Time to wrap up the final weekend of June! Sunday brings with it 11 games for the MLB DFS docket. The first pitch will arrive at 1:35 p.m. ET (weather permitting, as DraftKings has rain clouds next to the two games scheduled for a 1:35 p.m. ET start). Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Drew Rasmussen, TAM vs. ARI ($10,000): I have, since last season, been banging the "Rasmussen is really good, he's just struggled to stay healthy" drum. Well, this year he's going to be a Cy Young candidate at his current rate if he can get to 30 starts for the second season in a row. Rasmussen has a 2.62 ERA and a 5.93 K/BB ratio. As for the Diamondbacks, they haven't been scuffling enough to fall into the bottom 10 in runs scored, but they are now decidedly below average on that front.
Emerson Hancock, SEA at CLE ($7,800): On the one hand, it's not a great time to recommend Hancock, as his last two starts have been subpar. On the other hand, it is a great time, because the banged-up Guardians have plummeted into the bottom three in runs scored sans Jose Ramirez, et al. All told, Hancock has a 3.60 ERA, so hopefully he gets back on track here.
Mitch Keller, PIT vs. CIN ($6,900): With Keller, it's about catching him at the right time, which is during one of those stretches where it looks like he might prove a true mid-rotation stalwart. He has a 3.18 ERA over his last two starts, which is only two starts, but at this salary I'm willing to take a shot. It's not just about hoping Keller has a good game, though. The Reds are in the bottom 10 in runs scored and also the bottom five in strikeouts.
Top Targets
Catcher is a position where, from a salary perspective, you can look to save a little of that allotment given the typical offensive output of MLB backstops. As such, Hunter Goodman ($5,200), whose salary isn't exactly a bargain in a vacuum, means not saving salary on the catcher position. I think it's worth it Sunday. Since 2024, he's slugged .525 against lefties but he's also slugged .497 on the road. Goodman is not merely a product of Coors Field. Connor Prielipp is left-handed, and the rookie also has a 5.17 ERA. Oh, and for the record, I was honing in on Goodman before he hit three home runs Saturday.
There is a good chance that Yandy Diaz ($5,200) wins the AL batting title, given that he's hit .334 at the halfway point of the season. To which one might say, "Sure, but Luis Arraez slapped his way to a few batting titles and that didn't do a ton for me as a DFS player." Well, Diaz has also slugged .515 on the season, and at home his slugging percentage is well over .600 at this point. Of course, I probably just could have told you Merrill Kelly has a 5.71 ERA and 1.78 HR/9 rate, and you'd have been down to roster Diaz against him.
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Bargain Bats
A few Baltimore southpaws have failed to deliver as hoped, but among those, Jackson Holliday ($3,300) has the salary and the position (second base) to make him worth a shot Sunday. He does have four homers, a triple and three stolen bases in 34 games, and he's viable against righties (as opposed to completely lost against lefties). Zack Littell has somehow allowed 2.52 home runs per nine innings this late into the season, and also lefties have hit over .300 against him.
Last season, Daulton Varsho ($3,000) was simply swinging for the fences. He hit .238 and stole two bases, but he hit 20 home runs in 71 games. This year, his approach is different. While a .258 average is nothing to rave about, it is decidedly better, and his seven homers pair with seven stolen bases and 15 doubles in roughly the same amount of games he played all of last year. Kumar Rocker's career road ERA is 6.55, and on top of that lefties have hit .282 against him.
Stacks to Consider
Pirates vs. Reds (Brady Singer): Brandon Lowe ($5,700), Bryan Reynolds ($5,300), Ryan O'Hearn ($4,600)
More of the same, but even worse. That's been the name of the game for Singer in his second season with the Reds. Last year he was worse on the road, posting a 4.88 ERA in away games. This year, though, his road ERA is all the way up to 6.32. Additionally, this year lefties have hit .306 against him, so I have three guys who can hit left-handed in this stack.
One of the best power hitters at second base I can recall, Lowe just clinched his fourth 20-homer season in a row. Plus, since 2024, he has a .520 slugging percentage versus righties. Notably, and unexpectedly, Reynolds has a .402 OBP this season. He's usually better at home, but this year his home OPS is all the way up and over 1.000. O'Hearn has cooled down, but this game could help him stand out again. He has an .850 OPS against righties, but on top of that in his first season as a Pirate he has an .865 OPS at home.
Twins vs. Rockies (Ryan Feltner): Byron Buxton ($6,100), Kody Clemens ($4,200), Brooks Lee ($3,500)
I mentioned how Feltner's catcher Goodman has shown he is not a product of Coors field, and the same thing is true of Feltner. Except, you know, in a bad way. Goodman had a 4.91 ERA on the road last season, and this year his road ERA is up to 6.17. And no, he hasn't pitched at the Athletics' park or anything, and in fact one of his road starts was at Petco Park. Righties and lefties have hit Feltner equally well since 2024, and I have a mixed stack here.
Buxton is a remarkable player. He's kind of like if Mike Trout's injury issues had run through his entire career (I said kind of, because Buxton lacks for Trout's discipline at the plate). Through 72 games this year, Buxton has hit .272 with a whopping 25 homers to go with seven stolen bases. After earning a regular role last season, Clemens has played in 70 games this year. He has 12 homers, 15 doubles and six stolen bases. He has an .819 OPS against righties, and in his first full season with the Twins he has an .836 OPS at home. I'm not worried about Lee being way better on the road this year, because in the prior two campaigns in his career he's been better at home. I am hoping his uptick in power against righties as a switch-hitter has some validity to it, though. All told, through 79 contests he has 28 extra-base hits, and over the last three weeks he's slugged .500.
