We're still getting into the groove of the MLB season, but that's probably why this Monday is busier than usual. There are 10 games on the slate starting at 7:07 p.m. ET or later. It's still early in terms of figuring out what this season will end up looking like, but with a bit of information from this year and a lot of information from prior campaigns, here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
PITCHERS
Edward Cabrera, CHC vs. LAA ($9,500): Cabrera joins the Cubs after spending his career with the Marlins up to this point. He's long excelled with strikeouts and struggled with walks, but last year he had a 3.53 ERA. The Angels had a .225 batting average and .298 OBP last season, and this year the offense doesn't look much better than that on paper.
Clay Holmes, NYM at STL ($9,300): After spending his career pitching in relief, Holmes moved to the Mets and to the rotation in 2025. He panned out, as the righty had a 3.53 ERA. The Mets are all-in to win now, while the Cardinals have embraced a rebuild. As such, there's a good chance Holmes can pick up a win in this one and also quite possibly a quality start.
Cody Ponce, TOR vs. COL ($9,200): It's a complete unknown against a somewhat known. Ponce has returned to MLB after a sterling turn in Korea. What he is now as an MLB pitcher is to be determined. The Rockies finished 29th in runs scored last year while playing home games at Coors Field. Even if Ponce is only a middling MLB pitcher, that would be enough against Colorado.
Top Targets
In each of the last two seasons, Jose Ramirez ($3,800) has had at least 30 homers and 40 stolen bases. The switch-hitting third baseman is essentially a lock for at least a 20/20 campaign, and he has a career .279 average as well. Meanwhile, Roki Sasaki is getting another chance to start for the Dodgers, but it's a gamble. He had a 5.80 FIP last year, struggled mightily with strikeouts and walks and was still struggling this spring.
Even if Jarren Duran ($3,400) is the guy he was last season and not the guy he was in 2024, last season he had 16 homers and 41 doubles. This year he hasn't shown much pop, but he has stolen two bases. Lance McCullers pitched in MLB last season for the first time since 2022. That was a cool story, but he also had a 6.51 ERA.
Bargain Bats
In his career, Andy Pages ($3,000) has an .824 OPS against righties, as well as an .875 OPS at home. Parker Messick, a lefty, had a 2.72 ERA in seven starts with Cleveland last year. He also had a 3.47 ERA in 20 starts at Triple-A last year. I wouldn't stack against Messick, just in case he turns out to be a viable MLB starter, but I'd test him with a righty on a reasonable salary.
The Tigers have given Kerry Carpenter ($2,900) one simple job, and that job is to rake against righties. He's up to that task as he has an .870 OPS in those matchups since 2023. Soroka, like McCullers, missed multiple seasons with injury. He returned in 2023 but since then he has a 4.91 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Rockies (Tomoyuki Sugano): Vladimir Guerrero ($3,900), Daulton Varsho ($3,400), Kazuma Okamoto ($2,800)
Sugano made the decision to move to America from Japan in his mid-30s and signed with the Orioles. It went poorly. Sugano had a 5.35 FIP, a 6.08 K/9 rate, and an 1.89 HR/9 rate. Baltimore opted not to have him around, and he had to sign on with Colorado to continue his MLB career. I doubt things will go any better, and the Blue Jays have a robust lineup that can take advantage of this matchup.
As shown in last season's playoffs, and as shown intermittently in his MLB career, Guerrero has as good of a bat as anybody when he's locked in. He's a career .289 hitter, and he's had at least 20 homers and 30 doubles in each of the last four campaigns. Varsho is a lefty with the potential to show top-level power against righties. Last year he only played in 71 games, but he slugged .548 with 20 home runs. Okamoto just came over from Japan himself. It's early, obviously, but he's slashed .333/.429/.583, and he just hit his first home run.
Padres vs. Giants (Landon Roupp): Fernando Tatis ($3,800), Manny Machado ($3,500), Jake Cronenworth ($2,700)
Last season Roupp moved to the rotation from the bullpen, but he also posted a 3.91 FIP. He kept the ball in the park, but that was really just at home. Roupp had a 4.76 ERA and 1.5 HR/9 rate on the road. Sure, the Padres' ballpark is pitcher friendly, but there is still potential here. Roupp's fellow righties have hit .268 against him in his career, so I have two righties in this stack.
Even though Tatis is a righty, and even though San Diego's ballpark isn't always ideal for hitters, Tatis should be just fine here. Since 2024 he has an .862 OPS against righties and an .845 OPS at home. Since 2021, you've essentially been able to pencil in Machado for more than 30 doubles, more than 25 homers and more than100 RBI. The last two seasons he's also picked up double-digit stolen bases for good measure. Cronenworth is a lefty, but he has positional versatility and a reasonable salary, so he's worth including in a stack. He generally lacks for power, but he's hit .273 to start this season, and he had a .367 OBP last year.
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