Labor Day weekend kicks off Friday. There's a lot of interesting action on the MLB schedule. We've got 12 games on the DFS docket, with the first pitch at 7:07 p.m. ET. And now, onto the MLB DFS lineup recommendations!
Pitching
Carlos Rodon, NYY at CWS ($10,500): Rodon will face his former team in his old home ballpark Friday, and he's heading into this matchup in good form. The lefty has a 3.09 ERA over his last eight starts. Of course, Rodon's old team has seen better days. The White Sox are 26th in runs scored and are also in the bottom five in team OPS.
Robbie Ray, SFG vs. BAL ($9,000): Though Ray's strikeouts are down, he's also stayed healthy, much to the Giants' benefit. He's posted a 2.93 ERA through 27 starts, and he also has a 2.84 ERA at home. The Orioles are only just below average in terms of runs scored, but their best hitters are lefties. Ray is also a lefty, and southpaws have only hit .186 against him in 2025.
Nestor Cortes, SDP at MIN ($6,900): Cortes may have a 4.66 ERA, but he's only made six starts this year and his first start, way back in March, was a disaster. He returned, now a Padre, this month. In four starts he has a 3.00 ERA. Unsurprisingly, given how they treated the trade deadline, the Twins are scuffling offensively and now rank 24th in runs scored.
Top Targets
When Fernando Tatis ($5,000) is able to stay on the field, you know what you're going to get at this point. In 2025 he's played in 131 games and has 18 homers, 27 doubles and 27 stolen bases. While the Padres have a pitcher-friendly park, Tatis has an .868 OPS at home. Also, while he's right-handed, he has an .856 OPS versus righties. In his career, righty Zebby Matthews has a 5.88 ERA, and righties have hit .297 against him.
He has 32 doubles already, a personal best, but Brent Rooker ($4,800) is also closing in on his third straight 30-homer season. Well, Rooker has slugged .500 in his new home ballpark, which should help. Jack Leiter has a 4.81 ERA on the road, and he has shown to be worse against his fellow righties. In his career righties have hit .273 against Leiter.
Bargain Bats
While an outfielder with seven home runs may not wow you, Jung Hoo Lee ($3,300) also has 30 doubles and 10 triples. The lefty doesn't need the power to go yard in order to do damage, and San Francisco's ballpark certainly helps generate doubles and triples. Dean Kremer has a 4.97 ERA on the road, and lefties have hit .263 against him. Lee may add another extra-base hit or two Friday.
Freddie Freeman's neck is bothering him, and Max Muncy has been unable to stay healthy, leaving lefty options from the Dodgers lacking. Alex Freeland ($2,400), in addition to his low salary, is eligible at second base and third base. The switch-hitter hasn't hit great in MLB just yet, but he had a .377 OBP with 12 homers and 17 stolen bases in Triple-A this year. Yes, Freeland is a switch-hitter, not a proper lefty, but he has a .277 OPS against lefties and a .735 OPS against righties in MLB thus far. As for Zac Gallen, he has a 5.13 ERA and lefties have hit .275 against him.
Stacks to Consider
Cubs at Rockies (German Marquez): Pete Crow-Armstrong ($5,500), Michael Busch ($5,200), Carson Kelly ($4,600)
Time for the Cubs to enjoy a trip to Coors Field. Marquez will be returning from IL, but he will return sporting a 5.67 ERA. Over the last four seasons he has a 5.21 ERA for good measure. Lefties have hit .315 against Marquez here in 2025, so I have two southpaws in this stack.
Crow-Armstrong already has more than 30 doubles and 30 stolen bases, and he's closing in on 30 home runs as well. That's some Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor type stuff! He's slugged a whopping .560 against righties as well. Busch broke through with 21 homers last season, but through 128 games this year he already has 25 home runs. Unsurprisingly, he's slugged over .500 against righties, but he's also slugged over .500 on the road. Kelly is a righty, but you need a catcher for your lineup. Also, righties have hit .298 against Marquez this season. Kelly has been cold, but on the year he has an .812 OPS against righties and an .853 OPS on the road. Coors Field is a particularly good park to visit as a hitter, of course.
Mariners at Guardians (Logan Allen): Julio Rodriguez ($5,000), Randy Arozarena ($4,700), Eugenio Suarez ($4,500)
Allen just gave up nine runs in five innings against the Rangers, so it feels like a good time to stack against him. It's not about one start, of course. Allen has a 4.64 FIP this season, and he's going to finish with a sub-2.00 K/BB rate for the second season in a row. Since Allen is a southpaw, and since righties have hit .282 against him in his career, this is a three-righty stack.
Rodriguez has taken a step toward being the guy he was in 2023 when he looked like a future perennial MVP candidate. He has his fourth 20/20 season of his career, and this is his fourth season. While Rodriguez continues to struggle in Seattle's ballpark, he has a .910 OPS on the road. Of course, Arozarena has got J-Rod beat, as this is his fifth 20/20 campaign. He's already set a personal best with 25 homers, and he's slugged .503 against lefties. Suarez returned to Seattle as a big acquisition at the deadline and he's tallied six homers since the move. That has him up to 42 on the season, and he's tallied 104 RBI as well. Suarez has also been in good form as of late, as he has a .998 OPS over the last two weeks.
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