Here we go! We got a taste of MLB action Thursday to get us back from the break, but Friday is the real return to action. A whopping 14 games are on the DFS docket, and the first pitch is at 7:05 p.m. ET. Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Troy Melton, DET at LAA ($8,700): On the one hand, Melton has a 4.07 FIP compared to an 1.82 ERA. On the other hand, he has that 1.82 ERA, and he's allowed more than two runs only once this season. The Angels are average in terms of runs scored, but average doesn't really feel imposing.
Shane McClanahan, TAM at BOS ($7,900): The strikeouts are down for McClanahan, but so are the homers and the line drives, which have yielded a 2.83 ERA through 17 starts. Boston is 28th in runs scored, and this will be the second game of a doubleheader, which should mean an easier lineup for McClanahan to face in one way or another.
Seth Lugo, KAN vs. SDP ($6,800): Yeah, this is about a pitcher on a low salary with a great matchup. That's the long and the short of it. San Diego is last in runs scored and team OPS. At this point, if a pitcher isn't a Rockie pitching at Coors, on a low salary, I'd take a shot on about any pitcher in this matchup.
Top Targets
It's been an interesting season for Randy Arozarena ($4,900), who has only hit 11 home runs but has seen his average shoot up to .286. It's perhaps unsurprising, then, that he has 21 doubles, and of course he's stolen 19 bases in 89 games. Notably, he's also been better against his fellow righties. Landen Roupp doesn't allow many home runs, but he has a 4.67 ERA on the road, and last year his road ERA was 4.76.
Can JJ Wetherholt ($4,500) bring his rookie campaign in for a smooth landing? A road series out of the break could be a good start, as the second baseman has an .871 OPS on the road. Meanwhile, Merrill Kelly has a 7.44 ERA at home. At this point, I will note thanks to the break, pitching rotations could be tinkered with a bit, but the Rotowire projected starter grid tends to prove reliable, so I'm operating under the assumption Kelly will start Friday.
Bargain Bats
Though TJ Rumfield ($4,000) has struggled against lefties, even at Coors, he has a .928 OPS against righties. Brady Singer is right-handed, he's allowed more than two home runs per nine innings, and lefties have hit .295 against him. So, you know, I figure it's a good time to have Rumfield on your roster.
It's been a rough campaign for Lawrence Butler ($3,500), but he has five homers and six stolen bases in 88 games, many of which he did not necessarily start. Last year he had a 20/20 campaign with a .306 OBP, so clearly Butler can deliver counting stats even when he isn't proving reliable in the big picture. Plus, his home ballpark is quite good to pitchers. Cade Cavalli has had a good season, but he has one real issue. Namely, lefties have hit .289 against him.
Stacks to Consider
Reds at Rockies (Gabriel Hughes): Elly De La Cruz ($6,500), Sal Stewart ($5,800), JJ Bleday ($4,700)
I mentioned the Rockies earlier, so it is perhaps not surprising that I got around to stacking the opponent. Hughes is getting tabbed for the first game back from the break. He's pitched all of 9.0 innings in MLB, so we can't say how he will perform at this level, but he's an inexperienced pitcher at Coors Field who did not light up Triple-A (though having to pitch home games in Albuquerque isn't exactly easy either) so I'm down for a stack. Given the potential for Hughes to be out of the game early, I didn't want to go all in on lefties, so this is a true mix of a stack.
De La Cruz is a switch hitter, and interestingly this year he has been better against lefties and at home. I say "interestingly" because in each of the last two seasons he was better against righties and on the road. He's a shortstop with 15 homers and three triples in 76 games. I want him at Coors Field. In his rookie campaign, Stewart has hit 19 homers and 22 doubles. Additionally, while he flagged for a bit, over the last three weeks of action he has a .915 OPS. Bleday, as a lefty, is worth a shot. He's surprised by hitting 16 homers in 67 games, and he has a .350 OBP. Unlike other southpaws, there is less worry about bullpen arms as well, as since 2024 he has a .773 OPS versus his fellow lefties.
Yankees vs. Dodgers (Roki Sasaki): Ben Rice ($6,000), Cody Bellinger ($4,800), Jose Caballero ($3,700)
Dodgers-Yankees is as blockbuster-y as MLB gets, and before Sasaki hurled a single ball in MLB, the idea of him pitching at Yankee Stadium was enticing. Then, he started pitching, and it turned out he was bad. This season Sasaki has a 6.25 ERA on the road, and his HR/9 rate (2.11) is alarmingly close to his K/BB ratio (2.42). Thus, this is less a pitching showcase in a showcase of a matchup, but rather a chance to stack Yankees.
Rice is one homer shy of 30, and he's slugged more than .600 both at home and against righties. There's a good chance he gets to 30 on Friday evening. Bellinger got locked back in before the break, which was extra encouraging because he was on the road. This is a guy who loves Yankee Stadium as much as anybody. He had a .909 OPS there last season, and this year his OPS at home is up to 1.013. I wanted one righty in this stack, because Sasaki's fellow righties have hit for a higher average against him in his career. Caballero has swiped 22 bags, not surprising given that he stole over 40 bases in each of the prior two seasons. Maybe he would have more stolen bases in 2026, but he's already hit a personal best of 10 home runs.
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