believe the Dodgers have fixed his issues in the few days since they acquired him, but he already has some positives in place. For example, he owns the fourth-highest strikeout rate of pitchers taking the mound Tuesday, ahead of the aforementioned Gallen. The problem has been Lynn's ability to keep the ball in the yard (2.1 HR/9), but a matchup against the Athletics should help in that regard.
Andrew Heaney ($6,600) is a decent punt option. The White Sox could be one of the teams that trade away some bats before the trade deadline. Even if that doesn't happen, Heaney has a similar profile to Lynn in that he has a relatively high strikeout rate (23.5%) and has also struggled with homers (1.7 HR/9).
Top Bats
Juan Soto ($6,300) has been heating up at the plate and there's little reason to believe that won't continue Tuesday. He gets the benefit of the hitting environment at Coors Field and a matchup against the unimposing Peter Lambert.
The White Sox are throwing a bullpen game against the Rangers, a bullpen that has already been gutted at the trade deadline. That makes the entire lineup appealing, but we'll focus on Adolis Garcia ($5,500) in this section.
Value Hitters
We highlighted Michael Toglia ($2,700) on Monday and we'll go back to him again Tuesday. Ryan Weathers has been poor in his 44.2-inning sample this season and now goes into Coors Field. Toglia hit sixth Monday, but given the context of the home park and the matchup, he should be a nice value.
The Mets have signaled a willingness to sell and have already shipped out Mark Canha from the lineup. The team should give consistent plate appearances to some of its top prospects down the stretch, and Mark Vientos ($2,100) is projected to be a playing-time winner. If that's the case, his price is sure to rise in the near future. A matchup against Zack Greinke is no reason to stay away.
Stacks to Consider
Texas Rangers vs. Chicago White Sox (Jesse Scholtens): Marcus Semien ($6,000), Travis Jankowski ($3,000), Nathaniel Lowe ($4,100)
The White Sox are set to put their bullpen to the test Tuesday, and it's a decent bet that they won't hold up. The team has already dealt away Joe Kelly, Reynaldo Lopez and Kendall Graveman, three of its best relief arms. Even if Scholtens works multiple innings, he hasn't topped four innings since May 27 and has a 5.11 SIERA for the season, so the Rangers have enough firepower to put up numbers regardless of who is on the mound. In the absence of Corey Seager, the top of their lineup is manageable from a salary perspective.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Oakland Athletics (Ken Waldichuk): Mookie Betts ($6,100), Freddie Freeman ($6,200), Max Muncy ($4,800)
The Dodgers are an odd lineup to stack Tuesday because Betts, Will Smith and J.D. Martinez are all day-to-day. It seems that both Betts and Smith have a legitimate chance to be back in the lineup, but that will be worth confirming before locking in rosters. Assuming the top of the lineup is intact, this stack is very expensive, but with some decent options to pay down at pitcher, this could be the day to do it. Waldichuk has a good strikeout rate (21.1%) but walks a lot of batters (12.8%) and gives up a lot of homers (1.7 HR/9), a dangerous skillset in a matchup against the Dodgers.
