This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Friday offers us about as close as we get to a DFS slate featuring all 30 MLB teams. There are 13 games including on the docket, leaving only four teams out of the mix. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. ET. Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Max Fried, NYY vs. BAL ($10,000): When Gerrit Cole went down for the season, the Yankees needed every pitcher to step up one level. Fried needed to be the Yankees' ace, and he's done that and then some. Through 15 starts he has an 1.89 ERA, and even his 2.88 FIP is quite impressive. Even with the move to a new home park, Fried remains elite at avoiding the long ball (0.66 HR/9 rate). The Orioles are in the bottom 10 in runs scored, and since Fried is a lefty, he can neutralize almost every good hitter the team has.
Nick Pivetta, SDP vs. KAN ($9,300): The joys of Petco Park. Pivetta has a 2.40 ERA at home in his first season with the Padres, taking advantage of one of the friendliest parks to pitchers out there. Kansas City has been friendly to opposing pitchers as well. The Royals are 29th in runs scored, and they are one of three teams yet to hit 60 home runs on the season.
Jacob Misiorowski, MIL at MIN ($9,000): Owing to weather delays, we've had to wait a bit for Misiorowski's second MLB start. His first start turned heads, and not just because the dude stands 6'7''. Misiorowski didn't allow a hit through five innings against the Cardinals, but had to leave due to leg cramping. If his work in the minors is any indication, we can count on a lot of strikeouts, a lot of walks but not a lot of runs allowed. In a way, Misiorowski lucked out not having to face the Cubs for his second start. The Twins are below average in terms of runs scored.
Top Targets
It's been business as usual for Jose Ramirez ($6,000) and that business has been kind to Cleveland for years. He's stolen 20 bases already, and though his 13 home runs means he may not get to 30/30 again, he's hit .318 so that is needless quibbling. After missing most of the last two seasons with Tampa, Jeffrey Springs is worryingly down to 7.46 strikeouts per nine innings. He also has a 5.51 ERA at home in the Athletics' ersatz home ballpark, which many expected to be hitter friendly.
Though Riley Greene ($5,000) has struck out a lot, it hasn't stopped him from producing the kind of numbers that make DFS players happy. He has 15 homers and 17 doubles, and he also has an OPS over .900 against righties and on the road. Shane Baz is a righty, and in Tampa's temporary home he has a 5.36 ERA.
Bargain Bats
When Mickey Moniak ($4,000) was the first-overall pick once upon a time, the thought wasn't, "Someday he'll be good enough to start against righties for one of the worst teams in MLB history." Reality is reality, though, to be tautological for a moment, and that makes him a viable DFS option in the right circumstances. Like, say, when he's at Coors Field facing a righty who is having a disastrous season. At this point, things have gone poorly enough for Zac Gallen I am starting to wonder if there is an issue, health or otherwise. He has a 5.19 ERA with career worst per-nine rates in strikeouts, walks and home runs. That won't play well at Coors Field, and it does bode well for the lefty Moniak.
Given that DJ LeMahieu ($2,900) plays second base, and given that his DFS salary is so low, the risk is limited in taking a shot on him. Over the last three weeks he does have an .813 OPS, and he has been better against his fellow righties and at home since 2023, even if his numbers don't pop on either front. Tomoyuki Sugano has a 3.38 ERA through 15 starts after coming over from Japan but he has a 4.69 FIP. The 35-year-old has a 5.18 K/9 rate and a 1.46 HR/9 rate, and his fellow righties have hit .270 against him.
Stacks to Consider
Diamondbacks at Rockies (Austin Gomber): Ketel Marte ($6,200), Eugenio Suarez ($5,300), Lourdes Gurriel ($4,600)
I evoked Coors Field earlier, so it probably isn't surprising I've returned here for a stack. Since joining the Rockies, Gomber has a 5.03 ERA and in his career he's allowed 1.43 homers per nine innings. While it's not ideal for the Diamondbacks that Corbin Carroll is banged up, since Gomber is a lefty, Carroll's injury didn't impact my stack decision all that much.
Marte has been crushing it this year, even though the switch hitter has been great against righties and bad against lefties. I'm not sweating that. Last year he had an 1.080 OPS versus lefties, and the year before an .879 OPS in those matchups. Plus, he's slugged .523 on the road over the last three seasons. Suarez sells out a bit for homers, but he has five 30-homer seasons to his name, and he has 22 home runs through only 74 games this year. Yeah, I'll take that approach at Coors Field. Since 2023, Gurriel has an .836 OPS versus southpaws. This season he has an .813 OPS on the road for good measure.
Padres vs. Royals (Michael Lorenzen): Fernando Tatis ($5,100), Manny Machado ($5,000), Jake Cronenworth ($3,400)
It's been a tough campaign for Lorenzen. On the road, it's been particularly tough. The righty has a 5.94 ERA and 2.1 HR/9 rate away from Kansas City. Now, Petco is not a park that yields homers with gusto, but the Padres have a few quality hitters in their lineup who can still knock Lorenzen around. It's fine that the club's two best hitters are righties as well, given that since 2023, righties have hit .274 against Lorenzen, including .275 this season.
Even better, Tatis decidedly prefers to face right-handed pitchers, against whom he has slugged over .500 across the last two campaigns. He also has a .916 OPS at home in 2025, so somebody clearly doesn't feel beholden to Petco being a pitcher's park. Machado went from hitting for average and stealing bases to getting back to throwing some power in the mix. All told he now has a .311 average with 19 doubles, eight stolen bases and 11 homers. He also has an .896 OPS over the last three weeks. Overall, Cronenworth has shown limited power, but he has a .368 OBP. The southpaw has slugged .435 against righties as well, and that'll work from a second baseman.
Try our DraftKings MLB Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
