Happy Monday! It’s time to set the tone for the week and maybe even build the bankroll that can be used to play this entire week! One step at a time, however! We have a seven game slate tonight that figures to bring plenty of excitement, per usual! I have uncovered some hidden gems for you to use tonight in your lineup, as well as some chalkier value options that might be reserved for cash game use, due to expected ownership numbers. Without further ado, let’s jump in and take a look at the best value options on the board for tonight’s seven game main slate!
All Sites:
Gio Urshela, 3B NYY ($2,400 FD/$2,900 DK/$7 Yahoo) - You’ll read more about Texas’ A.J. Alexy in this piece, but his 3.68 ERA is a mirage. His FIP (5.07) and xFIP (5.30) are nearly two full runs higher and a fly ball pitcher against a potent Yankee offense (at times) can be an issue. Urhsela is hitting .348 with a 1.027 OPS over his last 23 at-bats, and in his home park in 2021, he’s hitting an even .300 with a .463 slugging percentage.
Chas McCormick, OF HOU ($2,200 FD/$2,000 DK/$8 Yahoo) - Los Angeles’ Jaime Barria has allowed a .288 batting average and .354 wOBA to right-handed hitters this season. That’s good for McCormick who has a .764 OPS against righties in 2021. To Barria’s credit, he’s been much better at home this year, allowing just a 2.88 ERA, but he struggled last time out against Houston, and McCormick has a .262 batting average and .806 OPS on the road. He’s hitting .278 over his last 18 at-bats, and is a cheap part of any Houston stack this evening.
Yahoo:
Huascar Ynoa, SP ATL ($39) - If this game was in Atlanta, Ynoa would be the easiest pick of the day. His 2.60 ERA is far better than his 4.18 ERA on the road, but there’s still plenty of reasons to like Ynoa tonight. He has 15 strikeouts over his last two starts, posting a 3.72 ERA in the process. He’s faced Arizona once this season, and he posted a quality start with five strikeouts over six innings of work. Also, thus far in September the Diamondbacks have posted a 23.9 percent strikeout rate against right-handed pitching, not to mention the second-lowest team OPS at a poor .634. He’s an excellent arm to use tonight, even if he’s not pitching at home.
Yan Gomes, C OAK ($9) - Seattle’s Tyler Anderson has reverse splits, meaning lefties hit him better than right-handers, but that won’t stop me from playing Gomes for under $10! The veteran backstop is hitting .321 with a .918 OPS against southpaws this season and while he’s been struggling of late, a lefty on the bump is just what he needs to break out of this slump. He does have a home run against Seattle pitching this year, so if you aren’t going with Gary Sánchez behind the dish, look to Gomes (if he’s starting).
DraftKings:
Eddie Rosario. OF ATL ($2,500) - Arizona’s Humberto MejÃa has an ERA that is approaching 5.00 for the season, and his HR/9 mark of 1.64 isn’t any better. Rosario is hitting .471 with a 1.526 OPS over the last week, pushing his September numbers up to a quality .326 batting average and 1.155 OPS. Rosario has a .798 OPS against right-handers this season and should pair nicely with Austin Riley and Freddie Freeman in an Atlanta stack tonight.
Matt Vierling, OF PHI ($2,300) - If Vierling can crack the starting lineup, he’s worth consideration with a lefty on the bump for Baltimore. The Philadelphia outfielder is hitting .385 with a .907 OPS against southpaws in 2021, and for what it’s worth, he’s been better in night games, posting a .945 OPS across 31 at-bats. Vierling has four hits in his last 10 at-bats, and he finds himself on the good side of his splits at a very affordable price on DraftKings.
FanDuel:
Gary Sánchez, C NYY ($3,000) - A.J. Alexy hasn’t been horrible this year, but some of the underlying metrics indicate he’s been a bit lucky. Lefties have posted just a .137 wOBA against him, so he’s neutralized them, but righties have posted a .334 wOBA. Furthermore, despite having a 3.68 ERA on the season, he just allowed six earned runs in 3.2 innings against Houston, and his 5.07 FIP and 5.30 xFIP are far higher than his ERA. Sanchez has an .845 OPS at home this season, and he does have three home runs over the past two weeks.
