Underdog Fantasy MLB Picks April 14: Drew Rasmussen Anchors Tampa Bay Rays Winning Streak
Friday night's Major League Baseball slate of games presents plenty of MLB picks and props on Underdog Fantasy. The Tampa Bay Rays' winning streak is still alive and Drew Rasmussen's strikeout prop is one to target tonight. Plus, we look at some MLB Underdog picks for Dansby Swanson and Jean Segura. Check out free MLB player props and MLB daily picks on Underdog Fantasy for “Pick'Em” contests tonight. Don't forget to check out the latest MLB weather report and the confirmed MLB lineups when placing those MLB betting picks. Plus, the MLB daily projections and MLB Batter vs Pitcher page will help you find the best matchups for MLB player props and MLB DFS lineups. Now, let's dive into the top MLB player picks on Underdog Fantasy for Friday, April 14th.
MLB Underdog Fantasy Top Picks April 14
Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay Rays – OVER 5.0 Strikeouts
If you want to get in on the Rays' historic winning streak to begin the season, backing Drew Rasmussen is one way to do so tonight. The Tampa Bay starter will toe the rubber on the road in a division-rival matchup vs. the Toronto Blue Jays. Though the Jays' offense is a dangerous one with some good numbers against right-handed pitching, Rasmussen can still keep it rolling on the mound.
The Rays righty has been dominant so far this season with 13 combined shutout innings over his first two starts with only three hits allowed and a 15:0 K:BB ratio. He had seven strikeouts vs the Washington Nationals and then eight Ks vs the Oakland Athletics. Yes, both lineups don’t exactly strike fear in opposing pitchers, but they do both have similar K rates as the Blue Jays this season. Plus, against righties over the past week, Toronto has a 26.4% strikeout rate (6th-best in MLB) and a 3.8% walk rate (2nd-worst). Furthermore, the Rays may want/need Rasmussen to go deep into tonight’s game after Jeffrey Springs left yesterday’s start early, forcing them to go to the pen in the fourth inning.
Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs – OVER 0.5 Singles
Dansby Swanson has been in the headlines this week for a few different reasons. After going 4-for-4 at the plate on Tuesday, the Cubs shortstop left the game early with what was reportedly cramping/tightness in his side. Then we heard Swanson’s early departure and/or cramping was related to his wife, Mallory Swanson, recently undergoing knee surgery after suffering a serious injury in a U.S. Women’s Soccer game. Swanson then sat out the Cubs’ game on Wednesday and the team had an off day yesterday. Having a few days to rest and recover should have Swanson ready to go tonight on the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Injury concerns aside, Swanson has been hot at the plate to begin his first season in Chicago. He’s hitting .400 (16-for-40) with 14 of his 16 hits being singles so far. He’ll face Dodgers righty Noah Syndergaard, who got knocked around for eight hits and six runs last time out vs Arizona. Swanson has good career numbers vs Syndergaard with a .400 BA (8-for-20) with seven singles across his eight hits.
Jean Segura, Miami Marlins – UNDER 0.5 Singles
As always, take MLB BvP numbers with a grain of salt when sorting through player props. However, Jean Segura’s career numbers against Madison Bumgarner are impossible to ignore tonight. Segura is just 3-for-25 (.120) with four strikeouts and a .185 OBP against Bumgarner over their careers. That’s a big enough sample size for two veteran players to take it seriously.
Plus, Segura is struggling at the plate in his first season with Miami. He’s hitting just .182 (8-for-44) so far and has gone hitless in four of the past five games. It’s obviously worth mentioning that MadBum hasn’t started out so hot either with a 7.27 ERA and 2.19 WHIP over his first two starts this year. However, both of those outings came against the Los Angeles Dodgers and things should be a bit easier against the Marlins.
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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.