MLB DFS Picks & Playbook For Today’s Games: Thursday, June 13
Published: Jun 13, 2024
Thursday's MLB DFS slate features just six games but is loaded with top end pitching options which will be the core of our roster construction today both on DraftKings and FanDuel.
With the elite pitching on such a small slate, the options for hitting are limited and likely to be fairly popular and chalky so figuring out where to be different will be what we work towards here this evening.
Before building your DFS lineups here today, make sure you check out the MLB DFS Preview Show with myself and James Grande as we give you a first look at today's DraftKings main slate and break down our top plays, values and fades before building an example lineup at the end of the show.
There are lots of great players to talk about, so let’s just dive right into today’s playbook and some of my favorite MLB DFS picks for the day!
MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Thursday, June 13th
MLB Weather Today, 6/13
- No weather issues for today's slate
MLB DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
Today we the White Sox and Mariners matchup with Garrett Crochet. For me, he is the top starter on the slate if looking to spend up and if on FanDuel I would lean Crochet for the higher strikeout ceiling. If looking to pivot, then Joe Ryan against the A's would be that guy.
When it comes to value pitching, I'm going to Brandon Pfaadt against the Angels.
When it comes to lineup builds, I'm looking to play Mets against the Roddery Munoz, Twins against Luis Medina and Rangers against the Michael Grove/Ryan Yarbrough combo.
Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options For Strikeouts
- Garrett Crochet vs. Seattle Mariners
- Joe Ryan vs. Oakland Athletics
- Luis Severino vs. Miami Marlins
- Taj Bradley vs. Chicago Cubs
Best Odds For A Win
Core MLB DFS Pitchers
Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox
Elite strikeout upside here with the Mariners owning the second-highest strikeout rate in baseball against left-handed pitching.
Crochet has double-digit strikeouts in two of his last three outings and we just saw him with a 29-fantasy point effort in a loss two starts ago.
with the Mariners no longer starting Luis Castillo tonight there is solid win equity here.
Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins
If you'd rather not play Crochet, then Ryan is your guy. The second-highest rostered starter has the best odds for a win today with the Twins heavy favorites over the A's.
Ryan has been knocked around a bit this season, but he has elite strikeout upside, especially against the A's here today.
Luis Severino, New York Mets
Sevy has been great for the Mets, posting a 3.25 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP while striking out 58 over 72 innings. The Mets are favorites here over the Marlins and while Miami got to Severino in their first meeting this year, the recent form for Severino is encouraging.
Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks
Things have not been good for Pfaadt lately, but the man has had some really tough matchups and if you look at his underlying numbers, they are all really good as he owns a 3.06 xERA, 3.52 FIP and 3.62 xFIP to go along with a K/9 of 8.7 and a solid BB/9 rate of 1.72.
Taj Bradley/Justin Steele - FanDuel Only
FanDuel is including the 6:40pm ET matchup between the Rays and Cubs on their main slate.
This is a pretty solid pitching matchup with both Bradley and Steele among the better young arms in the league.
If I had a lean here, I'd go with Bradley for the strikeout upside, but the Cubs are favored to win today giving Steele the win and quality start equity.
Recommended MLB DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Griffin Canning
- Philadelphia Phillies vs. Tanner Houck
- Minnesota Twins vs. Luis Medina
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Michael Lorenzen
- New York Mets vs. Roddery Munoz
Core MLB DFS Hitters
*Note: Will Be Updated As Official Starting Lineups Are Released
Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins
All this guy does is seemingly hit home runs. Lewis now has five homers in nine games played this season which includes four homers in the eight games since his return from the IL.
Facing Luis Medina should be a green light special here for Lewis today as a core play in our Twins stacks.
Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
Griffin Canning on the mound and Carroll is starting to look like the man that took the league by storm last season, but the price tag hasn't yet caught up.
Over the last 10 games, Carroll is hitting .314 with an OPS of .843. He has four extra base hits during this stretch and two stolen bases.
Lefties are hitting .301 with a .555 slugging percentage off Canning this season.
Carlos Santana, Minnesota Twins
We see Santana have these stretches every season so while his overall numbers don't look great over his last 10 games, he is hitting .343 with three homers and an OPS of 1.064.
Medina is not a good starting pitcher and Santana will be a core play for Twins stacks today.
Tune Into Today's MLB DFS Live Show with Jon Impemba and Henry Wilson at 5pm ET
Player Pool
| $ Tier | SP | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Garrett Crochet  $11,000 |  Freddie Freeman $3,800 |  Marcus Semien $3,800 |  Royce Lewis $3,800 | Mookie Betts $4,200 | Shohei Ohtani $4,500 |
| Joe Ryan $10,800 |  Pete Alonso $3,500 |  Ketel Marte $3,700 | Francisco Lindor $3,600 | Teoscar Hernández $4,000 | ||
| Jarren Duran $3,500 | ||||||
| Medium |  Luis Severino $9,500 |  Christian Walker $3,300 | Willi Castro $3,100 | Mark Vientos $3,000 | Carlos Correa $3,200 | Corbin Carroll $3,100 |
 Taj Bradley $8,500 | Josh Smith $0 | Starling Marte $3,300 | ||||
| Brandon Pfaadt $8,400 |  Luis Robert $3,200 | |||||
 Justin Steele $8,800 | ||||||
| Low |  Carlos Santana $2,800 | Blaze Alexander $2,600 | Jose Miranda $2,700 | José Caballero $2,800 |  Max Kepler $2,900 | |
 Nathaniel Lowe $2,800 |  Enmanuel Valdez $2,600 | Ezequiel Duran $2,600 | David Hamilton $2,600 | Joc Pederson $2,900 | ||
 Gavin Sheets $2,800 |  Gavin Lux $2,500 | Trevor Larnach $2,900 | ||||
| Wyatt Langford $2,700 | ||||||
| Masataka Yoshida $2,500 |
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.