Covering The Bases: MLB DFS Picks Today for Sunday 5/31

by Justin Van Zuiden (stlcardinals84) Last Updated 2026-05-31 14:22:48 Premium Content Part of the product MLB DFS

Long-time grinder Justin Van Zuiden (aka stlcardinals84) is here to cover the bases for the upcoming MLB DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Whether you are looking for the top pitchers or the best stacks, Justin has you covered with an extensive deep dive into his favorite MLB DFS picks today on May 31, 2026.

Happy Sunday, MLB Grinders! We have a healthy 9-game main slate on DraftKings today, while FanDuel is also adding the SFG/COL game at Coors Field to give us 10 games over there. This slate has a nice mix of high-end pitching with some intriguing offense as well. It’s much, much better than the relatively boring slates that we had on Saturday, so that is a welcomed change! This also looks to be another day where the weather should cooperate for a full slate of games, so build some lineups and enjoy the end of your weekend.

Let’s dive in and see what Sunday has to offer for MLB DFS picks!

Sunday Pitching: MLB DFS Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel

TOP TIER PITCHERS

• Jacob Misiorowski at Astros
• Braxton Ashcraft vs. Twins
• Nolan McLean vs. Marlins
• Spencer Strider at Reds

This is an interesting mix of arms, and it’s once again a day where all of our best pitchers are younger rising stars as opposed to veterans, with the exception of Spencer Strider, who is the “old man” of this group at the whopping age of 27. As usual, we’ll begin with a peek at the 2026 numbers:

Misiorowski – 1.83 ERA, 2.02 xFIP, 40.3% K (lol), 7.7% BB
Ashcraft – 2.75 ERA, 3.31 xFIP, 25.5% K, 6.2% BB
McLean – 4.40 ERA, 3.05 xFIP, 29.6% K, 7.5% BB
Strider – 3.46 ERA, 4.02 xFIP, 31.1% K, 14.6% BB (26 innings)

Jacob Misiorowski is awesome. It’s amazing that he was not drafted in the first round, and he threw more than 50 pitches at 100+ MPH in his Memorial Day start against the Cardinals. In the month of May, he has allowed 1 run. Total. That’s good for a 0.29 ERA this month. He is dominating the opposition and has gotten his walk rate under control. The biggest question mark when he was called up last year was the command, and that issue looks to be behind him now. He’s basically unhittable. Houston has struggled for a couple of years now against average right-handed pitchers, let alone perhaps the best in the league. Don’t overthink this one. Misiorowski has an 8.5 strikeout prop today and is the clear SP1 with his mammoth 40% strikeout rate.

Braxton Ashcraft has been a breakout pitcher for the Pirates this year and has settled in as the team’s clear SP2 behind Paul Skenes. There isn’t a major weakness in his profile, and he benefits from a matchup today against a Twins team that has been striking out in bunches. However, he no longer comes at a discount; he has the 2nd-highest price on FD and the 3rd-highest price on DK. I’d just rather get all the way up to Misiorowski unless I’m doing a double-spend build on DK. Ashcraft is fine, but he is not a priority in the context of this specific slate.

Nolan McLean has a 4.40 ERA, but his advanced metrics are better than that. He has been victimized by an abnormally high 16% HR/FB rate, and that will not last. The Marlins are a league-average offense at best, and McLean has solid stuff. He’ll be fine, and he projects as a decent, safe option in this top tier if you need it. Similar to Ashcraft, though, you’re not exactly getting a massive discount here, and I’d rather get up to Misiorowski.

Don’t take the small sample size numbers from Spencer Strider as gospel. I am not even remotely sold on the 31% strikeout rate, as we are only looking at 26 innings pitched. His fastball velocity sits at the lowest average of his career, the command hasn’t been great, and there are still warning signs. He also has to pitch in Cincinnati today. He’s a tournament-only option, and while I can’t deny the ceiling, I prefer the others in this tier by a comfortable margin.

SECONDARY ARMS

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