Below are stacks to consider for Monday’s MLB DFS action.
The Chalk
Seattle @ Texas
There’s a game at Coors Field tonight, but it’s actually the game in Texas that has the highest over/under of the slate per Vegas at 11.5 runs. The teams will play in the extreme and hitter-friendly Texas heat with two less-than-intimidating starting pitchers facing each other, Wade LeBlanc and Martín Pérez . Both lefties have exhibited noticeable platoon splits this season, with Perez especially struggling against opposite-handed hitters as his K-BB% against righties is the worst among tonight’s starters.
Nelson Cruz , Mitch Haniger and Jean Segura are Seattle’s three right-handed hitters who have been above average against lefties this season, and they’ll hit 2-3-4 in the order tonight. Kyle Seager will hit fifth behind them, and he has been above average without the platoon advantage this season. For the Rangers, four of their five best hitters against lefties are hitting 4-5-6-8 in the order tonight, Adrián Béltre , Jurickson Profar , Robinson Chirinos and Isiah Kiner-Falefa . Joey Gallo and his .333 ISO vs. LHP will be in the seven-spot, so that could be a five-man stack option.
Coors Field
It’s rare that a game in Coors doesn’t lead “The Chalk,” but that doesn’t mean the game isn’t still chalky as hell. The Rox will host the Pirates with the right-hander Joe Musgrove going for the visiting team and Kyle Freeland starting for the Rox. There is some chance of rain in Colorado tonight, so that could scare some ownership away, but as of this writing a rainout does not seem likely. Plus, people are used to this weather pattern in Colorado and most likely understand the low risk of a postponement.
Charlie Blackmon is out of the lineup for the Rox tonight, and Trevor Story is their only right-handed hitter who has been above average against righties this season, which makes stacking a bit difficult. Story and Gerardo Parra will hit 5-6 in the order with lefty Carlos González in the three-hole, so that’s where a Colorado stack should be focused.
As for the Pirates, the left-handed Freeland has significant platoon splits, so Pittsburgh right-handers are certainly preferred. Pittsburgh tends to throw very righty-heavy lineups at lefty starters, and they have five right-handers who have been above average with the platoon advantage this season: Elias Diaz , Sean Rodríguez , David Freese (DTD), Jordy Mercer and Francisco Cervelli .
Not the Chalk
Chicago White Sox
The only pitcher going this evening who has walked more batters of the opposite handedness than he has struck out this season is the newly acquired Yankee, Lance Lynn . With 20 starts on the season and a 5.10 ERA, Lynn is an unimposing matchup for opposing hitters. The White Sox are one of only three teams that are at least +170 underdogs, so this is as contrarian as picks get.
The Sox have four left-handed hitters in the top two-thirds of their lineup tonight, and all four have been at least league average against right-handed pitching this season. Those four are Yoan Moncada , Yolmer Sánchez , Daniel Palka and Nick Delmonico. Sandwiched between them are right-handed hitters José Abreu and Avisail García , both of whom have been better than league average against same-handed pitching.
St. Louis Cardinals
There’s not a pitcher going tonight with bigger platoon splits than Wei-Yin Chen . The left-hander has the second-best K-BB% among tonight’s starters against lefties (25 percent) but the second worst K-BB% against righties (3.1 percent). He hasn’t been pitching particularly well of late with a 6.75 ERA and 4.94 xFIP in his last four starts.
After Matt Carpenter leads off, the Cardinals will send nothing but right-handed hitters to the plate throughout the rest of the lineup. As great as Carpenter has been for the better part of months now, it’s probably best to focus your stack on St. Louis right-handed hitters. All seven of their right-handers (excluding pitcher Luke Weaver ) have a wRC+ of at least 91 against left-handed pitching this season, so there is not a bad righty in the lineup. Depending on your positional needs and budget, you should be able to compile a streamlined Cardinals stack at any point in the lineup.
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.