MLB DFS Value Vault June 6: Jon Gray On The Mound For Rangers
Tonight’s MLB DFS slate is pretty consistent for the most part as DraftKings and FanDuel will use six-game slates starting at 6:40 pm ET. However, Yahoo will drop the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Cincinnati Reds matchup and use a five-game slate starting at 7:10 pm ET. Despite the small slates, we still have some solid value options today on both sides of the ball for our daily fantasy baseball lineups. Our only MLB weather concern as of right now appears to be that 6:40 game between the Dbacks and Reds, so make sure to keep up with the latest MLB weather report today. Also, keep an eye on the announced MLB lineups and check out the latest MLB daily projections for tonight's games. Before setting MLB daily fantasy lineups, don’t forget to check out the MLB Vegas Odds for team implied runs totals. You can also use our MLB DFS lineup generator to help build daily fantasy baseball lineups. Now let’s dive into our MB DFS top picks in today's Value Vault!
MLB DFS Value Pitchers
Hunter Greene, Reds (DraftKings - $7600 / FanDuel - $7300)
Hunter Greene has been pitching a bit better lately as he has scored at least 11.9 DK points in five straight starts and scored north of 15 in three of those. His ERA on the year is still an unsightly 6.19, but his 64 punch-outs in 48 innings of work are very impressive. He has a great matchup against the Dbacks today; Arizona is 24th in runs per game this year and they have the second-highest strikeout rate in all of baseball at 25.0-percent. Greene is far from a sure thing, but this matchup is great and so is his upside.
Jon Gray, Rangers (DraftKings - $6600 / Yahoo - $34)
Jon Gray finally looked like the pitcher the Rangers thought they were signing. In his last start, he tossed seven innings of one-run ball and struck out 12 in a no-decision against the Rays to finish with 34.8 DK points. He now has 44 strikeouts across 41 innings of work. He has a much tougher test today with the Guardians, though, as they strike out less than anyone and overall their offense has been strong. I would lean Greene over Gray, personally.
MLB DFS Value Hitters
Nick Senzel, Reds (DraftKings - $2900 / FanDuel - $2900)
Nick Senzel had a nice game yesterday, going 2-5 with a steal and a run scored, extending his hitting streak to five games. He continues to hit leadoff and the extra possible at-bats are, of course, great for DFS purposes. He’s also been far better at home this year, slashing .258/.319/.318, compared to .150/.171/.200 on the road. He faces Bumgarner today, who has been struggling as he has given up 14 runs across his last 24 innings pitched (5.25 ERA in that span of four starts).
Jarren Duran, Red Sox (DraftKings - $2600 / FanDuel - $2200)
Jarren Duran has played three games this season and he has at least one hit in all three and has scored a pair of runs. He has been hitting leadoff for the Red Sox, which is a fantastic spot for scoring runs. Today he faces Syndergaard, who has been getting rocked recently as he has given up 15 hits and 11 runs scored over his last 11 innings pitched. Duran is simply too cheap today.
Ezequiel Duran, Rangers (DraftKings - $2000 / FanDuel - $2000 / Yahoo - $7)
From one Duran to another, it’s easy to like Ezequiel Duran as well. He went 2-4 with a dinger yesterday and remains the minimum price across all three sites. He was ballin’ at the AA level prior to his call-up, hitting .317 with seven home runs and seven stolen bases and 65 total R+RBI across 45 games played. Quantrill is a fine pitcher, but he’s far from elite and is not someone to fade hitters with.
Taylor Trammell, Mariners (DraftKings - $2000 / FanDuel - $2300)
Taylor Trammell has been someone that I have very consistently included in my value vaults and playbooks as he has been underpriced consistently. He has been good, hitting .333 with a home run, five doubles, five RBI, and seven runs scored across 27 at-bats (Averaging about 10 DK points per game in the games he has started). Today he faces Javier and he’s a fine pitcher, but he’s far from elite and he usually doesn’t pitch too deep anyways.
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Player News
Nico Hoerner was ejected from Sunday’s contest against the Tigers for arguing balls and strikes.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell was also tossed by home plate umpire Derek Thomas for voicing his disagreement with a called third strike on Hoerner during the fifth inning. The 28-year-old second baseman was replaced by Vidal Bruján at the keystone after going 0-for-2 on the day.
Yankees claimed INF CJ Alexander off waivers from the Athletics.
Alexander will report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre as extra organizational infield depth. The 28-year-old went 3-for-17 with eight strikeouts over six games during a brief stint with the Athletics.
Eury Pérez will be activated from the injured list to start Monday’s series opener against the Pirates.
It’s happening. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough confirmed that Pérez will make his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery on Monday at PNC Park. The dynamic 22-year-old righty looked sharp during his eight-start minor league rehab assignment and shouldn’t have any workload restrictions out of the gate. Given his immense talent, and successful rookie campaign back in 2023, Pérez should be rostered in all fantasy formats.
Kyle Stowers struck out as a pinch hitter on Sunday against the Rays.
Stowers did not start the game and had been on the bench for the previous three games while battling a hand issue. The fact that he was able to pinch hit seems to indicate that he’s on the mend, but it wasn’t a particularly good at bat and there’s always a chance he felt some discomfort when hitting, so we’ll wait for Monday’s lineup before we know for sure if he’s avoiding an IL stint.
Mets signed RHP Julian Merryweather to a minor league contract.
Merryweather heads to New York as extra organizational relief depth after struggling to a bloated 5.79 ERA across 18 2/3 innings (21 appearances) this season for the Cubs. The hard-throwing 33-year-old righty has made 152 career appearances dating back to the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
Heriberto Hernández went 3-for-3 in a loss to the Rays on Sunday.
Hernández has gone 6-for-16 so far after being called up from Triple-A, but he has started just four of those games. If Kyle Stowers heads to the IL, Hernández would seem to be the prime beneficiary, but Stowers was able to pinch-hit on Sunday, which makes that seem unlikely.