Taylor Ward MLB Picks At Sleeper Today, 5/24: Baseball Projections
The Saturday MLB action brings us a robust 16-game slate and another strong opportunity to win some money on Sleeper Fantasy with our MLB DFS pick ’em picks!
After another night of rain in Boston, the Red Sox and Orioles are going to try and get a doubleheader in today to help close out their series. Will we invest there? We’ve got a lot of aces on the mound throughout the day and night but we also have some serious hitting available as Coors Field, Sutter Health and Great American are all hosting. Sounds like we’re going to see plenty of runs scored. Let’s dive in and see which MLB pick ‘em options are best for today.
Sleeper Fantasy Picks for Saturday, May 24: MLB DFS Projections
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Taylor Ward Sleeper Fantasy MLB Pick: More Than 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI (1.63x)
We love picking on Marlins righthander Cal Quantrill, don’t we? He continues to get abused out there with his 6.37 ERA and 4.73 FIP. And he struggles mightily against same-handed hitters, allowing them to post a .454 wOBA against him this season. While Ward’s batting average is sitting at a less-than-desirable .228 mark, he’s been digging himself out of a very deep hole from the start of the season and is riding a nine-game hit streak in which he’s cleared the 1.5 HRR in each of them. He’s homered in each of his last two games and should have little trouble clearing the mark against tonight.
David Peterson Sleeper Fantasy MLB Pick: Less Than 17.5 Outs Recorded (1.93x)
Yes, I am very well-aware that Peterson has thrown at least six innings in each of his last three starts. However, while he’s done a good job keeping runs off the board, he’s been flirting with disaster every step of the way, doling out 11 walks over his last three starts. You’re not going to get away with that against the Dodgers who have the highest walk rate (10.6-percent) against lefties and the second-highest wOBA (.350) against them. I’m banking on them chasing Peterson before he can even get out of the fifth inning.
Total Multiplier: 3.14x
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Player News
Guardians optioned 1B/DH Jhonkensy Noel to Triple-A Columbus.
The 23-year-old slugger was up with the big league club for a couple of days while Kyle Manzardo was on the family medical emergency list, though he went hitless in four at-bats in his limited action. Noel will return to an everyday role at Triple-A Columbus where he’ll continue to refine his craft.
Guardians activated 1B/DH Kyle Manzardo from the family medical emergency list.
The 24-year-old slugger had been away from the team since Monday. He returns to a .217/.289/.429 with 13 homers and 33 RBI through his first 284 plate appearances on the season. Jhonkensy Noel was optioned back to Triple-A Columbus in a corresponding move on Thursday.
Athletics optioned RHP Mitch Spence to Triple-A Las Vegas.
The 27-year-old right-hander was obliterated in Wednesday’s loss to the Braves where he gave up eight runs on nine hits — five of them home runs — over his six innings of work. He also wasn’t going to pitch again until the other side of the All-Star break though, so perhaps this is just the Athletics’ way of adding an extra bullpen arm for the final four days of the first half. Spence has posted a 4.70 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and a 63/22 K/BB ratio over 74 2/3 innings through his first 29 appearances (seven starts) on the season.
Athletics recalled RHP Osvaldo Bido from Triple-A Las Vegas.
The 29-year-old hurler will take the roster spot of Mitch Spence who was optioned to Triple-A on Thursday. Bido has been knocked around in his time with the A’s this season, registering a 6.14 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and a 34/23 K/BB ratio across 48 1/3 innings in his 12 appearances. He’ll provide manager Mark Kotsay with a fresh arm that’s capable of logging multiple innings out of the bullpen. Bido can continue to be ignored for fantasy purposes.
Iván Herrera (hamstring) will begin a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.
It sounds like the hard-hitting 25-year-old backstop will remain there at least through the weekend and be ready to join the Cardinals coming out of next week’s All-Star break. Herrera was given a timeline of two-to-six weeks when he landed on the injured list on June 20, so it seems like that timetable tracks. His return will push Pedro Pages back into a reserve role while costing Yohel Pozo his spot on the active roster.
Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone confirmed that right-hander Clarke Schmidt will undergo Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery on Friday.
The procedure will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister. Schmidt will obviously miss the remainder of the 2025 season and most of the 2026 campaign as well while recovering from the procedure. Expect him to be moved to the 60-day injured list in the coming days to free up a spot on the team’s 40-man roster. Cam Schlittler will be given the first opportunity to hold down Schmidt’s spot in the Yankees’ rotation.