Today’s MLB Prop Picks and Best Bets: Tucker Takes on All Comers

Prop bet #1: King for a day

I was the San Diego Padres, I never would have traded Juan Soto, but at least they got Michael King in return.

While King had some mixed results in his first month with his new team, he’s shown why the Padres wanted him included in the Soto deal over his last two starts.

King opened May by shutting out the Arizona Diamondbacks on six hits over six innings, then he followed that up with one of the best performances by any starter this season. The right-hander shut out the juggernaut Los Angeles Dodgers over seven innings, giving up just two hits and striking out 11. 

Now, King will look to carry that momentum into today’s start against the Colorado Rockies, a team that inexplicably gave him problems when they last faced off on April 23. 

The Rockies tagged King for four earned runs on eight hits and three walks. But that was at Coors Field and felt more like a bad performance from King rather than the Rockies doing something good.

Frankly, Colorado has been pretty bad when facing right-handed pitchers. The Rockies have the third-worst wRC+ and the second-highest strikeout rate when digging in against righties this season.

With the Rockies countering with Austin Gomber, who owns a 4.60 expected ERA and is surrendering a .268 opponent expected batting average, I like King’s chances of recording a win.

Michael King prop: To record a win (+115 at DraftKings)

Prop bet #2: Seag and destroy

It has been a shockingly cold start to the season for Corey Seager but the Texas Rangers shortstop will have a chance to produce a big night at the plate when he digs in against the Cleveland Guardians tonight.

Seager enters with a .236 batting average and a .667 OPS and it’s odd to see numbers this low for a guy with career .290 and .864 numbers. But Seager is showing signs of turning things around.

The two-time World Series MVP has hits in nine of his last 11 games, including three home runs for a much more respectable .279 average and a .859 OPS. He’s also driven in eight runs during that period. It sure helps that he’s hitting behind Marcus Semien, who is hitting .333 over that same stretch. 

What will also help is tonight’s matchup against Guardians’ starter Carlos Carrasco. The veteran right-hander’s second go-around in Cleveland has gotten off to a rocky start. Carrasco is pitching to a 5.25 expected ERA and is surrendering a .273 expected batting average to opponents this season. Those numbers rank in the 16th and 21st percentiles, respectively.

I like Seager’s odds to drive in another run, as do our Covers Prop Projections, which have Seager at 0.7 RBIs. That makes Over 0.5 RBIs at this price a solid value.

Corey Seager prop: Over 0.5 RBIs (+145 at bet365)

Prop bet #3: Tuck and roll

Kyle Tucker has arguably been the best hitter not named Shohei Ohtani over the last month, and he’ll take his red-hot bat to the dish when he and the Houston Astros host the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night.

The baseball must look like the size of a grapefruit to Tucker right now. The Astros slugger is hitting .301 with a 1.180 OPS over the last 27 games, which includes 11 home runs and 22 runs batted in, and I like Tucker to keep raking in this matchup against the A’s.

Oakland hands the ball to Aaron Brooks. Don’t worry, I had to look him up too. Brooks has mostly been a career minor leaguer with brief stints at the big-league level. 

The 34-year-old right-hander last appeared in an MLB game back in 2022 with the St. Louis Cardinals. In five games, he recorded a 7.71 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. Brooks has a 4.57 ERA in eight starts at Triple-A Las Vegas this season.

And while Oakland’s bullpen has been shockingly good this season, that likely means a lot of work for a group with the second-most innings pitched. 

Tucker has driven in a run in six of his last eight games. I like him to jump on Brooks early and drive in another. Plus, our Covers Prop Projections have Tucker at 0.7 RBIs, so getting the Over at a price tag of +155 is a solid value.

Kyle Tucker prop: Over 0.5 RBIs (+155 at bet365)