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Major League Baseball is putting the finishing touches on a fantastic June this weekend, and Saturday night features a small but solid four-game slate on the main slate on DraftKings, The slate includes the four games under the lights, starting with an AL showdown between the Rangers and Orioles along with an NL rivalry game between the Dodgers and Giants. In the two late games, the Angels look to win a third straight from the Tigers while the Mariners host the Twins in another matchup of AL teams currently in playoff position.
As you build your roster from this great eight-team, these are the players I think are set up to bring you success.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Bat Flip [$25K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants ($12,000) – The Dodgers dropped the first game of this series on Friday night, but they’ll feel very confident on Saturday giving the ball to Glasnow. The Dodgers offseason acquisition is one of the favorites for the NL Cy Young Award at +380 on DraftKings Sportsbook. In his 16 starts, Glasnow has gone 8-5 with a 2.88 ERA and 2.64 FIP, and he leads the MLB with 135 strikeouts in his 100 innings. His strikeout rate of 12.15 K/9 is second among starting pitchers in the MLB behind only Garrett Crochet. Glasnow beat the Giants earlier this season with seven strikeouts in six strong innings, and he has been cranking up the K’s lately with at least eight strikeouts in five consecutive outings and double-digit strikeouts in two of his last three games. Glasnow comes at a premium price on Saturday night’s slate, but there are enough good value options in the player pool to make him viable and valuable at this salary. He has over 22 DKFP in five straight starts, showing good consistency, but he also comes loaded with upside after posting over 35 DKFP in each of his last two starts.
Value
Reese Olson, Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels ($6,900) – Olson had some strong starts early this season before hitting a rough patch and getting knocked around for three straight starts in early June. He righted the ship in his last two outings, though, and will look to continue his turnaround on Saturday night while helping the Tigers bounce back from back-to-back losses to start their stop in Anaheim. Olson has a 3.35 ERA and 2.29 FIP over his 15 starts this season and has 72 strikeouts in 83 1⁄3 innings. He threw six shutout innings in Atlanta two starts ago to earn 27.1 DKFP in a no-decision, and then he got a win over the White Sox in his last time out, earning 17.9 DKFP with 6 1⁄3 innings of good work. When he’s at his best, Olson generates a ton of ground balls and can also stack up strikeouts. He should be a good value play from under $7,000 with a very high ceiling against the Angels, who rank in the bottom six in the MLB in runs scored, team batting average and wOBA over the last 30 days.
INFIELD
Stud
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Francisco Giants ($7,000) – The Dodgers went big this past offseason by bringing in Glasnow and Ohtani and both acquisitions have paid off so far. Ohtani has been on another level lately and has established himself as the frontrunner for NL MVP. He leads the MLB with his .322 batting average and has 25 home runs, 16 stolen bases and an incredible .439 wOBA on the season. His franchise-record 10-game RBI streak came to an end on Friday night, but over his last 11 contests, he’s hitting .436 (17-for-39) with eight home runs, a .692 ISO and a .652 wOBA. He has averaged 18.5 DKFP per game after that stretch. The Giants are planning a bullpen game on Saturday led by Erik Miller ($4,000) and probably using Spencer Howard ($5,500) as a bulk reliever. It should be a great matchup for the Dodgers, and if you can afford Ohtani, he’s an elite bat to build around either at 1B or in the OF, depending on the rest of your roster construction.
Stud
Willi Castro, Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners ($4,500) – Castro proved his value earlier this season while filling in for all the Twins’ injuries and has established himself as the team’s leadoff hitter in the midst of what looks to be his breakout season. The 27-year-old is hitting .277 with a .359 wOBA, seven homers and eight stolen bases on the season. He comes into Saturday’s matchup with a 12-game hitting streak and is hitting .365 (23-for-63) with three home runs, eight doubles, 15 runs scored and a .459 wOBA over his last 15 games. Like Ohtani, Castro can also slide to an outfield spot if that makes building your roster easier.
