Baseball is back for the second half of the season, and Saturday includes another full schedule. The majority of the games will be in the traditional evening slot, meaning we have a main slate beginning at 7:05 p.m. EDT consisting of nine matchups.
Pitchers
We've seen a wide range of philosophies from big-league teams regarding how to handle their rotation out of the All-Star break, but the end result is a relatively subpar group on Saturday. Sonny Gray ($9,800) is probably the most well-rounded option, highlighted by a 22.9 K-BB% and 3.05 SIERA. Arizona is a tough matchup, which is the primary drawback.
There are a pair of volatile selections in the second tier with Will Warren ($8,000) and Emmet Sheehan ($7,900). Warren carries a walk problem, though also the second-highest strikeout rate in the pool and Atlanta isn't the most daunting opponent. Sheehan is likely to be very popular, yet his pitch count is likely to be limited.
Ryne Nelson ($7,600) sits in the same salary range as the last two, but lists a lower strikeout rate by about four percentage points. The Cardinals are slightly above-average offensively, though shouldn't be a matchup to avoid.
There aren't many punt options, but Luis Severino ($6,600) would be one as he'll be facing the Guardians.
Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Hitters
The Twins represent an obvious stacking choice against Antonio Senzatela at Coors Field, yet their lineup hasn't been productive of late. Nevertheless, Byron Buxton ($6,500) is one to build around and perhaps pair in a mini-combo.
Both sides of the Rangers-Tigers are worth considering, but let's stick to Tigers bats for now. They'll go up against Kumar Rocker, who's allowed at least five earned runs from two of six starts since returning to the Majors. Riley Greene ($5,000) is the obvious hitter to focus on, though Spencer Torkelson ($4,200) could be a cheaper alternative.
Value Bats
Nolan Jones ($2,800) hasn't taken advantage of it, but he's consistently hitting second in the Guardians' order against right-handed pitching. We mentioned Luis Severino as a potential punt play, yet his skills have been shaky all season while giving up multiple homers during three of his last seven outings.
It's hard to imagine Yankees coming at a discount, though that's arguably what we have Saturday against lefty Joey Wentz as Paul Goldschmidt ($3,700) should lead off while Giancarlo Stanton ($3,500) will cover cleanup to make both interesting values.
Stacks to Consider
Rangers vs. Tigers (Keider Montero): Corey Seager ($4,800), Marcus Semien ($4,200), Wyatt Langford ($4,300)
The Rangers have underachieved for most of the year, though that's quietly changed the last couple weeks with a .344 wOBA while been powered by their stars - specifically Seager, Semien and Langford. The matchup against Montero should help them keep things rolling as his 16.3 percent strikeout rate is the third-lowest and third-highest homer rate for all Saturday pitchers.
Mariners vs. Astros (Lance McCullers): Julio Rodriguez ($4,600), Cal Raleigh ($6,100), Randy Arozarena ($4,500)
The Mariners aren't necessarily a team we want to target in stacks, but Lance McCullers changes their outlook having surrendered four or more earned runs across four of 10 2025 starts, including three of his last four. With the exception of Raleigh, this is also relatively cheap where you could potentially pair with the Rockies, Rangers or any of the other clubs we've already highlighted in favorable offensive situations.
Go to our DraftKings MLB Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
