Waiver wire add to make now, MLB DFS tips

Fantasy Baseball analyst Fred Zinkie takes a look at the Monday MLB slate and offers up his top waiver wire add of the day along with some DFS picks and much more.

Pickup of the Day

Kyle Bradish (SP, Baltimore Orioles, 7 percent rostered)

Maybe it’s the new fences at Camden Yards or that their rebuild is finally turning the corner, but the Orioles have one of the most improved pitching staffs in baseball. The club ranks in the middle of the pack in ERA, and they have a few notable prospects ready to debut this season. Bradish has led their prospect parade so far, logging a 16:3 K:BB ratio across his initial three Major League starts. The rookie has a pair of home starts this week (admittedly with tough matchups against the Yankees and Rays), and this could be the last chance to pick him up in 12-team formats.

DFS Plays of the Day

Rafael Ortega (OF, Chicago Cubs, $12)

Adding Ortega to a DFS lineup will save money to spend elsewhere and could also result in getting a serviceable stat line. The speedy outfielder has recovered from a slow start to the season (.857 OPS in May) and has been hitting leadoff against righties of late. He could reach base often against Pirates right-hander Bryce Wilson, who has posted poor ratios (5.82 ERA, 1.52 WHIP) this season.

Eli White (OF, Texas Rangers, $8)

Someone on the Rangers is going to steal a base tonight, and the guess here is that it will be White. The speedy outfielder leads the team with seven steals and has swiped five bags in his past five contests. White merely needs to reach base in order to run wild on Angels starter Noah Syndergaard, who struggles to hold runners every year and this season leads the Majors with 10 steals allowed. I know that steals aren’t often a driving force in Yahoo daily contests, but White could be a cost-effective producer of a solid point total.

[Play in one of Yahoo’s MLB DFS contests]

Notes

• There were two important pitcher injuries reported on Sunday, with Marlins lefty Jesus Luzardo (forearm strain) and Mets righty Tylor Megill (right biceps inflammation) landing on the IL. Both were off to terrific starts this year and should be stashed in most leagues.

• Tarik Skubal (SP, Detroit Tigers) struck out 11 over six shutout innings yesterday. The lefty is bordering on ace status, having logged a 2.50 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and 45 strikeouts.

• Julio Rodriguez (OF, Seattle Mariners) reached base in all five plate appearances, including hitting a home run, on Sunday. The rookie is tied for the Major League steals lead and now has a solid slash line as well.

• Adolis Garcia (OF, Texas Rangers) homered twice yesterday. The toolsy outfielder has six homers and four steals but struggles to get on base to the point where he is a poor option in 10-team leagues.

• Justin Verlander (SP, Houston Astros) tossed five scoreless innings in an easy win over the Nats. The Tommy John returnee is showing no ill effects of his surgery. Kudos to those who took a chance on his comeback season.

• Led by Hunter Greene (7.1 IP, 9 SO), the Reds tossed a no-hitter on Sunday….and lost 1-0 to the Pirates. I’m not sure if this counts as a high point or low point in an otherwise forgettable season for Cincinnati.