DFS MLB Baseball Picks for May 23, 2021

We have a ten-game slate with first pitches at 1:05 PM EST. Todays slate of games is highlighted by Jose Abreu and the Chicago White Sox, taking on Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees. The highest implied run totals for a game with the Washington Nationals (5.5), Toronto Blue Jay(5.1), Atlanta Braves(5.1), and Houston Astros(5.1).

The weather looks good across the board so all the players on this slate should be in play.

Here’s our 50-50 MLB DFS lineup for 5/23/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Salary Remaining          $0

Hyun Jin Ryu ($9,700)

Ryu will face a Rays team today that over the last four weeks has struck out 31.8 percent of the time. Ryu on his own merit would be worth a start on most days, but this is a great matchup for him with how much the Rays struggle against lefties.

Martin Maldonado ($3,100)

As a low priced catcher there are things to like about Maldonado. In his last two games he has a home-run and a double, and with the Astros having one of the higher implied run totals today, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to hit value.

Josh Bell ($4,200)

It’s been a rough start to the season for Bell, but in his last two starts he has a home run and a double, and is due to go on a nice hot streak as his numbers are well below his career numbers at this point, and a game against Matt Harvey could be all he needs to get things going.

Dansby Swanson ($4,300)

Coming into today’s game, Swanson has hit a double in four straight games, and he has a home run in two of his last three games as well. He is well priced today, especially when he has been bringing that kind of heat.

Juan Soto ($5,800)

Soto has multi-hit games in four of his last five games, with two doubles and a home run in that stretch. This is a great matchup for the Nationals, as the weather warms up and the ball starts to really fly in Baltimore.

Here’s our full 50-50 MLB DFS lineup for 5/23/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Salary Remaining          $0

Kris Bubic ($5,000)

A 5k pitcher in a cash game? While not the traditional play, it makes sense here. Bubic has gone five innings or more in three straight games, and he will be facing the Tigers today who own a MLB worst 33.1 percent strikeout percentage against left-handed pitching.

Jean Segura ($4,600)

In Segura’s last three starts he has two doubles and a homerun. Segura for the season has a triple slash of 0.304/0.340/0.500 against left-handed pitching, which should help lead him to another good game today.

Austin Riley ($4,300)

Over his last four games, Riley has eight hits, four doubles, and two home runs. I will happily pay his price to get this kind of production, especially going up against the Pirates when the Braves are at home.

Ronald Acuña Jr. ($6,000)

Acuña has hit home runs in three of his last four games, and has the highest ceiling of any hitter or just about any day. There is seemingly nothing to not like about Acuña as he does everything.

Michael A. Taylor ($3,000)

Taylor has hits in his last five games, and an extra-base hit in each of his last three games, with a double and two home runs. He will face a Tigers’ team that has one of the worse pitching staff’s in all of baseball. All of that to say, he is a solid value pick today.

Alternative Moves…

Garrett Cooper – 1B/OF ($3,800 DK) Cooper is another value play you can take a look at. He has home runs in three straight games for the Marlins, to go with a double and a triple in that span. You can plug him into the OF or 1B.

Cristian Javier– P ($9,200 DK) While Javier’s last three starts have been anything but sterling, he has provided a steady number of strikeouts, with no less than six in his last three starts, and largely has been victimized by the home run ball when he is struggled so if he can limit that today he should be in for a good start.

Go win your lineup and tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that.