Best MLB Props Today: Total Bases, Strikeouts and H/R/RBI Prop Bets for Tuesday 5/5/26

Top MLB Player Props at a Glance

• Luis Severino Under 4.5 Strikeouts
• Elly De La Cruz 2+ Total Bases
• MJ Melendez to Record an RBI

The beauty of baseball is the wide variety of prop markets at your fingertips each day -- from home runs to strikeouts to total bases and much more.

Here are some MLB player props that look appealing via the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as well as our MLB projections.

MLB odds via FanDuel Sportsbook and may change throughout the day after this article is published. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

What are the top MLB home run picks for today?

MLB Player Props for Today

Luis Severino Under 4.5 Strikeouts (+110)

Athletics vs. Phillies, 6:41 p.m. ET

This is a tough spot for Luis Severino. He gets a breather from the A's homer-happy Sacramento park, but Philly isn't a ton better as it sits fifth in HR factor across the past three years, per Statcast.

The Philadelphia Phillies' offense is also an issue as the Phils own the 11th-lowest K rate (20.0%) over the past 14 days and feature two guys -- Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper -- who mash right-handers.

Severino has a meh 9.2% swinging-strike rate this year and a 7.6% swinging-strike rate since the start of 2025. Prior to an eight-K outing last time out, he put up eight combined strikeouts over his previous two starts.

In a difficult matchup and not having a great year, Severino to go under 4.5 punchouts is my favorite K prop of the day.

Elly De La Cruz 2+ Total Bases (+125)

Reds vs. Cubs, 7:41 p.m. ET

I really like the matchup for Elly De La Cruz today against Jameson Taillon.

Taillon is a righty, and that's Elly's best split. Versus RHPs a year ago, De La Cruz generated a .361 wOBA and .277 average -- compared to a .268 wOBA and .236 average against southpaws.

Taillon has been pretty bleh since the start of last season, amassing a 4.39 SIERA, 19.5% K rate and 46.3% fly-ball rate in that span.

Elly clearly has the pop and wheels to leg out a double and cash this prop in one swing, and I'm intrigued by the +125 odds.

MJ Melendez to Record an RBI (+120)

Mets vs. Rockies, 8:41 p.m. ET

The New York Mets are in a blowup spot against Michael Lorenzen at Coors, and that pushes me toward MJ Melendez to drive in a run.

Lorenzen's first season with the Colorado Rockies is not going well as he's pitched to a 6.09 ERA and 14.6% K rate. He's allowed a 42.4% hard-hit rate overall, and left-handed hitters have gotten to him for a .512 wOBA and 3.14 dingers per nine over a small sample.

While Melendez is a pinch-hit risk if he sees a lefty later in the game, he's hit third in five straight starts -- putting him in a nice RBI spot behind Juan Soto and Bo Bichette.

This is my favorite hitter prop for Tuesday.

MLB Prop Bets -- Frequently Asked Questions

What are MLB player prop bets?

MLB player prop bets are wagers on specific statistical outcomes tied to individual players during a game — not on which team wins or loses. You might bet on how many strikeouts a starting pitcher records, whether a shortstop gets a hit, or how many total bases an outfielder accumulates.

Because they are isolated to a single player's performance, props let you apply focused knowledge about matchups, recent form, and ballpark conditions rather than predicting the full game result.

What types of MLB player props are available?

FanDuel offers a wide menu of MLB props. The most common categories include:

• Pitcher strikeouts
• Batter hits
• Home runs
• Total bases
• RBIs
• Stolen bases
• Pitcher outs recorded

How do MLB player prop bet odds work?

MLB prop odds use the standard American (moneyline) format. A negative number shows how much you must wager to profit $100. A positive number shows how much a $100 bet returns in profit.

• -110 odds — bet $110 to win $100
• +130 odds — bet $100 to win $130
• -200 odds — bet $200 to win $100

What does "total bases" mean as a prop bet?

The total bases prop counts the bases a batter earns from hits in a single game:

• Single = 1 base
• Double = 2 bases
• Triple = 3 bases
• Home run = 4 bases

Walks, hit-by-pitches, and stolen bases do not count. A typical total bases line is set at 1.5 or 2.5. Betting over 1.5 means you need at least a double, or two singles.

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Which player props stand out to you today? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's MLB odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.