This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Wednesday closes out group play for the World Baseball Classic. After a day off Thursday, Friday kicks off the quarterfinals. There are only two games on the slate Wednesday evening, with the first starting at 7 p.m. ET. We've got Venezuela against the Dominican Republic as well as Italy versus Mexico. Thursday there is no WBC DFS action to enjoy, so make the most of your Wednesday. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Javier Assad, MEX vs. ITA ($7,100): Expectations are Assad will make his second start for Mexico to close out group play. In his first start the Royal went 3.2 innings and didn't allow a run, though it was against Great Britain. This game is big for Mexico, so Assad may be asked to go a bit deeper against Italy. While the Italian lineup, comprised nearly exclusively from American with Italian heritage, is not a low-end group, and it turned heads against the United States, it is the least impressive of the four rosters found in this slate.
Top Target
Last season, Eugenio Suarez ($5,000) swung for the fences and that yielded 49 home runs. Sure, he also hit .228, but what are you looking for in a tournament like this? Maybe a guy who has hit .250 but has slugged .625 because he went yard? I like a slugger who has positional eligibility at both first base and third base in this scenario. The Dominican Republic, one of the teams considered a potential winner of the WBC, will be turning to Sandy Alcantara. In his first season back from Tommy John surgery, he had a 5.36 ERA and allowed righties to hit .263 against him.
Bargain Bat
In MLB, Alek Thomas ($2,800) walks too little and strikes out too much, but in 2025 he hit .249 with 19 doubles and three triples. Across Mexico's three games in this tourney the lefty outfielder has an OPS over 1.000, though. The only notable lefty the Italian roster has is Sam Aldegheri, and even he mostly pitched in Double-A in 2025. That's not enough for me to be worried about Thomas.
Stack to Consider
Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela (Eduardo Rodriguez): Junior Caminero ($4,900), Manny Machado ($4,600), Julio Rodriguez ($4,200)
Both of these nations are undefeated, but the Dominican lineup is more impressive. The Dominican squad also has a ton of power, which is relevant in this matchup. Over the last two seasons with the Diamondbacks, Rodriguez has allowed 1.45 homers per nine innings. Thus, I have three righties with plenty of power in their bats. Based on the way this tournament has gone Rodriguez won't be asked to go deep, and Venezuela has some bullpen arms unlike other teams in this tournament, but none that are terribly imposing when it comes to this trio.
In his first full MLB season, Caminero emerged as a slugger to be reckoned with. He hit 45 home runs in 154 games, and he slugged .549 against righties so good luck neutralizing him with a bullpen arm. Machado has had a strong tournament, getting on base at a .714 clip. Yes, the Padre has gotten on base over 70 percent of the time. He's also hit over 25 homers and 30 doubles four of his last five seasons, even though he plays his home games at Petco Park in San Diego. Rodriguez has speed, having stolen 30 bases with four triples last season. However, he also hit 32 homers for the second time in his career, so the Mariner doesn't exactly lack for power.
