Tonight’s slate is interesting in which I can make a case for why every team has the ability to put up a decent run count. The problem is there is a game at Coors tonight, and with two not so great pitchers on the mound there, it’s tough not to try to target that game. I added players in that game to the hitting coach, but my write-up will be focused on the players outside of Coors. Please know that those players are all in play, and should be a target for your main roster tonight. I just wanted to focus on players that make for nice pivots off of Coors. Good luck!
| Player | Tm | Pos | Bats | H/A | Opp | Opp Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | $FD | $DK | $Aces |
| Jonathan Lucroy | MIL | C | R | A | PHI | Jerad Eickhoff | R | 177 | .299 | .355 | .531 | .886 | .376 | .232 | 8.1% | 19.3% | 37.0% | 37.8% | 25.2% | 17.6% | .331 | $3700 | $4100 | $4800 |
| Derek Norris | SD | C | R | H | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 154 | .182 | .243 | .338 | .581 | .248 | .156 | 7.1% | 26.0% | 40.4% | 35.8% | 23.9% | 12.8% | .215 | $2300 | $3300 | $4200 |
| Matt Wieters | BAL | C | B | H | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 128 | .281 | .321 | .430 | .751 | .327 | .149 | 5.8% | 25.6% | 39.8% | 37.5% | 22.7% | 12.1% | .356 | $3000 | $3400 | $4500 |
| Tucker Barnhart | CIN | C | B | A | COL | Eddie Butler | R | 121 | .240 | .292 | .339 | .631 | .274 | .099 | 6.2% | 18.5% | 51.5% | 23.7% | 24.7% | 4.3% | .292 | $2800 | $3000 | $4300 |
| Curt Casali | TB | C | R | A | MIN | Kyle Gibson | R | 106 | .170 | .241 | .387 | .628 | .248 | .217 | 7.6% | 35.6% | 33.9% | 46.8% | 19.4% | 20.7% | .207 | $2200 | $2900 | $3550 |
| Tony Wolters | COL | C | L | H | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 91 | .220 | .311 | .297 | .608 | .277 | .077 | 11.7% | 20.4% | 61.2% | 19.4% | 19.4% | 0.0% | .286 | $3000 | $3900 | $4350 |
| Tommy Joseph | PHI | C | R | H | MIL | Chase Anderson | R | 41 | .244 | .250 | .488 | .738 | .337 | .244 | 2.3% | 29.6% | 22.2% | 44.4% | 33.3% | 25.0% | .259 | $2000 | $4500 | $3800 |
Catcher
The only top price catcher that I’m targeting tonight is Jonathan Lucroy. He had the day off yesterday, and has hit 3 HR’s over his last 5 games, as well as recording 2 hits in 4 of his last 5 games. If looking to punt, I like Derek Norris or Curt Casali. Norris is the “safer” option up against a terrible Miley, while Casali provides you with the HR power, but usually bats 9th. Keep an eye on Tommy Joseph. He is listed as either C or 1B depending on site, and should be replacing Howard in the lineup over the next few games. His price on FD is just way too low, but listed at 1B there.
| Player | Tm | Pos | Bats | H/A | Opp | Opp Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | $FD | $DK | $Aces |
| Chris Davis | BAL | 1B | L | H | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 186 | .220 | .344 | .435 | .779 | .343 | .215 | 14.9% | 31.7% | 33.3% | 46.5% | 20.2% | 18.9% | .292 | $3700 | $3900 | $5550 |
| Carlos Santana | CLE | 1B | B | H | KC | Yordano Ventura | R | 185 | .227 | .339 | .432 | .771 | .338 | .205 | 14.5% | 11.3% | 44.0% | 41.5% | 14.5% | 13.6% | .214 | $3500 | $4400 | $4650 |
| Joey Votto | CIN | 1B | L | A | COL | Eddie Butler | R | 181 | .215 | .336 | .403 | .739 | .318 | .188 | 13.8% | 26.7% | 49.6% | 26.0% | 24.4% | 28.1% | .259 | $4100 | $5000 | $5600 |
| Adam Duvall | CIN | 1B | R | A | COL | Eddie Butler | R | 164 | .256 | .289 | .573 | .862 | .364 | .317 | 3.5% | 30.1% | 34.5% | 40.0% | 25.5% | 29.5% | .290 | $3900 | $5100 | $4900 |
| Mark Reynolds | COL | 1B | R | H | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 154 | .305 | .372 | .422 | .794 | .348 | .117 | 9.9% | 24.4% | 48.2% | 20.9% | 30.9% | 8.7% | .405 | $3400 | $4000 | $5150 |
First Base
There are not too many solid options to look at outside of Coors at 1B tonight, especially if Mark Reynolds gets the start. Once again Tommy Joseph is dirt cheap on FD. Miguel Cabrera is batting .484 with 7 HR over his last 16 games, and is a nice target if stacking the Tigers. Both Chris Davis and Carlos Santana check in with nice BvP matchups. Davis is 8-26 with 3 HR’s vs Porcello, while Santana is batting .300 with 5 walks, and should be leading off tonight.