Value
Jorge Mateo, Baltimore Orioles vs. Texas Rangers ($3,500) – Mateo has been stuck in a bit of a platoon at 2B for the O’s lately, but when he has gotten opportunities recently, he has been productive. He hit safely in six of his last seven starts, going 8-for-26 (.308) with a double, a triple and a home run, averaging 7.4 DKFP per contest. He brings a little bit of power and some sneaky speed as well since he has a .204 ISO and 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts this season. He can fit in either middle infield spot and should be able to bring good value at this salary on Saturday. He has multiple ways of producing, so he’s worth a look even at a lower lineup spot than ideal.
Value
Davis Wendzel, Texas Rangers at Baltimore Orioles ($2,000) – There aren’t many infielders under $3,000 expected to start this Saturday night, so most of your bargain plays will have to come from the outfield. One notable exception to that trend is Wendzel, who is available at the minimum salary of just $2,000 and is expected to start for the Rangers against lefty Cade Povich ($5,900). Wendzel was called up in early June and has had more playing time since Ezequiel Duran was sent back to Triple-A. Wendzel went 2-for-4 with a double and 10 DKFP on Wednesday in his last start. He showed solid potential in 21 games at Triple-A this year, hitting .286 with four homers and a .394 wOBA. If you are spending up on the Dodgers or other high-priced options, Wendzel could be a much-needed source of salary relief.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers at Los Angeles Angels ($5,400) – Greene is growing into the centerpiece of the Tigers offense and has already set a career-high with 15 homers. While his .260 batting average isn’t amazing, he has been much better in June, hitting .308 in his 25 games this month with five homers, five doubles, two stolen bases and a .415 wOBA. Greene has a 50% hard-hit rate this month, per Statcast and he’s in a strong matchup against Griffin Canning ($6,000), who has allowed lefties to hit .283 against him this season with a .374 wOBA and 10 homers this season. He’s one of the top outfield plays on Saturday’s limited slate and brings a high ceiling against Canning.
Stud
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners ($4,300) – Buxton has an incredibly high ceiling and has shown the ability to get red hot and homer in bunches. This season has been a struggle, though, and injuries have continued to be an issue. He only hit .223 with three homers and a .279 wOBA over his first 47 games this year. His DFS salary dropped as a result, and he has the potential to be a great value when he gets things turned around. He has shown signs that he’s starting to find his groove over his last 14 games, hitting an impressive .380 with four doubles, four homers and a .484 wOBA. Buxton has multiple hits in three of his last four games and homered on his way to 30 DKFP on Thursday before getting Friday off. He should be back in the lineup on Saturday, and he’s an option that brings lots of upside at this salary.
Value
Willie Calhoun, Los Angeles Angels vs. Detroit Tigers ($3,000) – Calhoun has been a good source of value in the middle of the batting order for the Halos, and the lefty is a solid play at only $3,000 against Olson and the Tigers. Calhoun is hitting .280 on the season and is 5-for-12 with three extra-base hits including a home run over his last four games. He has hit double-digit DKFP in three of those four games and brings good power potential although he can be boom-or-bust.
Value
Heston Kjerstad, Baltimore Orioles vs. Texas Rangers ($2,200) – Kjerstad started the season as the No. 20 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline, and he proved he’s ready for his shot in the MLB during his 56 games this season with the Norfolk Tides in Triple-A. He hit .300 with 16 homers and a .424 wOBA in the minors but struggled during his first stint in the majors, going just 2-for-17. Since being recalled again earlier this week, he made three straight and looked much more comfortable, going 4-for-10 (.400) with a double, a home run, a walk and three RBI. He had 25 DKFP in the series opener on Thursday but got Friday off. He should be back in the lineup on Saturday vs. Michael Lorenzen ($7,100) and brings a very high ceiling due to his elite power potential.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Bat Flip [$25K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.