This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
It's quite the light night for DFS players to start June. Thursday night features a mere three games, but that doesn't mean you should overlook your DFS opportunities. Here are my lineup recommendations to kick off a new month.
Pitching
Pablo Lopez, MIN vs. CLE ($7,600): Lopez has been something of a mediocre pitcher with his new squad, but his 3.93 FIP is not bad, and his 11.10 strikeouts per nine innings are quite good. Mostly, though, this is about the matchup. The Guardians are neck-and-neck with the Athletics in terms of being last in runs scored and team OPS.
Top Target
While Jose Altuve ($5,200) has only played in nine games, his 1.013 OPS is a nice sign in terms of being over his injury, and last year he had a .920 OPS so it's not like the second baseman is a slouch in any capacity. He also has a .948 OPS at home since 2021. The lefty Reid Detmers doesn't allow a lot of home runs, but he still has a 4.42 ERA in his career, so the southpaw is no threat to Altuve.
Bargain Bat
It's unlikely given the play of guys like Corbin Carroll, but Spencer Steer ($3,700) is making a run at winning NL Rookie of the Year like his teammate Jonathan India a couple seasons ago. He's slashed .289/.356/.498 with eight home runs. In his career, he's slugged .541 against lefties, and that's what Chris Sale is. While Sale has gotten healthy enough to pitch regularly in 2023, he has a 4.72 ERA through 10 starts and has allowed 1.30 home runs per nine innings.
Stack to Consider
Red Sox vs. Reds (Hunter Greene): Rafael Devers ($5,800), Masataka Yoshida ($5,500), Justin Turner ($3,800)
Greene has dropped his HR/9 rate from 1.72 as a rookie to 1.29 this year, but that's still pretty poor. His massive fastball yields a lot of strikeouts, but also a lot of hard contact. While he didn't allow a homer in his last start, he allowed seven in his previous four, so I am stacking Red Sox in this matchup.
Devers' power is the only thing not down this year, as he's slugged .498 with 13 home runs. Since 2021, he has a .920 OPS against righties and an .896 OPS at home. Yoshida has delivered immediately upon coming to America, posting a .317 average with seven homers and three stolen bases. Plus, he has a .926 OPS versus right handers and a .931 OPS at Fenway Park. Turner is a righty, but righties have actually hit .292 against Greene in 2023. While Turner's numbers have lagged against righties this season, since 2021 he has an .802 OPS in matchups with both left handers and right handers, so he should be OK in time. He's also scuffled on the road with Boston, but has a .293 average and .420 slugging percentage at home.
