The National League teams have a chance to rest up on Sunday, so the AL will be taking center stage with two AL Game 2s and the first pitch at 4:08 p.m. EDT. And now, onto the MLB DFS lineup recommendations. Let's end the weekend on a high note!
Pitching
Luis Castillo, SEA vs. DET ($8,500): Castillo is both primed to be overlooked with Tarik Skubal and Max Fried taking the mound while also facing the best matchup. The Tigers finished fourth among the four teams in action on Sunday when it comes to runs scored, and of course their struggles down the stretch were well-documented. Castillo enjoyed September more than Detroit did as he posted an 1.07 ERA over his last four starts.
See which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Target
With these pitching matchups, your roster decisions will be less about taking advantage of a questionable starter and more about other factors. Like, say, George Springer ($4,000) listing a 1.136 OPS the final three weeks of the regular season. Or the fact he had an 1.016 at home this year. Fried was excellent this season, but he's a lefty and Springer is a righty who's been red-hot at home in 2025.
Bargain Bat
While Zach McKinstry ($2,900) didn't have the best series against Cleveland - a performance defined by his out at third base that played a role in costing the Tigers Game 2 - the lefty still managed 23 doubles, 11 triples, 12 homers, and 19 stolen bases on the year. Castillo was very good at home this season with a 2.60 ERA, yet wasn't great against lefties as they hit .278 against.
Stack to Consider
Yankees at Blue Jays (Trey Yesavage): Aaron Judge ($4,700), Ben Rice ($3,300), Anthony Volpe ($2,800)
Yesavage is the pitcher to target, and it's mostly because he's unproven as he's only seen three MLB starts where he registered a 3.21 ERA. Facing the Blue Jays on the road in the playoffs is different from facing the Rays twice in September. I have two righties in this stack since righties did go .333 against Yesavage.
Judge is, well, the best hitter in baseball. He has a reputation related to "disappointing" in the playoffs, but I don't worry about such things. Not from players with multiple MVPs and multiple clutch performances. Judge can also hit in every situation and batted .331 with 30 doubles and 12 steals. Yesavage has yet to allow a homer over the Double-A level. I figure the lefty Rice is worth a shot at first base as he ended the regular season with an 1.132 OPS during the final three weeks and went deep against a righty in the first round. Volpe frustrates Yankee fans more often than not, maybe because he's not Derek Jeter. As noted, righties have gone .333 against Yesavage while in the big leagues. Volpe did hit 19 homers as a shortstop while also notching 32 doubles, four triples, and 18 stolen bases.
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