Jared Walsh, 1B LAA ($2,900) - Walsh is 4-for-5 in his career against Framber Valdez, and overall against Houston pitching in 2021, Walsh is hitting .263 with a .765 OPS. Walsh has been excellent in his home park, posting a .537 slugging percentage with 15 home runs across 242 at-bats, and thus far in September, he’s hitting .320 with a .913 OPS. Valdez is likely to be a popular pitcher today, but Walsh is one Angel bat that I would trust in my lineups.
Player News
Red Sox OF prospect Roman Anthony scalded a 497-foot grand slam on Saturday for Triple-A Worcester.
That’s how you give the WooSox faithful at Polar Park something to remember for years to come. The legend continues to grow as Anthony’s latest gargantuan blast to right-center field carried a stratospheric 115.6 mph exit velocity. It’s the longest home run tracked by Statcast at any level in baseball this season, per MLB.com’s Allison Mast. It was also his 10th round-tripper of the year. It’s mystifying what the Red Sox are doing at this juncture since Anthony is certainly capable of providing an offensive spark, even in his first exposure to the big leagues. There’s been zero indication that a call-up is imminent, but fantasy managers should anticipate Anthony arriving at Fenway Park at some point soon. There’s nothing left for him to prove in the minors.
Nick Kurtz (hip) went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and three RBI on Saturday in a minor league rehab game for Low-A Stockton.
The bat looks fine. Kurtz walloped a colossal homer and also added an RBI single in his first rehab contest as he makes his way back from a hip flexor strain that put him on the shelf back in late May. The 22-year-old top prospect might only need another game this weekend before he’s ready to rejoin the Athletics’ lineup. Fantasy managers should anticipate Kurtz being back in the big leagues at some point in the coming days.
Reds RHP prospect Chase Burns recorded six strikeouts over seven shutout innings on Saturday for Double-A Chattanooga.
There’s a legitimate argument for pushing Burns ahead of Bubba Chandler and Andrew Painter as the top pitching prospect in the fantasy landscape. The second-overall selection from the 2024 MLB Draft retired 17 consecutive batters to open his latest outing and was still hitting 98 mph during his seventh inning of work. He allowed just three singles over seven frames and didn’t hand out a free pass. The 22-year-old phenom holds a microscopic 1.68 ERA and 75/9 K/BB ratio across 53 2/3 innings (11 starts) this season between Double-A Chattanooga and High-A Dayton. He might be ready to pitch in the big leagues by the second half.
Brewers RHP prospect Jacob Misiorowski posted seven strikeouts over five shutout innings on Saturday for Triple-A Nashville.
Misiorowski touched triple-digits on 14 pitches and allowed just two hits over five strong frames in his latest dominant outing on the doorstep of the majors. Milwaukee doesn’t exactly have a spot for him in their current rotation, but they should strongly consider making one in a couple weeks. The hard-throwing 23-year-old righty is up to 80 punchouts over 63 1/3 innings and also boasts an International League-best 2.13 ERA across 12 starts.
Pirates SS/OF prospect Konnor Griffin went 3-for-5 with an inside-the-park home run, three RBI and one stolen base on Saturday for Low-A Bradenton.
Griffin’s phenomenal professional debut continued Saturday when he legged out an inside-the-park home run as part of his 21st multi-hit performance of the season. The 19-year-old phenom is slashing .338/.398/.536 with nine round-trippers and 26 steals across 50 games for Low-A Bradenton. He leads the entire Florida State League with 70 hits and ranks second in home runs, trailing only Phillies breakout prospect Aroon Escobar in the power department. Based on his current trajectory, Griffin is likely to finish the year as a top-five caliber prospect for dynasty purposes.
Ronny Mauricio went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, stolen base and two runs scored in a win for the Mets on Saturday over the Rockies.
Mauricio gets the combo meal in a blowout win over the lowly Rockies. Still counts. The 24-year-old has his first homer of the 2025 campaign, and the steal is also his first after being recalled from Syracuse on Tuesday. Mauricio is still young enough to live up to the lofty expectations he once had, but fantasy managers shouldn’t be rushing to add the infielder just yet.