It's a busy Friday for MLB, with a whopping 13 games on the DFS slate. The first pitch arrives at 7:05 p.m. ET. That means, if you are so inclined, you can get your MLB DFS lineups in well before the United States kicks off its World Cup campaign. Here are my MLB DFS recommendations.
Pitching
Sonny Gray, BOS vs. TEX ($8,300): Maybe this season hasn't gone as the Red Sox hoped and expected, but Gray is 7-1 with a 3.20 ERA. That includes an impressive 2.52 ERA at home in his first season with Boston. The Red Sox were off Thursday, but the Rangers were not, so they just had to travel and they are bringing a bottom-10 offense along for the trip.
Ben Brown, CHC at SFG ($8,000): Brown was pitching well in the bullpen, which led to him getting a shot in the rotation. Through six starts he has an 1.44 ERA, which is certainly eye catching, if unlikely to be sustained. Credit to the Giants for getting on track offensively, but they are still below average in terms of runs scored, and they still have a pitcher-friendly ballpark.
Eduardo Rodriguez, ARI at CIN ($7,700): Until the wheels come off, I'm willing to bet on Rodriguez keeping his surprisingly strong campaign going. It's now 13 starts and he still has a 2.52 ERA. Even his 3.84 FIP isn't bad. Sure, Rodriguez isn't striking anybody out, but his walks are down, his homers are way down, and his groundball rate is his highest since 2022. The Reds are dynamic, but they are also below average in runs scored, have a .231 average as a team and rank 28th in strikeouts.
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Top Targets
There are many fine qualities on the resume of Corbin Carroll ($5,600). The 30/30 campaign last year, his remarkable propensity to pick up triples, etc. However, for Friday's purposes let me highlight his .827 OPS against his fellow lefties since 2024. Nick Lodolo is a southpaw, but last season lefties hit .297 against him, and this year they have hit a remarkable .364. This is a rare case where I'm enthused for recommending a lefty hitter facing a lefty pitcher.
The perils of playing for the Rays include being generally underappreciated, and so now I note that Yandy Diaz ($5,200) has slashed .331/.404/.536 this season with 12 homers in 62 games. He even already has his once-a-season triple on the stat sheet! The righty has long excelled against left-handed pitchers, posting a .931 OPS in those matchups since 2024. In limited innings stretched over three seasons, Sam Aldegheri has a career 5.12 ERA in MLB. That being said, let me also note this season in nine Triple-A starts he has a 7.24 ERA.
Bargain Bats
He's threatening to prove to be unplayable against lefties, at least for now, but Jackson Holliday ($3,900) can at least handle righties. He had 17 homers and 17 stolen bases last year, and he has an OPS over .800 against righties and also at home in 2026. For a second baseman, he's getting by as long as the matchup is favorable. Well, Griffin Canning is a righty, and this year southpaws have hit .282 against him. Also, they have hit all six home runs he's allowed over seven starts.
It took Jac Caglianone ($3,400) a second to get going, which is fair given this is his age-23 season and he hasn't even played 130 MLB games yet, but he's delivering on the promise. Over the last three weeks the southpaw slugger has a .935 OPS. Also, encouragingly he has an OPS over .800 against lefties this season, which is a strong sign for his hitting skills. Tatsuya Imai's first season in MLB has been wild. His groundball rate is so high, his line-drive rate is so low, and he's struck out 9.44 batters per nine innings. He also has a 5.24 ERA and 5.25 FIP, so clearly things still are not going well.
Stacks to Consider
Brewers vs. Phillies (Andrew Painter): Brice Turang ($5,700), Christian Yelich ($5,300), William Contreras ($5,000)
Turns out the guy who had a 5.40 ERA in Triple-A last season wasn't ready for MLB action this season. Through 12 outings Painter has a 6.21 ERA with a 1.71 HR/9 rate. That makes for a nice opportunity for a Milwaukee stack, and I landed on these three.
Turang already has double-digit homers, doubles, and stolen bases, and he has a .386 OBP as well. The second baseman has slugged .548 against righties, but he's also slugged .549 at home. Yelich, shockingly, has missed time this season. However, in 37 games he's hit .286 with four homers and five stolen bases. Like Turang, he's enjoyed home cooking, as Yelich has an .847 OPS in Milwaukee. Contreras, like Painter, is right-handed, but that's no problem. One, since 2024 Contreras has hit .272 against righties. Two, right-handed hitters have averaged .302 against Painter this season. Lefties have averaged .311, though, which is why I do have these two southpaws alongside Contreras.
Guardians vs. Tigers (Jack Flaherty): Jose Ramirez ($5,500), Travis Bazzana ($4,500), Angel Martinez ($4,000)
Through 14 games, Flaherty has a 5.31 ERA, and he has a 31.0 groundball rate which means a lot of balls are cutting through the air when he is on the mound. While his home ERA is higher, on the road Flaherty has a 2.0 HR/9 rate, and his performance has generally been worse. It's only through "good luck" that Flaherty has a 4.94 road ERA, and so I'm going to be stacking Guardians against him.
Ramirez has been unlucky, he's had a down season, and he still has 10 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 70 games. That's how good he is. Plus, for what it's worth the third baseman has an .877 OPS over the last two weeks. The rookie Bazzana, who has four home runs and 10 swiped bags through 39 contests, has been cold for a couple weeks. However, the southpaw has an .882 OPS against righties on the year, so maybe he just needs to see a starter like Flaherty out there to get on track. The switch-hitting Martinez is one stolen bases away from having double-digit homers, doubles, and stolen bases. While he's struggled on the road this year, he's slugged .519 at home.
