With a break around the corner, take advantage of your MLB DFS opportunities while you can. I mean, the break will be brief, but still. It's a robust Wednesday schedule, with 11 games on the slate in the evening. The first pitch is at 7 p.m. EDT. Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
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Pitching
Kris Bubic, KAN vs. PIT ($10,300): After pitching last season in relief upon returning from injury, Bubic has thrived back in the rotation. He has a 2.36 ERA through 17 starts, and even his 2.78 FIP is totally reflective of quality pitching. Now, these are two of the teams in the running for worst offense in MLB, but even if that means Bubic isn't likely to get a ton of run support, he can certainly handle Pittsburgh's poor offense.
Lucas Giolito, BOS vs. COL ($9,700): Giolito is a reminder that sometimes you need to be patient. In his return from missing all of 2024, Giolito started the season slowly. Really slowly. After his first start in June, Giolito had a 6.42 ERA. Well, over his last five starts the righty has a 0.83 ERA. Now he gets to face the Rockies, who sit in the bottom five in runs scored even with the best hitter's park in MLB for a home.
Dylan Cease, SDP vs. ARI ($9,000): I wanted to highlight Cease because I feel like at first blush you might overlook him for your lineup. The Diamondbacks have a high-scoring offense and Cease has a 4.62 ERA. However, he also has a 3.40 FIP, an 11.19 K/9 rate and a 16.5 percent swinging strike rate, the latter two marks being in the upper echelon. Oh, and his home ERA is 2.76. With all that in mind, Cease looks better as a DFS option, doesn't he?
Top Targets
Alright, Corey Seager ($3,400) is rounding into form. This is more like it! Over his last three weeks the shortstop has a .968 OPS. Since 2023 he has a .981 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Kyle Hendricks has a 4.68 ERA, and only once in the last five seasons has he managed a K/9 rate over 7.0 (including a 6.04 this season).
Though Maikel Garcia ($3,100) has cooled down a bit as of late, through 91 games he's hit .305 with eight homers, 23 doubles, and 18 stolen bases. On this year he has a stellar .972 OPS versus southpaws. Bailey Falter is a southpaw. He also has a 4.62 FIP and 1.75 K/BB rate.
Bargain Bats
Last year, Spencer Steer ($3,000) had a 20/20 campaign. He started slowly this season, but he's now up to 10 home runs and six stolen bases through 83 outings. Not coincidentally, he has an 1.091 OPS over the last three weeks. As for Sandy Alcantara, it doesn't seem like it's going to happen for him this year and the Marlins aren't likely to find a juicy deal for him by the deadline. He's now up to a 7.01 ERA, and a 9.95 ERA on the road.
On the campaign, Jake Cronenworth ($2,900) has a .356 OBP. Since 2023 he's slugged .416 against righties, but also .415 at home. That'll work for a second baseman, especially at Petco Park. Brandon Pfaadt has been a disaster on the road this season. He has a 6.60 ERA and 2.6 HR/9 rate away from home during the 2025 campaign.
Stacks to Consider
Athletics vs. Atlanta (Bryce Elder): Nick Kurtz ($3,300), Lawrence Butler ($3,200), Jacob Wilson ($3,000)
Elder started his career pretty well, but things went off the rails last season and have stayed there. He has a 5.92 ERA in 2025, giving him a 6.16 ERA over the last two campaigns. The thought was that the Athletics' temporary home in Sacramento would be hitter-friendly, especially once we got into the thick of summer. So far, that seems to be the case, making a stack of A's even more enticing.
Kurtz has been the power hitter he was projected to be when he was selected in the first round last year. He's slugged .579 against righties, and also slugged .637 at home. Butler has 13 home runs and 14 stolen bases, and he's already matched his 24 doubles from last year. His performance at home has improved, going from a .753 OPS last year to an .819 OPS in 2025. Wilson has earned an All-Star Game appearance thanks to a .335 batting average with nine homers and 17 doubles as a shortstop. While he, like Elder, is a righty, right-handed hitters have hit .304 against Elder this season. Wilson was plunked in the hand with a pitch Tuesday, so if he can't go, Shea Langeliers ($3,100) is a righty with a similar salary.
Cubs at Twins (David Festa): Kyle Tucker ($4,000), Seiya Suzuki ($3,800), Nico Hoerner ($2,900)
Festa had a 4.90 ERA last year as a rookie, but across the board he's been worse in his sophomore campaign. His K/9 rate is down to 2.81, his HR/9 rate is up to 1.48, and his ERA is up to 5.48. Festa pitched well at Triple-A this year, but the Cubs are very much not a Triple-A offense. Righties have hit .263 against Festa, so I have two righties in this stack, even though he's right-handed as well.
Tucker is a lefty, but he's also one of the best hitters in baseball, putting up the kind of numbers that could win him an MVP, which I predicted for him last year. He was likely to be in the running if not for a serious injury. This year Tucker has a .391 OBP with 17 homers, four triples, and 22 stolen bases. He also has a .924 OPS versus righties, plus a .947 OPS on the road. Suzuki is delivering high-level production, helped by his teammates. The fact he's slugged .556 is impressive, but thanks to the talent around him he's racked up 77 RBI. Suzuki isn't slowing down either, as he's managed an 1.001 OPS over the last three weeks. Hoerner's power shows up against lefties, but power isn't really his game. No, his game is built on his .287 batting average, 18 doubles, and 16 stolen bases. It's easier to steal on right-handed pitchers, and Festa's issues getting righties out is to Hoerner's benefit.
