Sean Barnard gives his top DraftKings MLB Pick6 plays and projections for Monday’s 15-game MLB slate.

The 2026 MLB season is in full swing with all 30 teams playing across today’s slate. The action will kick off with a 4:10 p.m. ET matchup between the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals, building out to a pair of 10:10 p.m. ET games between the Cleveland Guardians and Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks. There are plenty of ways to get in on the action on DraftKings. One of the more unique ways to play this year is with Pick6 Fantasy Baseball!

This article will look at my top Pick6 plays for today’s action. You simply choose whether each set statistic will be more or less than the set number. With the stage set, here are my top picks on today’s MLB slate.

Kris Bubic More Than 4.5 Strikeouts

Kris Bubic will make his season debut for the Royals today and look to build on his All-Star season in 2025. Last year, Bubic posted a 2.55 ERA and struck out 116 batters across his 116.1 innings pitched. His full breakout occurred in 2023, but Bubic underwent Tommy John surgery, which kept him sidelined before he returned as a weapon in the bullpen. His transition back to being a starter went well, and look for him to pick up where he left off. Bubic posted a 25.6% strikeout rate last year with a 13.8% swinging-strike rate. He recorded at least five strikeouts in 15 of his 18 starts before being shut down in the second half of the season. 

It is too early to truly buy into the statistical trends, but the Twins are currently averaging 10.3 strikeouts per game, which is tied for the 10th-worst rate in the MLB. They have tallied nine, 10, and 12 strikeouts across their first three games as a team. Minnesota also posted a 23.1% strikeout rate against left-handed pitchers last year. Bubic had a healthy spring, and his last start came over 10 days ago, so he should be primed for a strong start to the year. While I don’t have a ton of optimism for him pitching deep into this game, the stuff is real, and count on him to make the most of his opportunities by tallying more than 4.5 strikeouts in his season debut.

CJ Abrams More Than 1.5 Total Bases

The Washington Nationals will open a series against the Philadelphia Phillies with Taijuan Walker on the mound. While his 4.08 ERA was much better last year than the 7.10 ERA he logged in 2024, this is a vulnerable pitcher the Nationals will be looking to capitalize on. Walker will bring his best effort, but the reality is he is just a placeholder in this Phillies rotation until Zack Wheeler can make his return.

CJ Abrams has not gotten off to a strong start this season, with just one hit across his first seven at-bats. But Abrams has matched up well against Walker thus far in his career, logging three hits in 11 at-bats. He also hits right-handed pitching much better, posting slash lines of .261/.320/.442 slash lines compared to .221/.273/.338 against left-handed pitching across his career. The Phillies’ bullpen also has not lived up to their expected standard to start this season, and expect Abrams to take advantage of this opportunity to get back on track. He logged more than 1.5 total bases in 63 games last year, and look for Abrams to deliver in the series opener against the Nationals’ NL East opponent today.

Chase Burns More Than 7.5 Strikeouts

Chase Burns exploded onto the scene last year for the Reds. Across just 43.1 innings pitched, Burns raised some eyebrows by striking out 67 hitters. He posted a 35.6% strikeout rate with his fastball and a 15.8% swinging-strike rate. The Reds have been careful with his scale-up, but he threw 5.0 innings and struck out seven in his final tune-up start to prepare for this season opener. They will hand him the ball to get the start today and look for him to capitalize in this favorable matchup against the Pirates.

Pittsburgh had one of the worst offenses in baseball last season and posted a concerning 23.0% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching. They have shown some signs of life to start the year and made some veteran additions this offseason, but the reality is that this should still be expected to be a below-average offensive unit when the dust settles. Expect Burns to lean on his 100+ mph fastball and gas out this Pirates team. It will be interesting to see how he holds up over the course of a season, but in his first start, count on him to deliver with more than 7.5 strikeouts as he delivers some eye-popping pitches throughout.

Munetaka Murakami More than 0.5 Runs Batted In

You can’t ask for a much better start to an MLB career than what Munetaka Murakami has put on display. Across his first 13 plate appearances, the prized free agent addition has launched three home runs and earned four walks. He has tallied a home run in every game this year. Murakami has already climbed up the batting order and should be in line for additional at-bats tonight. He will also be facing off with Chris Paddack as the starter, who gave up more home runs than all but five pitchers last season. Paddack has always struggled against left-handed hitters and allowed 1.9 home runs per nine innings to lefties last year.

Backing a home run for the fourth straight game is a bit more all-or-nothing than I would prefer, but I am taking Murakami to record an RBI again tonight. All three home runs have been solo shots until this point, but he is a candidate for a booming sacrifice fly and is due to keep the ball inside the park for some hits soon. There are still some holes in this White Sox team, but they deserve credit for making some positive changes this summer and are beginning to reap the benefits. Plenty of eyes will remain on Murakami and look for him to pick up another RBI today.

Kazuma Okamoto More Than 0.5 Runs Batted In

Another vulnerable pitching matchup is taking place as the Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays face off today. Tomoyuki Sugano is getting the start for the Rockies. The 35-year-old made his MLB debut last season, posting a 4.64 ERA across 30 appearances and allowing the fourth-most home runs on the season. He ranked in the bottom 6% of the league in strikeout rate and barrel percentage. These are major concerns against a strong Blue Jays’ lineup.

Expect Kazuma Okamoto to help put forth some of the damage today. Okamoto has four hits across his first 12 at-bats this season, with one home run already launched. He hit out of the five-hole yesterday and hit his home run in a stiffer pitching matchup. Okamoto has logged four hits in three games and expect plenty of runners on the bases in this matchup with Sugano. He is in a prime place to inflict some damage and look for the Blue Jays’ third baseman to deliver by adding to his RBI total today.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. More Than 1.5 Total Bases

With the same matchup in mind, count on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to be prepared for a strong output today. The five-time All-Star has four hits across his first 10 at-bats this season and has performed well against Sugano in his career. In seven at-bats against Sugano, Guerrero Jr. has tallied three hits, including a double and an RBI.

Sugano allowed 1.9 home runs per nine innings in 2025, and Guerrero Jr. has traditionally hit right-handed hitting better. Last season, 23 of his 31 home runs came against righties. Colorado also offers one of the worst bullpens in the league if Sugano is to be chased from the game early. With a near-ideal matchup and a hitter-friendly park, all signs point to Guerrero Jr. getting ahold of a favorable pitch and delivering for this Blue Jays team. Look for him to record more than 1.5 total bases and continue pulling his weight and serving as the most dangerous member of this dynamic lineup.

Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2+ players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.

How to Play

Create a Pick Set

Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of set competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you cannot pick the same player twice and must pick players from at least two different teams.

Enter an Amount

Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.

Sweat Your Picks

When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.

Compete for Prizes

Make enough correct picks and win a share of the contests’ guaranteed prizes. Any prizes won will be credited to your DraftKings account after contests are finalized.

Play at DraftKings Pick6 or by downloading the DraftKings Pick6 app on Apple or Google!