This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We're halfway through May, but not many MLB teams are celebrating on the field. It's a Thursday, which tends to be light for games. Only five games are taking place at 6:40 p.m. ET or later. That's not too bad in terms of putting a DFS lineup together. Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Justin Steele, CHC vs. PIT ($7,300): Over his previous two seasons as a starter, Steele posted a 3.11 ERA. This year he has a 4.73 ERA in only three starts as he has been banged up. Things should turn around. The Pirates are in the bottom five in terms of runs scored, so hopefully this matchup will help on that front if you are rostering the lefty hurler.
Top Target
He fell one home run short of a 30/30 season last year, but it doesn't seem like Kyle Tucker ($6,100) will finally hit 30/30 in 2024. That's because his power hitting has been so robust with 13 homers and a .597 slugging percentage (SLG). Joey Estes has drawn another start for the Athletics. He only allowed one run in 5.0 innings in his first MLB start of the year, but that run came on a homer, and he was facing the Mariners. Estes had a 7.20 ERA in two MLB starts last season. Over the last two years, he has a 5.40 ERA at Triple-A.
Bargain Bat
His slash line is quite unremarkable, concerning even, but Ceddanne Rafaela ($3,200) has hit four homers, two triples and stolen four bases in 43 games. Zack Littell has a 3.02 ERA with the Rays in 2024, but he has a career 3.93 ERA. He's really struggling against right-handed hitters. Since 2022, right-handers have hit an even .300 against Littell, including .327 this year.
Stack to Consider
Dodgers vs. Reds (Nick Martinez): Freddie Freeman ($5,900), Teoscar Hernandez ($5,500), Max Muncy ($5,100)
With Nick Lodolo hitting the injured list (IL), Martinez is a strong bet to draw the start Thursday. He's been in the bullpen recently, but he's made four starts this year and can stretch things out for a few innings. The bullpen will likely see some work and may be able to target the two left-handed hitters in my stack, but I still like this trio for Thursday.
Freeman's power is a bit down, but he's batted .297 with a .408 on-base percentage (OBP). He has an OPS over 1.000 against righties, with his issues being major struggles versus left-handed pitching. That's abnormal for this particular southpaw. Just last season he had a 1.008 OPS versus left-handed pitchers. Hernandez has hit 11 homers and slugged .486. He claimed his issues last season came down to issues with Seattle's home ballpark. So far he seems to like Dodger Stadium much more. Hernandez has a .948 OPS at home. Muncy rebounded with 36 home runs last season and has nine homers this year. Since 2022, he's slugged .462 against right-handed pitchers and .476 at home, making this a nice scenario for the slugger.
