It’s a short slate tonight with just four games on both sites. With value being key on short slates, let’s take a look at the best options we have for your builds tonight.
Both Sites
Vince Velasquez , RHP PHI - Velasquez has been solid the last few outings allowing just three combined earned runs in his last three starts and it’s not like Miami’s offense has been a powerhouse in the last two weeks either. They’ve struck out 26.2-percent of the time against RHP and have been below league average in wOBA and wRC+ as well.
Austin Riley , 3B ATL - Riley has been turning it on lately from the dish and now has a favorable matchup against Wil Crowe as he’s posted a .407 wOBA and five homers off of RHPs so far this year while Crowe for his part hasn’t shutdown righty hitters allowing a near .750 OPS to them. You can also add Dansby Swanson and Ozzie Albies for a budget-saving stack from Atlanta tonight on Fanduel.
Odúbel Herrera , OF PHI - Has anyone noticed that Herrera has been the best eight-hole hitter in baseball this year? He’s got an eight-game hit streak going and has a hit in nine of his last 10 games with five runs in that span as well. That’s not lighting the world on fire but at his price point just getting on base and scoring is all we really need from him.
DraftKings
Bryan Reynolds , OF PIT - Reynolds has gone 2-for-6 with a homer off of Drew Smyly previously and has a .444 wOBA against southpaws this year to go with a .375 AVG. Reynolds being a switch-hitter means he could actually hit left-handed against Smyly who has slightly worse numbers against LHHs than RHHs this year.
FanDuel
Jesús Aguilar , 1B MIA - I realize that playing a hitter against your pitchers isn’t always the best idea for DFS purposes, however, on short slates it’s hard to avoid since that would eliminate a quarter or a half of this slate depending on the site you’re playing on. Aguilar has gone 3-for-5 with a homer off of Velasquez in prior meetings and he’s been hitting the ball well off of RHPs this year with a .375 wOBA, seven homers, and 25 RBI. If you’re looking for another cheap play from Miami, Brian Anderson has been a bit more hit-and-miss against RHPs this year with a .279 wOBA but has a good history against Velasquez in past meetings with a .500 wOBA in 17 at-bats
Player News
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.
Rangers recalled INF Ezequiel Duran from Triple-A Round Rock.
Duran returns to the big leagues with veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar hitting the shelf with a back strain. The 25-year-old offers some versatility in a bench role, but he’s been a non-factor at the dish for the better part of the last two seasons.
Rangers placed OF Kevin Pillar on the 10-day injured list with a lower back strain.
Pillar has been battling a lingering back issue the last few weeks and the Rangers are going to give him some extra time off to put the issue to bed. He’ll likely return in a couple weeks to his role as a reserve outfielder.
Jake Fraley is absent from Wednesday’s lineup with left calf tenderness.
Fraley will sit out Wednesday’s showdown at Truist Park in Atlanta with Reds manager Terry Francona telling reporters he’ll need to undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the issue. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now, but there’s a chance he winds up requiring a trip to the injured list.