This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Though hockey lovers such as myself will have our eyes on the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday, let's not overlook MLB action. There are 10 games on the DFS slate, with the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. EDT. Hey, even us Oilers fans can get their MLB DFS lineups in before that! Here are my lineup recommendations for your contests. Good luck!
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Pitching
Nick Pivetta, SDP at SFG ($10,500): It's a bit of a tricky day for pitchers. The Rockies and Pirates are playing earlier in the day, and the hurlers who are going up against the weaker lineups on the slate are iffy propositions. As such, the first pitcher I landed on with any comfort was Pivetta. He's having an excellent season, having posted a 2.74 ERA and 2.96 FIP. Pivetta has produced three quality starts in a row as well. Though he's benefited from his new home park, the Giants have a pitcher-friendly venue as well, and an average offense to boot.
Noah Cameron, KAN at STL ($9,000): Of my three pitching recommendations, to me Cameron is the biggest dice roll. The guy with the 1.05 ERA? Yep, that's him. It's only been four starts, and Cameron has a 3.77 FIP. He also has a 5.61 K/9 rate, which won't cut it long term. The Royals' offense is not exactly known for providing much run support, even if they did just call up Jac Caglianone. On the other hand, Cameron has gone at least 6.1 innings in all four of his outings and allowed no more than a single run in any of them. Over the last two seasons at Triple-A he posted a 2.69 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 87.0 innings. The Cardinals may be top 10 in runs scored, but what if Cameron is actually really good? Given Wednesday's options, he's worth a gamble.
Shane Baz, TAM vs. TEX ($7,800): Among the questionable pitchers with good matchups, Baz is the one I think has the most upside. He started the season strong, and over his first five starts Baz posted a 2.45 ERA and 11.0 K/9 rate. After a few iffy outings, his ERA is up to 4.92. Still, the 25-year-old righty has shown what he can do. The Rangers are bottom five in runs scored and have a sub.-300 OBP, so maybe Baz can look like his early-season self.
Top Targets
No, Juan Soto ($3,700) hasn't looked like a guy worth a $765 million contract yet. Even so, he has 11 homers and seven stolen bases with a .361 OBP. The 26-year-old hasn't produced like one of the five best hitters in baseball, which was the expectation, but he's still been pretty good. He also has a track record of being, you know, one of the five best hitters in baseball. Tony Gonsolin has returned after missing all of 2024, but it's going poorly. Through six starts he has a 6.00 ERA, and lefties have hit .302 against him.
It's not just that Spencer Torkelson ($3,300) has rebounded after a tough 2024 campaign. He's en route to his best season yet, and he had 31 homers and 34 doubles in 2023. Tork has a .344 OBP with 14 home runs and 14 doubles through 59 games. Sean Burke has a 4.20 ERA, but also a 5.27 FIP. I went with Torkelson because Burke's fellow righties have hit .270 against him.
Bargain Bats
To a degree, Gunnar Henderson ($3,200) was able to round into form in May. The 23-year-old is now up to seven homers, 20 total extra-base hits, and six stolen bases. While he's struggled against same-handed pitchers, versus righties Henderson has a .935 OPS, which is even better than last season. Emerson Hancock is not an MLB-caliber pitcher. It's just kind of that simple. He's now made 24 career starts and has a 5.04 ERA and 5.91 K/9 rate. Stunningly, given how T-Mobile Park typically plays, Hancock also has a 9.53 ERA at home in 2025.
Hitting 11 home runs in 55 games is good for any position, but particularly good for a second baseman. That's the deal with Brandon Lowe ($2,800). Now, he is all-or-nothing, hence his .313 OBP over the last four seasons, but Lowe is a bet on power at a position where it is rare. Also, he has an 1.066 OPS over the last three weeks. Kumar Rocker had an 8.10 ERA before hitting the IL. Maybe his injury played a role in that, but it's still quite poor. Plus, lefties have hit .432 against him.
Stacks to Consider
Yankees vs. Guardians (Luis L. Ortiz): Aaron Judge ($5,000), Cody Bellinger ($3,200), Trent Grisham ($3,100)
Why stack the entire Yankees outfield? Well, in his first season with Cleveland, Ortiz has a 6.39 ERA and 1.5 HR/9 rate on the road. This year, righties have hit .277 against Ortiz, so Judge makes sense. I mean, Judge always makes sense, but you know what I mean. However, over the last three seasons lefties have hit 25 of the 36 homers Ortiz has allowed, and the Yankees' outfield also features two lefties.
What can I say about Judge? Well, his two triples are one off his career high, and he's on pace to have over 120 runs scored and RBI for the third time in four campaigns. Judge is the best hitter in baseball, and if the matchup is good at all, you can figure out how to work around his salary. Bellinger has eight homers and five stolen bases. He also has enjoyed his new home with an .875 OPS at Yankee Stadium. Grisham, with a .340 OBP and 13 home runs, has been a pleasant surprise. His success has entirely been about facing right-handed pitchers. In those matchups, he has a .990 OPS.
Athletics vs. Twins (Zebby Matthews): Brent Rooker ($3,400), Lawrence Butler ($3,300), Tyler Soderstrom ($3,100)
In 2024, Matthews made nine MLB starts and had a 6.69 ERA. He started this season at Triple-A, where he pitched very well. Maybe he just wasn't quite ready? Maybe not. He's been back in MLB for three starts and has a 6.43 ERA. Lefties have hit .314 against Matthews in his career, so I have two southpaws in this stack.
Rooker is a righty, but to be fair righties have also hit .293 against Matthews. That's not .314, but it's quite good. He has 13 home runs through 62 games, so he may get to 30 home runs for a third season in a row. Rooker is enjoying the Athletics' new (temporary) home park, as he's slugged .527 at home. Now up to nine homers and nine swiped bags, Butler is close to double-digits on both fronts before we even get to July, plus he's up to 19 doubles. He's been helped by a fine run of form, as the outfielder has an 1.000 OPS over the last three weeks. Soderstrom has slowed down, and he has not enjoyed his new home park like Rooker has. However, he's a lefty, and again Matthews has let lefties hit .314 against him. Soderstrom has an .875 OPS versus right-handed pitchers this year, so maybe this matchup can help him return to form.