| Player | Tm | Pos | Bats | H/A | Opp | Opp Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | $FD | $DK | $Aces |
| Dustin Pedroia | BOS | 2B | R | A | BAL | Ubaldo Jimenez | R | 212 | .316 | .375 | .491 | .866 | .376 | .175 | 8.6% | 13.7% | 48.0% | 27.4% | 24.6% | 14.3% | .347 | $3900 | $5000 | $5000 |
| Robinson Cano | SEA | 2B | L | A | SD | Colin Rea | R | 211 | .289 | .349 | .588 | .937 | .398 | .299 | 7.3% | 12.9% | 43.3% | 36.0% | 20.8% | 25.0% | .271 | $4400 | $5200 | $5600 |
| Brandon Phillips | CIN | 2B | R | A | COL | Eddie Butler | R | 176 | .256 | .295 | .420 | .715 | .305 | .164 | 4.2% | 13.2% | 47.4% | 31.6% | 21.1% | 12.5% | .264 | $3400 | $4200 | $5100 |
| DJ LeMahieu | COL | 2B | R | H | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 173 | .318 | .378 | .468 | .846 | .366 | .150 | 9.2% | 12.8% | 52.6% | 18.4% | 28.9% | 10.7% | .354 | $3800 | $4500 | $5100 |
| Scooter Gennett | MIL | 2B | L | A | PHI | Jerad Eickhoff | R | 121 | .223 | .296 | .388 | .684 | .297 | .165 | 9.6% | 25.2% | 46.5% | 37.2% | 16.3% | 12.5% | .274 | $2800 | $3500 | $4200 |
| Whit Merrifield | KC | 2B | R | A | CLE | Carlos Carrasco | R | 50 | .360 | .360 | .480 | .840 | .363 | .120 | 0.0% | 22.0% | 41.0% | 25.6% | 33.3% | 0.0% | .462 | $2800 | $3600 | $4050 |
Second Base
Both Second and Third base have players that overlap with their site eligibility. For instance, Whit Merrifield and his 9 game hit streak is 2B eligible on DK, but OF on other sites. Also, 7 of those games were 2 hit performances. Ryan Flaherty is 2B eligible on FD, and almost min price. His is 5-9 off of Porcello with a hr. On the other side of his matchup, Dustin Pedroia is 10-26 vs Jimenez. I think Seattle breaks out tonight, and even though his price is up there, Robinson Cano makes for a nice play. He homered last night, and has scored at least one run in 7 of his last 8 games.
