MLB Player Props Today: 3 Best MLB Prop Bets for Friday, May 22, 2026

Top MLB Player Props at a Glance

• Freddie Freeman RBI (+155)
• Gerrit Cole Under 4.5 Strikeouts (+120)
• Brent Rooker 2+ Hits/Runs/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 Prop Bets for Today

Freddie Freeman to Record an RBI (+155)

Dodgers vs. Brewers, 7:41 p.m. ET

Logan Henderson is an intriguing young pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, but he's got a brutal matchup today against a loaded Los Angeles Dodgers lineup.

Henderson is a fly-ball pitcher who owns a career 52.9% fly-ball rate. That's led to some dinger issues versus lefty bats as he's given up 1.26 homers per nine in the split in his career.

The Dodgers are -162 to go over 3.5 runs tonight, and I think Freeman can get in on the fun.

Freeman is slowing a bit but still has a .379 expected wOBA overall -- with a .365 wOBA against right-handers. He's racked up a 46.1% hard-hit rate in the split and is striking out just 13.2% of the time.

Hitting in the heart of the LA lineup, Freeman is in a great spot for RBIs, and I like these +155 odds for him to drive in a run tonight.

Gerrit Cole Under 4.5 Strikeouts (+120)

Rays vs. Yankees, 7:06 p.m. ET

Gerrit Cole makes his long-awaited return from injury tonight, and I like the under on his K prop.

There would be obvious pitch-count concerns with any pitcher in this position, but that's particularly true tonight with Cole, who the New York Yankees were initially planning on having complete one more rehab start but changed their plans earlier this week due to other pitching injuries on the staff and having an immediate need in the rotation. While I'm sure the Yanks are not taking an unnecessary risk with their $324-million ace, it stands to reason that they'll be extra cautious with Cole's workload today.

The matchup is also a big part of this. The Tampa Bay Rays have the game's lowest strikeout rate (18.7%) and sit seventh in wOBA (.326) -- they're about as tough of a matchup for Ks as there is.

Also, while I don't want to put too much stock into rehab outings, Cole didn't light up the minors in his rehab appearances, posting a good-not-great 24.1% K rate and topping four strikeouts in just two of the six outings.

Brent Rooker to Record 2+ Hits/Runs/RBI (-105)

Athletics vs. Padres, 9:41 p.m. ET

Brent Rooker is heating up, and despite a big park-factor downgrade at Petco, I'm into him for his clash with Walker Buehler.

Rooker has mashed his way to a .375 wOBA across his last 27 plate appearances, and his hard-hit rate is much better against righties (43.5%) than southpaws (33.3%) for the season.

Today, he'll see Buehler, a RHP with a lowly 7.2% swinging-strike rate. Buehler allowed 2.10 homers per nine to righty bats a year ago, and with this market giving Rooker a few paths to come through, this bet is my favorite player prop on Friday's slate.

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.