The final weekend of May is here, and after a light Thursday we have the typical busy Friday. There are 12 games on the docket starting at 7:05 p.m. ET. Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations for Friday. Let's kick the weekend off with a bang!
Pitching
Max Meyer, MIA at NYM ($9,800): After years of injuries and obstacles, Meyer should set a new personal high for innings pitched Friday, but he's also pitched very well this year. Though 11 starts he has a 2.52 ERA and 10.09 K/9 rate. Meanwhile, meet the Mets, the team that is last in MLB in OPS.
MacKenzie Gore, TEX vs. KAN ($8,600): As is the norm for Gore, he's delivered plenty of strikeouts but too many walks, and all told he has a 4.42 ERA. However, he has a 3.70 FIP, and perhaps more pertinently he has a 2.63 ERA at home. The Royals are down in the bottom five in runs scored, so this matchup looks good for Gore.
Nick Martinez, TAM vs. LAA ($7,600): We don't talk about "schedule losses" in MLB that much, in part because of the sheer tonnage of games, but the Angels played in Detroit on Thursday and then had to head down to Tampa to face a rested Rays team Friday. This is also a team with a below-average offense, by the way. Martinez may have a 3.43 FIP compared to an 1.51 ERA, but even so this is a matchup that I think can pan out well for the Ray.
Top Targets
There's a lot of season left, but Randy Arozarena ($5,000) may be in line for a career year. This from a guy who has never failed to have a 20/20 campaign in a full season of action. His .846 OPS would be a personal best by a comfortable margin, and he has six homers, 15 doubles and 14 stolen bases. Zac Gallen is down to 6.63 strikeouts per nine innings, and since 2024 he has a 4.98 ERA on the road.
I think what stands out about Kevin McGonigle ($4,600) to me the most in his rookie campaign is that he clearly has the feel of a high-floor guy. He's a lefty who has hit southpaws reasonably well, he doesn't have major home/road splits, and he has more walks than strikeouts. McGonigle has also hit .291 with 18 extra-base hits and eight stolen bases. Erick Fedde, a righty, has a career 6.79 K/9 rate, which is pretty much perfect for a hitter like the rising Tigers star.
Bargain Bats
A shortstop that has hit more than 30 home runs in three of the last four seasons taking a trip to Coors Field sounds good to me, and that is exactly who Willy Adames ($4,300) is. He has seven home runs this season, but he also has 17 doubles in 55 games. Doubles power in San Francisco pretty much equates to homer power in Denver. Oh, and Michael Lorenzen has a 10.03 ERA at home this season.
There are a few encouraging numbers related to Rockies rookie first baseman TJ Rumfield ($4,200). He has an .892 OPS against righties, an .833 OPS at home and an .868 OPS over the last three weeks. Logan Webb is expected to return from the IL and to be thrown right into pitching at Coors Field. He's a good pitcher, but since 2024 lefties have hit .280 against him. Now, Webb doesn't allow a lot of homers, but Coors yields plenty of doubles as well.
Stacks to Consider
Yankees at Athletics (Luis Severino): Ben Rice ($5,900), Cody Bellinger ($5,100), Jazz Chisholm ($4,600)
Severino will welcome his former team to a ballpark he hates. I mean, I have to assume he hates the Athletics' temporary home in Sacramento. He had a 6.01 ERA at home last year, and this year he has a 5.55 ERA at home with a 2.2 HR/9 rate. Additionally, since 2024 lefties have hit .272 against Severino, so I have three southpaws in this stack.
Rice has an OPS over 1.000 with 16 home runs in 51 games. While lefties often thrive at Yankee Stadium, in his career Rice has slugged .495 on the road. Bellinger has a .373 OBP with eight homers, three triples and five stolen bases. Now, he's been bad on the road, but the Athletics' ballpark is as hitter-friendly as any. Plus, Bellinger had a .715 OPS on the road last season, which isn't good but is more encouraging when given this matchup and location. Chisholm has gotten in gear as he has an .899 OPS over the last three weeks. He's now up to six home runs and 13 swiped bags
Agree with these recommendations? Give them a spin with various combinations of other players in RotoWire's MLB DFS Lineup Optimizer.
Guardians vs. Red Sox (Brayan Bello): Jose Ramirez ($5,300), Angel Martinez ($4,300), Travis Bazzana ($3,900)
Bello hasn't been good in the past, but he's been terrible this season. He has an 1.67 K/BB rate and 1.84 HR/9 rate. On top of that, he has an 8.01 ERA on the road. Lefties have hit a staggering .349 against Bello as well, so I have three guys who can hit left-handed from the Guardians. It's been a weird season for Ramirez, but he still has eight homers and 20 stolen bases. We're used to seeing him as an MVP candidate and a 30/30/30 guy, so maybe he can flash some of that against Bello. Martinez is having a career year and he already has nine home runs and eight swiped bags. He's a switch-hitter, but he's slugged .491 against righties and .500 at home. Man, Bazzana has come out of the gates on fire in his rookie campaign. The second baseman has a .407 OBP, and he's starting to flash power. Over the last three weeks he has a .548 slugging percentage.
