We find ourselves with a nice little eight game main slate on this fine Wednesday, and there’s plenty of value to be had, even at Coors Field, where prices are inflated like no other! Unless you pay up for Alek Manoah or Walker Buehler on FanDuel, or go for both on DraftKings, you’re going to be able to get some stud bats in your lineup, but you’ll still need to round out your lineup with some lower priced options. Fortunately, there’s a good amount across the board to fill in the last couple of spots.
Both Sites
Hunter Renfroe , OF BOS ($2,900 FD/$3,300 DK) - Framber Valdez was solid in his return, but Renfroe is red hot and crushing lefties this year. Renfroe has four multi-hit efforts in his last five games, and against lefties this year, he’s posted a .340 average with a .945 OPS. He has double-digit points on DraftKings and FanDuel in four of his last five contests, and overall, he’s hit safely in eight of his last 10. He’s too cheap today.
Mike Zunino , C TB ($2,600 FD/$3,800 DK) - Zunino is 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI against New York’s Jordan Montgomery , so that’s solid for starters. The Tampa Bay backstop is hitting .333 with a .503 wOBA against lefties in 2021, not to mention a ridiculous 1.211 OPS. Montgomery has been more susceptible to right-handed hitters this year, allowing them to post a .787 OPS, compared to a .276 mark for left-handed hitters. Update: Zunino isn't starting tonight for the Rays. You can pivot to Francisco Mejía ($2,100 FD/$3,200 DK), as he's 1-for-2 with a home run off Jordan Montgomery , and Mejia has a .313 average and .934 OPS against southpaws.
FanDuel
Tyler O’Neill, OF STL ($3,400) - Don’t play O’Neill in cash, as the matchup is daunting against Walker Buehler , but O’Neill crushes righties. Eleven of his 12 home runs have come off right-handers and he has a ridiculous 9.55 AB/HR mark against righties. He’s hitting .286 with a .953 OPS against righties and on the road, he’s been a .310 hitter with a 1.035 OPS! Also, nine of his 12 home runs have come on the road! Again, O’Neill can only really be played in GPPs, but he’s on the road against a righty and he’s rocking a nine game hit streak with five home runs, seven runs scored and 10 RBI in that span.
Joshua Fuentes , 3B COL ($2,800) - Jordan Lyles is a fly ball pitcher and that will be the death of him at Coors Field. Fuentes has a 40 percent fly ball rate this season, and while he’s struggled against righties a bit more than we’d like this year, Lyles has been abused by righties, to the tune of a .901 OPS. Fuentes has been struggling, so he’s only in GPP consideration, but with other people zigging to other Colorado bats, you can zag to Fuentes. For what it’s worth, Fuentes is a .317 hitter at home with a .906 OPS. I like Ryan McMahon and Yonathan Daza in this game, too.
Ryan Zimmerman , 1B WAS ($2,300) - Zimmerman is hitting .304 with an .869 OPS on the road this year, but the more encouraging stat is that he gets to face a lefty tonight and he crushes southpaws. In 41 at-bats this year against southpaws, despite homering just one time, he has a .366 average and .927 OPS. Atlanta’s Drew Smyly has a 7.80 ERA in three home starts this year and has allowed a whopping 2.76 HR/9 through 42.1 innings on the season!
DraftKings
Kyle Tucker , OF HOU ($3,500) - I can’t believe we can still comfortably play Tucker, especially when a right-hander is on the bump! Tucker has back-to-back three-hit days, and he has four multi-hit efforts in his last seven games. Over his last three games, he has one home run and seven RBI, and he has a .272 average and .861 OPS against right-handers in 2021. Houston is also at home for this one, and at home, his .302 average and .942 OPS are quite attractive at his price point. Tucker at home versus a righty is something that needs to be exploited.
Ty France , 1B SEA ($2,800 DK) - France has hit safely in all but one game since returning from injury, and he has at least two hits in four of those nine contests. He hasn’t left the yard yet, but he’s still managed to post at least DraftKings points in three straight games. France is hitting .304 with a .838 OPS against lefties this year and he has a .771 OPS in home matchups in 2021. Righties have posted an .807 OPS against Sean Manaea this year, and the Oakland left-hander has a 5.00 ERA in four road starts this year. Mitch Haniger is also a great play against Manaea, if you have the money.
Player News
Brewers manager Pat Murphy said he expects Sal Frelick (knee) to return for Friday’s series opener against the Rays.
Frelick has missed three consecutive games due to a left knee inflammation, but it sounds like there’s a strong belief he’ll be a full-go for Friday’s showdown against the Rays. The 25-year-old underwent an MRI earlier this week that didn’t reveal any structural issues, which is good news.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy told reporters he anticipates William Contreras (finger) returning for Friday’s series opener against the Rays.
Contreras was diagnosed with a fractured left middle finger, which he has been playing through for “some time.” The lingering issue hasn’t impacted his on-field performance yet, but it could become problematic if he’s unable to grip a bat or properly close his glove while catching. Fantasy managers shouldn’t anticipate the 27-year-old slugging backstop missing any time, but it’s an injury situation he’ll need to manage moving forward.
Dodgers recalled RHP Matt Sauer from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Sauer rejoins the Dodgers’ bullpen mix to replace an injured Evan Phillips (forearm) prior to Wednesday’s showdown against the Marlins. The 26-year-old righty has allowed just two runs over 6 2/3 innings (two appearances) this season at the big-league level.
Dodgers placed RHP Evan Phillips on the 10-day injured list with right forearm discomfort.
Phillips returns to the injured list just a couple weeks after making it back from last year’s tendon tear in his right rotator cuff. It’s a significant hit to Los Angeles’ high-leverage mix if he winds up requiring a lengthy absence. The 30-year-old righty has notched one save while tossing 5 2/3 scoreless innings across seven relief appearances this season. There should be an update on his status in the coming days.
White Sox selected the contract of INF Nick Maton from Triple-A Charlotte.
The White Sox are bring back Maton for another stint instead of slugging prospect Tim Elko for reasons that are unclear. The 28-year-old returns to the big leagues with Andrew Benintendi hitting the injured list with a calf strain. He hit .173 (9-for-52) with two homers and four RBI in 23 games earlier this season before being removed from Chicago’s 40-man roster.
White Sox placed OF Andrew Benintendi on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 5, with a left calf strain.
Benintendi heads to the injured list for some extra time off after missing a couple games earlier this week due to a calf issue. No word on the severity of the strain, which will determine how much time he misses. There should be an update on his status at some point later this week. It’ll be Brooks Baldwin taking over in left field in his absence.