| Player | Tm | Pos | Bats | H/A | Opp | Opp Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | $FD | $DK | $Aces |
| Manny Machado | BAL | 3B | R | H | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 207 | .314 | .384 | .604 | .988 | .412 | .290 | 9.9% | 17.2% | 36.7% | 38.0% | 25.3% | 20.6% | .335 | $4200 | $4700 | $5700 |
| Evan Longoria | TB | 3B | R | A | MIN | Kyle Gibson | R | 205 | .268 | .315 | .478 | .793 | .339 | .210 | 6.3% | 24.3% | 32.7% | 44.0% | 23.3% | 13.6% | .319 | $3700 | $3800 | $4900 |
| Nolan Arenado | COL | 3B | R | H | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 199 | .286 | .356 | .583 | .939 | .398 | .297 | 9.5% | 10.4% | 38.5% | 43.1% | 18.4% | 21.3% | .255 | $4600 | $5400 | $6000 |
| Kyle Seager | SEA | 3B | L | A | SD | Colin Rea | R | 195 | .287 | .364 | .528 | .892 | .379 | .241 | 10.0% | 13.6% | 32.7% | 46.1% | 21.2% | 13.2% | .295 | $3800 | $4600 | $5100 |
| David Freese | PIT | 3B | R | A | MIA | Wei-Yin Chen | L | 162 | .296 | .377 | .432 | .809 | .358 | .136 | 8.7% | 25.1% | 65.8% | 14.0% | 20.2% | 25.0% | .393 | $3000 | $3600 | $4400 |
| Ryan Flaherty | BAL | 3B | L | H | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 67 | .194 | .286 | .224 | .510 | .234 | .030 | 11.7% | 28.6% | 60.9% | 21.7% | 17.4% | 0.0% | .283 | $2200 | $2600 | $3000 |
Third Base
Nolan Arenado is the easy plug and play for cash lineups, but with his price sky high on some sites, I like the idea of rolling with Kyle Seager. He is 8-11 in this series with 2 HR’s to go with 6 RBI’s and Runs. Manny Machado works well with a Baltimore stack, and is 7-18 vs Porcello. The Rays have been such a hit or miss team, and not sure how Gibson will perform tonight, but the Rays are still a very mid-priced team. Evan Longoria is usually best used vs a lefty, but is 4-10 vs Gibson, and paired with Miller and Casali can be very sneaky tonight.
| Player | Tm | Pos | Bats | H/A | Opp | Opp Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | $FD | $DK | $Aces |
| Xander Bogaerts | BOS | SS | R | A | BAL | Ubaldo Jimenez | R | 222 | .347 | .397 | .509 | .906 | .393 | .162 | 7.4% | 16.1% | 57.0% | 26.8% | 16.2% | 12.5% | .399 | $4100 | $5300 | $5350 |
| Trevor Story | COL | SS | R | H | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 207 | .261 | .319 | .560 | .879 | .371 | .299 | 7.5% | 33.5% | 33.1% | 39.8% | 27.1% | 26.4% | .339 | $3800 | $5300 | $5300 |
| Alexei Ramirez | SD | SS | R | H | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 188 | .250 | .281 | .346 | .627 | .273 | .096 | 3.0% | 13.1% | 50.9% | 27.0% | 22.0% | 7.0% | .273 | $2500 | $2800 | $4200 |
| Jordy Mercer | PIT | SS | R | A | MIA | Wei-Yin Chen | L | 179 | .268 | .348 | .335 | .683 | .299 | .067 | 10.1% | 13.9% | 49.7% | 24.8% | 25.5% | 2.6% | .311 | $2700 | $3200 | $4400 |
| Zack Cozart | CIN | SS | R | A | COL | Eddie Butler | R | 166 | .301 | .326 | .500 | .826 | .349 | .199 | 3.4% | 12.4% | 40.0% | 32.4% | 27.6% | 12.8% | .310 | $4000 | $4200 | $4850 |
| Miguel Rojas | MIA | SS | R | H | PIT | Juan Nicasio | R | 56 | .268 | .311 | .321 | .632 | .274 | .053 | 6.5% | 14.5% | 67.4% | 15.2% | 17.4% | 0.0% | .313 | $2000 | $2500 | $3000 |
Shortstop
The non-Coors popular pick tonight will be Xander Bogaerts, and his 25 game hitting streak. He is also 6-15 against Jimenez. Sticking with my Rays idea, Brad Miller is 5-11 vs Gibson with a .636 slugging average, and is 4-10 in this series. He is listed though as a SS on only select sites though. Could Alexi Ramirez be finally heating up? I’m not sure, but Wade Miley is the right guy to go up against if trying to go deep twice again tonight, and his cheap price is worth the risk. If looking for an even greater risk, Miguel Rojas may get the start tonight, and is min priced across the board. He should have the better Marlin players batting in front of him, and don’t need much to pay off his cheap price.
