This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We're looking at a fairly quiet schedule in baseball Monday with only 10 teams in action. The New York Yankees will take the field again, this time starting a series with the Kansas City Royals. The Yankees are trying to make a run at a playoff spot, but their third outbreak of COVID-19 this season has left them depleted in both their starting rotation and their lineup. There will also be several teams in action who were sellers at the trade deadline, including the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins. Let's dig into the matchups and highlight some players to consider for your DraftKings lineups.
Pitchers
Luis Castillo ($10,000) has bounced back nicely from a dreadful start to the season. Over his first 11 starts, he had a 7.22 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP. Since then, he's recorded a 1.91 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP over his last 12 outings. For the season, he now has a 4.09 ERA and a 3.87 FIP that are pretty much in line with his career marks. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him continue his recent run of success against Cleveland, who ranks inside the bottom-10 in baseball in OPS.
Joe Musgrove ($8,500) has proven to be an excellent addition for the Padres. He's on pace to have the best season of his career, posting a 2.87 ERA and a 3.51 FIP. His 0.97 WHIP has been aided by a .244 BABIP, but he's also continued to miss plenty of bats, recording a 27.9 percent strikeout rate. Up next is an excellent matchup against the Marlins, who struggle to score and have stuck out the fifth most times in baseball.
The Yankees' starting rotation is a mess right now with Domingo German (shoulder), Gerrit Cole (COVID-19) and Jordan Montgomery (COVID-19) all out. Luckily, they still have Jameson Taillon ($7,800) available, who will take the mound against the Royals. He's rebounded from a rough start to his tenure in pinstripes by allowing two or fewer earned runs in eight of his last nine outings. That included a matchup against the Royals in which he allowed one run and recorded six strikeouts over 6.1 innings.
Top Targets
Giancarlo Stanton ($4,500) has turned things around at the plate, hitting 10-for-22 (.455) with a home run and a double over his last six games. The Yankees need him to keep swinging a hot bat with Anthony Rizzo (COVID-19) and Gio Urshela (hamstring) sidelined. He could do just that in a matchup with Carlos Hernandez ($6,200), who has a 1.42 WHIP for the Royals.
It seems like every time the Rays trade someone away, he underperforms when compared to his tenure in Tampa Bay. A glaring exception has been Willy Adames ($5,500), who has taken off since landing with the Brewers. Across his last 42 games, Adames had a whopping 1.027 OPS. He could prove to be a tough out for Alec Mills ($6,400), who has a 1.44 WHIP and has only recorded a 16.4 percent strikeout rate.
Bargain Bats
Staying with the Brewers matchup against Mills, Avisail Garcia ($3,800) is also an appealing option. While has hasn't done it over as long of a stretch as Adames has, Garcia does have a 1.009 OPS over his last 11 games. During that stretch, he has just a 16.7 percent strikeout rate to go along with a 10.4 percent walk rate.
He's obviously not the same type of player as Fernando Tatis Jr. (shoulder), but the Padres adding Adam Frazier ($3,500) turned out to be a prudent move given Tatis re-aggravating his injury. Although he doesn't have the easiest of matchups against Zach Thompson ($7,200), Frazier's salary is low enough to make him an appealing option. He makes plenty of contact, leaving him with just a 10.2 percent strikeout rate.
Stacks to Consider
Reds vs. Sam Hentges ($7,100), Indians: Nick Castellanos ($4,000), Jonathan India ($4,800) Kyle Farmer ($3,900)
Hentges hasn't been as bad as his 7.86 ERA would lead you to believe, but his FIP is still bad at 4.94. His 12.0 percent walk rate isn't doing him any favors and has contributed to his bloated 2.01 WHIP. That makes the Reds a top lineup to target for this limited slate. Getting Castellanos back from the IL has provided a huge boost to their lineup. Farmer has also been a pleasant surprise for them, hitting 28-for-65 (.431) with three home runs, four doubles and two triples over his last 16 games.
White Sox vs. Beau Burrows ($4,000), Twins: Tim Anderson ($6,100), Jose Abreu ($6,000), Andrew Vaughn ($3,100)
Burrows is expected to serve as the opener for this game with Charlie Barnes ($5,300) potentially following him to pitch the bulk of the innings. Barnes didn't exactly shine during his time at Triple-A this season, finishing with a 4.24 ERA and a 4.25 FIP. This trio has done plenty of damage against left-handed pitchers. Vaughn's numbers stand out given that the rookie has a 186 wRC+ versus southpaws, compared to a 90 wRC+ against righties.
