The last Wednesday of May is rich in MLB action, though much of it is earlier in the day. Still, we have eight games on the slate starting at 6:35 p.m. EDT or later. Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations. Good luck!
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Pitching
Gerrit Cole, NYY at KAN ($9,800): So far, so good. In his first start since 2024, Cole went six innings against the Rays and didn't allow a single run. Were there some signs of rust? Sure, but the Royals are in the bottom 10 in runs scored. Cole may be able to shake off any remaining rust in this matchup.
Andrew Abbott, CIN at NYM ($7,700): The concerns about Abbott are abating. He started the season poorly, but over his last five starts he has an 1.29 ERA. The Mets' offense is banged up, and it is terrible. They are still in the bottom 10 in terms of runs scored, and they have the lowest team OPS in MLB.
Top Targets
Things were always going to turn around for Aaron Judge ($4,300), and they are going to continue to turn around. He has an OPS over 1.000 against righties and against lefties, as well as at home and on the road, since 2024. Judge wasn't going to slump his way into an early retirement, and it's time to get back on board. Noah Cameron has a 3.59 FIP compared to a 4.72 FIP, but I don't know if the lefty is up to the task of handling Judge if he's even halfway locked in.
This is looking like something of a bounce-back season for Adley Rutschman ($3,400), as he has hit .254 and slugged .478 with 17 extra-base hits in 37 games. He's been notably good at home as well where he has a .952 OPS. Back in the rotation after pitching mostly out of the bullpen last year, Steven Matz has a 4.52 FIP, and his 1.31 HR/9 rate is back in line with his career 1.33 number.
Bargain Bats
There was a time when Austin Riley ($3,100) was a Top Target type. That time was 2021 through 2023. He does have eight homers, eight doubles, and one triple this year, though, and it is reasonable to take a shot on him when a lefty is starting as Riley is a right-handed third baseman. Connelly Early is the lefty in question, and he has a 4.43 ERA at home.
It seems clear Evan Carter ($2,700) won't pan out in full because he is as bad against lefties as anybody in MLB. However, he still has five homers and eight stolen bases. Mike Burrows has been worse across the board compared to his rookie season with the Pirates. Strikeouts, walks, homers, and even his average fastball speed are all worse, and add that all up and he has a 5.75 ERA. Additionally, lefties have hit .336 against Burrows. I'm just hoping Carter can get two plate appearance against a right-handed pitcher.
Stacks to Consider
Cubs at Pirates (Bubba Chandler): Pete Crow-Armstrong ($3,200), Michael Busch ($3,100) Alex Bregman ($2,900)
Chandler, a top pitching prospect when he debuted last year, showed a lot of promise. This year that promise his dissipated. He has a 5.23 FIP built upon an 1.38 K/BB rate and his 1.34 HR/9 rate. Chandler's last start went well, but over his prior five starts he had a 6.95 ERA. Since the Pirate is a righty, I have two lefties in this stack.
It's important to remember that Crow-Armstrong has a career sub-.300 OBP and that from a hitting perspective he's always been a counting stats guys. He has six homers, two triples, and 12 stolen bases after he had a 30/30 campaign last year. Busch is back in the groove, as he has a .949 OPS over the last three weeks. While his road OPS is bad this season, in each of the prior two campaigns he had an OPS over .850 on the road. Bregman being down at this salary level makes him viable in a matchup such as this. He had two hits Tuesday to get him up to a .259 average and he has 11 extra-base hits. In the past he's been a righty who has performed better against righties, so that also helps.
Pirates vs. Cubs (Jameson Taillon): Brandon Lowe ($3,800), Bryan Reynolds ($3,200), Spencer Horwitz ($2,900)
I'm just going to flip this matchup around. Taillon has a 6.44 FIP and 2.77 HR/9 rate through 10 starts. Last season his FIP rose to 4.65 and his HR/9 rate rose to 1.67, so this is a continuation of those concerns. Plus, since 2024, Taillon has a 4.66 ERA on the road. The Pirates offense is decidedly better than last season and has more stacking options. This is the trio I landed on, all guys who can hit left-handed.
Lowe has delivered exactly as hoped for with the Pirates. He's a second baseman who has slugged .550 with 13 homers, and he has an OPS over 1.000 against right-handed pitchers. Though Reynolds has only slugged .390, he's actually delivered pretty well this year. He has a .379 OBP with four homers, two triples, and 10 doubles. Reynolds had 38 doubles last season, and he might get to 30 for the third time in four years. Horwitz has slashed .289/.391/.467 and just hit his sixth home run. The lefty is locked in, as he has an 1.012 OPS over the last three weeks.