| Player | Tm | Pos | Bats | H/A | Opp | Opp Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | $FD | $DK | $Aces |
| Mookie Betts | BOS | CF | R | A | BAL | Ubaldo Jimenez | R | 233 | .288 | .335 | .549 | .884 | .377 | .261 | 6.4% | 13.9% | 44.9% | 36.9% | 18.2% | 19.2% | .286 | $4500 | $5500 | $5650 |
| Matt Kemp | SD | RF | R | H | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 215 | .233 | .242 | .465 | .707 | .295 | .232 | 1.8% | 23.4% | 38.7% | 40.5% | 20.9% | 19.7% | .240 | $3100 | $4200 | $4750 |
| Gerardo Parra | COL | LF | L | H | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 202 | .277 | .286 | .441 | .727 | .309 | .164 | 1.4% | 15.5% | 60.9% | 18.9% | 20.1% | 12.5% | .311 | $3600 | $4600 | $4800 |
| Carlos Gonzalez | COL | RF | L | H | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 202 | .307 | .352 | .525 | .877 | .374 | .218 | 6.5% | 18.5% | 51.3% | 24.7% | 24.1% | 25.6% | .342 | $4300 | $5400 | $5500 |
| Odubel Herrera | PHI | CF | L | H | MIL | Chase Anderson | R | 188 | .319 | .427 | .447 | .874 | .383 | .128 | 15.6% | 18.2% | 39.7% | 37.0% | 23.3% | 9.3% | .385 | $3500 | $3900 | $4500 |
| Jay Bruce | CIN | RF | L | A | COL | Eddie Butler | R | 177 | .271 | .321 | .559 | .880 | .370 | .288 | 6.2% | 21.8% | 38.2% | 35.3% | 26.5% | 22.9% | .294 | $4300 | $5100 | $4900 |
| Ryan Braun | MIL | LF | R | A | PHI | Jerad Eickhoff | R | 159 | .352 | .421 | .579 | 1 | .425 | .227 | 10.7% | 13.5% | 55.2% | 22.4% | 22.4% | 30.0% | .373 | $4000 | $4400 | $5300 |
| Brad Miller | TB | CF | L | A | MIN | Kyle Gibson | R | 156 | .244 | .306 | .449 | .755 | .326 | .205 | 8.2% | 24.7% | 50.0% | 33.0% | 17.0% | 13.5% | .303 | $3100 | $4000 | $4150 |
| Charlie Blackmon | COL | CF | L | H | CIN | Alfredo Simon | R | 156 | .308 | .357 | .513 | .870 | .373 | .205 | 7.0% | 12.8% | 41.7% | 32.6% | 25.8% | 14.0% | .323 | $4800 | $5200 | $5550 |
| Billy Hamilton | CIN | CF | B | A | COL | Eddie Butler | R | 141 | .255 | .300 | .376 | .676 | .296 | .121 | 5.2% | 16.3% | 56.9% | 21.6% | 21.6% | 4.0% | .304 | $3500 | $4400 | $4600 |
| Kirk Nieuwenhuis | MIL | CF | L | A | PHI | Jerad Eickhoff | R | 108 | .222 | .344 | .352 | .696 | .315 | .130 | 15.6% | 32.8% | 56.3% | 21.9% | 21.9% | 14.3% | .344 | $2500 | $3200 | $3800 |
| Hyun-Soo Kim | BAL | LF | L | H | BOS | Rick Porcello | R | 55 | .382 | .469 | .509 | .978 | .429 | .127 | 12.5% | 12.5% | 67.4% | 13.0% | 19.6% | 16.7% | .435 | $2400 | $0 | $3700 |
| Robbie Grossman | MIN | LF | B | H | TB | Matt Moore | L | 39 | .359 | .457 | .667 | 1.124 | .475 | .308 | 15.2% | 15.2% | 43.3% | 36.7% | 20.0% | 18.2% | .400 | $3000 | $2000 | $3000 |
Outfield
Way too many options for OF tonight. Have to repeat myself, and continue to say that the Rockies and Reds OF’s are your best options, with the top targets going to Charlie Balckmon, Carlos Gonzalez, Jay Bruce, and Billy Hamilton. I have a feeling though that you can see both Mookie Betts and Ryan Braun as popular plays tonight. Betts followed up a 3 HR game with 2 more last night. He is also 7-15 vs Jimenez. Braun has 3 HR’s over his last 4 games, and has a .473 average with 9 HR’s over his last 22 games at Phili. Pair Braun with Kirk Nieuwenhuis and his 4-6 with 3 doubles against Eickhoff, and you have a nice Brew crew mini-stack. Odubel Herrera and Hyun-Soo Kim check in as my riskier plays tonight. Herrera has struggled lately, but has a .424 average vs the Brewers. I’ll admit I don’t know much about Kim, but has 3 multi-hit games over his last 7, and Baltimore is expected to score some runs tonight. While his price is dirt cheap on FD, DK has yet to raise Robbie Grossman’s price, and is worth a large look for your DK salary relief play.
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.