MLB DFS Value Vault June 13: Zack Thompson Making His First Career Start
MLB DFS 6/13 – Tonight’s slate is consistent across the board as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo will use ten-game slates starting at 7:05 pm ET. We have some great value options on the mound for tonight’s slate with Zack Thompson making his first career start for the Cardinals and Lance Lynn making his season debut. On top of that, it appears that we have no mlb weather concerns to worry about, which is amazing, but still keep up with the weather center leading up to lock. Lastly, don’t forget to check out our Vegas Odds link for mlb implied runs totals and to use our mlb dfs lineup generator. Let’s dive into our mlb dfs picks today!
MLB DFS Pitchers
Zack Thompson, Cardinals (DraftKings - $4300 / Yahoo - $28)
Thompson will make his first career start tonight. He pitched four innings in relief 10 days ago and pitched very well, firing four innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts. He had been pitching pretty well at AAA prior to being called up with 56 strikeouts across 44.1 innings of work with a solid 1.15 WHIP, but a mediocre 4.67 ERA. He couldn’t ask for much of a better first matchup though as the Pirates are 28th in runs per game this season and they have the highest strikeout rate in the league at a 25.5-percent clip.
Mike Minor, Reds (DraftKings - $4700 / Yahoo - $29)
Minor has struggled thus far, but both of his first two starts came in the tough environment of Great American Ballpark. He has been solid in the strikeout department with eight strikeouts across 8.1 innings of work and he got up to 85 pitches in his last outing. He has a solid matchup with Arizona today as the Dbacks ranks 25th in runs per game this year and has the 4th highest strikeout rate in the league.
Lance Lynn, White Sox (FanDuel - $5500)
What are we doing here FanDuel? Seriously… I am very confused. Lynn is a top-five priced pitcher on both DK and Yahoo, but we have him as THE CHEAPEST pitcher on the slate on FanDuel. Not only is he only $5500, but he’s facing the Tigers too… the worst offense in the entire league. He allows you to use basically any bats you want and I expect him to see a crazy high rostership on FD.
MLB DFS Hitters
Jeremy Peña, Astros (FanDuel - $2800 / Yahoo - $12)
Pena isn’t a value on DK at all and his FD price is just OK, but I really like this Yahoo price. He had a monster game yesterday, going 2-3 with a home run and a stolen base. He is now hitting .277 on the year with nine home runs and six steals. He has been slightly better against lefties than righties too, hitting .280 with a .500 SLG against them, compared to .275 and .457 against righties, respectively. Today he faces a terrible lefty in Hearn, who has a 5.48 ERA and 1.74 WHIP.
Ezequiel Duran, Rangers (DraftKings - $2400 / FanDuel - $2500)
Duran has multiple hits in back-to-back games and has racked up a home run, three RBI, and three runs scored in that span. He is now hitting .313 through his first seven games in the big leagues with two home runs, four RBI, and four runs scored. This matchup with Javier is a tough one, but Duran is so cheap that I still think he’s worth a shot in GPP formats.
Gabriel Moreno, Blue Jays (DraftKings - $2200 / Yahoo -$7)
Moreno hasn’t exactly set the world on fire with his 1-7 start to begin his big league career, but he’s a top prospect for a reason and he slashed .323/.377/.406 prior to being called up, so we shouldn’t make too much of a whopping seven at-bats. He is a perfect punt play at the catcher position for both DK and Yahoo. Bradish has been getting shelled and his ERA is now 6.45 with a 1.59 WHIP.
Michael Harris, Braves (FanDuel - $2300)
Harris has basically made his way to the bottom of the mid-tier price range on DK and Yahoo (still a fine play on those sites), but FanDuel is really lacking behind here as he is still nearly the minimum. He is currently riding a five-game hitting streak and in that span he has a pair of steals and has had games of 28.4, 24.4, and 15.7 FD points. He has his batting average for the year up to an impressive .296.
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Player News
Braves claimed RHP José Ruiz off waivers from the Phillies.
Ruiz heads to Atlanta after posting a calamitous 8.16 ERA across 14 1/3 innings (16 appearances) this season for the division-rival Phillies. The 30-year-old righty, who was designated for assignment last weekend, has made 280 career appearances in the majors dating back to 2017.
Giants sent C Sam Huff outright to Triple-A Sacramento.
Huff went unclaimed on waivers after being jettisoned from San Francisco’s active roster earlier this week. The 27-year-old former prospect hit just .208 (11-for-53) with two homers and four RBI over 20 games with the Giants. He also struck out 25 times in 58 plate appearances during that span. He’ll remain with the club as organizational catching depth.
Josh Lowe and Jonathan Aranda are not in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Marlins.
Lowe and Aranda head to the bench with tough lefty Ryan Weathers taking the ball on Saturday afternoon for Miami. The Rays will roll out their assortment of lefty-mashing platoon options, including José Caballaro in right field and Curtis Mead in right field and at first base, respectively. It’s worth noting that Mead is on a hot streak of late, hitting .300 (6-for-20) with two homers and one steal over his last seven games.
Cam Smith (illness) remains out of the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Guardians.
Smith will sit out his second straight game as he continues to battle an illness that led to him being a late scratch from Friday’s lineup. The 22-year-old top prospect has endured an up-and-down rookie campaign, which isn’t uncommon as young player acclimates to everyday life in the big leagues. It’ll be versatile veteran Mauricio Dubón taking over in right field on Saturday afternoon at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
Kyle Stowers (hand) remains out of the lineup for the third consecutive game on Saturday against the Rays.
Stowers is dealing with a lingering hand issue, which has kept him on the bench since Tuesday’s contest against the Rockies. It doesn’t sound like a massive concern, but it’s a situation fantasy managers should continue monitoring. It’ll be Jesús Sánchez moving over to cover left field with Eric Wagaman in the opposite corner on Saturday afternoon at Steinbrenner Field.
Bryson Stott is not in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Pirates.
Stott gets a rare day off with lefty Bailey Falter drawing the starting assignment on Saturday afternoon at PNC Park. It’ll be Trea Turner moving up to the leadoff spot in his absence. The 27-year-old second baseman has been scuffling in recent weeks, batting .198 (23-for-116) with two homers, 11 RBI and four steals over his last 30 games. Veteran lefty-masher Edmundo Sosa is getting a turn at the keystone in his place.