MLB DFS Value Vault June 20: Oneil Cruz Set For Season Debut
MLB DFS 6/20 – Tonight’s slate is consistent across the board as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo will use eight-game slates starting at 7:05 pm ET. Despite a medium-sized main slate today we have plenty of strong value options both on the mound and at the dish. Noah Syndergaard and Josh Winckowski are my top value arms, but Caleb Kilian could be worth a shot as well. For offense we are looking at a lot of young hitters, including Oneil Cruz making his season debut, and one big mispricing on Yahoo. 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 first pitch. 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
Noah Syndergaard, Angels (DraftKings - $6400 / Yahoo - $33)
Thor has pitched really well this year outside of his abysmal strikeout rate (35 Ks in 51 innings) with a 3.53 ERA. His upside is a bit limited with the low strikeout rate, but he has a favorable matchup against the Royals tonight. The Royals are 27th in runs per game this year. I would be surprised if Thor has a massive scoring night, but a storng outing would not surprise me at all (something like 6 innings, 1 run, 4 Ks and a win).
Josh Winckowski, Red Sox (DraftKings - $6200 / FanDuel - $6500 / Yahoo - $30)
Wincowski pitched very well in his last outing, firing five shutout innings against the A’s with three strikeouts and picking up the win to finish with 18.3 DK points. And while that was against a terrible offense in the A;’s, he gets another terrible offense today in the Tigers. Detroit ranks dead last in scoring this year and are the only team averaging fewer than three runs per game. They also have the sixth highest strikeout rate in the league this year.
MLB DFS Hitters
Jack Suwinski, Pirates (DraftKings - $2200 / FanDuel - $2200)
I’m going back to the well on Suwinksi today after having him in my Pirates stack for the Playbook yesterday. He came through in a huge way, blasting THREE home runs and scoring 44 points on DraftKings. He is only hitting .230 on the year but he has 11 home runs and two steals in 47 games, so the upside is plentiful. He’s been fantastic at home, slashing .284/.337/.636 with NINE of his 11 bombs and BOTH of his steals. He faces Killian, who has a 8.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP through his first two starts in the bigs.
Oneil Cruz, Pirates (DraftKings - $2000 / FanDuel - $2000)
Cruz is officially being called up by Pittsburgh to make his season debut today. He was only hitting .233 at AAA but he did have nine home runs and 11 steals already and that is what makes him worth the price of admission for DFS (especially since he’s the minimum price anyways). I don’t have him listed in here today, but Cal Mitchell is also an intriguing play for the Pirates at nearly the minimum price and they could once again be a sneaky stack today of Suwinksi, Cruz, Mitchell.
Riley Greene, Tigers (DraftKings - $2100 / FanDuel - $2800)
Greene is off to a nice start thus far as he is 2-5 with four walks and two runs scored through his first two games in the big leagues. He has plenty of power and speed upside which is exactly what we are looking for in DFS. I do like Wincowski today, but it’s hard to still not like Greene at this price.
Taylor Ward, Angels (Yahoo - $8)
Ward hasn’t been swinging the hottest of bats, so I get the price drop (he’s in the mid-tier range for DK and FD), but Yahoo went to the extreme and made him nearly the minimum price. Despite being cold, he did go 3-4 with two runs yesterday, so that could be what he needed to get it back going. He’s still hitting .309 on the year with 10 home runs and 60 total R+RBI across 45 games of action and today he gets to face a bad pitcher in Bubic (8.36 ER and 1.89 WHIP this year across nine games). Ward also been amazing at home this year, slashing .362/.500/.596 across 16 games in Los Angeles.
C.J. Abrams, Padres (DraftKings - $2000 / FanDuel - $2300)
I am going to keep this one brief because it’s not even clear if he will be called up today, but I do like Abrams if he’s brought up to the big club. He has been hot at AAA, is near the minimum price, and facing a bad pitcher in Davies.
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Player News
Mets selected the contract of RHP Justin Garza from Triple-A Syracuse.
He’ll join the bullpen. Garza was just picked up from the Giants after posting a 6.11 ERA in 17 2/3 innings for Triple-A Sacramento this season. The 31-year-old has a 5.74 ERA major league ERA from his 21 appearances with the Guardians in 2021 and 17 appearances with the Red Sox in 2023.
Mets optioned LHP Brandon Waddell to Triple-A Syracuse.
Waddell has made four relief appearances during three stints with the Mets and has a 3.38 ERA and a 7/2 K/BB in 10 2/3 innings this season.
Mariners sent RHP Casey Lawrence outright to Triple-A Tacoma.
Lawrence can become a free agent or return to Tacoma. He was DFA’d on Saturday without ever pitching during his latest stint with the Mariners.
Twins optioned RHP Travis Adams to Triple-A St. Paul.
Adams didn’t pitch during his three days with the Twins. He’s going back down now to make room for Simeon Woods Richardson, who will be officially called up Tuesday to start against the Rangers.
Padres activated RHP Matt Waldron from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A El Paso.
This actually happened last week, but we missed it. Waldron, who had a 4.91 ERA in 146 2/3 innings for the Padres last year, had been on the IL since the beginning of the season with an oblique strain. He’s allowed five earned runs over nine innings since rejoining El Paso on a rehab assignment.
Athletics OF prospect Colby Thomas went 3-for-5 with a home run, stolen base, two runs scored, and two RBI for Triple-A Las Vegas on Sunday.
Thomas is now hitting .306 with 15 home runs and three steals on the season at Triple-A. He’s not yet on the 40-man roster, which is why fellow prospect Denzel Clarke got the first outfield shot over him; however, Thomas is pushing for his chance as well. The Athletics demoted JJ Bleday once this season, and despite the fact that they recently called him back up, they could decide to give Thomas a chance if they move on from Bleday again.