Wednesday, May 26, brings all 30 teams in action with a mix of early and afternoon slates before culminating with a nine-game main slate loaded with offensive options. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for hitters and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel.
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Hitters and Stacks, Wednesday, May 26th
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Washington Nationals vs. RHP Jeff Hoffman — 5.1 implied runs
Keep an eye on the weather at Nationals Park, as a warm and humid afternoon with temperatures in the upper-80s brings with it the chance of thunder showers in the early evening. Generally these are brief, rapid downpours with some thunder and lightning, though they do not tend to last a long time. While there may be a delay if one coalesces over the ballpark, the risk of a postponement is relatively low and this column is not about the pitchers, just the hitters in this game.
While the focus will be on the Washington batsmen, looking to the top of the Reds order against the enigmatic Joe Ross is a savvy strategy as well. Do not think twice about the increasing salary for Jesse Winker, who has quietly become a preeminent power source with a .403 wOBA, .283 ISO and a 150 wRC+ over his last 600 plate appearances against opposite-handed pitchers. Tyler Naquin, Eugenio Suarez and Nicholas Castellanos are right behind with their power against right-handed hurlers, and as a bonus, the Nationals’ bullpen is mediocre at best.
With or without his Coors Field numbers, Jeff Hoffman struggles to keep the ball in the yard. Since the beginning of the 2019 season, he has allowed a .351 wOBA and a .176 ISO to opposite-handed hitters, while fellow righties have been even better with a .413 wOBA and an eye-popping .324 ISO, which has resulted in a 2.73 HR/9. Again, even across 53.1 road innings in this timeframe, he is allowing a combined 2.03 HR/9 to opposing hitters from either side of the plate, so his woes are clearly not just a product of his time in the Rockies’ rotation.
Starlin Castro should be hitting in fifth, and he provides a nice salary savings across the various DFS sites while also offering some differentiation since gamers tend to leave him out of their stacks. The top of the order will be where the masses flock, with Juan Soto, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Josh Bell shaping up to be the popular core four. If Ryan Zimmerman makes the starting lineup, Hoffman has the pitch mix Zimmerman excels against. Though he is no longer an every-day player, Zimmerman tends to be employed in favorable situations, and his less-than-steady role keeps his DFS salary at a very reasonable level.
Additional differentiation can be found with whichever of Yan Gomes or Alex Avila is behind the plate. Victor Robles is on the injured list, so that should move Andrew Stevenson into the starting lineup, and while he does not have the speed of Robles, he does have extra-base potential with his bat. Creating a wrap-around stack will create variation from the more popular Washington stack combinations.
Early Slate
Minnesota Twins vs. RHP Jorge Lopez — 5.0 implied runs
It has been five days since Nelson Cruz last saw action, as he has been dealing with a sprained wrist. The Twins are trying to avoid a trip to the injured list, and while he is expected to return soon, there is no need to rush him back for today’s matchup. That will likely make the Twins less enticing to most gamers, though it will also promote a hitter or two into a more prominent slot in the batting order.
Jorge Lopez has a below-average 19.9% strikeout rate, and he tries to survive with a 47.1% groundball rate. Unfortunately, he tends to suffer against flyball hitters, allowing a 20.8% HR/FB rate and 1.87 HR/9 over his last 201.2 innings. Josh Donaldson carries a reputation as a lefty masher. However, he is also an elite power option in same-handed matchups. Lopez is the type of pitcher that Miguel Sano thrives against, as he allows more contact than average. Depending on where they are in the lineup, lefties Alex Kirilloff, Kyle Garlick and Max Kepler are all viable MLB DFS picks for the early action.
Main Slate
Boston Red Sox vs. LHP Drew Smyly — 5.5 implied runs
This year, southpaw Drew Smyly has been allowing homeruns like it is his job. He is fourth in the league with 11 round-trippers allowed, and the two pitchers ahead of him have thrown more innings. Smyly has suffered multiple home runs in four of his last six starts, which should have gamers flocking to the Boston bats.
J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts will be the most popular options, but there is some under-the-radar strategy available as well. The bottom half of the Red Sox lineup should have Christian Vasquez behind the dish, Bobby Dalbec in the infield, and Hunter Renfroe and Danny Santana in the outfield. While this quartet is not exactly loaded with household names, over the last two-plus seasons they are have ISOs over .235. Collectively they provide a significant salary savings, which in turn will open up avenues to include pitchers of choice and a more expensive primary stack.
Final Thoughts for the Wednesday, May 26th MLB DFS Slate
There are a few spots that could see some precipitation today, but none of the games appear to be at risk of a postponement at this time. As always, be mindful that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a home run play on Yahoo may be a below-average MLB DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
