This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
13 games are featured on Tuesday's main slate. There's a whopping six pitchers priced in five-figures led by Jacob deGrom, who sees no price break in his return from injury. It's an obvious plus spot at home against the Rockies, but it's fair to question how long the Mets will allow him to go. These top arms don't all appear to be in favorable spots however, so looking to the second tier of arms while gaining some cap flexibility and targeting more stable bats on this slate seems like the right build.
Pitching
Kevin Gausman, SF at ARI ($10,800): Gausman doesn't fit name-wise with this slate's other expensive arms. Hopefully that leads to low usage and a GPP special. He's in incredible form, having allowed one run or less in eight of nine starts, resulting in just three games under 40 FDP. Arizona is a middling offense against righties, carrying a .300 wOBA, 87 wRC+ and 23.6 percent K-rate into Tuesday.
Aaron Civale, CLE at DET ($8,800): Detroit has been marginally better against righties than Arizona above, carrying a .301 wOBA and 91 wRC+ into Tuesday, but they fan at a 27.3 percent clip. Civale has gone for 43 FDP or better in two of his last three after being under 30 FDP in four of five, and has faced the Tigers twice to date, averaging 44 FDP. The floor feels very safe, and Civale is my clear cash game favorite.
Andrew Heaney, LAA vs. TEX ($7,600): This slate is littered with viable right-handed options, but we've got a few lefties that present as affordable choices. Heaney is the GPP version, while our next name seems more like a cash game choice. Heaney faces a Rangers squad that's fanning 25.1 percent of the time while putting up just a .142 ISO and .299 wOBW against lefties. But he's been brutally inconsistent, going for 50-plus FDP three times and 28 FDP or less in five other starts.
Cole Irvin, OAK vs. SEA ($7,200): Seattle is just brutal offensively against lefties, fanning 29.5 percent of the time while ranking 29th with a .272 wOBA. That seemingly keeps Irvin's floor in the 4x value range and allows for free spending offensively. He's got some upside, having gone for 37 FDP or more in four outings, but the low end feels higher than Heaney has shown, while Irvin comes at a discount.
Top Targets
Austin Meadows, TB vs. KC ($3,900): The Rays are smoking, winning 11 straight, and as such we know we want some piece against Brad Keller, who's allowing a .393 wOBA to lefties and .404 to righties. Ji-Man Choi is priced identically and might be the more stable choice, but his health is in question entering Tuesday. Meadows has been more high and low, but his .389 wOBA, 156 wRC+ and .310 ISO should play well here.
Aaron Judge, NYY vs. TOR ($3,700): Judge could almost fall into the bargain category at this salary. What am I missing? Normally a streaky bat we target for power, he hasn't homered in six straight yet collected nine hits in that span, giving him a surprisingly safe floor. He's raking against lefties to the tune of a .504 wOBA, 230 wRC+ and 55.9 percent hard-hit rate. He's priced the same as Kyle Schwarber. Again, what am I missing?
Xander Bogaerts, BOS vs. ATL ($3,600): FanDuel continues to price the Red Sox core favorably, and there's minimal reason to fade a stack of Bogaerts, Rafael Devers ($3,800) and J.D. Martinez ($4,200), all of whom have at least a .431 wOBA and .267 ISO against righties. Bogaerts gets the top nod for me thanks to head-to-head success, going 10-of-29 against Atlanta starter Charlie Morton while posting a .918 OPS in the process.
Value Bats
Austin Riley, ATL at BOS ($3,000): Riley leads Atlanta's regulars with a .414 wOBA and 161 wRC+ against righties. He's white hot, with four homers in his last three games and six in his last seven, collecting 14 hits during his current eight-game hitting streak. Until he's bumped up into the $3,500 tier, or his current form fails, he's an every-night play. Sox starter Garrett Richards has been a bit lucky, and his 4.92 xFIP comes with a 0.74 HR/9 and career-low 9.5 percent HR/FB rate.
Amed Rosario, CLE at DET ($2,400): I expect Cleveland bats to be popular against Tarik Skubal, but the young Tiger southpaw is starting to show some promise, fanning 22 in his last 16.0 innings while allowing 16 hits and eight runs. As such, I'll take a surging Rosario as my piece in this lineup. He's carrying a .376 wOBA against lefties into this slate and has 11 hits in his last seven games, and he'll likely be hitting out of the two hole.
Stacks to Consider
Twins vs. Dean Kremer: Nelson Cruz ($3,500), Miguel Sano ($2,800), Alex Kirilloff ($2,800)
Kremer is allowing a .409 wOBA to lefties and .370 wOBA to righties, and is incredibly vulnerable to the long ball, surrendering 3.21 per nine to the former and 2.25 to the latter. That hopefully plays well with the heart of the Twins' lineup. We know Sano is feast or famine, but he has five homers in seven games. Kirilloff is warming up, homering four times in seven while driving in 13 and scoring 10 times. Cruz hopefully returns to action off a wrist injury, which is never ideal for a hitter, but his .354 wOBA and .258 ISO should lend stability.
Royals vs. Rich Hill: Carlos Santana ($3,300), Whit Merrifield ($3,000), Jorge Soler ($2,500)
I want to say this is a preferred mini-stack, but we likely need a third piece behind Santana and Merrifield (hitting 1-2 in the order) to do real damage. There's unfortunately a huge divide between them and the rest of the Royals offense, with Santana owning a .410 wOBA and 164 wRC+, and Merrifield a .417/169 spot. More impressively, they fan 3.8 and 3.6 percent of the time against lefties, so we know we'll get opportunities. Soler is a mere dart throw as the third wheel based on his power potential.
