The NHL and NBA finals are over, and the United States doesn't play again in the World Cup until Friday, which means Thursday night is for MLB. Of course, it being a Thursday, it's not a packed schedule. There are five games on the slate, with the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. Here are some MLB DFS recommendations for your Thursday night!
Pitching
Aaron Nola, PHI vs. NYM ($7,500): It's a bad night for pitchers, all things considered. As such, I don't mind going fully for a matchup play in Nola. I mean, at least his 4.49 FIP is better than his 5.86 ERA. The Mets are in the bottom 10 in runs scored, but they are also 29th in team OPS. That's why I think Nola is worth a shot given all the options available Thursday.
Martin Perez, ATL vs. SFG ($6,900): I'm surprised Perez is as far down the salary list as he is, given the other options. He has an 1.67 ERA at home in his first season with Atlanta! The Giants have been able to climb out of being last in runs scored, and they should not fall back down to that level, but they are still in the bottom 10.
Top Target
It's been quite the campaign for Miguel Vargas ($4,900), who already has 16 home runs and 10 stolen bases, both personal bests, while posting a .365 OBP. He's been fine against righties, but his OPS against lefties has soared to over 1.000. In addition to being a lefty, Ryan Weathers has remarkably allowed at least five runs in four of his last five starts.
Agree with these recommendations? Give them a spin with various combinations of other players in RotoWire's MLB DFS Lineup Optimizer.
Bargain Bat
Over the last couple of weeks Mauricio Dubon ($2,900) has been putting the bat on the ball, as he's averaged .316 over the last 14 days. Eligible at shortstop and in the outfield, he has slugged over .450 at home in 2026 and he's been better against his fellow righties. Rainbow enthusiast Landen Roupp doesn't allow many homers, but in his career he has reverse splits, and righties have hit .261 against him.
Stack to Consider
Angels at Athletics (Gage Jump): Mike Trout ($5,700), Zach Neto ($5,300), Jo Adell ($3,600)
Jump is new to MLB, and while he's had two great starts on the road, he has two bad starts at home. Technically, those were two different homes, because Jump got a start in Vegas, but now he's back in Sacramento. The lefty has pitched in the Athletics' hitter-friendly ballpark once, and he allowed four runs on nine hits in five innings against the Mariners. I don't expect this start to go much better, if any better, against the Angels.
Trout is really relying on his batting eye, as he's hit .234 but has a .394 OBP. He also has 16 home runs and even seven stolen bases, which are his most since 2019. Trout has usually been better at home, but this year he has an 1.000 OPS on the road. Neto is a shortstop with 15 homers, 14 doubles, and 11 stolen bases. Over the last three seasons, he's slugged .518 against righties. Adell is only interesting to roster against left-handed pitchers, as he really struggles against his fellow righties. However, since 2024 he has slugged a remarkable .581 against southpaws, and now he gets to hit against one in a ballpark that is kind to hitters.
